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I have started this blog to share information about my father's passing and hear your stories about him.
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Blog Archive
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2009
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April
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- Vince and Jeanne
- Reva and Grandpa
- Grandpa and Nik
- Happy 80th!
- No title
- Angie and Dad 2003
- Dom DeVito
- Danny graduates from USNA
- Birthday Party for Dad 2004
- Patrick and Grandpa May 2008
- Allie and Grandpa Vince January 2009
- Little Vinnie, Laurel and Big VInnie December 2008
- Grandpa and Samuel March 2008
- From Nan, a friend and neighbor of Big Vinnie.
- Share your thoughts and memories.
- Memorial to Vincent DeVito Sr.
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April
(16)
Dad looks so hot in his US Air Corps mechanic's outfit! No wonder Mom fell for him.
ReplyDeleteThe sadness is diminishing. I can't wait to go to Italy and be in the land of his ancestors.
Miss him so much! ang
Having travelled with Vince for 3-6 weeks per year for the past 20 years has been a blessing that very few have experienced. During many many dinners I would listen to Vince and observe the glean in his eyes as he talked about his kids and grand kids. I experienced first hand the compassion as he cared for his wife Jean those many years. It is a compassion I can only hope to mimic someday.
ReplyDeleteWe also laughed a lot. Our favorite past time was to work crossword puzzles-for which he needed no help but would indulge us as we drove to and from the sites we were inspecting. My challenge was to come up with the wrong word for the puzzle and convince Vince that it was the right word---only to be corrected a few clues later as the pieces of the crossword came together.
I’ll remember Vince forever as I have at least 1,000 pens lying around the house with various Vince slogans and logos on them. Many he got for free and I felt privileged to be the one to try the various prototypes before he put a batch into circulation. I watched with pride as he would distribute these pens to various people we would meet on our travels. I will also wear with a renewed pride the shirts he purchased for the Material Control and Accountability (MC&A) team. Once again, I have the only prototype of a failed MC&A shirt as Vince experimented with an iron-on patch.
As I studied to become a lay minister in the Church and became a part-time pastor, Vince would tease me about how the Sunday collection of the Naples Church would exceed my small Church’s’ annual budget. I’ve lost a friend to talk with and there is a void in my life now that I know God will fill later but for now I will mourn with his family and many many friends.
Gary Kodman
Gary,
ReplyDeleteThat comment about the collection plate sounds so much like my Dad. Thanks for sharing!
I only saw Vince Sr. a few times -- first at my brother's wedding and several times thereafter. He was always about being warm and accepting and inclusive -- he always made me feel that he was really happy to see me. For me, that is a very special human quality -- and his example left a lasting effect on me. I think we all felt better about ourselves when we were with Vince -- because he made us feel that way. I've tried to emulate Vince's example, always remembering how important he was to me. Thank you, Vince, for sharing such warmth and acceptance -- and love. You were so much more than special to so many people. Bill Weis
ReplyDeleteI remember him as always gracious and accepting even after Jack died, there was still a special connection.
ReplyDeleteConnie
Yes, i agree - what a "looker".
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly certain i will be in Waverly toward end of May and into June. So, I hope to attend the VJD Waverly Memorial. It would be an honor.
I always see him smiling - mostly. He was always welcoming me, it seemed... The last time i saw him (PPL concert in Chilli a few yrs. back) he was obviously so happy to see me and I was so happy to see him -- on that special day in a sunny, Chillicothe Ohio parking lot.
Much Love
pamela
My memories of your dad are from childhood. I remember how he used to teasingly question me when I was at your house, all the while putting on a cool front. He would say things like, "Galloway, don't you ever go home?" or Hey, Galloway, what do you know?" To which, I would typically reply, "Nothing." or "I don't know."
ReplyDeleteThen he would feign disgust at my ignorance. It was all great fun. He also never failed to ask about my family and even though he pretended to invite me to go home, I always knew I was welcome.
Another memory.........pizza! It was a joy to be at your house on a pizza baking day. I have to admit when I conjure up memories of your dad, I visualize him making his legendary pizza. It was clear how much he enjoyed sharing it with others. Unfortunately, with the size of your family, news traveled fast to various friends and acquaintances and portion allotments decreased as the day advanced. That's generosity for you.
I remember big Vince as generous, welcoming, a commanding presence. I also remember times of his exasperation with us, which we deserved.
Anyway, my heart goes out to all of your family for this big loss but I do feel there is something to be rejoiced in a life well-lived. With love and fond memories,
Laura
Michael DeVito (nephew)
ReplyDeleteIt must have been that generation of DeVito’s that produced the quiet confidence and powerful presence that my Uncle Vince and father John possessed. Since I have been living in Chicago, It was nice to be able to keep in touch with him in the new modern world of computers and e-mail. It was a given that Uncle Vince would master this technology as witnessed by the wonderful DeVito family calendar he put together annually. He would also send me books when I would express interest in our Italian heritage that would illustrate the incredible hard work, inventions and ingenuity of famous Italian immigrants who helped make this country great and our lives better. Now, I will have to add his name to the list.
Saddened to hear of Big Vincie's passing. I last saw him on the local golf course a few years ago & I still remember his warmth, wit & humor & his sincerity in seeing "one of the Kohler boys" & sharing the news of his family's well being. My wife & I send our love & prayers to you all and look forward to sharing this June and doing him "right" Pat & Connnie Kohler
ReplyDeleteI was truly blessed that I had the opportunity to spend some precious moments with a beloved friend throughout the past 56 years. The moments spent with Vince although too few were very special to me.
ReplyDeleteMy first memory of Vince dates back to the summer of 1953 when I was 8 years old. Oak Ridge, Tennessee was the place and Vince was part of a cadre of men from Goodyear Tire and Rubber who left Akron to train in Oak Ridge prior to their assignment in Southern Ohio at the Goodyear Atomic Gaseous Diffusion Plant. Some of the other notables with Vince were; Dave Connery, Bill Culp, Steve George, Nate Hurt, and my father Bim Walder. There were others but the mentioned were the nucleus of a softball team that represented Goodyear Atomic in the summer of “53” in Tennessee. Being outsiders, the Goodyear team was not very well loved by the local Tennessee boys. The pitcher for the Goodyear team was VJ DeVito. Back in the day Vince was trim with a dark mustache. And Vince had “the walk.” You know what I mean when I say “the walk”. He always had it. Call it a swagger or strut you could always pick him out by his walk. I remember the opposing teams didn’t like the walk or him very much because they couldn’t hit him. He threw a wicked breaking pitch that dropped off the plate. The little Italian from Ohio was bodacious.
When we got to Waverly Vince would sometime stop by the house and visit. I always enjoyed listening to him from the other room. I liked hearing him talk. His words were always colorful and when he was making a notable point his voice invariably would raise and his arms would extend outward. When that colorful Italian and that Irish mother of mine got together it was quite a sight to behold.
As I mentioned the moments I spent with Vince were very special. The first time I ate real pizza was when Vince made it. Before that the only pizza I ever had was out of a Chief Boyardee box.
The first complete set of golf clubs I owned Vince sold my father. The year was 1959 and I was a freshman in high school. I was playing with a set of clubs that contain a 3, 5, 7, and 9 iron with a 3 wood and a driver. I only had the odd numbered clubs and not the even numbered ones. One evening Vince came over to the house carrying two long boxes. The boxes obviously contained golf clubs. Dad and Vince had cooked up a deal before his arrival. I had no idea the clubs in the box were for me. When he opened the box I recognized the clubs. They were his clubs, the ones that I always admired; it was the McGregor Tourney’s with the white golf pride grips. Wow that set of clubs were only two years old and he sold them to my dad for $200. You pay twice that much for one driver now, oh how I loved those clubs.
Growing up on Skyline Golf Club I got to play golf with Vince sometimes. That was an adventure in itself. I watched everything he did. I noted his gamesmanship which I must say I later copied. If Vince wasn’t putting very well you better beware because the volcano may erupt anytime after a missed putt. I saw many putters leave Vince’s hands in a manner resembling a helicopter.
Vince was truly a friend, he took me to my first professional golf tournament in Akron. It was the American Golf Classic in 1961. Jay Hebert won the tournament and I stayed two nights in Canton with Vince and his mother and father. We played golf that year at a public course called Tam O’Shanter. I shot my best round ever, a 71 which was 1 over par. I was out of my mind after that round and Vince jokingly offered to buy those clubs with the white grips back from me.
In 1962 we retuned to Akron for the tournament. This time Vince took son Gerald who had by then started to play golf. That was the weekend that I got to know Gerald. Gerald and I had a great time. Arnold Palmer won the tournament that year and Gerald waded into the pond on Firestones 16th and retrieved Arnold Palmers ball after play was completed. Later that evening Gerald lost the ball at a miniature golf course.
In 1963 before I entered the service, Vince, Gerald, dad and others went to Winston Salem and played golf at Tanglewood. We stayed in a cottage on the grounds or the RJ Reynolds Estate and had a great time. Vince had a room that was two rooms removed from mine but I could still hear him snore. The man could saw Z’s with the best.
Through all the years and until he left for Naples Vince attended St. Mary’s in Waverly. He never missed Mass on Sundays or on holydays. He always ushered and he took up the collection and he always had something to say to me under his breath when he took up the offering.
I loved and admired Vince. Before Jeanne passed I drove Vince to the hospital to have his second knee replacement. I again remember visiting him after the operation in the hospital. The operation went well and the day I visited he was in a lot of pain and certain staff members were not doing the job they needed to do and they were being very unprofessional. Those staff members felt the Vince DeVito wrath that day and he didn’t mince his words.
The last time I spent more that just a few minutes with Vince was the day I drove him and Jeanne to the attorney’s office in Middleburg. It was a sad day but a day that I will always cherish.
I will miss my pizon and I send condolances to the family and friend reading this. I look forward to the day when we can be all be together again.
God Bless you Vince.
Your friend,
Chip Walder
It seems as if I've known Vince Sr. all my adult life although it's been only about 40 years. Vince was always inVINCEable and indestructible in spirit. And he went just the way he wanted to - quick and without fanfare, and, of course, playing at his favorite avocation - golf. Over the years I knew him well in the work environment but better in the later years as a dedicated INMM servant with over 30 years as Secretary to the Institute. In our recalling of the past, Vince always out did me since he could remember details of events decades ago with great clarity. However, I did suspect that with time he was embellishing the facts a bit but always with wit and humility. He was a caring person although his booming voice must have covered up some of that quality. And when you stepped out of line - beware. Yet, I can remember one evening having dinner with Vince and Jeanne, in her later difficult years, how comforting and compassionate he was in our discussions with her.
ReplyDeleteLife without Vince won't be the same and I certainly will miss all of his emails that kept me smiling continually. Vince left his mark on this earth - he'll be long remembered and remembered well!
My condolences to the family for their loss but Vince now has taken up a higher position than he had on earth. God bless!
Bon voyage, Vince!
Charles Pietri
Dear DeVito Family,
ReplyDeleteIt is with a heavy heart that I celebrate you father's passing. He is the last of my relatives from his generation that has passed. With his passing I must also experience my own mortality. Would I do anything different with my life?
What a wonderful man my Uncle Vince was with a heart as big as the world. I fondly rememeber how he always greeted me with his big smile, and gentle words "how are you Susie?" with such genuine inquiry that it boosted me up and made my day. I will always remember my visits to my cousins in southern Ohio. I loved when my Uncle Vince would make his famous pizza, even if he wisked my cousin Vicky away from me to make the dough. The pizza was almost the best culinary experience in the world, with the exception of my Aunt Jeanne 's lasagna. Nothing could top that.
For some reason, I remember my Uncle using his favorite nick-name for Vince Jr. 'Boomer'. What are you up to 'Boomer'? Water skiing on the lake was also one of my fondest memories. My Aunt Jeanne was like a second Mom to me and my Uncle Vince never hesitated to share his house, family and love with me.
Peace be with us all; may we take time to stop and acknowledge the important times and people in our lives. I wish I had taken the time to come to the memorial but time dances too quickly for me.
I would love to give each and everyone of you a big hug.
Love, Susie
We were saddened to hear of Vince's passing so suddenly because he always said that he was going to outlive his grandmother. On a golf course... what better way?
ReplyDeleteWe had such fun playing golf and enjoying the moment. We won the INMM golf tournament twice. The first time he was the "A" player and I was the "B" player. The next time I was the "A" player and Vince was the "B" player, but that was only because he didn't hit the ball very far. He was the master around the greens.
I knew about Vince through the INMM long before I met him. I joined INMM in 1979 and he had been the Secretary of the INMM for many years already, although we had never officially met. In 1987 while on an inspection of the Portsmouth plant with Obie Amacker, we had to tell Vince (who was vice-president of Operations) that his plant's performance was unsatisfactory. Obie and I thought that was the end of our INMM careers. But Vince agreed with us and 2 years later after he retired, he went to Livermore, CA with me on his first inspection. It was the next year that he introduced me to golf.
Wherever we went and whatever we did, Vince always made sure that we had fun. His sense of humor was incredible and we always had a great time. As I know he was the father figure for the entire DeVito family, you all must know that he was like a father to all of the people with whom he worked. He is truly missed, but we have fond memories that we will always cherish.
My best wishes to the DeVito family. It was a privilege and an honor to know Vince for these past 20+ years.
Ken Byers
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