Obituary of Anthony P Vitale

Anthony P. Vitale, 81, of Peabody, died early Wednesday morning at the Beverly Hospital following a brief illness. He was the devoted husband of the late Federica (Pizzimenti) Vitale. Born in Boston, he was the son of the late Joseph and Mary (Licata) Vitale. He was raised and educated in Boston, and from 1961 until 1991 had lived in Peabody. He later lived in Port Charlotte, Florida for ten years and has spent the last two years living back in Peabody. He was a veteran of WWII, who served with the United States Army and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. After the war, he worked as a commercial fisherman for the family business in Boston until 1952. He then worked in the Boston Naval Shipyard in Charlestown until 1979 and finally before his retirement, he worked as a rigger on the USS Constitution in Charlestown. He was an active member of St. Adelaide’ s Church in Peabody where he helped start the Usher’ s and Bingo Clubs. He also was active with the first restoration of the USS Constitution, and in addition to the restoration, he also help build a replica of the Knot Board of the USS Constitution, which today sits in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. He also enjoyed fishing, cooking and the ocean. He is survived by two sons and daughters-in-law, Anthony Jr., and his wife Daria Vitale of Peabody, Paul and his wife Sharon Vitale of Ashland; a daughter, Fredricka Ricky Scola of Peabody, a brother and 2 sisters-in-law, Joseph and Isabel Vitale of Milton and Sr. Grace Pizzimenti SND of Everett; 7 grandchildren, Anthony III, Louis, John, Anthony, Nicholas, Emily, and Katherine; a great grandson, Anthony IV, and several nieces and nephews. He was the brother of the late Jeanette Contrada, Augusta Moses, and his companion, Virginia Davis. His funeral service will be held on Saturday at 9:00 AM from the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 12 Chestnut St., Peabody Facility, followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Adelaide’ s Church, Peabody at 10:00 AM to which relatives and friends are invited to attend. Visitation on Friday from 4 until 8 PM. Burial in Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, Peabody. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the DAV, C/O VFW Hall, Stevens St., Peabody, MA 01960.