Vincenzo Buffa

“Give me a problem and I’ll hand you a solution.” Those who knew Vincenzo Buffa would agree that that motto accurately described him. Vincenzo was a man of great drive and a very original, independent thinker. For Vincenzo, no challenge was impossible, and just about any desired result was within his grasp. Vincenzo placed great trust in his intuition. Since that intuition generally led him in the right direction, who was he to doubt it.

      Vincenzo was born on April 15, 1931 in a home in Carini, Palermo Sicily. He was the son of Vito and Angela Buffa. His childhood found him in Carini where he matured into the independent person he eventually became.

      Vincenzo grew up with one sister. He had a younger sister Anna. It was important to him that he was perceived as “right” when it came to his part in those typical family spats. However, this quality did not over power his caring for his family. This ability to balance his family, with his need to be seen as right, helped him to develop into a young adult while enjoying many good times with his family.

      On July 14, 1962, Vincenzo exchanged wedding vows with Rosa Randazzo at St. Marys Catholic Church in Brooklyn, New York.

      Vincenzo often neglected his own feelings in order to give to others. This was very true when it came to how he dealt with his children. He was able to hand on to each child a number of strong values. He taught them to appreciate their abilities, gave them a desire to persevere despite obstacles and set within them a drive to succeed. He had two children, one son Vito and one daughter Angela. He also had six grandchildren, Christopher, Vincent, Christie-Ann, Joseph, Vincent and Danielle. They were always aware of how much Vincenzo loved them.

      During Vincenzo's professional working years, he was at his best when working independently. It became the hallmark of his performance. Vincenzo was generally able to refocus his drive and determination and readily work toward finding a way to get things done that was beneficial to himself and his co-workers. His primary occupations was as a kitchen cook and a construction worker.

      For Vincenzo, his outside interests and hobbies became another exercise in learning and mastering areas that interested him. He greatly enjoyed unraveling the "hows" and "whys" that lay behind his hobbies. Vincenzo was always pushing himself to learn more and to stretch his knowledge base even further. He firmly believed that the more things that he knew the more control he would have over things. His favorite pursuit was gardening and traveling.

      Vincenzo's skepticism was visible when he found it necessary to place too much trust in one person. This was never clearer than when it was time for him to schedule a vacation or period of time away from his regular schedule. Vincenzo loved the research aspects of planning a trip, but the actual process of relaxing was far more difficult. Still, he did manage to enjoy some time away. Favorite vacations included going to Florida and Hawaii.

      When Vincenzo's retirement finally came in 1993, he was ready. He worked out many of the details in advance so that he could enjoy the time and not have to worry.

      Vincenzo Buffa passed away on October 6, 2014 at Emeritas in Las Vegas, Nevada. He fought a brave battle against Dementia, COPD, Kidney Failure and CHF. He is survived by his spouse Rosa; his sister Anna; his children Vito ( Ellen) and Angela (Chris) and his grandchildren Vincent, Danielle, Christopher, Vincent, Christie-Ann and Joseph. Services were held at Palm Northwest Mortuary and Cemetery in Las Vegas, Nevada. Vincenzo was laid to rest in Palm Northwest Cemetery in Las Vegas, Nevada.

      Vincenzo Buffa was always drawn to what was measurable, practical and factual. He was a very competent person who expected competence from others. He could be headstrong and certain about the way things were supposed to be. He was determined in every aspect of his life and certain that he was usually right about things. He trusted his intuition over all else, even if it opposed the popular belief, and he had faith in his inner vision and speculations. He wanted to be acknowledged by others as having made a contribution to whatever he was working on. His family and friends will miss his fierce determination, relentless innovations and analytic mind. He leaves with all those who knew him many wonderful memories.