affectionately known as “Herbie”, was born in Revere on November 25, 1932, the youngest of six
children of the late Joseph and Jennie DiFiore. Raised in Revere, he graduated Revere High School, was
drafted soon thereafter and served in the Army Infantry Division for three years. He was deployed to
Germany, where he joined one of his older brothers. On his arrival home he started working for the
New England Telephone Company. While working there as an elevator operator he met his late wife
Joanne and they married in January 1957. They raised their two daughters in Brighton, where they
lived until retiring to the Cape in 1999. Herb spent his entire working career in the phone company,
working his way up from maintenance to service tech to management. He served as Treasurer and
Board member at the Telephone Workers Credit Union and was an active member of the Pioneers.
Herb loved to be the life of the party, to dance and to just have fun. In his younger years he belonged to
a bowling league, enjoyed spending time with his brothers at the races and was a lifelong football fan.
He and Joanne entertained frequently and would never pass up an opportunity to socialize. After
moving full time to Cape Cod, he joined the parish Men’s Club and made many new friends, with whom
he and Joanne travelled over the years. They spent winter months in Marco Island enjoying the beach
and the restaurants. Herb’s quick wit and endless smile earned him the nickname Happy Herb.
Herb is predeceased by his wife Joanne who passed in November 2019, after almost 63 years of
marriage. He is lovingly survived by his daughter Cynthia Hickey and husband Michael of Melrose, his
daughter Judy Gallauresi and husband Bill of Swanzey, NH, and his beloved grandchildren Michael J.
Hickey and Bethany Hickey and her husband Jeff Branz. Loving brother of Susan (Aunt Sue) DiFiore of
Winthrop and the late Nellie Powers, Carl DiFiore, Chris DiFiore and Edward DiFiore. Also survived by
many loving nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the One Company Fund c/o Harbor Point, 22 Richardson
Road, Centerville MA 02632.
WORDS OF REMEMBRANCE
When a loved one dies you try to find the words that best describe the way they lived their life and the words that express what they meant to you and to the world around them. For my dad, there was a constant in his life, and that was his perennial smile. Every family member and friend who has reached out remembers Herb as the guy that was always smiling. He was a good man, he was easy to please and he lived life to the fullest.
Herb was a sports enthusiast, and although football was his favorite, he loved watching sports of any kind. In his younger years, he was an avid spectator at Wonderland and Suffolk Downs, and he and his brothers would sneak away to watch a race whenever they could. When he settled down a bit, he enjoyed outings with his son-in-law Michael, including his first trip to Gillette to see the Patriots, attending the Red Sox game at Fenway when Yastrzemski recorded his 3,000th career hit, and experiencing Michael Jordan play the highest scoring game of his career at the Garden. The Celtics lost, but Herb was happy!!
Growing up in Revere, my dad spent countless hours at Revere Beach where he fine-tuned his love of clamming and his love of the sun and sand. My mother shared his passion for the beach, and together they spent as much time as possible beaching it: in Marshfield with my grandparents, in Dennisport with my Aunt Betty and her family, in South Dennis at the house they built and cherished, and at Marco Island with my cousin Bernadette and her husband and the many friends they met along the way.
Family was important to my dad, and he created lasting memories with all of them. When he was with his nieces and nephews, he was a kid again, laughing and joking and roughhousing and leaving smiles on everybody’s faces. He and his siblings gathered frequently to dine together, and lunches at The Continental, Red Rock Bistro, and Antonias on Revere Beach became a tradition.
My dad taught me a lot, how to swim, how to drive, how to make sauce and meatballs, how to play Poker and Solitaire and what it means to get a first down. But the most important thing my dad taught me was how to deal with a bad hand. For over twelve years he lived with a disease that robs you of your memory and your dignity. He accepted the hand that he was dealt, and he handled it with grace and good humor. That perspective earned him the love and respect of all those who cared for him when my mother was no longer able to do so.
Dad, your loving wife has called you home. You will be missed by many, but remembered by all as always a gentleman, always agreeable, and always smiling. Rest in peace. We love you!!
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