Vito Pontarelli Sr.

He was the son of the late Frank W. Sr. and Elvira (Piacente) Pontarelli; husband of the late Carol Ann (Lombardo) Pontarelli; devoted father of Vito F. Pontarelli Jr. (Joanna), and the late Christopher D. Pontarelli; cherished grandfather of Patrick J. and Justin V. Pontarelli; brother of Frank W. Pontarelli Jr. and Daniel A. Pontarelli.

Vito was raised in the Marieville section of North Providence where he spent most of his life with friends from Doc’s PX. He was a graduate of St. Raphael Academy where he played hockey and football, after which he got a football scholarship to attend the University of Wyoming. He also played football for the Providence Steamrollers and was a football coach for the St. James/Woodbridge Saints in NJ. Vito was very proud of his two grandsons who played college football for Dakota State University. He was a member of the NJ Teamsters Local 701, had previously worked for the family business, Marieville Fence Company, and had served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He had spent time in Anenel, NJ as well as Peoria, AZ and recently moved to Sioux Falls, SD with his son and family.

Funeral services and graveside burial with Military Honors will be private in Swan Point Cemetery, Providence. Livestreaming of Vito’s services will be available on the Pontarelli-Marino Funeral Home Facebook page on Tuesday at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project at https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org.