Ralph J. Riccio

Southington - Ralph J. Riccio, 81 of 124 Andrews Street, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 17, 2010. He was the beloved husband of Ruth (England) Riccio. Born, March 23,1928 in Southington, Ralph was the son of the late Ralph A. and Rose (Celella) Riccio. Ralph and his belated twin brother, Vito were the proud owners and operators of Riccio?s of Southington for 38 years until their retirement in 1988. He was a parishioner, President of the 1st Church Council and Chairman of the 1st annual Fair of St. Dominic Church. He was a well known civic leader in Southington, having taken much pride in his beloved hometown. Mr. Riccio was the recipient of the UNICO Gold Medal of Honor Award and the Jaycee Young Man of the Year Award. He also co-received the state of Connecticut Jaycee Award. He was an originator of the Citizen?s National Bank which opened it?s doors in September, 1965. He was a lifetime member of the Rotary Club of which he was Past-President and was awarded the Paul Harris Award for devoted and unselfish service. In addition he was the Past-President and Director of the Chamber of Commerce and it?s Retail Division. Mr. Riccio very proudly accepted the honor of being the Grand Marshall of the Apple Harvest Parade which he thoroughly enjoyed. He was also the 2nd Honorary Chairman of the Calvanese Foundation Gala, an event which is a very fond memory for his entire family. Along with those honors, he was also recognized as Person of the Year and Volunteer of the Year by the Southington YMCA. When Mr. Riccio suffered from a traumatic brain aneurysm in 1984, he shortly thereafter began his volunteer work with the Southington Care Center. Both the Southington Care Center and The Orchards of Southington honored him as a faithful volunteer - a position which was as equally therapeutic for him as it was for those with whom he was working. He constantly enjoyed being with people and found much fulfillment from his volunteer opportunities and visiting with others. He was most well-known later in life for his visits to the local Stop and Shop he frequented for exercise, socialization and scratch tickets; as well as his constant desire to make people laugh more. He will be incredibly missed for his zest for life, his love of community, and most importantly his love and devotion to his family. Besides his wife, Mr. Riccio is survived by his 5 adoring children - David Riccio of Southington, Michael Riccio and wife Tina of Southington; Danielle Riccio Kowalik and husband David of Wallingford; Ruth Riccio Bergin and husband Jameson of Glastonbury; Ralph T. Riccio of Glastonbury; and his nine grandchildren - Anthony, Lucca and Francesca Riccio; Kaitlin and Braden Kowalik; and Livia, Madelyn, Lucy and Zachary Bergin. He will also be missed by Jack the Dog. He was predeceased by his twin brother, Vito Riccio and a sister, Sadie D?Aunno.

The Funeral will be held on Saturday, March 20, 2010 at St. Dominic Church, 1050 Flanders Rd., Southington for a mass at 12:30 p.m. Burial will be in St. Thomas Cemetery with military honors for his service in Korea during World War II. Calling hours will be Friday from 3-8 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. - noon at the DellaVecchia Funeral Home, 211 North Main Street, Southington. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in his memory to benefit the Volunteer Programs at both the Southington Care Center (45 Meriden Avenue) and the Orchards of Southington (34 Hobart Street).

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