Dear Family,

It is with the deepest regret that we write to inform that Vinnie DeGrazia, son of Anella Citarella, died Sunday morningk. He had been in the hospital for three weeks with a lung infection. He was 81-years-old.

Vinnie’s entire life was spent bringing our family together. He cherished every second he spent with his wife, children and grandchildren, his cousins, and his loving family. Vinnie is survived by hundreds of kith an kin whose lives he's touched, that miss him dearly. I hope that we can continue his legacy by maintaining contact through phone and email, and potentially reunite someday soon in New York or Italy.

Please send your thoughts about Vinnie. We'd like to compile them on this page and for all posterity on a permanent tribute page on citarella.net.

Love,

Don & Mike

Salve,

i am so sad zio Vinnie who i have encounter after a lot of years on internet. I feel a great sorrow,and with me also all Citarella's family in Nocera Inferiore. We will pray the God and zio Vinnie to keep for ever all Citarella's family tight-knit, and I hope that soon We can meet.

A big embrace,
Massimo Citarella and family

I wish to send you my very sincere and heartfelt condolences on the loss of Vinnie. All of my family and I wish to express our profound sadness on hearing this terrible news. We are thinking of you all at this difficult time.

Yours sincerely,
Raniero

We are so very sad at Vinny's passing.  I will never taste his fabulous white pizza again.  He truly was a "larger than life" person and will be missed by so many people.  It was his dream to have the whole family "in touch".  Let us not let him down, in the future.

Many thanks,
Ann

We are so broken-hearted to hear the sad news.  Vinnie was such a wonderful family man filled with the love of life.  Someone once said, "Love doesn't just sit there like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new."  Vinnie influenced his relationships and made them come alive just like the yeast in his homemade pizza.  He gave time and nourishment to his relationships and they grew, again, like the dough in his pizza.  May this day be one in which we always remember him in our life with prayers and give attention to those we love.  I just wish so much I had to chance to visit him at his home as I promised I would this year.  

With great sadness,
Jacqué and Bill Citarella

Vinnie was such a great guy, I remember growing up at any family function whether a wedding or a wake he drew a crowd and tears turned to laughter, He will be missed. His wonderful stories and incredible sense of humor.

Christine and Howard Burke

Nicole and I had the great privilege of getting to know Vinnie and Fran in Hudson NY when we opened our computer store in 2002. Vinnie brought us CDs with old Italian folk songs that he knew we would enjoy and we always loved when he bartended at various functions around town. We are incredibly saddend by his passing and he will always be in our hearts.

Jonathan Simons and Nicoletta Ve

Sono molto triste per la perdita del caro Zio Vinnie e mando un gradne abbraccio dall'Italia a tutta la famiglia in America.
I am much sad for the loss of the beloved Uncle Vinnie and I send an embrace dall' Italy to all the family in America.

Antonio Citarella