David Vitello

David A. Vitello, 61, of West Kingston, RI passed away on Saturday, January 7, 2023, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. He was the son of Robert and Olga (Zadrozny) Vitello. David was the loving husband of Laurette (Deaett) Vitello, and wonderful father to Katherine and Hannah.

David was a master plumber and worked for Gem Plumbing and Heating for over 20 years. His warm smile, quick wit and wisdom put his clients at ease enabling to forge trust and be of service. He was comforted by working with his hands, which gave him a sense of purpose and accomplishment. He went to work each day with enthusiasm and determination ready to take on the challenge. Gem welcomed David as one of their own and treated him like family.

Before David became a plumber, he was a wildlife biologist with the state of RI DEM, working in wetlands. He knew all the latin names of the wetland plants and one of his responsibilities was demarcating the wetlands along the Amtrak stretch from New Haven to Boston in their upgrade to high-speed electric trains.

David's proudest achievement was being a father to his two girls. In the last few years, he got to walk his oldest daughter down the aisle at her wedding, then welcome his first grandchild. He was witness to his younger daughter’s graduations from college and nursing school. It made his heart swell to see his daughters pursuing their dreams and becoming the independent, strong women that he admired.

David enjoyed taking care of people, which was clearly evident when he cooked. At any gathering, he could be found manning the grill or the stove, making sure everyone had their meal prepared exactly to their liking. Some of his more famous meals were his Christmas Eve feast and his legendary apres-sleepover breakfasts. He was the turkey king extraordinaire, roasting at least 100 turkeys in his special roasting pan.

David was happy to be outdoors and loved hiking, biking and running. He hiked many places including New Mexico and the White Mountains. He was especially fond of Lady Slippers, and one of his last hikes was on the Queens River this past spring to see the Lady Slippers blooming.

Over his lifetime, David ran multiple marathons and once even ran a 50-mile race, the Nifty Fifty. He faced his illness with the grit and determination of a long distance runner. Throughout his illness, he was relentlessly optimistic and showed the inner strength of a championship fighter. His upbeat attitude and willingness to go the distance led everyone else to feel that he was invincible. He was never worried and always had faith. It gave everyone around him strength.

Besides his wife, David is survived by his children Hannah Vitello Colone and her husband Andrew Colone of Charlestown, RI and Katherine Vitello of West Kingston, RI, his first grandchild Michael David Colone, brothers Robert Vitello and his wife Barbara Winkler, Peter Vitello and his wife Maureen, sister Nicole Vitello, nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family and friends.

A Visitation will be held on Thursday, January 12, 2023, between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm at the Avery-Storti Funeral Home, 88 Columbia Street in Wakefield RI. A funeral service will be held on Friday, January 13, 2023, at 11 am in the Avery-Storti Funeral Home

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation, 249 Roosevelt Ave. Suite 201, Pawtucket, RI 02860. https://gloriagemma.app.neoncrm.com/forms/online-donation