Michaelangelo Accetta Iii

Michaelangelo Accetta III, 75, peacefully passed away on March 30th, 2024 surrounded by his family. Born in 1948 in Providence, he was the son of the late Michaelangelo Accetta II and Domenica Margaret (Parente) Accetta. He leaves behind his beloved wife Karen (Mercurio) Accetta of 44 years, his son Michaelangelo Accetta IV, his son Matthew Accetta and his wife Chelsea, and his brother Richard Accetta. He was the proudest Papa to his six grandchildren Carter, Quint, Matty, Grayson, Derek, and Camden.

“Chetta”, as he was known to many, lived a life full of love for his family and the New York Yankees. Chetta never missed a chance to have some fun. His first major purchase in life was a marina blue 1967 Corvette when he was 20 years old. He had just gotten back from six months of Marine Corp basic training and couldn’t afford it, but the ladies would love it so he found a way to buy that Corvette. In his early 20s he decided to move out to Las Vegas to be a busboy at The Sands Hotel and Casino and eventually made it to Maître d’. As the story goes “I moved out to Las Vegas with no money and a Harley Davidson…and I came back to Rhode Island a few years later with no money and no Harley Davidson”.

His next move was down to Narragansett where he met the love of his life Karen. He never did anything without Karen by his side. Whether it was boat rides on Narrow River, going down to the condo in FL, a quick bite to eat at his favorite restaurant, or a road trip to Toronto for a Yankee game-- Karen was always in tow whether she wanted to be or not. Chetta bartended at the Coast Guard House for many years until he became a liquor salesman for Rhode Island Distributors and Providence Beverage. Blessed with the gift of gab, Chetta made countless friends and was a familiar face all around Narragansett. Maybe his best “job” was his role as “manager” of the Beaver Brown Band in the 1980s as he traveled all around New England with the band from venue to venue and party to party.

Chetta was most proud of his two boys Mike and Matt. He spent many years coaching his sons and all of their friends, but it went far beyond the ballfield. He always had life advice for every kid he came across and truly cared about them. As the kids he coached grew into adults he never stopped checking in and providing his advice, and of course a story about the good ole Little League days.

The New York Yankees. That was Chetta’s next love after his wife and boys. He showed up for the biggest games, and if Chetta was in Yankee Stadium you knew something special was about to go down. He was there for Reggie Jackson’s three home-run World Series game, Roger Clemens subway series bat throw, Derek Jeter’s walk-off final home game, and countless others. He even repurposed a piece of grass from behind home plate after the 1977 World Series to his yard in Narragansett where it remains today. The yard that he mowed twice a week and kept it like it was the outfield of Yankee Stadium.

Mike Accetta left a mark on every person that he ever met. A smile he couldn’t hold back that lit up the room. If you chatted with him for 15 minutes or if you knew him for 50 years you felt a genuine connection that lasted a lifetime. May he rest in peace and never be forgotten by all who knew him.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday, April 5, 2024 at 11:00 am in St. Thomas More Church, 53 Rockland St., Narragansett. Burial will be in St. Francis Cemetery, Peace Dale.

Visiting hours will be Thursday, April 4, 2024 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm in Avery-Storti Funeral Home, 88 Columbia St., Wakefield.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to St. Elizabeth Home, 1 St Elizabeth Way, East Greenwich, RI 02818.