Gaetano Di Vito

A caring father, grandfather, husband and friend.

Gaetano Di Vito of Clifton, NJ, passed away on July 11, 2024.

Born in Aquilonia, Italy, in 1933, a remote southern Italian town of 2000 people. Gaetano moved to
America in 1961, leaving his parents and sisters in Italy to be with his wife Gerardina Marzullo. He
arrived in Montclair, New Jersey, speaking no English and worked in construction and masonry for
many years. He was a loving and devoted husband for 62 years, always by his wife's side, starting a
family and building a new life together. Throughout his entire life, he was a hard worker, whether in
the construction work he did or the luncheonette and deli that he and Gerardina ran together for
many years. Gerardina became ill with Alzheimer's at a relatively early age of 63 and Gaetano stayed
by her side for 23 years.

Gaetano always had a deep connection with his catholic faith. He loved spending time with his
family. He loved his children and grandchildren very much. They always brought a smile to his face
and made him happy while at the same time he made them happy, playing games with them, letting
them know how much he loved them. He also enjoyed seeing all his nephews and nieces on
holidays and at social events and very much enjoyed spending time at Club Aquilonese where he and
a small group of friends were founding members, bringing the culture and traditions of his
hometown Aquilonia to Montclair. It was and still is a special place where friends and family could
gather and celebrate special occasions. He loved telling stories, laughing and having a nice time
together.

The last 4 years of his life were difficult, battling a blood disorder and other ailments and then in
2021, the loss of his wife Gerardina had taken a toll on him. He fought as hard as he could in order
to experience and contribute to as much of his children and grandchildren's lives as possible. As is
common with his sad disease, there is typically one caregiver that bears most of the burden and in
this case it was his daughter, Maria Lena who looked after him tirelessly, returning to him the same
love and selflessness that Gaetano gave all his family throughout his life. He was the last remaining
of his siblings and leaves behind his three loving children and six beautiful grandchildren.

Gaetano will be remembered as an honest, hard-working family man, who everyone could rely on
for his friendship and love. He will be sadly missed.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Feed The Children.
www.feedthechildren.org