Vito “Vic” A. Indoccio, 96 of Derry, NH died Tuesday May 23, 2017, surrounded by his loving family, at the Pleasant Valley Nursing Center, Derry, NH. Mr. Indoccio was born in Lawrence, MA on October 20, 1920 son of the late Gaetano and Grace (Penissi) Indoccio. Vito was raised in Lawrence and attended Lawrence schools. He served with the US Coast Guard during WWII on the USS LST 790 in Okinawa and Hiroshima. He took great pride in his involvement and commitment to serve and protect our country. He was a member of the American Legion Lester Chase Post 9 in Derry.
He met the love of his life Rose Catherine Meo and together they shared 62 years of marriage filled with love, laughter and devotion. He loved to go to the races with her and spent many a weekends enjoying their past time. Always being together was enough for him and showing his children that “true love” exists.
Vito and his brothers opened the Home Food Kitchen Bakery in Derry in 1946. As a teenager, he was hired and trained by Salvo Tile from Methuen, Ma. Several years later, he became the founder and co-owner of Merrimac Tile Co. in Derry. Vito loved it so much that he taught his 3 brothers the trade and took them out of the bakery business to start Merrimac Tile Co. This family business is still a vital part of Derry and surrounding towns today.
Vito, will be remembered for his inviting smile, captivating charm, contagious energy, infectious laughter and his deep love for his family. He made friends with everyone wherever he went and once you became his friend, his generosity was overflowing. During the summer months, you would always find him in his garden, growing vegetables and known for his roses and gladiolas that he would plant yearly for his wife. He had every color imaginable to make her happy.
He shared his warmth with his jokes, vegetables from his garden, his incredible pizza, pancakes, muffins, and Rhubarb pies. He made blue berry pancakes every week end and you would always see at least one of the grandchildren enjoying them. He also used his garden tomatoes, garlic and basil to make his Sicilian dish, “Pasta cu laga” which is still enjoyed by his children and grandchildren today.
He loved to feed everyone who visited and always had a glass of wine ready. His salads were enormous with everything in it you can imagine. He followed Jack LaLane and ironically, both died at the same age. He enjoyed daily excercise and walking. He had a gym set up in his basement with a sauna, where he would invite friends and relatives to join in the fun excercise and sauna. His casa was your casa. He was juicing long before the Millenniums doing that today. He followed a Mediteranian diet and never over indulged in anything and he never smoked. His family dinners consisted of hours at the table where he would share his childhood stories, life during the depression, the war, his health regime, and whatever was going on that day, always interested in what you had to say. He was an open book and never held back. If you asked him something, even personal, he would just tell you. Mom would say, don’t tell them "Tuti Cosi,"meaning (everything) in Italian, but he did anyway, he couldnt help himself. He was full of life and full of fun. During adulthood, his daughters and grandchildren were blessed to be able to speak to him anytime and talk for hours. He would drop everything for them. They all enjoyed visiting him.
Vito enjoyed every summer at Salisbury beach where he had a 6 unit compound that housed 4 brothers, one sister and father. He would be at the beach all day and loved swimming the ocean and walking to the rocks with his girls, grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. He would sit for hours showing them how to eat ‘'babaluchis” (periwinkles) in Italian. He would gather all the girls and speak freely about the birds and the bees and was a natural teacher of life. He was the fun uncle, the fun dad, and the fun grandfather. Everyone adored him.
During his retirement, Vito enjoyed 10 years of traveling to Treasure Island Fl with his wife and Derry friends. He would make massive amounts of Pizza for everyone in the compound. He was always making or baking something. Most will know him for his garlic “eating raw” and wearing around his neck, until mom would holler at him and say, “Vic you are stinking up the whole house”!
He was residing at the Pleasant Valley Nursing Center for the past few years. He enjoyed it there and participated in all the activities but you would never find him in his room, he was always out and about. He loved the nurses and even made Pizza there once a month for the other residents. They called him the Mayor and he enjoyed the banter with the nurses and always told them that he loved them too. They all loved him back, as it was so easy to love him. His 2 loving daughters were always there to give him the affection and love that he showed to them throughout the years.
Vito was the epitome of true Unconditional love, He taught us all about true love, and the real meaning of life…He never just preached, he showed us in his actions, the way he loved his daughters and grandchildren. He was so strong yet a gentle soul and very humble. Never too proud to ever say he was sorry if he thought he hurt you, which never was. He cried with you and laughed with you. He was a very emotional man, that he knew just by looking at you if you were happy or sad, or just needed a hug. When he was talking to you, he made you feel like you were the only one in the room. He took an interest in you like no one else could. He made deep bonds with people. His dynamic persona captured the attention of local shops, Drs, dentists, the gym, any and all who came in his path. He would bring them his garden tomatoes and veggies, freshly baked muffins.
He always went to the limits to make people happy. His heart was huge. He touched so many with his long talks and magnetic personality. He was a lover of people. He didn’t see color or gender, he accepted everyone. You could tell him anything and you knew he would never judge you. He was the most affectionate man. He spoke the truth to a fault, but he surely loved a good juicy story. Vito was a genuine, loyal and understanding man.
The world lost a wonderful human being, heaven got an angel and we lost our Hero…
He will certainly be missed by many and UNFORGETTABLE FOR SURE…
He is survived by his two adoring daughters, Joann Grace Russo and Carol Rose McNair; their husbands Richard J. Russo, Sr. and Joel R. McNair of Derry; four grandchildren, Theresa Small, Lisa Noonan, Richard Russo, Jr., and Amber Rose Indoccio; eight great-grandchildren, Anthony Small, Leanna Small, Samantha Noonan, Stephanie Raymond, Timothy Noonan, Courtni Russo, Alyssa Russo, and Emma Russo; four great great-grandchildren, Hailey Rose, Tyler, Kenzie and Logan Small; one brother, Frank Indoccio of Londonderry, brother-in-laws Guy Tomaselli of Derry, and Thomas Byrne of Charlestown Ma, plus several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife, Rose (Meo) Indoccio in 2008, and siblings, Vincent Indoccio, Benjamin Indoccio, Frances Tomaselli, and Dolly (Vita) Ladato.
Calling hours were held on Tuesday May 30, 2017 from 4 to 7pm in the Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 15 Birch St., Derry. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Wednesday at 10:00am in St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 26 Crystal Ave., Derry. Burial followed in Forest Hill Cemetery, E. Derry. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to to Alzheimer's Association, MA/NH Chapter, 309 Waverley Oaks Road, Waltham, MA 02452.