Ferdinando “Fred” Colangeli of Medford passed away on Tuesday, May 11. Born and raised in Navelli, Abruzzo, Italy, he was the son of the late Berardino and Maria Domenica (Santucci) Colangeli. Fred was a lifelong resident of Medford and an active member of the St. Joseph Parish community. He was also a longtime member of the Sons of Italy and the Elks.
Fred emigrated to the United States at the age of 20 not speaking English, but he learned quickly. Upon his arrival in the U.S., he immediately enlisted into the United States Army where he served honorably during the Korean War. He was a hard-working man all of his life, not too proud to dig ditches when jobs for immigrants were hard to find. For Fred, there was honor and dignity in work, especially hard work and manual labor. After a few years as a day laborer, Fred opened his own construction business doing masonry work, and soon afterwards he began building in-ground swimming pools for many people in and around the Greater Boston area, including some well-known clients. This was a great source of pride for a man of such humble beginnings and means.
Fred remained a humble man his entire life and he passed along his work ethic, his love of nature, and his zest for life to his children and grandchildren. He loved his garden and fruit trees and was always finding ways to improve upon his skills. He was able to share many apples, pears, cherries, strawberries, tomatoes, zucchini, and greens. He was also a fabulous cook, and his family reaped the benefits of this talent. Fred was also a great dancer and spent many evenings enjoying everything from square dancing to line dancing to ballroom dancing. More than anything else, Fred loved his family. What made him happiest was to be surrounded by as many of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren as possible.
Fred was the beloved husband of Joan (DiMinico) Colangeli, and the devoted father of Grace Marie Cotton and her husband John of Windham, NH, Robert Colangeli and his wife Maria of Pembroke, William Colangeli and his wife Elaine of Westford, Rosemarie Davidson and her husband Edward, David Colangeli, all of Medford, and the late Fred J Colangeli. He was survived by many loving grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by 11 brothers and sisters.
A funeral mass will be celebrated in St. Joseph Church, 118 High St., Medford, on Monday, May 17th at 10 AM followed by interment at Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford. A visitation period will be held in the church from 9:30 AM to 10 AM before the mass. Social distancing protocols will be followed throughout the services. In lieu of flowers, please send a contribution in Fred’s name to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund at www.curealz.org. To leave a message of condolence, please visit www.dellorusso.net.