Vincenzo Colapietro was born in Bristol, Connecticut, on April 22, 1953, and passed away unexpectedly on March 27, 2023. He was the third son of Vito and Doris Colapietro. Vincenzo was preceded in death by both of his parents, his step-mother Phyllis, and his two older brothers, Richard and Anthony Colapietro; H. Wesley Redhead (father-in-law); Robyn Buzby McFetridge, Betty Wells, Barbara Boyle (aunts-in-law), and Ronald Buzby (uncle-in-law); and Ray Sandberg (friend) and Roger Skold (friend).
Vincenzo moved to Alaska in 1995 and sojourned in a variety of locations with Beverly, Wesley, and Richard where he blessed many people with his sense of humor and nurturing personality. He made friends wherever he went–“This man has . . . connections!”–Nuiqsut, North Pole, Fairbanks, Alakanuk, and Valdez. Friends and family looked forward to his daily sharing of jokes and memes over the cell phone. He carefully selected these to fit his audiences.
Vincenzo lived with gusto. He loved to cook and would make special Italian dishes for holiday meals. He enjoyed listening to Italian music as he worked his craft in the kitchen. He also loved to drive the Richardson Highway between Valdez and North Pole. He enjoyed “chairing” meetings for the support group which was like an extended family for him. He would often talk about how much he valued his time with these buddies who helped him “go the distance.”
As he aged, Vincenzo became more and more loving and spiritual. He liked to hear a daily recitation from the Bible, and especially loved Psalms 40. He also enjoyed Robert Service’s “The Cremation of Sam McGee” and could recite most of it by heart.
Like Sam McGee in the poem, Vincenzo has requested to be cremated. He wants his ashes to be spread along his favorite parts of the Richardson Highway. But those ashes are just the peanut shell without the peanut. Vincenzo is up in heaven rejoicing in our Lord with those dear ones who have gone on before.
Vincenzo is survived by his wife, Beverly, sons Wesley Vincent Colapietro and Richard Joseph Vito Colapietro, daughter-in-law Sarah (Wesley’s) and granddaughter Sophia (Wesley’s); sister-in-law Donna Redhead, brother-in law Richard Bubel; nephew and nieces David Sandberg, Arya Zale, and Jennifer Robyn Lynn Poag; and uncle-in-law Sam Buzby. He is also survived by his cousin Kathy Roche; his sisters Debra, Diane, and Victoria; and his first wife Peggy and two older children, Tabatha Lynn and Scott Strid, who reside in Connecticut and Maine.
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