Obituary of Vito Pezzullo
Vito Joseph Pezzullo, known to those who loved him as “Sonny”, passed away Tuesday in Port Charlotte. He was 89 years old.
Born March 12, 1932, Sonny grew up in the Bronx. He attended Theodore Roosevelt High School, dropping out at age 15 to enlist in the Marine Corps. At 18, after being discharged from the Marines and earning his GED, Sonny enlisted in the US Army and fought in Korea until a land mine sent him to a hospital ship in Tokyo Bay and ultimately back to the Bronx.
It was in the Bronx that Sonny met his wife, Joyce Cassidy. The two were married in 1954.
Sonny joined the NYPD, earned his Detective’s gold shield and retired with the rank of Sergeant. He was mentioned several times in the press, notably when hospitalized after an encounter with a fleeing criminal.
In 1970, he became the first college graduate in his family, earning his Bachelor of Science degree at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He settled his family in New Milford, NJ, and in 1980 he became the first Safety Director for Bergen County, NJ.
An avid fan of boxing since boyhood, Sonny worked until his 2nd retirement at his dream job as a special investigator for the New York State Boxing Commission.
A devoted son, he left his Manhattan office each day after work, visited his mother in the Bronx, and then returned to the city for his night job - managing security at the Winter Garden and other Schubert theaters.
Sonny always worked two jobs; either as an employee or in a myriad of small businesses he operated in New York and New Jersey, from servicing vending machines and water softeners to managing security for global soccer star Pelé.
Along the way, his life was studded with examples of responding to calls to serve: advising municipal police departments, umpiring for Little League, coaching youth football, leading Boy Scouts, working as commander and frequent kitchen manager of his local VFW, and responding to calls for assistance from friends and family. His reputation was that he could always be counted on for help and frequently succeeded where others failed.
Sonny was a loving husband, father, son, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend. He delighted in taking cruises and trips with Joyce and he had a soft spot when it came to adopting abandoned dogs and cats. He and Joyce retired to Florida over 20 years ago, making a home first in Estero and finally in Port Charlotte. He was deeply loved, he is sorely missed, and he will never disappear from the many hearts he touched.
Surviving are his wife, Joyce Pezzullo of Port Charlotte; two children, Jeannemarie Wagner and Richard Pezzullo (wife Pamela) of North Port; his brother, Anthony Pezzullo of New York; five grandchildren, Debi Matthews (husband Ken) of Delaware, Rebecca Higginbotham (husband Lance) of Georgia, Lydia Pezzullo of Gainesville, Anthony Pezzullo and James Pezzullo of New York; and four great-grandchildren, Andrew, Ashley and Amelia Matthews, and Braden Higginbotham.
In death, Sonny joins his parents, Anthony and Luigella (Giordano) Pezzullo; his sister Nina Ingenito and brother Robert Pezzullo; his daughter, Lynn Russo; grandson, Joseph Wagner and son-in-law David Snyder.
