Vincent A. Ardizzone, 69, of North Andover passed away surrounded by his loving family on August 18, 2016 at Lahey Clinic in Burlington after a period of declining health.  As his family would expect, he fought valiantly until the end.

Vinnie was born in Biancavilla, Italy to Salvatore and Rosa Ardizzone on February 2, 1947 and immigrated to the United States when he was 9 years old.  He and his family settled in the Prospect Hill section of Lawrence, MA, and attended Holy Rosary Grammar School and Central Catholic High School and became an accomplished and award winning trumpet player at a young age.  He later graduated from the Boston Conservatory.

He served five years in the National Guard after college and worked for thirty years in the Lawrence School System.  He was a dedicated teacher and enjoyed his time not only with his students but also his colleagues (especially those he spent most of his career with at the Kane School).

Outside of the classroom, many people also knew him from his time playing with his band around the Merrimack Valley; and those in his neighborhood would see him every day working on his next home improvement project, tending to his garden, or running his snow blower up and down his and his neighbors’ driveways after a storm.

His greatest love was his family.  His wife and children will forever be indebted to him for the time he gave to them.  He was a kind, generous soul, a terrific role model and a dedicated husband, father, son and friend.  He was an exceptional man—he treated everyone with respect and dignity, never having a bad word to say about anybody

His family and friends will remember his loving, warm smile, his boisterous laugh and his willingness to do anything to make the people around him happy.  We will miss the way his eyes lit like the sun when his family came to visit him; we will miss him humming a symphony or belting out the Beatles.  He will be missed deeply for so many reasons, but never once forgotten by all of those who knew him best.

Vinnie is survived by his wife of 44 years, Elizabeth (Fitzgerald) Ardizzone; daughter, Lisa (Ardizzone) Hauze, her husband, Brian and their daughter, Elizabeth; son Jason, his wife Tara, and their children, Colby and Kaylin; mother, Rosa Ardizzone; brother, Placido and his wife, Cindi of Windham, NH; brother-in-law, Richard Fitzgerald and his wife, Helen of Colorado; sister-in-law (Vinnie’s “little sister”) Jody (Fitzgerald) Haseltine, her husband, George and their children, Coco and Fig of Newburyport; and brother-in-law, John Fitzgerald, his wife, Elmira and daughter, Sophie of Texas.  He also leaves his uncle, Alfio Ardizzone and his wife, Frances of Methuen; his aunt, Isabella Grasso of New Hampshire; many cousins; and his life-long friends and neighbors whom he considered family: Maria Smith of Methuen and her family, and Susan and Stan Mikutel of Pelham, NH. 

He was predeceased by his father, Salvatore, and his father and mother-in-law of whom he was so fond: Richard and Mary (Nagle) Fitzgerald.

At Vinnie’s request, there will be no calling hours.  His immediate family will honor his life with a small gathering in September.  Donations in his honor can be made to the MSPCA at Nevins Farm, 400 Broadway, Methuen, MA 01844. Arrangements are by The Charles F. Dewhirst Funeral Home, 80 Broadway, Methuen. To send an online condolence, please go to www.dewhirstfuneral.com.

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