Obituary of Dorothy S. Vitale

Dorothy Vitale, age 91 of Lower Willowbrook SI, passed away peacefully in her sleep on July 6th 2018. Dorothy, daughter of Helen and Thomas Sheridan, was born in Brooklyn in 1927 and raised in Park Slope. She was a graduate of Holy Name Grammar School and of Manual Training High School. Throughout her years as a student, Dorothy excelled in all her subjects and was a member of Arista. Dottie was a gifted singer & dancer who participated annually in her school sing and won numerous swing dance awards at the Columbia Lyceum. Dorothy was a bobbysoxer who thrilled to Frank Sinatra live at The Paramount Theater. One of her favorite rituals was going to The Saunders Movie Theater every Tuesday night, (dish night!!), to nibble on a bar of chocolate and munch on a frappe, while taking in a news reel, a cartoon and a double feature. Mrs. Vitale was a 40 year employee of Lee Spring, rose to the title of office manager & adored every minute of her work. Dorothy was such a trusted staff member at Lee Spring, that she was able to employ many of her family members at the company. Upon retirement, she sailed through the Panama Canal, cruised to Alaska, and toured all of Europe many times over. If she sang it once, she sang it 1000 times - "Doooon't fence me in, papa don't ya fence me in." Dottie was a champion crossword puzzler, got a big kick out of reading the funnies, and loved watching Johnny Carson and The Late Show. Mrs. Vitale was most proud of her tea cup & saucer collection, had the greenest of thumbs, could tackle any home improvement, rewire a TV, made her own wine, was an avid reader, took up the piano in her later years, could make meatballs with the best of them, and went absolutely wild for chocolate. A gifted artist, Mrs. Vitale illustrated her senior community's monthly calendar of events, led line dancing sessions, and was a most beloved member of the many clubs she participated in. Dottie was in an acappella quartet and donated her beautiful vocals and her gift for harmonies at assisted living centers and nursing homes throughout Staten Island. Dorothy, the cherished matriarch of the family and affectionately known as Grammie, loved spending time with her children, grand children and great grandchildren. She was a terrific storyteller, a fantastic mimic, a true friend, thoroughly entertaining, and absolutely hilarious to be around. Dorothy was the beloved wife of Louis Vitale (deceased), loving mother to Maureen Berkowitz (& her husband Harvey) Joyce Martinez (& her husband Benny) and Cathy Marchlewski (& her husband Robert), cherished grandmother to: Donna, Crissi, Rob, Alicia, Ryan & Carrie, beloved great-grandmother to: Brianna, Matthew, Riley, Avery, Juliette, Gabriella, Ava, Emily, Isabella, James & Matthew, loving sister to Irene Smith (deceased) & Helen Murphy (deceased). Dorothy is also survived by many nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews, and great grand nieces and great grand nephews. Mrs. Vitale's family would like to thank Orlene Calvert, for taking such good care of Dorothy and for being her trusted companion for the past three years. The family would also like to thank the palliative care team at SI University Hospital, lead by Annmarie, for making Dottie comfortable during the last two weeks of her life. Funeral from the Matthew Funeral Home, Inc., 2508 Victory Boulevard, on Wednesday, 7/11, departing at 9:30 am. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Holy Family R.C. Church (366 Watchogue Road) at 10 am. Interment to follow in St. John's Cemetery, Middle Village, NY. Family and friends are invited to visit on Tuesday, 7/10, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm and 7:00 to 10:00 pm, and Wednesday, 7/11, from 8:30 to 9:30 am.