Obituary of Frank C. Dellemonico

Frank C. Dellemonico passed away, after living a happy and fulfilled life, at the age of 93 on Monday afternoon, December 26, 2016. Frank was born in Somerville, one of seven children born to Italian immigrants, Carmen and Ida (D'Amico) Dellemonico. He grew up in a modest home steeped in Italian traditions and values. He learned from his parents the importance of hard work, faith, and serving others. He carried those values with him his entire life. He enlisted in the Army in August of 1942. He served as a Private First Class in the 585th . He fought in the Rome-Arno, Northern Apennines, and Po Valley Campaigns. He served until the end of WW II and was the recipient of the Good Conduct Medal and European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. He was proud of his contribution to the war effort, thankful that he was blessed to come home safely, and proudly wore his WW II Army hat all around town. After returning home from the war, Frank took a job as a milkman. It was at one of his stops, that he met his future wife, Dorothy “Dotti” O’Neil. They courted for a spell and then were married on September 20, 1952. They settled in Burlington, by chance, in November of 1955, and both became very involved in the community. They were active parishioners at St. Margaret’s Church when it was a small chapel on the corner of Winn and Center Street and supported the new church on Winn Street. While Dotti taught CCD, Frank served as an usher at Mass for over 50 years, finally giving up his role at the 7:30 a.m. Sunday Mass at the age of 91. He was a longtime member of the Knights of Columbus and really enjoyed the many socials and events held at the K of C. He was also a member of the K of C bowling league. He coached in town for Burlington Baseball and Burlington Hockey for many years. Frank was a man who enjoyed working, interacting with people, and being active. He worked at Raytheon and ACSI for many years. He left the business world in 1984 to manage a start up restaurant in Saugus, Alvin Ord’s Sandwich Shop. He ended his work career at the age of 88 filling the vending machines at Arlington High School. Frank's work always gave him a purpose, opportunity to interact with others, and he always took pride in his work. Frank was a person of kindness and love. He simply wanted his family, friends, and those around him to be happy. He could do that with his warm greeting, willingness to lend a hand, or simply his welcoming smile. He volunteered with his wife at a soup kitchen in Lowell for over a decade. Frank was a great cook. He was famous for his meatballs and spaghetti sauce. He would make huge batches and kept them in the freezer. He loved sharing his creations with his family and friends. No one left his home empty handed. He would even give the repairman, meter reader, or any other person working at his home a Tupperware filled with his meatballs and sauce. He wanted everyone to know they were appreciated and loved. Frank was a man devoted to his family. He and his wife, Dotti, shared 64 years of marriage together. They raised their two sons with the values they learned from their parents, along with a constant unwavering support of them as children and as adults. He was so happy to have three wonderful grandchildren whom he adored. He leaves his family with memories of train rides cross country, vacations in Kennebunkport, Maine, Sundays spent at Church and then around the dinner table, a tradition that lasted his whole life. Frank was the beloved husband of Dorothy (O’Neil) Dellemonico. He was the loving father of Danny & his girlfriend Mallika Johnston and Michael & his wife Wendi all of Burlington. Frank was the proud grandfather of Jennifer, Adam & Nicole. He was the brother of Emilio Dellemonico of Tewksbury and the late Sarah Zaccardi, Lucy Ricarte, Mario, Olivio & Wito Dellemonico. Funeral from the Edward V Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 9 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 10 a.m. Visiting hours Friday 4-8 p.m. Interment in Pine Haven Cemetery, Burlington. Memorials in Frank’s name may be made to People Helping People, PO Box 343, Burlington, MA 01803 Frank C. Dellemonico Eulogy St. Margaret’s December 31, 2016 Good morning. As everyone prepares to celebrate later I want to wish you all a happy new year, and to my wife a happy anniversary, and finally to my dad a happy new life. You see my dad was a not only a great husband, father, and Grampy but he was also a good Catholic. I am not completely sure of much but I am sure that my father has earned a ticket to heaven and will be watching down on us as we honor him. When my dad was 88 he made the difficult decision to give up his license. Though this loss of freedom was tough one bright side was that I had the privilege of taking my dad to 7:30 Mass each Sunday. It was always comforting to him and me to be here with our Friend Mrs. Carr and our fellow ushers, Rocky, John, and Jack. My Dad was an usher here for almost 60 years. I made a few guest appearances as an usher at age 10 when he encouraged me to help out when they were shorthanded. A boy of 10 Ushering in those days was unusual but encouragement is what my father did. I took a few decades off but was promoted to full time status by Rocky shortly after I began driving my dad 5 years ago. He may have missed driving but he loved that we ushered together. He kept ushering until he was 92 and as he slowed I would notice it took him a little longer to make his way up and back. When I asked one week if he had gotten lost, being the companionate guy that I am, he explained he hit a few parishioners on the head with the basket and stopped to apologize. In later weeks when I asked how many heads he hit he reassured me by explaining that they had all learned to duck….. My dad grew up in Somerville in a family that included 7 children and immigrant parents that spoke mostly Italian at home. They were very poor. But like most immigrants of this the Greatest Generation they assimilated to the values of our great country and believed in the promise of what could be. They worked very hard. At 18 my dad joined the army to fight in WWII. The Army helped make a man out of the boy that enlisted. His 2 years in the Army shaped who he became. His stories of his days overseas were part of Danny’s and my upbringing. Fortunately his ship that was headed for Japan turned around mid-way through their trip because the war had ended. He landed back in Somerville with no real plan. Not long after he began his first fulltime job as a Milk Man. Seems funny now to think someone was a Milk Man and even funnier to think he delivered milk to homes in Somerville from a horse drawn Wagon. As fate would have it, one of his customers was a young Liz Taylor look alike who wanted nothing to do with him. Now, best I can piece together from everything I’ve heard over the years my Dad had absolutely no game. Think about it, NO game, NO plan, and he was a Milk Man. Odds weren’t good. But the man had persistence on his side and he succeeded. My mom grew up in Somerville too. And like my dad she was raised by immigrants and was very poor. It took some doing but the love story was completed and they made the big move out of the city in 1955. My grandfather, my mom’s dad, was none too happy that that his oldest of four daughters was moving so far out to the country….all the way to Burlington! It wasn’t too long before my brother and I arrived and our story book “Wonder Years” type family began to grow. My Dad never worried and was always positive and encouraging. He loved his family and spent as much time home as he could with his wife, kids, and dog…..there was always a dog! This time spent at home included his coaching years. He never played sports but didn’t hesitate to volunteer. It was always challenging coaching hockey and not being able to skate. He never gave it a thought, he put on his skates, stumbled on the ice, and just held onto the boards. He coached Baseball in town long after my brother and I stopped playing. My brother and I, as most kids did, found it challenging at times playing for a dad. I recall with some regret being so upset at one point after a game I said to him “I wish you weren’t my dad so I could like you as much as all the other kids do!” In hind sight it was a backhanded compliment because everyone loved playing for my father. He was always so encouraging. My Dad was a great supporter of not only our family but of others too. He always took the time to make those around feel good about themselves. This was particularly true when I brought Wendi into the picture. He was immediately thrilled with her and treated her as a family member from the start. And then came Jen. He played the Grampy roll perfectly. He adored his grandchildren, spoiled them a bit, and again as was his norm he always encouraged them. He was an active Grampy and I can comfortably speak for Jennifer, Adam, and Nicole and say that his encouragement meant the world to them. He had a gift for making you feel very good about yourself. My dad was such a good man and we were all lucky to have him in our lives. I learned many things from my dad, not the least of which was that marrying up is a very good idea. Speaking of marrying up, my mom with so much help from my brother Danny were great to my dad as he slowed. We eventually needed help keeping him comfortable and safe. We found that help at the VA hospital in Bedford. As hard a decision as it was, my father’s last few months were filled with love, peace, and dignity. We visited my dad each day and all had our routines or rituals. Mine always included bringing some food he loved that we ate together, followed by a walk, and then the best back, shoulder, and head massage I could give. During our walk we always stopped at the bulletin board that displayed all the pictures of the veterans on his floor. The pictures showed them as young men in uniform. This included a picture 20 year old Private Frank C. Dellemonico. We would smile at the photo and salute the young man looking back at us. With that we say good bye to my Dad, Frank C. Dellemonico…Husband, Father, Grampy, and Soldier. I Love You…. Happy New Life Dad.