Obituary of Vincent Michienzi

Vincent S. Michienzi, founder and owner of Vincent Electric Co. in Burlington, passed away at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center on Wednesday morning, January 23, 2008. at the age of 78. He is survived by his wife of 57 YEARS, Ruth L. (Bamberg). Vincent was born, raised and educated in Winchester. He was the son of Italian immigrants the late Giuseppe and Frances. After graduating from Franklin Technical College he went on to have a successful career as an Electrical Contractor. Vincent and his wife Ruth settled in Burlington in 1955 where they raised their 3 children. In 1969 together they established Vincent Electric Co., which is located on Edwards Road in Burlington. Vincent took pride in the fact that this was a family business and Vincent and Ruth continued to play an important role in the company working with their daughter Diane and her husband Rodger. Vincent and Ruth spent their winters in Fort Myers, Florida for the past 10 years. He was a sports fan and enjoyed following the Red Sox and Patriots. He was an active member of MECA as well as a lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus in Burlington. Vincent was known as “Mr. Fix It”. He always had to have a project that he was working on and no project was too difficult for him to tackle. Vincent was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, and friend that will be deeply missed. Vincent is the loving father of Diane & her husband Rodger Gillis of Chelmsford, James Michienzi & his wife Brenda of Methuen, and Elaine & her husband Wayne Callahan of Chelmsford. He is the brother of Frank Michienzi and Catherine Maule. He is the grandfather of Justin, Kenneth, Derek, David & Rachel Michienzi, Samantha & Shawn Callahan, Rod, Randy, Amber & Ryan Gillis and great grandfather of Autumn and Skyla Gillis. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Monday, Jan. 28 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 Sunday 12 – 4 p.m. & 6 – 8 p.m. Interment in Pine Haven Cemetery, Burlington. Memorials in Vinnie’s name may be made to the American Heart Association, 20 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701 Eulogy for Vincent S. Michienzi 1/28/2008 Today, we lay to rest Vincent S Michienzi. Some of you may have known him as Vinny, or Vincent. Some knew him as Jim. I, and my Brother and Sister, and Cousins knew him as Uncle Jim. A man who was known by many; and a man who was known by many descriptions: Husband, Father, Brother, Grandfather, Uncle, and Friend, to name a few. He was quite a character and always had a great laugh and a great sense of humor. At family get-togethers, he would be there with my Aunt Sis (Ruth), and whichever of their kids were there, and I always made a point to stop over and spend a few minutes with him. He always had time to chat and we would talk about business, as we shared a common interest in construction, the economy, and the trades. Whether it was during times of building boom, or times of struggle, he would always remind me that everything happens in cycles. He knew how to make hay when the sun shined, and how to tighten his belt when the storm clouds rolled in. He saw this cycle many times having owned and operated Vincent Electric for so many years with my Aunt Sis by his side all the way. He owned a fleet of service trucks that would make Jay Leno’s mouth water, or any other antique aficionado for that matter. His green and white painted trucks were rolling landmarks in Burlington as well as other communities. Complete with holes in the floorboards, clinking clanking engines, and noisy mufflers. Those trucks owed him nothing when he would finally send them on their way to wherever they went to. He plied his trade and employed at times, dozens of people. He was well known in, and a fierce competitor in the electrical field. He even introduced my parents to each other back in the 1950’s. I’m sure that’s quite a story unto itself. Some of my fondest memories of him are from the years when we were kids, and we would all gather at Aunt Sis and Uncle Jims for pool parties, and all of our Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins would be there. We had so much fun. We are a big family. We would get together, play in the pool, eat popsicles and run around until way after dark. I also remember the summer cookouts at the camp up in Windham on Cobbett’s Pond. We would have a huge softball game where all the cousins would play, and we would go for boat rides in his boat, and water ski. (Or try to at least). We would fish off the wall at the edge of the water and never catch a thing, but have fun anyway. Uncle Jim would spend a lot of his time cooking for such a large family. He was a giver. When it came to his family, nothing was spared. A loving, goodhearted, generous, hard working, personable and reliable man. He finally retired, well past the age that most people do, but he finally did. He and Aunt Sis (his wife of 60 years) built their dream home in Florida, and spent much of the last few years there. He and I spoke of it a few times and it sounded like a beautiful place. He was very happy to have accomplished the build. And loved being in the warm Florida climate. They both worked hard all their lives and I was very happy for them as we all were for realizing that dream. I’m glad he had a few years to enjoy it. And I am sorry to see him leave us now. We all know that this time must come no matter who we are. But it doesn’t make saying goodbye any easier. Uncle Jim would be the first to say “don’t worry about me, everything will be alright”. Yes we know that Uncle Jim, but it huts just the same. He is at eternal rest, and his hard working hands are still now. Not by his own will, but by the will of a power greater than all of us. Those are the rules, and he has played by them. He has left everyone of us with memories, lessons learned, and a legacy to be very, very proud of. What moves through us is a quiet sadness, a longing for one more day, one more word, one more touch. Little by little we will again remember, not that you died, but that you lived. And that your life gave us memories too beautiful to forget. At the end of this day, let us raise our glass in a toast to congratulate him on a job well done, and thank him for all he did for us. And all he did for this world. We love you, we thank you, we’ll miss you and we will always remember you. I am proud to have known this man I called Uncle Jim.