 Thinking about you Sandy and your girls.

Sal
I will always remember driving you Michael and myself to guitar lessons.
Miss u❤️

We miss you sweet Sal!   I know you always wanted to make everyone happy around you!  You always did the right thing and your wee lived by so many for that!

You were a wonderful and thoughtful and kind soul!   The most wonderful father and brother!   

Missed and missed and missed on this earth.  Not the same place without you!  
   Your sister Michelle 





I miss you 
I can’t get over your loss.
This past month has been a journey,  we talked with doctors, tried to grasp the next step, we prayed and held your hand and tried to protect you from this. 
I’m home now and still in disbelief that you are no longer with us. 
The pain I feel for Sandy, Destiny and Faith is heavy.
We prayed over you with so many who love and respected you.
We went to celebration of life and had an emotional balloon send off in your honor.
Sal you were my brother, my friend and a true protector. 
If I can say you were my soul brother. 
I miss you. 




Sal had a big impact on many people.  I worked with him as a lifeguard and he helped save many, many lives.  He was an excellent leader.  The lifesaving skills he drilled into our teams will have a long lasting legacy beyond his time with us.  

He will be missed.  Best wishes to the family.  

❤️Always in our hearts, missing you Sal so very much!

Trip to Tennessee. Memories we will Never Forget!

We were stunned and saddened to hear of Sals passing. 
It instantly brought back some great memories that We will cherish forever. 
You will be missed!!


We love you and will carry you with us always. 

Gina, Kevin, and Farryn

Dear Sal:

Pause, inconceivable, unimaginable, unthinkable, or simply just too surreal to believe or contemplate that your presence, your laughter, your thoughtfulness, your sense of family, and yes your quite reserved serious side will now be held within the hearts of those who truly love you. 

We may feel you are missing, or away, or gone; I will rest to reside that NO, you will always be right where you wish to be, in our hearts, watching and guiding us with each and every step. We will call out to you, we will remember all those times when, we will ask for you, and your light will shine bright and show us a path.  As you will be listening with a gentle ear and you will say what we need to hear with your soft voice.  

So, I now say with my bleeding and beating heart, thank you for being my dear friend, my brother, and occasionally a partner in pranks, that always had my back, and for your support when the chips were down.  

Thank you and Mike for being my “personal body guards” at our wedding. How cool was that!! Thank you all your surprise visits, thank you for simply the best vacation cruise EVER!  Thank you for all of your gifts. 


Thank you for teaching me to find a subtle touch with a dash of laughter to those issues at the time. 

For all I will say now, I will reframe for the use of past tense, you are with all those that truly love you, respected you and appreciated you, as those hearts will always invite and welcome you to the party.  

All I can do now is keep you close, and wait till you greet me as I know you will, with a huge bear hug, and then say, let me show you around, your goons love this place.  

I have tried to write this for days and every time my words seem inadequate to express how much you meant to our family. Looking through the hundreds of pictures and videos from our countless memories have brought me tears and comfort. My heartbreak for Sandy, Faith, Destiny and all of us that loved you is never ending and continues to make this reality unbelievable. You were an incredible soul, Sal!! A one of kind guy that loved with his whole heart and gave all of us hope that the world had people like you in it. You started as our neighbor we felt lucky to have, to a friend we cherished, to family we will never forget. We are so grateful for all our amazing memories, from our trips to Tennessee and the beach, workouts in the garage, corn hole in the street, park visits, birthday celebrations, endless family dinners, all your help with our house projects, bike rides, super bowl parties, holiday celebrations, endless laughter and fun on New Year's Eve, phase 10 card nights, but especially for your heartfelt talks, sense of humor and laughter. We see you everywhere, remembering every moment you gave to us.  We will be forever grateful that you gave us so much of your time, and allowed us to have so many incredible moments with you, Sandy and the girls.  Your loss will be felt forever, but we will hold on to every great moment and remember you for being the man we were lucky enough to call family we chose and that chose us back!



Will miss your charming personality! The way you treated your wife and children, friends and family will never be forgotten! You are one of kind and I will try every day to be a better person with you as my inspiration.  Rest In Peace Sal! 

Sandy, my heart and prayers are with you and the girls. Sending you much love!
Maria Lindquist

Christmas 2019 @ Downtown Disney was always one of our places to go during the Holidays. 

We had awesome times together, during our vacation on Disney Cruise, we headed up to the Martini Bar for Sals first martini!  Thank you for these special times we shared! 

This Picture says it all!  They have always had my back! I miss you so very much Sal! 

It was such an honor to know and love Sal.  He was such an important part of our Disney family.   I met him years before having the pleasure to work with him at the ESPN Wide World of Sports- where he was revered by all.   Always bringing a smile and a willingness to help anyone, from any department and at any level in our organization.    

Whenever I would ask him how he was doing, the conversation always led back to his family.  He loved his wife and daughters and never missed a moment to allow his face to light up when talking about them.   I am grateful that his family shared him with us for so many hours of the week.  

We both come from large families so we could relate to the fun and craziness that comes with a lot of siblings.  I think that is why Sal so easily became a key team player at the Sports Complex. 

We could all be a little more like Sal and the world would be a better place.    Rest in peace, my friend!

In times such as these we who knew the departed are filled with loss, memories, love, confusion, hope, uncertainty and more. Sal was someone we all could count on and learn from, he treated everyone like family because to him family was the most important and the best way for things to be accomplished whether at work or at home. Why family… because family sticks together and he always preached it and lived it. My best memories are not what we worked on together or accomplished through our years at ESPN but those early mornings after he had his workout Sal, myself and Tommy would get together, grab our coffees and talk and laugh about many things as we prepared for the start of our day. Moments like that will never be forgotten, and never taken away. We will all miss Sal but I guarantee we will all never forget a man with a heart larger than life itself. God Blessed Sal and am blessed to have known him.

If you worked at Disney Sports in Event Operations, you knew who Sal was. It wasn’t just because he had a name that was easy to remember (all you had to say was Sal, and people knew who you were talking about), or that he was a larger than life person. (He picked things up regularly that 3 or 4 normal men couldn’t). You knew Sal because of the genuinely great person that he was. Sal was my litmus test when I was an Event Coordinator and Manager. If he said it couldn’t be done, it was literally impossible. Because otherwise he would find a way to do it. I would have some crazy outside the box ideas a client wanted to do, and I would bring it to Sal. And if it was remotely possible, he would simply say no problem, we’ll take care of it. Sal, thank you for always making life easier for others. You were one of a kind, and a great colleague. My deepest sympathies go to the DeRosa family. I hope you can find some comfort in knowing how many people Sal helped along the way. Rest easy Sal

For anyone reading this, I want you to know how much Sal meant to me. I worked with Sal for over 15 years at the Disney Sports Complex.  Working with Sal, I never felt so safe, yet so uncertain at the same time. I knew we were going to get the job done, but at the same time, I knew it probably wasn't going to go exactly by the book. Sal definitely kept things interesting and fun while getting the best effort out of all those around him. Ever since his daughters were born, he would always light up when asked how his family or how his girls were doing. Sal made me want to be a better man, and for that, I will always be grateful. 
God bless Sal and the DeRosa family. 
-Glenn lansdale 

I worked with Sal for 7 years (2010-2017) at ESPN.  Sal was one of hardest working people know. I learned at lot from him. A very good person was taken away. Rest In Peace. 

This is very Sad, my heart goes out to the Family and close friends of Sal. He is all ready truly missed. God speed brother.

From all of us at Professional Protection Services International.

Sal it was an honor and pleasure to know you. You were a big man with a big heart, the world is missing a great guy now. You made working in oos fun. You always had a positive attitude and found a way to make the magic. I will always see you in my mind pulling afootball goalpost out of the ground by yourself. I wish your family all the best, you will be missed by everyone. 

Your memory will be carried on my heart.   


It was so special to have you as an altar boy at our wedding!
(Michael and Ann's (big sister) wedding - 1984. 

Dear Sal,
The memories of you as a little boy are precious to me.  Your joy-filled smile warmed my soul.  
I will always call you my little brother. 
So, Little Brother, you will be forever in my heart.  
Love you,
Ann (your big sister)

Sal, what can be said that hasn’t already been said? You were so many things to those of us who worked under you. You were a boss, a mentor, a friend, a wealth of knowledge, and an amazing leader… but most importantly, you were always true to who you were. You helped with moulding me during my time at ESPN. Unlike most leaders, you were one of the guys. We all knew when we were playing any game, as soon as you joined us, the competition level was raised exponentially. There never was any doubt that you appreciated your team. We all busted our butts for you, because you would do the same for us. 
My heart brakes for Sandy and your girls. Your love for your family is something we talked about many times. Just know you are truly missed. Thank you for everything, buddy! RIP my friend! Until we meet again. 

With deep sadness we had to say goodbye to  a great man. Sal and my sister were there for me when I needed them, he helped me to get back on my feet when i was at my lowest. He was always willing to help in any way he could, from helping me get a job, running to the airport when Monica forget her license and caring for our son, Brayden and teaching him how to ride his bike.  We will always cherish all the memories we have made over the past 13 years. May you rest in peace and be our guardian angel until we meet again. 🙏  ❤️ 

Many have posted on Facebook the memories of our dear colleague and friend Sal. I felt the need to share how deeply he has touched our hearts. When I joined the logistics team, I saw right away the foundation of love and respect that Sal had created. When I see all the posts on Facebook today, I see how many looked up to him, how many have created a strong bond with him and how many are deeply hurting from his sudden passing. 
For Me, I lost a forever friend who I was so connected with through the journey we went on in the last couple of years. Many have known Sal longer than I. 
But when you go through a pandemic that leads to uncertainty in our lives .... you as a Disney family become closer.  You start out as a team talking and learning together work stuff. But when the pandemic closes work, you only talk personal experiences about your family. Then, you come back to work in the pandemic, and you work long hours to get sports up and running together. Sal, Kelly and I would spend hours and hours planning, purchasing and building our part of MLS and NBA Bubble. This unbelievable experience just brought us closer together.  We were connected as a Disney family. Hes our brother and we will morn for him as our brother. Kelly, Mel and I will be grateful for the memories, but the connection will never go away. We are blessed that he was a part of our lives.
 

There are people who come into your life that leave a lasting impression on you. They are kind, hardworking, talented, reliable, thoughtful, role model, problem solver and much more. 

They are not that way because that’s what is asked or expected of them, they are that way because that is who they are. 

Sal was one of these people for me and I know for many others, too. He had a huge heart for his family, his work and his team. 

He was always striving to do it better, faster and if possible cheaper. Including his team in the solution was always important to him which made him an amazing leader. 

Sal was a true friend and colleague. I am a better person for knowing him. 

Rest peacefully, dear friend. I will miss you! 

💔 Lynn Mitchell
ESPN Wide World of Sports
The Walt Disney Company

Sal was a uniquely dedicated coworker.  He was consistently professional while remaining approachable and humble.  He was a consistent partner of choice at Wide World of Sports and WDW.  When I saw he was on a project or in a meeting, I always felt a sense of relief because I knew beyond a doubt his tasks would go off without a hitch.  He was creative, organized, and followed through on anything asked of him.  He was always there with a smile and anything is possible attitude.  I was lucky to get to work with him.

You were my soul, my breath, and my everything. You were kindest, determined, loving, and loyal. I wish I could see you one more time. I will never understand why you were taken from me, so young and full of life. You were the best husband and father to our beautiful girls. I will never forget all the great memories we made together. I love you forever till we meet again.❤️

Family is not always blood. It’s the people in your life who want you in theirs; the ones who accept you as you are. The ones who will do anything to see you smile and will stand by your side during the storm. 
Sal, you are this friend, my family and I have truly been blessed to be able to call you family. Your memory will live on in our hearts forever. 

You have been more than a brother, you have been a true friend.  I will miss your calls, I will miss your messages, I will miss your laugh, I will miss your smile, I will miss your hugs,  I will miss your surprise visits, I will miss you Sal so very much. 
….til we meet again. ❤️‍🩹

I will cherish you forever. You are never out of my heart or thoughts. You may be gone, but I can still hear your face and laughter. I shall always love you, even in death. All we have left are memories that I will share with our girls. We Love you so much. Till we meet again❤️

OBITUARY

Salvatore Joseph DeRosa

25 March, 1972 – 14 April, 2022

Valley of the Sun Mortuary & Cemetery

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