Dante, or “Danny” as he was affectionately known, was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1943 to Italian immigrants Caterina and Andrew Vitolo, who just one and a half years prior had given birth to their firstborn son, Louis Frank. Louis and Dante grew up together in a one bedroom apartment, along with their sister, Adriana and Mom and Dad, before eventually moving to their house in Massapequa Park, New York.
Dante graduated from Massapequa High School in 1961 and began working at a tool and die shop. About six years later he met the love of his life, Patricia. They were married in 1969. Soon after Gina was born and 18 months later, Andrea came on the scene. It was about that time Danny and Pat came to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Danny’s work took him into the field of installing aluminum siding and doing other home improvements. They then moved to St. Petersburg, where their third child was born – Michael.
After moving a couple more times, in 1977 they settled in Plantation, Florida, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. There they all grew into stronger Christians and gentler folks. Many hours were spent at ball fields watching their daughters and son play on different sports teams. It was great fun. They even went without a TV for quite awhile.
In 1995 the family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where Pat’s job with Derek Prince Ministries took them. Dante continued to work in construction and installing replacement windows. Later still, he transitioned to work at the Contractor’s Desk at Home Depot. He retired from Home Depot in 2014.
Dante is survived by his loving wife, Pat, and their three children, Gina Patricia (Robert) Stasko; Andrea Wright and two grandchildren, Jenna and Justin; and Michael Dante. He is also survived by his brother, Louis Vitolo, wife Susann and niece, Lisa (David) Spataro and their two boys, Andrew and Daniel. He was preceded in death by his sister, Adriana and his son-in-law, Brian Wright.
There will be a visitation at McEwen Funeral Service – Pineville Chapel (10500 Park Road, Charlotte, NC 28210) from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 20th. The memorial service will be at McEwen on Monday, August 21st at 11:00 a.m. Interment will follow at Forest Lawn East Cemetery (3700 Forest Lawn Drive, Matthews, NC 28104).
In lieu of flowers, a donation may be sent to one of Danny’s favorite charities, Migdal Ohr, an orphanage in Israel (https://www.migdalohrusa.org).
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