Vincent Del Medico

Vincent J. Del Medico passed away September 24, 2021 at the age of 92 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Vince spent these difficult but very special times surrounded by his beautiful bride of 69 years, Jackie, and their large, extended family. Through it all, his strong Catholic Christian faith never wavered , and somehow, he kept us all laughing to the very end with his beautiful sense of humor.

Vince was extremely proud of his Akron roots spending his entire life here, going to school here, raising a family here and owning a business here. He graduated from St. Sebastian Grade School and Buchtel High School. After graduating from Wittenberg University, where he met Jackie and was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, he then served in the United States Navy until 1958. When he returned home he took over management of Chez-Del Interiors from his mother Angela, who founded the company in 1946. He grew the company over many years by designing residences, restaurants, banks and law firms in the Akron and Cleveland area. He developed fast friendships with each of his clients by listening to their needs and addressing them with his unwavering commitment to customer service and sharp design expertise. Once Vince furnished someone's home, they invited him back to furnish their businesses and second homes. He sought out other talented designers to come to work with him and created a family environment that made Chez-Del Interiors a top design firm in the region. He worked tirelessly to prepare the business for the third generation family owners to take over before retiring from Chez-Del Interiors in 1994.

Vince's most cherished and important thing in life was his family. Nothing EVER took precedent. With the incredible, selfless support from the love of his life, their six children grew up in a loving, happy, fun and faith filled home! Vince was everything you could ask for in a son, a brother, a friend, a boss, a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a great-grandfather.

A friend to so many, he was kind, unbelievably thoughtful and generous, reliable, non-judgmental and a great listener. While he was always willing to help a friend in need, he was not one to meddle, and his sage advice was usually only given when requested. His interests and hobbies were many and ranged from a love for nature and gardening, to a variety of sports, to cooking for large groups, to enjoying good wine and good scotch. As a result, he had fun, long lasting relationships with many groups of friends....his lifelong fishing buddies (legendary Canada trips), his tennis friends at Fairlawn Country Club ( the post-match meals and drinks) his cycling partners (he road thousands of miles well into his 80's) and his Florida Barefoot Beach "brothers and sisters" ( sunset cocktails and potluck dinners).

Vince was just not one to sit idle, before or after retirement, which is not to say that he didn't slow things down to live in the moment. He loved nothing more than sharing a drink with you to talk about your day or enjoying a wonderful meal and a good bottle of wine with family and friends. If ever there was a Christian man who "walked the walk", it was Vince. No matter the situation or what the relationship was with the other person, Vince always went out of his way with words and actions to express his appreciation and always treated other people with respect and dignity. This usually involved him utilizing his quick wit and sense of humor and often resulted in all who were involved with having a good laugh! Vince never shied away from showing emotion or affection to family and friends. In fact, he embraced it! He was generous with his hugs and kisses and always an "I love you" at goodbye. We will miss that so much.

Even though Vince had a passion for travel and adventure, owning his own business and working six days a week (including nights) didn't leave much time for vacation during the early years. Nevertheless, once a year he and Jackie would pile all 6 kids into the station wagon and head somewhere for a week. These were very special trips where unforgettable family memories were made. Later in life, Vince and Jackie did get to travel extensively on their own to many wonderful places in the U.S. and abroad which they greatly deserved and absolutely loved.

Dad was a firm believer in "giving back" and "paying it forward" and set a wonderful example for his children to do the same. He volunteered with many organizations and groups through the years. Most notably, he served on a number of committees at his parish St. Sebastian's Church, including 20 years on the Foundation Board. He also was a past Board member at Archbishop Hoban High School and routinely made pickups and deliveries of meals for the Good Samaritan Hunger Center of Akron.

Vincent was preceded in death by his parents Joseph and Angela, his sister Ann Hartlaub (Joseph) and his daughter in-law Mary Ann Del Medico. He is survived by his wife Jacquelyn and his children Vincent Jr. (Denise) Michael (fiancé' Chris Fiocca ), Timothy (Jenny), Anne Gorey, Jacquelyn Paparella ( Mike) and Patrick (Jayne). Vince is also survived by his 16 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren which were his pride and joy.

Family and friends will be received to celebrate Vince's life Thursday September 30th from 3pm-6pm at St. Sebastian's Church, 476 Mull Ave, Akron. A memorial mass will be held Friday October 1st at 11am, also at St. Sebastian. (CLICK HERE TO VIEW LIVESTREAM) Interment will be a private family celebration. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Vince's name to The St. Sebastian Parish Foundation 476 Mull Ave, Akron OH 44313; The Del Medico Family Scholarship, Archbishop Hoban High School Trust Fund, One Holy Cross Blvd, Akron OH 44303; or Chair-ity Inc. Attn: Maria Paparella 200 Public Square #3270, Cleveland OH 44114.