Michael LaVita, of Medford, formerly of East Boston, passed away peacefully at his home, on Monday, February 13th. He was 64.
Born in Mirabella, Italy, he was the son of the late Luigi and Pasqualina (D'Addieco) LaVita. Michael came to the United States when he was eighteen years old. He met his wife Nancy and the two married in 1972 at St. Leonard Church in Boston’s North End. Together, they started their family with love and devotion.
A dedicated family man, Michael was the proud father of four and grandfather of four. In 2011, Michael added Jack, a Pitbull mix, to his loving family. His children would count Jack as one of their siblings, because Michael loved Jack so much. He always looked forward to daily walks with Jack.
When Michael wasn’t spending time with his family, he worked as a chef and was the owner of Trattoria Bella Mia in Beverly, Massachusetts. He opened the restaurant in 2008 and loved to work. Michael enjoyed his career, because he loved to cook. Though all of Michael’s dishes were excellent, his children say that his signature dish was his chicken parmesan.
When he wasn’t at the restaurant, Michael loved going to the coffee shop to spend time with his friends. When he was “on-the-go” he would stop at Dunkin’ Donuts for his medium regular, but at the coffee shop, Michael preferred espresso.
Michael was a handy-man at heart. He loved to fix things around the house and took on many side projects fixing things for his children. Even if he wasn’t sure of the best way to fix an issue, he always tried his best. When he wasn’t tinkering around the house, he could be found with his BMW, which he had for many years. When he wasn’t fixing up the BMW, Michael enjoyed watching soccer. He loved all the Italian soccer teams equally.
Michael was the beloved husband of the late Nancy (DiMascio) LaVita, who passed away in 1991. The two shared nineteen years of loving marriage. He was the devoted father of Tanya McSorley and her husband Joseph of Melrose. Danielle LaVita, Gianluca LaVita and his partner Jacqueline, all of Malden and Ariana LaVita of Medford. The loving grandfather of Brandon and Ava McSorley and Isabella and Matthew LaVita. He was the dear brother of Lorenzo LaVita and his wife Rosa of Milton and is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.
Funeral from the Dello Russo Funeral Home, 306 Main Street, Medford, on Friday, February 17th at 9 AM followed by a Funeral Mass celebrated in Immaculate Conception Church, 600 Pleasant Street, Malden, at 10 AM. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours will be held on Thursday from 4 through 8 PM. Services will conclude with entombment at Holy Cross Mausoleum, Malden.