Naples, Fla. – Larry Scibelli, 86, of Marco Island, formerly of Malden, Mass., died Sunday, Jan. 4 at Physicians Regional Medical Center in Naples after a brief illness.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Dorothy Frances (Cuzzi) Scibelli of Marco Island; five sons, Philip A. and his wife Marilyn Wetmore of Glenfield, N.Y., Lawrence M. and his wife Brenda of Valatie, N.Y., Michael J. and his wife Barbara of Malden, Joseph E. of Malden, and John J. and his wife Kathleen of Shrewsbury, Mass.; a daughter, Dorothy R. Beauregard, and her husband Michael of Wilmington, Mass.; nine granddaughters and six grandsons living in Massachusetts, New York, Wisconsin and Texas. He also leaves a sister, Mrs. Anna M. Giordano of Melrose, Mass.; many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by brothers Philip J., Stephen P., Nicholas F., Louis A., and two sisters, Florence and Rose V. Scibelli.
Lawrence Patrick Scibelli was born in Malden on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1928 to Antonio and Angelina (DeNitto) Scibelli and lived there until moving to Marco Island in 2005 after nearly 10 years as a seasonal resident in the Collier County coastal community on the Gulf of Mexico.
He attended Malden High School and was a key contributor on both offense and defense to the highly-celebrated undefeated 1946 football team. A veteran of the U.S. Army, his military service included deployment to the Northern Atlantic country of Iceland at the time of the Korean War. Following his honorable discharge in 1953, he resumed a courtship with his future wife whom he had met four years earlier when she was visiting her sister, a neighbor to the Scibelli household in the Edgeworth section of Malden. They were married July 4, 1953. Just last year, they celebrated extended family gatherings in Malden and upstate New York during a lengthy summer vacation.
He was a 67-year member of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, Local 7 Boston, having retired in 1989 after 42 years of work at numerous construction projects throughout the Greater Boston area and beyond.
He was a member of the Italian American Citizen’s Club of Malden. He was also a member and benefactor of the Italian Society of Marco Island and a parishioner of San Marco Catholic Church there. He was an avid gardener and in recent years enjoyed the challenges of learning the horticulture of southwest Florida where he mastered growing native plants. He also had numerous other interests. He especially enjoyed the company of his grandchildren.
Visiting hours will be held from the A. J. Spadafora Funeral Home, 865 Main St., Malden, Mass on Thursday January 8th from 4-8p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Joseph’s Church 770 Salem St., Malden on Friday January 9th at 9:00a.m. followed by interment at Forestdale Cemetery in Malden. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the American Heart Foundation or to a charitable cause of one’s choice.