Vincent J. Caravella

Vincent J. Caravella, of Selden, New York, passed away on May 30, 2021 after an arduous battle with cancer.  His family was by his side.

Vincent was born on July 30, 1950, to Salvatore and Frances Caravella (née Micari) in Brooklyn, New York.  He grew up in North Babylon, New York with younger siblings Salvatore, Dean and Pauline.  

As a young man, he was naturally good with his hands, sharp with his mind and ambitious.  Through his Sicilian-American upbringing, he developed strong senses of identity, of family, and a strong work ethic.  He was resilient.  He was taught that he could accomplish anything he set his mind to, and to be a leader.  He was enterprising and he “thought big.”  He was also mischievous, funny and a prankster at times.

After graduating from North Babylon High School in 1968, Vinnie began the next chapter of his life in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he went to attend Xavier University.  More importantly, it was there at a school dance, when he first met Joyce Overberg.

Vinnie courted Joyce throughout his college years.  Joyce’s parents, Bob & Betty and her six siblings (Mary Jane, Carol, Janet, Joni, Julie & Jeff) all welcomed him as their own, and Vin did the same.  Vinnie and Joyce were married on March 25, 1972, in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Vin had established his own fence construction business even before his graduation from Xavier in 1974 (with bachelor’s degree in Political Science, with minor Business Admin.)  He enjoyed “being his own boss” for more than 25 years as his fence business grew into commercial general contracting, throughout Long Island and New York City.  With this wealth of knowledge and experience, Vinnie joined AKRF Engineering and helped establish and cultivate the resident engineering/inspection department.  Vinnie always took pride in his work and was regarded as a mentor by many with whom he worked.

Outside of work, Vin thoroughly enjoyed time spent in the kitchen or in front of the barbeque and was quite the chef.  Surely, he found part of that joy in eating his culinary creations himself, but an even larger part of that joy was found preparing and sharing those meals with those he loved the most.  Whether it be a special “Saturday night dinner” for two with Joyce, or a “show-stopping” Christmas-Eve feast of “7 Fishes” for extended family, Vin truly appreciated that it brought together the ones he loved. 

Vin kept himself up on current events and liked to “talk” politics (to varying degrees of intensity!)  Regardless, whether you shared his opinions or opposed them, he enjoyed the debate, liked to engage, and he did not tire easily!  At the heart of it, Vin loved his country and was proud to be an American.

Throughout their 49 years as husband and wife, Vinnie and Joyce had many blessings.  They had parents that loved them and taught by example how to be loving parents themselves. Vinnie and Joyce were blessed with three children Sal, Bobby, Nicole - and later, daughters-in-law Jessica (née Barney) and Nicole (née Bursch) as well as four grandchildren Hailey, Francesca, Sofia and Lincoln.  Vin took great pride and joy watching all of them grow, providing love, guidance, and important life lessons at key points along the way.  He loved seeing Joyce’s influence shine through in them as much as his own and he did recognize the critical importance of that balance.

And for as much as Vin loved his family, his loss leaves an incredible void in all our hearts that cannot be filled.  We must find consolation in the memories of the good times we all had with him, the positive impacts he made on us, and the little bits of him that we can keep close to our hearts.  With love and respect always, our dear Vinnie, Vincent, Dad, Papa Vinnie, Uncle Vinnie, or Vin - There is no more pain where you are.  We miss you so much already and love you dearly.

Condolences may be left for the family at https://www.bryantfh.com/tributes

Anyone wishing to make a donation in lieu of flowers may consider these charities:

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital  https://www.stjude.org/donate

Wounded Warrior Project https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Tunnel to Towers https://t2t.org/

Memorial Visitation will be held on Saturday June 5, 2021, 2:30pm – 6:00pm

Bryant Funeral Home, 411 Old Town Rd., East Setauket, NY 11733.