Helen (Palmisano) Vitale

Helen (Palmisano) Vitale, 91, of Cuyahoga Falls, passed away peacefully the morning of Friday, November 20, 2020. She lived a life armed with the quickest of wit and an abundance of humor while always full of compassion for others. Remarkably, Helen had 52, 39th birthdays.  

She was born in Akron, Ohio, on May 11, 1929, around Mother’s Day every year, her parents were Maria and Raffaele Palmisano. She graduated from Central High School. Nickname: “Red”. Pet peeve: Sack dresses and gossipers. Pastime: Dancing. Named: Girl with the Best Hair.

Helen met and fell in love with Anthony (Tony) Vitale and they were married on May 29, 1948. They had five children, Stephen (Becky), Angela (Ken) O'Leary, Christopher (Colleen), Thomas (Valerie) and David (Robin). She dearly loved every one of her 14 grandkids and 4 great grandkids as well as every niece and nephew and kids like her very own.

We celebrate Helen by sharing some memories from the past, moments of the present and a call to action for the future. 

At an early age, she learned the greatest gift of love for family, the value of hard work and the power of humor. 

 Helen’s memories growing up were full of chores that focused on a sense of responsibility and the attention to detail. Lessons she learned side by side with her Mom and family.

Chores like, stewing tomato’s for sauce, canning peppers all weekend long, endless grating of Pecorino Romano cheese, as there was never enough, making the most incredible meatballs and keeping them the perfect size for wedding soup, meticulously cleaning the house, creating the perfect flake for pie crust and how she used a pizzelle maker without burning her fingers, we will never know.

These chores were tough, but they taught lessons about her and her family. They fostered the value of dignity and honor in our actions. Done all out of love, by the family for the family. Of course, the rewards were amazing and often followed with some family fun or a game of cards.

Helen thought these chores were full of memories and lessons and not called chores but Traditions.  The traditions that shape who we are and what we can become. 

Over the years when the family gathered less those same traditions kept us close.  It’s remarkable that the traditions she was taught kept the memories of her family alive and those same traditions are the ones that will keep her and all of them with us forevermore.  

Helen will be missed, but we will continue to see her in our family’s eyes and actions all around us. She would want us to cherish the past as it shapes our future and be thankful of the present as it is a gift.

Now enjoy time with our families and go make memories and meatballs.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated 11a.m. Friday, August 13th at St. Eugene Catholic Church, 1821 Munroe Falls Ave, Cuyahoga Falls.

Once again Helen is joined with her sisters, Carmela, Concetta (Connie), Erimena (Amy), Elvira (Vera) and brothers, Carl (Red), John and Bill.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - Northern Ohio Chapter - Cleveland 8001 Sweet Valley Drive, Suite 3 Valley View, OH 44125 Phone: 216-901-CURE. https://www.cff.org/NorthernOH/

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