Obituary for Vita Gray Mrs. Vita Cardaci Gray, age 90, formerly of New York City and Southington, entered into eternal life surrounded by her family on Saturday, July 7th. She went to sleep at home and woke up in the arms of God. She was the loving wife of the late John Patrick Gray.
Mrs. Vita Cardaci Gray entered into this world on October 20, 1927, in Manhattan, New York, daughter of the late Joseph and Domenica (Pulverenti) Cardaci of Sicily, Italy. Vita lived most of her younger years in Manhattan, NY on Prince, Sullivan and Thompson Street. Her father would pick her and her younger brother Vito up after school and take them to their play ground, Washington Square Park in the Village, where they would play for an hour almost every day.
They would often play games like stoop-ball, hand-ball, pick-up-sticks, or watched the older gentlemen in the park play card games or chess. Vita and her brother would also play cards on the stairs going up to the roof and try to sneak into the 5 cent movies as often as possible. Her mother died of cancer when Vita was just 9 years old.
This left a lifelong scar in her heart and spirit. She had to grow up rather quickly taking care of her younger brother and herself for many hours a day while her father worked. Her father taught her how to cook, sew, clean their apartment, trust in God and daily values (that she has taken with her all her life), and the nuns taught her how to achieve her goals in life.
She attended St. Anthony Jr. High, Washington Irving High School, Spenser Secretarial and then onto Steno Type Institute on Madison Avenue and NYU for one year. She was proud that she only played hooky (skipped school) once, and that was to see the movie Gilda and to see Frank Sinatra live on stage after the movie (at the Strand) with a few of her classmates (but all the time looking over her shoulder, should her father be nearby). During the war years she worked for Hansom’s Bakery on 8th Street, Pharmaceutical Company on 33rd Street and The Army Exchange on 43rd & 44th Street.
Growing up during the depression years and the war left emotional scars, but gave her a stiff upper lip to deal with life’s many challenges. After the war she married John Patrick Gray of Long Island in New York at Holy Cross Church on 42nd Street and they moved to Newtown, CT. They both worked at Fairfield State Hospital in Newtown for four years.
There they met one of their dearest life-long friends Yo and Bill Rounds. Making only . 90 cents a day they would entertain themselves with the Rounds by playing cards, going for car rides or sitting up late nights talking about what their future held.
Later they moved to Southington where they raised a family of four, numerous animals and countless vegetable gardens. It was during this period of her life that she stressed upon her children the values, moral compass and ideals that she learned as a child. Vita was a longtime communicant of both St. Thomas Church and St. Aloysius Parish.
Vita, affectionately known as Terry to her friends and Nonnie to her grandchildren was known as a loving but fiercely independent private woman of many talents and strong convictions. She loved to sew and was never away from her sewing machine for more than a few days. And don’t get her started on politics, she could talk to you for hours on that subject, but only if you agreed to actually listen to her.
Reading was her passion, as she had given up watching TV for a few years because she said, “How much more information, value and creativity there is in reading than sitting in front of a box”. Her cats were always under foot but she loved them each in their own way, “they are like children” she would say. She loved her yard and was often seen feeding the birds, or those “awful” squirrels, deadheading all the annual flowers, picking up sticks or sweeping the driveway.
She would often say, “If you have a mother you should cherish her with care, because you don’t know her value until you’ve seen her vacant chair”. How very true. She was our example of persistence, courage, faith, hope, love of beauty and the ongoing quest for truth.
Good night Mother, for now. Vita is survived by her two grandchildren, Sean and Morgan Gray; her son Michael Joseph Gray, daughter–in-law Kim and two grandchildren Patrick and Matthew; daughter Alice-Margaret Babon and son-in-law Gary and five grandchildren Gary, Danielle, Alyssia, Michael and John; and daughter, Anne-Marie Gray. Her dear friends, Yo Rounds; Maria Savona; Mary Dubuque; Sister-in-Law, Katherine Kessler and numerous nieces and nephews.
Vita is predeceased by her parents, several brothers, sisters and her husband, John Patrick Gray and son John Patrick Gray Jr. Family and friends may call at Della Vecchia Funeral home 211 North Main Street, Southington on Friday, July 13th from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. The funeral mass will be held on Saturday, July 14th at 10:00 am at St. Aloysius Church 254 Burritt Street in Plantsville. Christian burial will follow at Immaculate Cemetery South End Road in Southington.
To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Vita Gray please visit our Sympathy Store. Upcoming Events Calling Hours 2018 JUL 13. 04:00 PM – 07:00 PM DellaVecchia Funeral Home in Sourthington 211 N. Main St Southington, CT, US, 06489 Order Flowers for the Calling Hours Guaranteed delivery before Vita ‘s Calling Hours begins.
Mass of Christian Burial 2018 JUL 14. 10:00 AM St. Aloysius Church 254 Burritt St. Plantsville, CT, US, 06479 Order Flowers for the Mass of Christian Burial Guaranteed delivery before Vita ‘s Mass of Christian Burial begins.
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