Dorothy L. Delvecchio

Dorothy L. DelVecchio, 94, of North Kingstown, passed away on November 18, 2017, surrounded by her loving family.  She is survived by her loving husband of 75 years, Domenick J. DelVecchio.  She is also survived by her sister Jean Eccles of Peoria, IL.  She was the sister of the late Claire Johnson and Donald Swanlund.  Born in Warwick, she was a daughter of the late Arthur H. and Dorothy C. (Ellis) Swanlund.  Dorothy and Domenick are known to many family and friends as Louise and Tom respectively.

Dorothy was the loving mother of eight children – Ellen Ghering, David, Thomas, Dianne Preble, Gary, Jeannette DelVecchio, James and Ronald.  She was also the proud grandparent to twenty grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren.  She was the centerpiece of a very large family with a legacy that is widespread and ever-expanding.  Dorothy deeply touched the lives of countless people – family, friends, farm customers and strangers alike.

That was especially true for her husband.  Dorothy was a true partner to Domenick in every way and they built a tremendous life together over 75 years.  After their marriage, they moved to North Kingstown and started the DelVecchio Family Farm in 1942.  They raised eight children and then several grandchildren together.  They worked tirelessly with one another to build a business on the farm.  Dorothy could always be found on the farm serving as the bedrock and the foundation for the family.  She very much enjoyed keeping a watchful eye on all the people and the comings and goings on the farm.

A true measure of Dorothy’s loving character is that all the friends of her children and grandchildren felt like part of the family.  She genuinely cared for everyone who met her.  She welcomed into her home any and all family members who needed a home.  She would always take the time to speak with and help anyone she could.  Although free time was rare, when she found such moments she really enjoyed crossword puzzles, word find puzzles and game shows on television.  She also had a soft spot for pretty much every western themed TV show ever made.

Dorothy was an avid gardener of her beloved flowers as well as fruits and vegetables for the family.  She enjoyed listening to and tapping her toes along with good music.  She loved to cook and made the farm house the hub for all holiday celebrations.  She instilled the importance of traditions into all of her many family members.  Dorothy, her legacy and her traditions will be forever loved and adored.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, November 25 ^th at 11:00am at St. Francis de Sales Church, School St., North Kingstown.  Burial will be in Quidnessett Memorial Cemetery, North Kingstown.  Calling hours:  Friday, November 24 ^th from to 4:00pm to 7:00pm at the Hill Funeral Home, 822 Main St., East Greenwich.  In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  To make a donation, please visit www.lls.org and click DONATE in the top right corner.  We ask that you use the “Personalize Your Donation” section of the page and make this donation a tribute.  Please then select “In Memory Of” and then add Dorothy DelVecchio’s name.  Thank you.