Vincent Mercadante
Vincent Mercadante, 90, of Anna Maria, died Aug. 21 surrounded by his family at his home.
He was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, and in 1952 was called to serve in the U.S. Army at Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas.
He went to the University of Tampa on a football scholarship, where he met the love of his life, Larrie Jean, and they married in 1955.
He graduated from UT and worked for Oscar Mayer for 33 years, managing the company’s Publix account with so much passion that most people thought he worked for the supermarket.
He was a longtime member of St. Bernard Catholic Church and the Holy Name Society.
He loved his golf as a member of Key Royale Club and enjoyed every chance he got to play and win charity tournaments.
He loved his island community, working the election polls each year and helping countless individuals start up businesses on the island.
Also, in retirement, he loved keeping up with sports and his friends, meeting his buddies from Tampa Thursdays for lunch in St. Petersburg.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 23, at St. Bernard Church, 248 S. Harbor Drive, Holmes Beach, with a reception following at the Bradenton Country Club in Bradenton. Masks are respectfully required for attendees. Memorial donations may be made to a favorite charity.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Larrie Jean; daughters Sheree and husband Peter Kent and Dina and husband Pat Osburn; five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.