Arlene Vitale's Obituary
Arlene Vitale, of Fort Myers, Florida, formerly of Bloomingdale, New Jersey, passed away on Wednesday, May 6. She is survived by her son, Michael, of Fort Myers, her daughter, Irene Dedio and husband Sam of Naples, Florida, and two beloved grandchildren, Sam and Ava. She was predeceased by her husband of 46 years, Sal, her parents, William and Mildred Wehrkamp, and her brother, Bill. She was a devoted wife, loving mother and adoring grandmother.
Born in Passaic, New Jersey and raised in Clifton, New Jersey, Arlene was a graduate of Clifton High School and attended Rutgers University. She worked at ITT Federal Laboratories in Nutley, N.J. where she met her husband. She was a member of the Bloomingdale United Methodist Church, where she taught Sunday school, sang in the choir and was the church librarian. Active in her community, she was a Girl Scout and Cub Scout leader as well as a team mom and class mom.
After raising her children, she studied communications and film at William Paterson University, which led to a new career in New York with ABC Television Broadcast Operations and Engineering. She spent the last 16 years of her career in information technologies at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
Arlene loved Broadway theater and was an avid movie fan who appreciated a wide variety of film genres. She was a longtime supporter of Theater Development Fund, because she believed in its mission of making the magic of live theater affordable for all. In lieu of flowers, loved ones may make a donation in her honor to tdf.org.
What’s your fondest memory of Arlene?
What’s a lesson you learned from Arlene?
Share a story where Arlene's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Arlene you’ll never forget.
How did Arlene make you smile?