Vincent Vallarine Jr. A man’s man, Jack-of-all-trades, honored Veteran, hard-working tattooed biker, 71, of North Scituate and formerly of Johnston, passed from the comfort of his home into eternal life on June 2nd, 2020. He was the beloved husband of Donna Marie (Sciara) Vallarine.
Born in Providence on January 13, 1949 to Vincent and Helen Jean (Johnson) Vallarine, he was raised in a traditional and loving home and enjoyed childhood in Johnston. Following high school, he proudly served his country for two full years in combat during the Vietnam War, after which he was honorably discharged from the United States Army. A laborer in the construction industry - and at home - for most of his life, Vincent was a loyal member of the International Laborers’ Union, Local 271, for over 25 years, working on a variety of challenging projects. At home and elsewhere, he could build or fix just about anything, always doing the job right and never cutting corners to do so. He took great pride in his quality work. One memorable project which involved the whole family was the construction of ‘the house next door’, so well built by their collective efforts that it was dubbed “the best-built house in the history of home building”; how about that, Property Brothers! Remarkably, Vincent also crafted and constructed several hundred feet of stately stone wall surrounding another property which remind passersby of the finest walls in Italy. He would pause to remind us that “every stone has a face”.
In keeping with being a non-stop construction machine, he was tough as nails, strong as an ox, and compassionate as a flea; his recommended remedy for work-related injuries - and children’s injuries for that matter - was to rub some dirt in an open wound to stop the bleeding. Amazingly, all his ‘patients’ survived and thrived and neither OSHA nor DCYF ever bothered him; perhaps that was because he would quickly ‘leave the scene’ on his Harley! And, yes, he absolutely loved motorcycles as long as they were Harley Davidsons. He played the role of a classic biker to perfection, donning his thick black leather jacket and sporting an array of POW/Viet Vet’s patches and tattoos; a half-smoked cigarette clenched between his “always smiling” lips completes the picture. Serving as his own alarm clock, he would rise daily at precisely 04:30 and, on more than one occasion, sound revelry for the entire household at 04:31. Then, with precise predictably, he’d proceed to take a ‘military shower’ - lasting just two short minutes - and then be found at 04:34 either at the stove cooking steak and eggs or on the road again proceeding to the diner to join his buddies for in-depth discussions of politics or global warming. Despite the road dirt, mud, mortar, saw dust, callouses, and otherwise crusty exterior, Vincent had an inner strength and beauty that was sensitivity personified. Admired and respected, he was a dear man and a gentle giant with a heart of pure Italian gold. Faithful and faith-filled, to know him was to love him and to love him was a pleasure and a privilege. He will be sorely missed and fondly remembered by the many that did so.
He was the loving father of Vincent “Vinny” III Vallarine of Virginia and Anthony Albert Vallarine of Johnston. In addition to his wife and sons, he is survived by his dear sisters, Helen Gravell and Darlene Bavaro; his cherished grandchildren, Gianna Marie and Victor Robert Vallarine; and his Rottweiler, Yeti, and his cat, Papa. He was predeceased by his brothers, Roger and Sonny.
Visitation and services were held at the Berarducci Home, corner of Grove & Knight Streets in Providence, followed by interment with Military Honors at RI Veterans’ Cemetery Chapel in Exeter.
Memorial donations in honor of Vincent to either St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN [donors@stjude.org] or Veterans Warriors [veteran-warriors.org] would be appreciated. Condolences may be left at [www.providencecremation.com]
