Vincent Santaniello

Vincent Santaniello, age 58, of Dover died Thursday, December 27, 2018, in his home following a year-long, hard-fought illness.

Vinny, as he was known to family and friends, was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 4, 1960 to the late Ralph and Loretta Minneci Santaniello.

Vinny was raised in Queens, New York and graduated from Thomas Edison High School at Jamaica, New York. He had an endearing New York accent, was an avid Giants fan and was seldom without his Islanders ball cap. He was proud of his Italian heritage and revered The Godfather Movies. A truck driver by trade, Vinny spent 30 years in his rig driving both locally and over-the-road.

In February of this year, he was awarded the Carnegie Medal for Heroism for risking his life to save a woman trapped in a burning truck.

Vinny will be greatly missed by his wife, the former Karen Goff whom he married on May 22, 2003; his children, Michelle Cook and Michael (Holly) Jones all of New Philadelphia and his grandchildren, Kaity, Kylie, Eli, Keara, Cyrelle, Dryden and Aiden.

Completing the family are his sister, Lucretia Santaniello of Long Island, New York; a nephew, Joe (Tricia) Santaniello; a godson and great-nephew Joey Santaniello; a brother, Ralph (Peggy) Santaniello of Florida; nieces and nephews Michael, Kerry, Nicole, Kathleen and their families. Also surviving are an aunt, Jolene Limbacher and an uncle, Jim Conley of North Canton.

In addition to his parents, Vinny was preceded in death by his first wife, Patricia Santaniello in 1999, his mother and father-in-law, Ginger and Louis Swaim and a daughter-in-law, Mindy Cook.

The family will greet guests on Sunday, December 30, 2018, from 5:00 – 7:00 PM in the Linn-Hert-Geib Funeral Home & Crematory at New Philadelphia. Cremation will follow through the care of Geib’s Tuscarawas Valley Crematory.

The family requests that contributions be made to a benefit account established at Huntington Bank to defray the cost of medical expenses. Donations can be made to the nonprofit account at any Huntington Bank in Ohio. Checks should be made payable to: “Friends For Vinny Santaniello.”