Vincent James Tesoro

Vincent James Tesoro, 76, of Rocky Mount, NC died at Nash General Hospital on December 16. “I was born in the South,” Vince liked to say, referring to his upbringing in south Brooklyn. The son of restaurateurs Nunzio and Josephine Tesoro, and grandson of immigrants from Terlizzi in the province of Bari, Italy, Vince found his way to the American South when he attended Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia. After graduation he moved on to The Citadel in South Carolina, where he earned a degree in electrical engineering. Vinces wide-ranging career was largely dedicated to serving his country and his community. He spent six years in the United States Marine Corps and twenty-five years in the Army Reserve. He worked as a fundraiser for the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America and the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation; he was Director of Development for Adelphi College; and he was district marketing director for Rainsoft Water Treatment. After moving to Rocky Mount, Vince became the commandant of the Marine Corps League and then commander of Coleman-Pitt American Legion Post 58. One of his proudest accomplishments was the formation of the Joint Veterans Committee, which consists of the twin-county chapters of the American Legion, Marine Corps League, Disabled Veterans, and Veterans of Foreign Wars. This committee is responsible for services on Memorial Day and Veterans Day as well as monthly flag-raising ceremonies to honor deceased veterans at Jack Laughery Park. He has also worked with other military servicemen assisting a program to prevent suicide in veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Recently he became a volunteer Veterans Service Officer to help veterans through the complicated steps necessary to apply for and receive well-deserved benefits. A born organizer, Vince could be counted on to show up as promised, to get a job done, and to do it well. Vince loved old vinyl records and had a monumental collection. He and his wife, Martha, shared an interest in popular and classical music, travel, reading, and ballroom dancing. He maintained that if they were going to live in Rocky Mount, they would have ballroom dancing. It was at his instigation that the Rocky Mount chapter of USA Dance was formed. Vince was preceded in death by his brothers, Frank Tesoro and Louis Tesoro, and his sister, Virginia Todaro. He is survived by his wife Martha Kendrick Tesoro; his children: Vincent Tesoro II and his wife Kim Tesoro of Hurdle Mills, NC, Laura Moreland and her husband Art Moreland of Fort Collins, CO, and step-son Ben Turney and his partner Molly Matlock of Durham, NC; grandchildren: Gabrielle Tesoro, Grant Tesoro, Isabella Tesoro, Jacqueline Gleason, Deannicka Warburton, and Matthew Moreland and his wife Leah Moreland; and great-grandchildren, Brooke Moreland and Ryan Moreland. Visitation will be held from 10am to 12pm on Saturday, December 20 at Wheeler and Woodlief Funeral Home. A service will be held at 2pm on Saturday, December 20 at First Presbyterian Church in Rocky Mount, NC. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Coleman-Pitt American Legion Post 58, PO Box 8800, Rocky Mount, NC 27804. Arrangements entrusted to Wheeler and Woodlief Funeral Home Cremation Services, 1130 N. Winstead Avenue, Rocky Mount NC 27804. You may share memories and condolences with the family by visiting www.wheelerwoodlief.com. Visitation Wheeler & Woodlief Funeral Home & Cremation Services 1130 N. Winstead Ave. Rocky Mount, NC 27804 ID ) ); ?>"> --> 252-451-8800 --> | Saturday 12/20, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Memorial Location Not Available Saturday 12/20, 2:00 pm