Vinny DeCerbo of Southampton died August 31. A beloved sixth-grade teacher in the Patchogue-Medford School District for 30 years, he was 68.
Mr. DeCerbo was a 1963 graduate of Patchogue High School, where he was an all-league player leading his team to the Suffolk County playoffs. He graduated from Southampton College in 1967. In addition to being a teacher, Mr. DeCerbo coached boys basketball in the Patchogue-Medford School District, including two terms as head coach in the high school in the 1970s. He was also the coach of men’s basketball at Southampton College from 1979 to 1987, racking up a Big Apple Conference regular-season title with the team in 1981-82. In baseball, he had a 58-25 coaching record in four seasons at Patchogue, winning the Suffolk League I championship in 1978; the team defended the title the following year but did not win.
Describing her husband, Sandy DeCerbo said that a friend “once told me that when there is a death, you learn to recognize that you should turn up the volume in your own life. But with Vinny, there was no such thing. He was born with the volume up.”
In addition to his wife, Mr. DeCerbo is survived by a son, Bret.
Funeral services were held on September 10. Memorial donations may be made to Human Resources, 168 Hill Street, Southampton, NY 11968.
on Sep 30, 2013