Vincent Arcidiacono

Vincent “Vinny” Arcidiacono passed away peacefully on December 12, 2025, surrounded by his loving daughters, after a battle fought fearlessly with lung cancer. He was 72.

The adoring father of Josephine Arcidiacono, Karen Arcidiacono, and Andrea and Danny Patterson, he is also survived by his grandchildren, Hailey Paige and Fritz Anthony, his brothers David and Michael, his sister, Karen, countless cousins, treasured friends, and extended family, all of whom will miss him dearly. He was preceded in death by his parents, Theresa (née Mocchio) and Thomas Arcidiacono, and his grandson, Daniel Louis Patterson.

As a boy, Vinny attended Sacred Heart, Kirkbride, and Southern Schools, and proudly yet humbly lived a life learned through street smarts. A former truck driver for Benjamin Brothers Hauling and Rigging, he navigated the roads of his existence with the same tender and tough tenacity, and thereafter found himself “hustling” at his stands and store at the Italian Market to customers who never knew they needed what he was truly selling until they met him. A natural and unassuming social networker, he moved easily among people from all walks of life.

Kind and good-natured, he spent his last years as the beloved neighbor and unofficial welcome wagon at Angelo’s Pizzeria and the corners of Ninth and Fitzwater Streets. “One fourth of the bread heads,” a lover of music, and always singing and dancing, Vince was a true South Philadelphian through and through. He was considerate and mostly soft-spoken, yet capable of drawing out the deepest truths and guiding the most open hearts of those who trusted him with their trials. A wise South Philly sage with an unmistakable presence and plainspoken conviction, he was genuinely curious about everyone whose path crossed his, and he enjoyed conversing immensely with people—it made him feel alive.

He was the giver of seasoned counsel and coffee, generous in time and thought and TastyKakes, and grateful for every precious moment he was afforded to spend with friends and family; as he often said, they were his life. Vince was the caretaker of the birds and a Bella Vista legend. This beautiful view of a man—a father and friend to all, whose waves and warmth were unmistakably his—is gone way too soon.

Relatives and friends are invited to visit with his family on Thursday, December 18, from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM at St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church, Ninth and Watkins Streets. Funeral Mass will begin at 10AM. Interment is private. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider making a donation in Vincent’s name to The South Philadelphia Older Adult Center 1430 Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19147 or Meals on Wheels America  www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org (Philadelphia/Montgomery County), two organizations close to his heart.