Published in the May 12, 2017 edition
PEABODY — Armando R. Vesprini, 91,the beloved husband of Mary (A’Hearn), passed away quietly on May 2, 2017 at Brooksby Village in Peabody after a year long period of declining health.
Born in Everett, in 1926 to Nazzareno and Michelina Vesprini, who immigrated from Italy in October 1920, Armando, affectionately known by all as “Mandy,” was one of six children and grew up in the neighborhood of Everett known as the village.
Mandy embodied all the qualities that define what has come to be known as the Greatest Generation. A graduate of Everett High School, class of 1944, Mandy loved basketball and was made captain of his team in his senior year. Straight out of high school, he enlisted in the United States Army and dutifully served his country during the Second World War. He completed basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and set sail on January 8,1945 with 15,000 other replacement soldiers aboard the Queen Mary to fight in the European theater with the 104th Infantry Regiment as a heavy mortar crewman, Private First Class. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and received an Army of Occupation Medal, European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal with an Honorable Discharge in July of 1946.
After the war, Mandy received vocational training through the GI Bill, the first step in what would become a highly successful career in the flooring and tile industry. In 1954, he married Mary Ahearn, the love of his life, a first grade school teacher from Revere and settled in Melrose.
In 1960, after working as an installer for the top flooring companies in New England, Mandy’s entrepreneurial spirit and singular work ethic took hold, the result being the creation of his own company, Circle Floors, Inc. Mandy put every ounce of his energy in to his company and enjoyed a reputation as a kind and generous boss with the utmost integrity. He expanded the reaches of his company to include locations in Maine and New Hampshire, making Circle Floors the largest, diversified Flooring Contactor in New England at the time. In the spring of 1997, Mandy sold his business to the largest carpet manufacturer in the world, Shaw Industries.
Mandy and Mary enjoyed traveling to Caribbean and Europe on the various mill and manufacturers trips afforded to him by the vendors of Circle Floors. He was an avid tennis player and golfer, and was a member of the Bellevue Golf Club in Melrose and the Salem Country Club in Peabody. In 1995, he purchased a condo in Juno Beach, Florida, where he would spend the winter months playing golf in Hobe Sound. Always the early riser, Mandy loved sipping his morning coffee on the balcony as the Florida sun rose over the Atlantic.
Above all, Mandy cherished his family. He will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him. He is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years Mary (A’hearn); his son Michael and his wife Alicia (Danti) of Topsfield; his daughter Mary Ellen Vesprini of Newburyport; and his grandchildren, Marcus and Michelina. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his brothers Louis, John and William, and his sisters Natalie and Susan.
Visitation was held at the Gately Funeral Home, 79 West Foster St. Melrose, on Monday, May 8, 2017. Funeral from the funeral home took place on Tuesday, May 9, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at Incarnation Church 425 Upham St. Melrose, followed by an interment at Holy Cross Cemetery in Malden. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Mandy’s name to Catholic Charities, 275 West Broadway, Boston, MA 02127 or at www.ccab.org. To send a message of condolence, please visit www.gatelyfh.com.
