Obituary for Donald Vincent Oppedisano
Donald Vincent Oppedisano passed away suddenly of cardiac arrest in his home in Miami on April 5th. He was 74. He is survived by his loving wife of 43 years, Sharon (Lamos); his children, Rich (Bethany) Oppedisano and Audrey (Hugo) Calero; grandchildren Emma, Jake, Maddy, Luna, Nico and Mia; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. Don was born on December 26, 1946 to Frank and Helen Oppedisano, the youngest of 5 children. His father immigrated from Italy in 1913 and served in the US Army in World War I. Don grew up in Honeoye Falls, playing little league baseball. Graduate and postgraduate work was done at SUNY Albany where he enjoyed working as a sports broadcaster. He taught US History at Rush-Henrietta and in Catskill, NY. Then he became a salesman of books to schools in the Rochester area. While at an educational training in 1975, he met a teacher who became the love of his life, Sharon Lamos. They were married on November 19, 1977 at Parkminster Presbyterian Church, and have two children, Richard, born in 1980 and Audrey in 1982.
Donald purchased Oppedisano’s Bootery from his brother Vinny in 1981. He specialized in customer service and knew everyone’s shoe size! The village of Honeoye Falls was graced with his kind smile and friendly demeanor. Don sold the shoe store in 2002. He finished his Yankees show room in his home, where he frequently entertained guests. He worked several other sales jobs until he moved to Miami in 2018. Selling shoes again for one year, Don finally retired in 2020 to spend more time with his grandchildren, who he deeply adored.
The world has never known a greater Yankees fan! An avid collector of Yankees memorabilia, Donald took great pleasure in obtaining autographs of many baseball legends, including Micky Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, and Don Mattingly. He constantly read baseball and US history books and was always up for a trivia challenge. Planning trips also excited Don. He travelled throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, Morocco, Mauritania, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Israel, Greece, China, Vietnam, Great Britain, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Kazakhstan, Dominican Rebuplic, Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia and San Marino. Many of these were outreach trips through Elim Gospel Church.
Donald held a deep faith in Jesus Christ. His faith continued to grow as he read Scripture daily and knelt at his bedside with Sharon every morning. He followed the words of Isaiah: “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6). The collapse of the Honeoye Falls bridge in 1983 decimated business at the shoe store. Don faced a great darkness but found strength in the light of Christ. This pattern of trust in God caused him to increasingly grow in his love for others as well. After Billy Graham came to Rochester in 1988, a Bible study was formed in Don’s home which continues to meet weekly to this day. Don was known as a man of God. Many friends and relatives have asked him to deliver eulogies! He listened well and lived generously. Many felt genuinely cared for by Don.
Family and friends are invited to call 6-8pm Friday, April 16th and 10am on Saturday, April 17th at Elim Gospel Church in Lima, NY, followed by a funeral at noon. In lieu of flowers, donations may made to HilltopRanch.org, a home for adults with intellectual disabilities. Hilltop Ranch was very near to Don’s heart and he was planning on making further substantial donations to their incredible work.
Donald purchased Oppedisano’s Bootery from his brother Vinny in 1981. He specialized in customer service and knew everyone’s shoe size! The village of Honeoye Falls was graced with his kind smile and friendly demeanor. Don sold the shoe store in 2002. He finished his Yankees show room in his home, where he frequently entertained guests. He worked several other sales jobs until he moved to Miami in 2018. Selling shoes again for one year, Don finally retired in 2020 to spend more time with his grandchildren, who he deeply adored.
The world has never known a greater Yankees fan! An avid collector of Yankees memorabilia, Donald took great pleasure in obtaining autographs of many baseball legends, including Micky Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, and Don Mattingly. He constantly read baseball and US history books and was always up for a trivia challenge. Planning trips also excited Don. He travelled throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, Morocco, Mauritania, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Israel, Greece, China, Vietnam, Great Britain, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Kazakhstan, Dominican Rebuplic, Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia and San Marino. Many of these were outreach trips through Elim Gospel Church.
Donald held a deep faith in Jesus Christ. His faith continued to grow as he read Scripture daily and knelt at his bedside with Sharon every morning. He followed the words of Isaiah: “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6). The collapse of the Honeoye Falls bridge in 1983 decimated business at the shoe store. Don faced a great darkness but found strength in the light of Christ. This pattern of trust in God caused him to increasingly grow in his love for others as well. After Billy Graham came to Rochester in 1988, a Bible study was formed in Don’s home which continues to meet weekly to this day. Don was known as a man of God. Many friends and relatives have asked him to deliver eulogies! He listened well and lived generously. Many felt genuinely cared for by Don.
Family and friends are invited to call 6-8pm Friday, April 16th and 10am on Saturday, April 17th at Elim Gospel Church in Lima, NY, followed by a funeral at noon. In lieu of flowers, donations may made to HilltopRanch.org, a home for adults with intellectual disabilities. Hilltop Ranch was very near to Don’s heart and he was planning on making further substantial donations to their incredible work.