Vincent A. Parisi

On January 23rd, Dr. Vincent A. Parisi (91) passed peacefully in his home with his wife of 70 years by his side.

Born in Philadelphia, PA, he was the son of Alfred J. Parisi and Bernice B. (Gagas) Parisi. Vince is survived by his loving wife, Mary Louise (Hetherington) Parisi, sister, Lorraine (Parisi) Fox and her husband C. William Fox.

After graduating from Villanova University (Class of '54), Vince served in the US Army for two years. After subsequently working for Parke- Davis, he decided to pursue a degree in dentistry. In 1960, while expecting their fourth child, he entered the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine earned his DDS (Class of '64) and went on to specialize in Orthodontics (Class of '66). He was elected class president of both his Dental and Orthodontic School class.

At the heart of Vince's life was an unwavering faith in Jesus Christ, which guided every decision, action and relationship. His devotion to God and the Church was his greatest priority and he lived each day with a deep commitment to sharing His love, grace and truth.

He and his wife were devoted parishioners of Sacred Heart Church where he served as a lector, eucharistic minister and daily communicant. Vince was a huge advocate of Catholic Education and supported many schools in Berks County. He was the founding chairman of the Berks Catholic Extravaganza and recipient of the Villanova University Alumni medal 1979.

Vince was a founding partner of Reading Orthodontic Group in Wyomissing where he created fantastic smiles for the people of Berks County for 33 years. Dr. Parisi was a visionary leader whose unwavering commitment to excellence shaped not only ROG, but the lives of countless patients, families and team members. His example inspired dozens of our local dentists and hygienists to choose dentistry as their path, including his two daughters, Bernice and Natalie, and his granddaughter, Kara. He served as president of the Berks County Dental Society and was a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontists.

Vince and his bride loved to travel, with Italy and Bermuda being favorite destinations. He enjoyed designing his full-sized garden railroad, building wooden furniture and writing beautiful epistles to his children that he sent every Father's Day. He was a life-long fan of the Villanova Wildcats basketball team and traveled to see them win two NCAA championships in 2016 and 2018.

Left to treasure his memory are his nine children: Vince Parisi, Jr., Beth Parisi Daly, Thomas G. Parisi (Danelle), Bernice Parisi Exas (Dean), Dominic Parisi (Maureen), Mary Lou Parisi Elder (Clay), Natalie Parisi Bell (Tom), Catherine Parisi (Adrian) and Marie Parisi Sung (Dave); and he will be fondly remembered by his 28 grandchildren: Vincent III, Victoria, Dan, Kara, Shea, Danni, Michael, Gabrielle, Mariselle, Noelle, Rafe, Adam, Callie, Chris, Brittany, Tyler, Jameson, Aidan, Emily, Tess, Maggie, Zach, Julia, Katie, Avery, Leyton, Chris and Drew; as well as 17 great grandchildren!

The family will receive friends at Kuhn Funeral Home, West Reading on Friday, January 31st, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, West Reading, PA on Saturday, February 1st at 10:00 AM. Burial will follow at Gethsemane Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Vince's memory may be sent to John Paul II Center for Special Learning, 1092 Welsh Road, Shillington, PA 19607 and Sacred Heart School Scholarship Fund, 701 Franklin St., West Reading, PA 19611.