Richard "RJ" Vatalaro

April 20, 1981 - February 23, 2022

Richard (RJ) Vatalaro, 40, passed away on Wednesday, February 23, 2022. He died suddenly of a cardiac arrest. His life ended way too short, and he will be sorely missed by all who knew him. He was a loving father to his daughter, Bellamia (Bella). She was the center and the love of his life. RJ had a great sense of humor, he was generous to all, very intelligent, and creative. He had several professions over the years and excelled at all of them in a very short time. He was a skilled carpenter, building inspector, and a restaurant manager. RJ loved to read, watch movies, listen to music, build and fix things, and cook. Mostly he loved spending time with Bella. Just before his passing, RJ remodeled Bella's room to her exact specifications. He also spent the past few years remodeling his parents' home. RJ leaves his daughter Bella, parents Ron and Anne, sister Angela, brothers Ron and Ryan, sister-in-law Samantha, and nieces Rosalina and Cecelia. He was a part of a very large family with loving aunts Sherri, Kerri, Valerie, Mary, Maria, Miriam, Pamela, and Rose and uncles Rick, Russ, Ray, Paul, Mike, and Pat. His uncles Joe and Randy preceded him in death. He also had many cousins from his extended family. He was part of a very large, close family and will be missed every day. He shared his love of cats with Bella and leaves Stripes, Smudge, Mr. Peanut, and Phantom for Bella to continue to care for. RJ was well liked and will be missed by his friends and his co-workers at Uptown Kitchen in Jacksonville where he held various supervisory positions. A celebration of his life will be held at Divine Mercy Church in Merritt Island, FL on March 19th at 10:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, if you would like to contribute to Bella's health, education, and support in honor of RJ, you can contact [email protected] or mail contributions to Bellamia Vatalaro at 2625 Lynwood Place Merritt Island, FL 32953.