Vito R. Barbara

Barbara, Vito R. of Hingham, formerly of Boston, January 21, 2006. Long time Boston fixture, denizen of “L” Street Bathhouse, “L” Street Brownie, passed away at 82. Beloved husband of Dorothy E. (Harding) of Hingham. Loving father of Nancy J. Hanson of Hingham, Joanne M. of Brookline, Dominic J. and his wife Angela M. Cullinan of Greenfield and Mary E. of Hingham. Brother of the late Josephine Manfra and Concetta Gregg. Cherished grandfather of William F. Hanson, Jr. of Boston. Uncle of Michael and Barbara Manfra and Marianne Suarez. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the funeral from the Pyne Keohane Funeral Home, 21 Emerald St., HINGHAM, Thursday at 10 AM. Funeral Mass in Saint Paul’s Church, Hingham at 11:00 AM. Visiting hours Wednesday 4-8 PM. Cremation will follow. Donations in memory of Mr. Barbara may be made to the Amyloid Research Fund, BU School of Medicine, 715 Albany Street K-503, Boston, MA 02118. Vito’s accomplishments in the areas of health and fitness span the last sixty plus years and make him a fixture in the history of the “L” Street Bathhouse. At “L” Street, Vito was active in weightlifting, body building, calisthenics and handball and entered many sports contests including the annual Mr. “L” Street body building competition, handball tournaments as well as push-up and chin-up contests. He also participated in the annual “L” Street Brownie Polar Bear Swim (see supporting documentation). Vito was also fitness instructor and competitive light weight boxer in the Navy in the early ‘40s. His efforts in and dedication to body building and weightlifting were rewarded when he was crowned Mr. “L” Street 1953 at the second annual “L” Street field day (see supporting documentation). Vito was featured in the July 1947 issue of Strength and Fitness magazine and chosen as Mr. Tarzan in 1950 by the RKO Keith Theatre in Boston for his championship physique. Ever concerned with the youth of South Boston, Vito used his expertise in fitness to provide boys from the South Boston neighborhood with weight lifting and fitness instruction during the ‘70s and ‘80s. Although he had 4 hip replacements in the past 20 years he continued his daily pursuit of fitness by walking several miles and lifting weights. The first question he always asked when he called, “Did you get your exercise today?” Vito’s life long passion for fitness, as well as his willingness to help others pursue excellence in fitness resulted in his candidacy for South Boston Sports Hall of Fame. Glad to have lived to see the Red Sox Championship in 2004, as well as 3 Patriot’s Super Bowl victories!! Vito worked for the MBTA for 35 years as a bus driver, trolley operator and starter. He retired from the MBTA as a vault agent. He also worked as an independent contractor for R.H. Donnolly, a distribution company, from 1952 to 2001. He served in the U.S. Navy.