VINCENT G LISANTI

Vince - An Unforgettable Character
by Larry DelSonno

When I was in the 2nd grade at St Thomas Aquinas School in the Bronx we read Readers Digest magazine several times a week. That was in 1956. A favorite article of mine was always “An Unforgettable Character”…
Vince was that character for me.


How so?
I became part of the Lisanti clan unofficially in July 1966 and officially in June 1971 when I married Pamela Lisanti. During those 52 years we went on one adventure after another that included Scuba diving in Nassau, Soaring in Elmira, playing basketball with the guys in the park and driveway, and tennis at the Masters School.


In his spare time he was a world class architectural photographer with his images gracing the covers and pages of many famous decorating magazines including Modern Bride, Brides Magazine, Architectural Digest, Life Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens and Family Circle to name only a few. At one point in the 60s Vince had 10-12 covers on the newsstands in NYC at one time. I learned photography and worked for him as an assistant carrying his 9 cases of camera equipment all over the USA. His sons also “did time” working in the studio and carrying equipment.

His photography included all of his grandson’s sporting events, including Mark & Peter’s Little League games, and later their Lacrosse games at Fordham Prep where he seldom missed a game.
He also traveled to most of my son’s hockey game from youth through college. At one point he picked up David from St Augustine’s school every Thursday to get him packed and ready for hockey practice in Bridgeport, Connecticut when he played for the Connecticut Yankees. We’d meet at the diner in Tarrytown and drive up together. He also followed Lacrosse where he was once caught a sprinkler shower at Iona Prep while taking photos…
I still have that photo.

I shouldn’t forget motorcycle riding in the back yard in Dobbs Ferry with the Bultaco motorcycles he got during a photo shoot. BTW, he was also a world class Motorcycle photographer with covers on Cycle magazine and images in other MC magazines. Three of his four sons continue to ride to this day.

Lastly, Vince was a WWII POW spending 13 months in a German prison camp after being shot down over Hungary in ~1944. Towards the later part of his life he took much comfort from the time he spent at West Point. As a former POW he was saluted by the cadets at West Point because of his “Prisoner of War” license plates. He frequented Montrose Veteran Hospital where he got excellent care later in life. By any standard he was an American War Hero.


The Lisanti Clan

David, Pam, Ed, Tony, Vin

Angoline & Vincent

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