John Vella

John Vella, age 94 of Decatur, passed away on March 28, 2020. He was born on August 4th in Newark, NJ to Rose (Catania) and Gerardo Vella, the second youngest of nine children. John was a US Army veteran, serving during World War II in the 82nd Airborne, 9th Armored Division in 1944 and 1945. He was a D-Day and Battle of the Bulge participant. On June 25, 1950, he married Ann Bove at St. Rocco’s Catholic Church in Newark, NJ. During their life together, they lived in New Jersey, Florida and Georgia. John worked as a baker’s apprentice, eventually co-owning Bovella’s Italian Pastry Shop in Plainfield, NJ. He then went on to become a Head Custodian with the Broward County School System in FL. Over the years he was an active member of Disabled American Veterans, the Knights of Columbus, the Union Democratic Club, the Colonial Social Club and the VFW. John’s passions included singing, baking, cooking and entertaining for family and friends, community volunteerism (veteran and cancer initiatives), and especially his wife, sons and extended family, particularly his nieces and nephews. John was preceded in death by his wife Ann; brothers, James, Frank, Anthony and Joseph Vella; and sisters, Mildred Vella, Elizabeth Lombardi, Mary Maisano and Julia Palma. He is survived by his sons, John M Vella and his wife, Carol Johnson Vella of Columbia, SC and Joseph A. Vella of Decatur, GA; and 24 nieces and nephews and their spouses and children. He will be laid to rest privately at GA National Cemetery in Canton, next to his beloved wife, Ann. A Funeral Mass to celebrate the life of John Vella will be scheduled at a later date at the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, where John had been a parishioner since 2010. In lieu of flowers, a contribution will be gratefully appreciated to St. Francis Table, c/o Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 48 Martin Luther King Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30308.