GRAFTON, Ohio — Alfred David DiVencenzo, 64, of Grafton Township, died unexpectedly July 24, 2018.
He was born July 12, 1954, in Medina, Ohio, and lived in Grafton Township and the Grafton/Elyria area his whole life.
He was a 1972 graduate of Midview High School and received an associate’s degree from Lorain County Community College in 1974. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in education at Bowling Green State University in 1976 and his master’s degree in education at Kent State University in 1981. Mr. DiVencenzo was an educator in Lorain County for 30 years at various school districts, including North Ridgeville, Keystone, and the Educational Service Center of Lorain County, from 1976-2005, and an adjunct professor of education for Bowling Green State University Firelands Campus in Huron from 2004-2018.
Mr. DiVencenzo also operated a Christmas tree farm and pioneered the concept of a “Scholarship Forest” of cut trees where a portion of the money paid for each sold tree went to a cause. Hundreds of dollars from the “forest” have gone to the endowment funds of the Midview Local Schools, the Grafton-Midview Public Library, North Ridgeville City Schools and St. Peter’s School in North Ridgeville.
He served on the Ohio Christmas Tree Association board of directors since 2010, and participated in Operation Evergreen where Ohio Christmas trees are sent to troops overseas. He was on the Lorain County Farm Bureau board for 12 years, president of the county Farm Bureau for six years, and represented Lorain, Erie, Huron and Cuyahoga counties on the Ohio Farm Bureau state trustee board since June 2014. He also served as a state Farm Bureau delegate on the national level.
He sat on the State of Ohio Public Works Commission Natural Resource Assistance Council for District 9, and has been the adviser of the Belden B’s and G’s (formerly known as the Belden Boys) for 45 years.
Mr. DiVencenzo was an active member of the Grafton Knights of Columbus Council #8369. He held every office in the organization and is currently the financial secretary and in charge of the monthly newsletter. He belongs to the Fourth Degree Council #3019 of the K of C in North Ridgeville. He is currently a member of St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Valley City, Ohio.
He was an avid blood donor and was able to be a postmortem donor to Lifebanc.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Beth (Snider); sons, Alfred E. of Ravenna and Joseph L. of Grafton; daughter, Teresa, of New York City; mother, Wanda DiVencenzo of Grafton; parents-in-law, Edward and Janet Snider; sisters, Lois Stoll and Jan O’Dell; brother, David DiVencenzo; and four grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his father, Alfred Edward DiVencenzo.
Friends will be received Sunday, July 29, 2018, from 2-5 p.m. at Avon Oaks Country Club, 32300 Detroit Road, Avon, Ohio. A funeral Mass will be Monday, July 30, at 9:30 a.m. at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church, 1800 Station Road, Valley City.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks individuals to consider a donation to one of Al’s favorite causes: Operation Evergreen, c/o Ohio Christmas Tree Association, 6870 Licking Valley Road, Frazeysburg OH, 43822; Lorain County 4-H Endowment, checks payable to: The Ohio State University Lorain Co. 4-H Endowment, OSU Extension Lorain Co., 42110 Russia Road, Elyria, OH 44035; or the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation, 280 N. High St. 6th Floor, Columbus, OH 43218.
Dicken Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Elyria assisted with arrangements.
