Francis V. Saporito

Francis V. Saporito left us on May 15, 2016. He was born in Jersey City, NJ in 1922 to Andrew and Anna Saporito. Several years later, the family moved to Elizabeth, NJ to be closer to his father\u0027s job. He graduated from H.S. in 1941. His first job was with Standard Oil Co. until 1943 when he was called to active duty in the U.S. Army until 1946. His 30-year career with agencies of the U.S. Federal Government involved technical assistance (with human resources component) to Third World countries. His first assignment was in the International Cooperative Agency in Washington, D.C. followed by Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (where he married Inalda Pereira in 1963); Kampala, Uganda; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Washington D.C.; and Brasilia, Brazil, where he retired in 1981. His wife assumed a position at the American Embassy. The couple took up residence in Cottonwood in 1993. He was a parishioner of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Cursillo Movement and the American Foreign Service Assn. His interests included reading, writing, singing, chorister classical music, gardening, dancing, tennis, bowling and traveling. Survivors include his beloved wife of 53 years, three children and seven grandchildren. The family thanks the Verde Valley Community Hospice and Francine Bogran for their wonderful care. Visitation will be held at 6:30pm followed by the Rosary/Vigil at 7:00pm on Wednesday, May 18 at Westcott Funeral Home in Cottonwood. Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00am on Thursday, May 19 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 700 N. Bill Gray Road in Cottonwood. Military Honors will be given by the VFW Post 7400. A Reception will be held in the parish hall immediately following. An online guestbook is available to sign at www.westcottfuneralhome.com