Salvatore Raiti

March 6, 1941 – May 7, 2025

Salvatore Raiti, 84, passed away peacefully on May 7, 2025, in Dunedin, Florida.

Born in Fiumefreddo di Sicilia, Italy, Sal came to the United States through Ellis Island in 1947 at just six years old, arriving with his father Giuseppe. His mother and sister joined them a year later and the family laid down roots in Brooklyn, where Sal grew into the hardworking, sharp-witted, and endlessly skilled man everyone came to rely on.

Sal proudly served in the U.S. Air Force as a jet engine mechanic, setting the stage for a lifetime of fixing, building and tinkering with anything mechanical. Following his 4 year service, he owned and operated several businesses in Brooklyn, including his first mechanic shop Metro Alarm.

He married his beloved Madeline in Brooklyn on August 5, 1973, and together they raised a big Italian family of 6 children. In 1983, Sal and Madeline moved to Palm Harbor, Florida, where he owned and operated Larry’s Auto Service on Belcher Road in Clearwater for over 20 years.

Sal loved cars, especially his prized 1969 Shelby GT350, which he treated like a member of the family. He was also an avid fisherman and boater in his younger years, and he never met a tool he didn’t know how to use. From rebuilding engines to fixing the plumbing to building furniture, Sal could do it all.

He is survived by his devoted wife of more than 50 years, Madeline Raiti, his six children: Joseph, Lauren, Christine, Michael, Nicole, and Christopher, and nine grandchildren who loved all of his larger-than-life stories.

A Funeral Mass will be held on June 3, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Luke’s Catholic Church, located at 2757 Alderman Road, Palm Harbor, FL 34684.

In lieu of flowers, go for a Sunday drive with the windows down, cast a line into the water, or fix something that’s been broken for far too long, and think of Sal while you do it.

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