Plainville, MA — Paul A. Vacca, 89, of Norton, Mass., died Nov. 5, 2024.
Born in Brockton, Mass., in 1935, Mr. Vacca was the son of the late Anthony and Frances (Desmond). He graduated from Brockton High School in 1953 and went on to serve in the United States Army.
Mr. Vacca returned to civilian life and worked in construction. But he also enjoyed raising and racing Standardbreds which would become a full-time occupation as he became deeply involved in harness racing throughout New England, New York and New Jersey.
Although Mr. Vacca accounted for 180 wins and just under $1 million in combined earnings when he trained and drove horses early in his career after first being licensed in 1966, he became more focused on owning and training rather than sitting in the sulky. As a result, he campaigned many horses in the Massachusetts Breeders Stake over the years and was a part of that program’s resurgence over the last 10 years.
Some of Mr. Vacca’s more notable horses during his career included Bang Ah Uey (1:52.2f, $204,790), Use Yah Blinkah (1:54.4f, $199,032) and Roaring Kitty (1:51f, $163,456).
Mr. Vacca was a member of the USTA, a board member of the Standardbred Owners Association of New England, and a member of the Harness Horsemen’s Association of New England.
Mr. Vacca is survived by his wife of 65 years, Rosalie (Ciampi); daughters, Diana (John) Call and Debra Hardy (partner Scott Santosuosso); grandchildren, Nicole (Steven) Nason, Andrew (Casey) Hannon, Matthew (Brianna) Hardy, Jennifer (Scott) Garrett and Katelynn Call; brothers, John and Anthony; eight great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother, Philip.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, KS 66675-8516, https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org.