It was the news Enzo Monti hoped would never come: his friend of 90 years, Charlie Vandini, was dead at 95. Growing up in North Plymouth, the two had been close companions since Monti was 7 and Vandini was 5.
“I was dreading that call,” Monti, 97, recalls. “Charlie had not been well for some time. Right through high school, we were always together.”
Charlie Vandini was not only Monti’s best buddy, he was a friend to all. Known as the “Mayor of North Plymouth” for his unabashed love of his community, the longtime owner of Charlies’ Ace Hardware had a big smile and pleasant greeting for everyone he met. He died peacefully at home Saturday.
Vandini lived his entire life in North Plymouth within a few blocks of where he was born. His hardware store has been a fixture in the community since he took over ownership in 1966. Charlies’ (it’s plural possessive because of his son Charles Jr., better known as Chuck) withstood the onslaught of modern retailing and online shopping, thanks to Vandini’s friendliness.
“We have a nice, little hardware store,” Chuck says. “We were here before the big-box stores and hopefully we’ll still be here after them. We’ve made a good living.”
Part of the charm of Charlies’ Ace Hardware was its hominess. The store featured a bench near the front door where Vandini often held court, greeting customers, dispensing wisdom and discussing local politics. For many years, he was joined in welcoming visitors by a pair of equally affable Golden Retrievers named Gus I and Gus II, who loved to be petted as much as they enjoyed seeing a familiar face.
A 1948 graduate of Plymouth High School, Vandini received a degree from Bentley College in Boston, then returned to Plymouth to marry the former Katherine Alexander, who died in 2019. She was crucial in running the business, which became the go-to place where residents could find nuts, bolts, washers and other hardware items they couldn’t get anywhere else.
A communicant at St. Mary’s Church in North Plymouth, Vandini was also on the parish council. He was a dedicated member of the Plymouth Lions Club, of which he was a past-president and a Melvin Jones Fellow.
While Vandini loved North Plymouth, his compassion for the whole town was unmatched. He served 50 years as an elected Town Meeting member from Precinct 1 and was instrumental in helping shape the town’s future.
“Charlie was on the Town Task Force that created the village system we have today,” Monti says. “He chaired the very first North Plymouth Steering Committee and appointed me to it. Several years later, we were both Town Meeting reps and worked together on the many, many, many Master Plan committees.”
Because of Vandini, Monti lives around the corner from his friend’s home. Monti moved away from Plymouth after high school but returned following a lengthy career as a psychologist.
“I’ve just always known Charlie,” Monti recalled. “I know his children and they know me. Charlie’s aunt Anita and my sister Elsie were best friends. I’ve just always known him and his whole family.”
The love Vandini bestowed on his hometown and the people who live here has not been forgotten. Chuck states the community has reached out to him and his family to let them know just what his father meant to them.
“These past two days, I’ve had more people come into the store and give me a hug,” he says. “There’s something to be said for that.”
For Monti, losing his boyhood friend was an inevitable part of a long life shared together. He has fond memories of walking past the Vandini home on summer evenings while Charlie and Kathy sat out on the front porch, where the couple greeted everyone who passed by.
“They would sit on the front porch – or ‘piazza’ as we called it – especially in the summer,” he says. “They would lean over the railing and wave and talk. I will really miss that.”
While Vandini might not be physically on that porch anymore, his presence will be felt there and throughout North Plymouth for a long time to come.
In addition to Chuck, Vandini is survived by a daughter, Charlene Vandini of Plymouth; two grandchildren, great-grandchildren; and nieces and nephews.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Bartlett Funeral Home, 338 Court St., Plymouth. Visitation is 4 to 7 p.m. today, Tuesday, May 12, at the funeral home. A funeral Mass will be 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 13 at St. Mary’s Church.