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Richard “Scott” Gentile, 65, of Watertown, Massachusetts died on January 18, 2025, following a heroic eight-month battle against lymphoma.

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Scott was born in Nonantum (“The Lake”), Newton, Massachusetts on September 26, 1959, son of Joseph and Florence (Cetrone) Gentile of Watertown, Massachusetts.  Born with cerebral palsy, Scott was not expected by doctors to walk or live a long life, but he and his determined family proved the doctors wrong. At five Scott was enrolled in The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential (IAHP) for brain-injured children and adults.  Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, IAHP’s philosophy is “leave no injured behind”.  Scott’s parents were trained on various therapies to be carried out at home, and with daily help from family, friends and neighbors over the course of seven years, plus his own strong will, Scott was able to walk!  Scott went on to live independently for most of his life. 

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Scott was supported through the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services (DDS) for all of his adult life.  He started out with the Waltham Committee, then Alternative Supports Inc, and finally with The Edinburg Center.  With each move, Scott required more and more supports as he aged.  The family is forever grateful to DDS and all of the agencies that supported Scott throughout his life, especially The Edinburg Center, which provided the extra love and care that Scott needed toward the end of his life.

Scott was employed for many years at Rent-A-Crate in Waltham, Massachusetts.  He followed in his father’s footsteps and developed his own business “Joe’s Candy and On-Site Vending”.  Scott had three Coca-Cola machines and more than 25 gumball machines out around “The Lake”.

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Scott is survived by his sister Patricia Duncan (Charles) of Littleton, Massachusetts, Joanne Park (Alexander) of Groton, Massachusetts and nieces Jamie Park and Rebecca Park. He was predeceased by his father  Joseph Gentile in 1982, and his mother Florence Gentile in 2025.

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Scott’s service will be held on Thursday, January 23rd, at Our Lady Help of Christians Parish, 573 Washington St, Newton, Massachusetts. There will be a pre-service gathering upstairs at 9:30 a.m., and 10:30 a.m. funeral mass. There will be a graveside service to follow at Newton Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to The Edinburg Center which supported Scott for many years.

https://www.edinburgcenter.org/donate/ 

© 2018 by Andrew J. Magni & Son Funeral Home

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