The employee who was killed last week when a car crashed into a Subway sandwich shop in Smithfield, R.I., had ties to the Attleboro area.
Charlotte “Charlie” Ann (Perry) Vacca, 47, of Woonsocket, R.I., grew up in Attleboro and had worked previously at the Papa Gino’s in Plainville.
Vacca died June 7 when a vehicle smashed at high speed into the Subway in the Apple Valley Mall in Smithfield. Several others were injured, and the accident received widespread media coverage in Rhode Island.
The driver of the vehicle, an elderly man, said he suffered a seizure and has no memory of the incident.
The daughter of Patricia Elaine Perry of Woonsocket and the late Kenneth Cavaliere, Vacca was a 1993 graduate of Attleboro High School, according to her obituary running in this weekend’s edition of The Sun Chronicle. She later attended Johnson & Wales University in Providence.
Vacca had worked at Subway for the past year after previous employment at Papa Gino’s in Plainville and the Subway in Dartmouth.
Besides her mother, Vacca leaves her life partner, John Howard McDuff Jr., five children, all of Woonsocket, and two stepchildren. A gofundme page has been set up on her children’s behalf.
There is a visitation from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday at Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, Attleboro Falls.
Vacca’s oldest daughter, Kaylei Perry-Vacca, set up the page, which has brought in $41,255.
“My mom was the most hard working and devoted person I’ve ever met in my entire life. She would give the shirt off her back to make sure our family was taken care of,” Perry-Vacca wrote, adding her four younger siblings are ages 9 to 18. “We’re asking for help to cover my mom’s last wishes and anything that’ll allow me to take care of my family while we navigate this crippling loss.”
In a followup, Perry-Vacca posted: “We’re completely blown away by everyone’s outpour of love and support over these past few days…What we’ve raised so far is giving us the opportunity to make sure my mom gets everything she could’ve wanted and more as a final goodbye.”
Part of what is being raised will go toward legal fees “so justice can be served for what happened to my mom,” she said. “The rest ensures my siblings/family and I have a roof over our heads and food on our table…we can’t thank everyone enough for what they’ve done for us. We’ll be forever grateful to the family, friends, and complete strangers who’ve helped us during this time.”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25538361/247196_Echo_Spot_Review_8A0A1511_CVirginia.jpg "Amazon’s Echo Spot alarm clock is on sale with a free color smart bulb")
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25724877/Super_Nintendo_World.png "The next Nintendo Direct is all about Super Nintendo World’s Donkey Kong Country")