Obituary of Lucas Peter Vitarius

Lucas Peter Vitarius (Luke), 45, known affectionately by friends as ‘LV’ and ‘Wookiee’, passed away on November 3, 2021 at Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, NY. Born in Binghamton, NY, on September 6, 1976, Luke grew up in Sanford, NY, ran cross-country, played basketball, and graduated from Deposit Central School, in Deposit, NY. He graduated from Cornell University with a BS in Natural Resources. During college, Luke played bass guitar in the band, ‘Sweet William’. Subsequently, he played electric guitar in several bands (Hog Fat, Rust of Reason, 12 oz. Muzzle), performing around the region (Ithaca, Elmira, Binghamton), plus sites in Pennsylvania. He was considered a bit of a rock star among his followers! Since Luke loved music, he amassed quite a CD collection, He was also a LEGO master, X-Box gamer, Star Wars fan (and Wookiee impersonator!), and Buffalo Bills fan, besides being known for his sense of humor. After college, Luke worked in Ithaca’s Collegetown as owner of Then & Now Records. Later, he was employed as a bartender at The Chariot, The Nines, and Rulloff’s, all also located in Collegetown. Luke is survived by his parents, Doug and Nancy Vitarius; sister and brother-in-law, Emily and David Bednarski; nephew, Benjamin; niece, Anelia; aunts and uncles, Anita and David Schmitz, Wendy and Nick Caldiero; aunts, Sharon Dickinson and Millie DesBiens, and special family friend, ‘Aunt’ Joan. The family is especially grateful to A.J. Bouchie, Luke’s friend, who helped him at a critical time, and Mary (Berry) Edwards, another friend, who is helping us through this difficult time. An outdoor celebration of Luke’s life is being planned for next summer. Luke had a slew of friends and touched so many hearts! We will all miss him greatly!