Funeral services Saturday for Harwood student Vinny Viola
September 25, 2026 | By Lisa Scagliotti
A funeral service for Vinny Viola will be held at Our Lady of the Snows Church, 6305 Main St., in Waitsfield, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Courtesy photo
A week after a single-car crash on Vermont Route 100 in Warren, family and friends of 16-year-old Vinny Viola are preparing to pay their respects and say their goodbyes at funeral services on Saturday.
The Harwood Union High School junior, who also attended Central Vermont Career Center, died on Wednesday at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. He suffered serious injuries when his car went off the road last Saturday afternoon in Warren. Vermont State Police are still investigating the crash.
On Thursday, school officials shared details for services, extending an invitation to the entire school community to attend.
The funeral service will be held at Our Lady of the Snows Church, 6305 Main St., in Waitsfield, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. A reception will follow immediately afterward at Warren Elementary School and skatepark, 293 School Road, in Warren.
Parking at the church will be reserved for family and close friends.
To assist with transportation and ease congestion at the church, First Student school buses will be running as shuttles. Attendees are asked to park at Warren Elementary School where buses will shuttle people to and from the church service. Attendees are asked to arrive at Warren Elementary School between 9:30 and 10 a.m. to allow sufficient time to park and take the shuttle to the church.
The shuttles are free to ride and are being provided by the bus company at no cost to the school district, according to Superintendent Mike Leichliter.
Vinny’s family shared an obituary on Thursday, remembering the teenager as “free spirit, unique to his core.” Small in stature, he often wore a beanie hat with “a style that was unmistakably his own.”
They highlighted his tight connection with his friends and his love for skateboarding and snowboarding, camping, disc golf and long bike rides.
They also offered glimpses of Vinny’s conscientious nature, writing: “He was also unfailingly polite in a way that people noticed. Whenever Vinny was leaving a friend's house, he would make sure to say goodbye to the parents and thank them for having him over. It was a small thing, but one that said something much larger about him.”
In their Thursday message to Harwood students, staff and families, Leichliter and Principal Meg McDonough said that there has been an extraordinary outpouring of care for Vinny and his family this week.
“During these difficult days, we have seen incredible compassion, kindness, and concern shown to Vinny’s family, his friends, and one another. As we gather to remember Vinny, may we continue to surround those who loved him with that same sense of community and support,” they wrote.
The full obituary for Vinny Viola is posted on the Roundabout here.