Friends mourn slain former Oklahoma City dentist Philip Gattuso
Published: November 10, 2009
FARGO, N.D. — In the weeks leading up to his death, former Oklahoma City resident Philip Gattuso spoke of wanting to reunite with his late wife, his pastor said Saturday.
Colleagues, friends and neighbors of the slain Fargo dentist said they took comfort knowing Gattuso is with her in heaven. About 200 gathered for a memorial service at Bethel Evangelical Free Church, where Gattuso was a member and often arrived early on Sunday mornings to listen to the musicians warm up. The 49-year-old Fargo periodontist was found Oct. 26 in his Fargo condominium, beaten to death with a hammer. The Rev. Paul Bond said he had lunch with Gattuso on Oct. 1, and Gattuso shared with him the pain of losing his wife, Valerie, who died in March after living on an artificial heart for 18 months. "He said, ‘I want to see Valerie really, really, really bad,’” Bond said at the service. "Little did we know that three weeks later, that would be fulfilled,” he said. Colleagues and friends spoke of Gattuso’s devotion to his 3-year-old daughter, Kennedy, his Southern drawl and his upbeat nature, even as he grieved for Valerie. Photos of a smiling Gattuso were displayed. "I’m certainly better having known him,” said Gattuso’s friend and colleague Steven George. "I think everyone he touched is better having known him — his patients, his staff, his neighbors, his colleagues.” Gattuso’s family was unable to attend the service. A funeral was held Wednesday in his home state of Louisiana. The circumstances that brought people to Saturday’s memorial service are painful, the Rev. Matthew St. John said. "We cannot get our brains around the brutality and the motive,” St. John said.
Related Topics:
Murder and Homicide, Crime
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