CHRISTOPHER T. DEL SESTO

Christopher T. Del Sesto, retired senior vice president, treasurer, and university counsel of Johnson & Wales University, died suddenly on Tuesday, January 10.

Born in Providence on October 9, 1935, he is survived by his wife of 29 years, Donna Lee, 6 children, 2 stepsons and 13 grandchildren. He was the son of the late Lola and Governor Christopher Del Sesto (1959-1961). Survivors include brothers Ronald Del Sesto (wife Deborah) of Providence and Gregory Del Sesto (wife Janice) of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. His children include Geoffrey Del Sesto (wife Sherry; Tyler) of Natick, MA; Gabrielle Lesser (husband Richard; Robert, Jacob, Katherine) of Hastings-on-Hudson, NY; Eric Del Sesto (wife Sharneth; Alexander, Emily Isabelle) of Lafayette, CA; Christopher Mark Del Sesto (wife Jennifer; Christopher, Amelia, Benjamin) of Hudson, NH; Karen Del Sesto of Richmond, RI; and Amy Del Sesto of Grenoble, France. His stepsons are Tom Funk (wife Elizabeth; Hannah, Molly, Louisa) of Bristol, VT; and James Lee (wife YuQing) of Belmont, MA. He is also survived by former wives Carol Maccarone of Cranston and Marina Ewart of Westborough, MA. A graduate of Classical High School where he was the state fencing champion. He entered Harvard University at age 16, graduated in 1956 and earned his law degree from Harvard in 1959. He was an attorney in Rhode Island, first assistant city solicitor in Cranston in the 1960s, and Cranston councilman-at-large from 1965-1971. He served on the Cranston Zoning Board, board of directors of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, board of directors of Harvard Law School Assn. of RI, and RI Bar Assn. Legal Foundation. A member of the ACLU, he was a firm believer in individual rights. A convivial raconteur with a sharp intellect, he loved to gather people around him for a challenging debate. He loved opera and classical music, as well as contract bridge and Hi-Lo-Jack. An avid world traveler, he especially enjoyed Carnevale in Venice, Italy. Among his fondest memories was following a dixieland band through streets crowded with revelers. Above all Christopher loved to be surrounded by his family. They brought him his greatest joy. He joined Johnson & Wales in 1976 as general counsel, managed the endowment for many years, was on the JWU Board of Directors, and was responsible for helping establish campuses in South Carolina, Virginia, St. Maarten, Sweden, Denver and Charlotte. An early computer enthusiast, he was in the forefront of introducing computers to the university. He also spearheaded the move to have J&W College named Johnson & Wales University. JWU named their information technology building on Weybosset Street in his honor. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Saturday at 11:00am in St. Mary's Church, 1525 Cranston Street, Cranston. Burial will take place in St. Ann's Cemetery, Cranston. Visiting hours will be held on Friday 4-8 pm in the NARDOLILLO FUNERAL HOME & Crematory, 1278 Park Ave., Cranston. Contributions may be made to R.I. Community Food Bank, 200 Niantic Ave., Providence, RI 02907.

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