Raymond Antonio Giornelli

Raymond Antonio Giornelli, husband of 67 years to the late Jillian Laning, father of five, grandfather of six, and great-grandfather to three, died on December 29, 2025 at the age of 96. Poignantly, he passed away on the morning of what would have been the 69th wedding anniversary with his beloved wife, Jill. He was the loving and devoted patriarch of a family who will forever remember him as a wonderful father and grandfather: kind, charming, generous, positive, full of energy and laughter, loyal, savvy, and a leader by example. He had a thousand-watt smile and an endearing combination of good humor and benign gruffness. (He also had a fabulous head of hair until the day he died.) Ray was a devout Catholic, and his faith guided his relationships, community involvement, and moral compass throughout life.

Born on December 21, 1929 in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, Ray was a first-generation American. His parents, Giovanni Giornelli (later John) and Assunta "Susie" Perretta moved to America (separately) in the early 1910's from Paoli di Sessa Aurunca, a small hill town and farming community in southern Italy. Giovanni and Assunta reconnected in East Greenwich, were married in 1923, and Ray was born six years later in the house of his maternal grandparents. Ray lived the first few years of his life in this muti-generational home, which still stands today.

In 1935, John and Susie moved with their children to Marlboro Street, which is home to Ray's most fond childhood memories. They had a wonderful yard with a vineyard for jams, a large vegetable garden, a chicken coop, and a rhubarb patch. Rhubarb pie would remain a sentimental favorite for Ray's whole life. Growing up on a farm, his father had a green thumb, and their yard was always filled with beautiful flowers and rose bushes.

Ray remembered an idyllic childhood in this quaint town on the waterfront of East Greenwich Cove. There were the escapades of neighborhood friend gangs, school years filled with caring teachers, organized sports, and church activities that included many years of Ray serving as an altar boy. He was always surrounded by his large extended family, including his siblings and many cousins who would remain close through life. Ray attended Eldredge Elementary School, which his father had helped to build years earlier as a bricklayer. For entertainment, families would drive onto the Eldredge school's field to watch Sam Baldino's Marching Band, with all the cars blowing their horns in appreciation after every piece, the racket vibrating all over town. He remembers warming-up on the baseball field with Wilma Briggs, who would later become a star hitter for the "A League of Their Own" All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Wandering around town, Ray loved to watch through the open doors of the blacksmith at work and the East Greenwich Dairy plant where he would drool over the ice cream being made. On the weekends, Ray's father would remove the rear seat of his Model-T car and take him up to Federal Hill in Providence. The Hill would be alive with push carts of vendors selling everything imaginable. But his father came for the grapes: after tasting and negotiating the prices, they'd pack up the back of the car with their haul, and later, with the help of friends and relatives, press the grapes to make wine.

Growing up during the Depression made Ray anxious to make a buck. Starting at the age of five, he sold newspapers on street corners and door-to-door, eventually securing his own route. He walked miles around town searching for discarded metal and sold it at the local junk yard. The icehouse on Bleachery Pond provided a job making local ice deliveries. During the WWII years, Ray worked alongside his father as a part-time custodian at the USO recreation building, setting up for the Saturday night dances and doing the cleanup afterwards.

One of his busiest jobs during the war was working as a maintenance assistant (despite his young age) on Quonset Naval Air Station. Ray especially remembered the time he was sent to replace the light bulbs in the WAVES barracks. The female guard on duty called out "Man on board - Man on board!", but even with the warning, he was casually ushered in before the WAVES had time to get properly covered up.

Ray was a Boy Scout for most of his youth, although a weakness in swimming kept him from attaining Eagle Scout - a lifelong regret. Later he would become a member of the East Greenwich Volunteer Fire Department, travelling all over the state for hose and coupling competitions. The East Greenwich volunteers were also active at firemen musters, parades, scallop cookouts and lobster bakes. While waiting around for emergencies at the fire house, he learned pinochle and cribbage (which he would later play with his children and grandchildren). Since most homes in East Greenwich at that time did not have showers, Ray enjoyed the luxury of using the showers at the fire station. VJ Day was especially memorable, as the fire department was given the honor of ringing the fire alarm to let everyone know that the war was finally over. It rang for hours with much parading, drinking, and celebrating into the night.

Ray attended high school at La Salle Academy, a Catholic college prep school in Providence, where he excelled in academics, football, and track and field. Dance and etiquette classes stayed with him throughout life; he was always known as a gentleman and a good dancer.

After high school, Ray enlisted in the Air Force, where he served for four years. He was trained in Radar and Communications and, during the Korean War, was eventually stationed in D.C. at Washington National Airport where President Truman's airplane was based. He often recounted the excitement of being steps away from the President and Princess Elizabeth upon the arrival of the future Queen of England for her 1951 American tour. (Years later, after college, Ray also served as an officer in the Naval Reserve, making him one of the rare people who have served in two branches of the military.)

After the Air Force, and one year attending the College of the Holy Cross, Ray enrolled at the University of Rhode Island, graduating in 1956 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. In addition to earning his degree, his college years were marked by two important events. First, to put himself through school, Ray built a boat by hand and started his own business as a quahogger, selling clams to the local shops. His business grew, and he eventually employed several others. Ray would say this was the most enjoyable job he ever had. Years later, in gratitude for this opportunity and the impact it had on his life, Ray created a scholarship program at URI for the descendants of shell fishermen.

Most importantly, though, in 1955 Ray met the love of his life, Jill Laning, at a fraternity mixer. Over the decades, when asked what first attracted him to Jill, he always responded quickly with "the way she looked in her sweater!" It was understood by all that he really meant her "tight sweater" and that she cut quite a beautiful figure. Jill was mutually enamored with Ray's good looks and his ability to "cut a rug." They were clearly meant to be: a year earlier, while still in high school, Jill had noticed Ray's picture in her older sister's URI yearbook and was smitten before even meeting him. Over sixty years later, on an evening celebrating Ray's 90th birthday, Jill recounted the story of gazing at that picture as an inexperienced 17-year-old and thinking to herself, "I have discovered men!"

Ray took Jill on dates at Narraganset Pier and courted her daily with yellow roses that he "collected" from the campus greenhouse. The yellow rose became a symbol of their love, and every meaningful milestone in their life together was celebrated with yellow rose bouquets. They married in 1956, and within nine years their family grew to include five children.

In the same year, Ray began a 35 year career with Shell Chemical Company. Ray's work ethic resulted in numerous promotions, and the family made multiple moves throughout the northeast for Ray's sales job. In 1970 Ray took on the role of National Sales Manager for the chemical division of Shell, and the family moved (for the last time) to Atlanta.

Despite his career success, Ray always prioritized his family. He turned down multiple promotions so the family could remain in Atlanta. More importantly, when in 1972 Jill made the decision to go back to school to earn a teaching degree, Ray stepped up to support his wife's ambitions in a way few men did in that era. He took on many non-traditional gender roles, taking responsibility for the laundry, grocery shopping, packing school lunches, driving carpools, and cooking family meals. As a result, his children grew up seeing marriage as a true partnership. And everyone's favorite day was Sunday, as the house always smelled of Ray's homemade marinara sauce and meatballs, simmering on the stove all day.

Ray was an avid golfer and a member of the Atlanta Country Club for more than 50 years. He was a faithful and active 55 year member of St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church in Sandy Springs. Ray and Jill also traveled the world together, visiting almost 40 countries over the course of 40 years. Their most cherished place to visit was Italy, where they would stay weeks at a time exploring Ray's Italian roots and reminiscing about Jill's years living in Italy as a teen. They eventually traveled there with each of their children and many of their grandchildren, fostering a love of Italy for new generations. Among many family treasures is a 30 page handwritten itinerary of their first trip to Italy together, detailing every day of six weeks spent there in the 1980's.

Ray's work ethic and Depression Era roots cultivated a legendary frugality. He compulsively clipped coupons, compared prices at multiple grocery stores, insisted that Costco wine was fine for every occasion, saved tin foil and baggies for multiple uses, and used newspaper to wrap his children's school lunches (resulting in ink-stained Wonder Bread sandwiches). Food was never wasted, and expiration dates on food had no meaning in the Giornelli household. Most mortifying for their children, the several times their house was "rolled" with toilet paper while the kids were in high school, Ray would painstakingly collect and re-roll the toilet paper for future use.

Even when Ray and Jill were financially comfortable enough to purchase a vacation home in the North Georgia mountains, Ray attended the 1990 Eastern Airlines bankruptcy auction to supply their new kitchen. The mountain house drawers and cupboards were filled with the defunct company's logo-ed plates, glasses, knives and forks, napkins - even salt and pepper shakers. All of it is still in use to this day.

At the same time, Ray was extraordinarily generous. For decades he quietly and without fanfare supported dozens of local and national charitable organizations.

In his retirement, Ray ("Pop Pop") took tremendous joy in his 6 grandchildren, babysitting at the drop of a hat, never missing a school or sporting event, taking them on vacations and college tours. He was the center of attention at every family gathering.

On Ray's birthdays over the last decade, he would customarily raise a glass of red wine with the phrase "Cent' Anni!" - a traditional Italian toast meaning "May you live to 100 years!" While he didn't quite make that 100 year mark, we know living long enough to hold three great-grandchildren was his goal met. Spending time with those next generation babies gave him such joy and pride in his last years.

Ray's children and grandchildren look back on his long life with an immense amount of pride, respect, and gratitude. Above all else, he was a loving and loyal family man. He will be sorely missed but his life will impact generations to come.

Ray is survived by his five children and their spouses, Leslie Giornelli (Jim Clemmer), Trace Giornelli (Joe Durando), Greg Giornelli (Lillian), Barry Giornelli (Cindy) and Jillian Giornelli (Andrew Wiseman); his six grandchildren, Adelaide Giornelli, Ann Woodward (Noah), Jill Giornelli (Nick Evert), Thomas Giornelli, Elisabeth Wilkerson and Raymond Wilkerson; and his great-grandchildren, Ruthie, James and Caddie. He is also survived by his loving nieces and nephews. Ray was predeceased by his wife, Jillian Laning Giornelli, and his adored siblings, Olga Toppi, Elena Bernstrom, and John Giornelli.

A funeral mass will be held for Raymond on Friday, January 9 at 10 a.m. at St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church in Sandy Springs. All are welcome to attend. (You may view the livestream at
https://youtube.com/live/wtETJRv8KRU). A private family celebration of life will follow at a later time. Ray and his wife, Jill, will be laid to rest at St. Patrick Cemetery in East Greenwich, Rhode Island in the spring of 2026.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the East Lake Foundation (https://www.eastlakefoundation.org) one of Ray's favorite charities. Ray was a long-time supporter and was particularly proud of the family connection to the Foundation.