GIUSTO "Tino" PIZZINI

Giusto and Family



Algerina Perna

Algerina Perna

Algerina Perna

Algerina Perna

Algerina Perna

Algerina Perna

Algerina Perna

Algerina Perna

Photos of our loved one...

Giusto ("Giustino") Pizzini




Algerina Perna

I met (encountered) Giusto-Tino) in the early 60s at GE. We were part of the Controls group: designing, building and testing spacecraft attitude control systems. That group is usually considered a quiet scholarly bunch of nerds NOT with Giusto Tino! and a few other kindred spirits. Never a quiet office! I still recall on one occasion He was walking through the office area singing. When asked what was he singing. His reply "Gregorian Chant!"

I have always seen Uncle Tino through the lens of my childhood.



When Uncle Tino was present, anything could happen! He would join my siblings, Sylvia, Michael and me in our baby pool, splashing about, and having as much fun as we did! I once saw him walk along the rows of our grandfather Perna's garden, pluck a tomato from the vine and devour it in a few large bites, right on the spot -not something this three-year-old had seen before! He was part of the excitement on our birthdays and holidays; Uncle Tino's arms were often filled with one of us. He celebrated our First Holy Communions and other occasions with us. He always had a ready smile and something funny on the tip of his tongue; I knew at any moment he would make me laugh.



There were summer vacations at the beach when Mom, Dad, Uncle Tino and our Aunt Wilma would play cards on the blanket as we kids played alongside them in the sand, or we would all wade in the ocean waves together. When I think of all the joyful times of my childhood, Uncle Tino is always a part of those indelible memories.



Frank, our youngest sibling, who was born eight years after me, would later share in all the happy times with Uncle Tino, too.



I learned at an early age from overhearing adult conversations, that Uncle Tino was super intelligent, designing planes and working on other engineering creations after college at Penn State. Our family attended his graduation ceremony, with Sylvia, Michael and I dutifully playing with his cap. No matter what mischief my siblings and I got into - kids being kids- I never saw him frown at us or heard him utter a harsh word. On the contrary, often there would be a twinkle in his eyes. We loved him and he loved us; we knew it instinctively. I was happy when I learned Uncle Tino was my Godfather.



With Mom and Uncle Tino being the only siblings living in America, the bond between them -and with the rest of the family in Italy- remained very strong.



These early memories and the warmth and love they evoke, have accompanied me throughout my entire life; they were a silent reel that played in my heart whenever I had spent time with Uncle Tino as an adult, or just thought about him.



Rest in peace, dear Uncle, with all our loved ones who have gone before, and know what joy and love you have brought to others. For those of us remaining, you will forever be in our hearts.

Uncle Tino was a wonderful great uncle with whom we shared many great memories over the years. His jokes and wit always made for fun and lively conversation and his love for his grandchildren (and grand nieces and nephews!) was always apparent. Uncle Tino will be missed!

A brilliant young man ventured-out to a new land seven decades ago with little money but great courageand made his mark.

While still a teenager, he left behind most of his family in Italy, and was lucky enough to be embraced by the only family he had in his new American world: his sister and my mother, Sylvia, my father Frank, and of course, their three children (Little Sylvia, Michael and Algerina Frank Jr. would come along years later), all of whom adored their uncle.

He would eventually make his mark as a father, son, husband, brother, uncle and friend. From my perspective as his nephew, he was cherished. He not only asked questions, but listened intently to the answers, and shared his insight which was sometimes funny, often profound, and always sincere. He valued family and respected excellence in all things, and was a living example of both.

Uncle Tino was worldly in the truest sense, not just well-traveled, but well-rounded and genuinely comfortable whether speaking with prince or pauper. He respected his fellow man, unless respect was forfeited. He extended the same courtesies to common folk as he did to high-ranking politicians and clergy, which is to say, he was a gentleman. Schooled in Latin and fluent in English and Italian, well-educated and accomplished professionally, he watched the world spin and was usually intrigued if not awed by what he saw. He was never loud or boisterous; he didn't have to be, because his intellect and sincerity commanded all the attention that was needed. If you shared your point of view with Uncle Tino, you had better have your facts straight and your logic untwisted.

Perhaps Uncle Tino's most lasting mark was as a generous man not in the pecuniary sense, although he was that too. His generosity was of the purest kind: he was generous with his time, his skills, and his love. I was fortunate to be the beneficiary of all three.

Michael R. Perna

Uncle Tino was a man who took pride in his family, his work and his religion. He was always present at our special events and in later years, my wife, his niece Sylvia, and I would visit and be entertained by his comments, jokes and stories. Our children saw him as another Grandfather, who was always happy to see them all. May he rest in peace and be with all those he loved in heaven or on earth.

Uncle Tino was always quick with a joke, an iconic expression, and engaging conversation. I have fond memories playing in Uncle Tino and Aunt Wilma's beautiful yard with Mark and Mina. Later in life, watching him enjoy his grandchildren and grandnieces enjoying those same backyard games, and his visits that never failed to enliven my mother- his sister Sylvia. He was a presence at every stage of my life and at many of the most memorable moments. We will all miss him and remember him always.

Uncle Tino was a part of so many of my childhood memories. He had such a big heart, and I will always remember how much he loved his family. It was especially poignant for those we lost before him including his wife, my Aunt Wilma, his sister, my grandmother Sylvia and his niece, my mother, "little" Sylvia. May they all rest in peace.

Giusto Pizzini, Tino for the family and friends, engineer, as he liked to remember with a right pride! He was blessed with a smart intelligence, which he cultivated during his life; a positive attitude to life and humans and a nice sense of humour. His politeness, his brilliant conversation, his curiosity, made the time spent together always pleasant and interesting. His moral inheritance is a most valuable capital for his sons, nephews and for all the persons who loved him.

Three brothers Pizzini, 1994: Tino, Sylvia, Patrizio

You will truly be missed