Eugene Christopher "Gene" Rissetto

Gene Rissetto passed in Peace Thursday May 29 2025 holding our hands. He was born in the Brooklyn Navy Yard to the Late Albert & Marie (Ford) Rissetto. He was the oldest (and he would say the wisest) of 3 boys, Michael and Bart. Seeing these three brothers together was such a beautiful thing. Their antics and pranks were second to none but no matter what, they always show up for each other.

Gene was survived by his beautiful wife and his daughter Kerry (Davis). He considered his son in law, Jeff, to be the son he never had.

Gene attended Holy Cross High School and was on the tennis team and played tuban both the school and state band. He attended the University of Notre Dame and then started his career at WT Grant. After working in different departments, he found his true calling in electronic and sound systems. He became a product developer and designed new and innovative technology with a focus on sound systems and smart clocks. He spent 45 years working hard to support his family and often traveling overseas to meet with buyers and manufacturers. He brought his family on many trips and sparked the love of travel and hard work in his daughter.

While his day job was product development, his passion was woodworking and he built most of the furniture and built-ins in our homes over the years. When he moved to Charleston, he continued the hobby and built many of the pantries and coffee tables for the neighbors of Carolina Park up until the last year of his life.

His other passion was animals, specifically dogs. While he adopted several dogs over the years, hundreds of other dogs benefited from his love and generosity. He visited and sent donations to every shelter in the tri state area and did the same when he moved to charleston. Cleaning out his desk, we have found hundreds of post cards and letters from various shelters thanking him for his donation. His pockets ALWAYS contained dog treats "just in case" he were to meet a dog on the street that needed one. He was a favorite of all the neighborhood pups and they would make their way to his porch to see him often.

Gene was a man of few words but each word he spoke was powerful, inspiring, and a little bit humorous. He had such a calming presence and was a problem solver to the core. He was deliberate and intentional and thought everything through with a calm that was contagious. "Measure twice, cut once" was his overriding catchphrase and it applied not only to his woodworking, but to every facet of ie. There was nothing he couldn't solve with a glass of wine, some good music, and crackling fire in the fireplace.

Gene loved his grandchildren with his whole heart and his legacy lives on in Moorea Ford and Hayes Eugene. This world will not be as bright without Gene Rissetto, but we hope that we can fulfill his legacy well. In true Gene Rissetto fashion, he didn't want a memorial or service, but I know he would smile proudly if you sent some money, food, or supplies to your local animal shelter in honor of him.

Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted online at mcalister-smith.com/.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Mount Pleasant, 1520 Rifle Range Rd, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464, 843-884-3833.