Jeanette Restivo

Jeanette “Jean” (Lamantia) Restivo, 87, of North Providence, Rhode Island peacefully passed in the early morning hours of February 28, 2025, after spending a week surrounded by the large family she built alongside her late, beloved husband, Edmund (“Eddie”) Restivo.

Jean was born to the late Cosmo and Felicia (Giorgi) Lamantia, both Italian emigrates from Italy in the early 1920s. She first met her husband and life partner Eddie in 1955. After a brief courtship, they wed. Through years of love, they would build a strong and lasting legacy that will endure in death as it did in life. 

Jean was defined by her dedication to friends, her passion for food, and – most of all – by her love of family. Through her involvement in the vibrant Italian-American communities of North Providence and Providence and in the lives of her six children, Jean would cultivate innumerable friendships, all drawn to her magnetic personality. It was through those friendships that Jean would come to express her appreciation for hearty, soul-warming food. 

For years, to enter Jean’s home was to be greeted by the enticing aromas of homemade pasta, fresh pizza, and biscotti – her personal favorite. For Jean, food meant more than mere sustenance. It was a way to bring people together; to show affection at family gatherings or comfort in times of hardship. That much is evident in her first cookbook – a self-proclaimed “all good Italian cookbook” called Cucina di Nonna (“My Grandmother’s Kitchen”). The first of what was to be five cookbooks printed and distributed for publication, Cucina di Nonna is an enduring testament to all that was Jean Restivo. Its pages are filled with a collection of recipes from herself, her mother, her sons and daughters, and her friends. Between recipes, she takes time to share stories that encourage readers to forget the mess and remember the memories made along the way. 

The matriarch of a large family, Jean shaped the lives of so many. She leaves behind two sisters – Mary Piccirillo and Doreen Pelagio – and five children – two sons, Edmund A Restivo, Jr. and his wife Susan, Thomas M. Restivo and his wife Claire; and three daughters, Teresa P. Eagan and her husband Thomas, Jean F. Monti and her husband Steven, and Susan M. Craven and her husband Bob. Through them, she also leaves behind thirteen grandchildren – Alaina, Michael, Christopher, Jon, Nicholas, Daniel, Amanda, Alexander, Matthew, Laura, Robert, David, and Joseph – and seventeen great-grandchildren. She was pre-deceased by her brother, John Lamantia, and her son, John M. Restivo. 

As she left this world, she would find comfort in the company and love of every one of those family members. In her final days, family from across the country traveled home to Rhode Island to reunite, to reminisce, and to laugh by her side. It is through them that her life, legacy, and memory will forever endure. 

Visiting hours will be held on Monday, March 3, 2025, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Maceroni Funeral Home, 1381 Smith Street, North Providence. A funeral mass will be heard the following morning, Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Augustine Church, 639 Mount Pleasant Avenue, Providence,and will be immediately followed by her burial at St. Ann Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jean’s memory may be made to HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center, 1085 North Main Street, Providence, RI  02904.