Theodore L. Giusti

Theodore L. "Ted" Giusti, 98, passed away on Wednesday, January 21, in Warwick. He was a longtime resident of North Providence, where he lived with his wife of 68 years, Rose Marie Giusti, née DeCesare, until her death in 2020.

Ted was predeceased by his brother Calvin Giusti and his sister Norma Collins. He is survived by a large extended family including many nieces and nephews.

Born in 1927, Ted was a member of the Greatest Generation; a man who served his country and lived the American Dream in the post-WWII decades, when anything seemed possible and America led the world in industry and innovation. After serving in Occupied Japan, Ted attended the Rhode Island School of Design where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering. He moved to Detroit, working for Chrysler where he hoped to pursue automotive design, for which he carried a lifelong passion.

As with many Rhode Islanders, the love of his family and New England brought him back home, where he achieved great success as upper management with the Corning Glass Works in Central Falls. He led the engineering department and held several United States patents for the manufacture and improvement of incandescent and fluorescent illumination devices among other inventions. He proudly displayed copies of those patents in his home for the rest of his life.

His love of automotive design manifested itself in his lifelong ownership of sports cars, mostly Porsches, as his everyday transportation. In anticipation of each new car, Ted would pore through industry magazines to understand the technical specifications of the new model. He designed improved carburetors as an intellectual exercise for his own amusement, with accompanying drawings and calculations.

At home, he and Rose embraced 1950's Modernism in all its forms, filling their house with furniture, lighting and objects designed by Eames, Breuer, Rams, and other notable industrial designers. They frequently took drives to Cambridge to visit Design Research after it opened in 1953 and were inspired by the forward-reaching design aesthetic and simple lines that characterized the Modernist movement. Another love they shared was the beach and, for decades, had a cabana at Narragansett Beach until joining Bonnet Shores in their later life. For many years they spent several weeks each winter in Naples, Florida. He loved sitting on the sand reading and sported an impressive tan for the majority of the year.

Always a passionate man, Ted enjoyed nothing more than spending a long evening with friends, and an impeccably dressed Rose, at Capriccio having animated conversations about politics, society, and culture while enjoying a Southern Comfort Manhattan, or two, or three. He lived for nearly a century and was at his prime during a period when American post-war culture set the standard for what it meant to be successful. A standard he achieved. Those who knew and loved him mourn not only his passing, but the sunset of that generation.

The family thanks the staff at the village at Waterman Lake, who he viewed as good friends.

Burial will be private. Funeral Arrangements have been entrusted to THE URQUHART-MURPHY FUNERAL HOME, 800 Greenwich Avenue, Warwick.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Eden Hospice LLC, 4040 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886