DONATO GIOVANETTI
Of Waltham, passed away peacefully on Sunday evening, June 26th, 2022 in the comfort of his home surrounded by his loving family. He was 83.
Born on April 20, 1939 in Loreto Aprutino, Italy; son of the late Luigi Giovanetti and Maria Anina (Ferri) Giovanetti. Donato immigrated to the United States in 1965 and raised his family in Waltham.
Shortly after moving to Waltham, he began working as a brick and stone mason, a profession he retained with pride until his retirement. The majority of his work was done for families in the Waltham area and he took great pride in doing drive-bys of a particularly challenging chimney or stone wall. His motto was that he warrantied his work for as long as he was alive. In his "retirement," he continued to work tirelessly on many, many projects at the homes of his three children. He often remarked that he was busier in his retirement than when he was actually working.
When Donato was not working on a project at the houses of his children, he could be found tending to one of his many gardens, often starting his seedlings in the basement window in the winter. Those gardens bore much fruit, often shared with family and friends. When he was not tending to the garden, he could be found making wine, arrosticini, sausages or canning tomatoes for the winter. He also managed to find time to tend to his chickens, always sharing eggs with family and friends.
Donato was a hardworking, honorable man who valued his family above all else. He taught his children and grandchildren the importance of hard work and doing for others. He loved spending time with his children and especially his grandchildren. Sundays often started early with a delivery of donuts to all of his grandchildren.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years Anna Maria (Costantini) Giovanetti; his devoted & loving children Luigi Giovanetti and his wife Melissa of Waltham; Lorena Moynihan and her husband John of Watertown; and Lisa Giovanetti and her husband Jeff Held of Belmont; his cherished grandchildren Eleanor and Donato; Julia, John and Domenic; Lucas, Cecilia and Nina; his adoring great grandson Zayden; his dear brother Mauro Giovanetti of Italy; his local brother-in-laws and sister-in-laws with whom he shared many a cup of espresso; and his many nieces and nephews in Italy and the Boston area. Despite living the majority of his life in the United States, his family in Italy held a special place in his heart. He and Anna treasured their annual summer trips "home." He loved spending time with his family in Italy, whether it was relaxing under the beach umbrella in Montesilvano with his nephews, or enjoying a plate of fresh figs from the family farm.
Dear brother of the late Giulio, Gabriella and Teresa, all of Italy.
Family and friends are welcome to gather and celebrate Donato's life and remember the love and friendship he shared with others at a Funeral Service in the Mary Catherine Chapel of Brasco & Sons Memorial, 773 Moody Street, WALTHAM on Thursday June 30th at 12:00 pm. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery in Waltham. All are welcome to join the family for a collation lunch at Woodland Golf Club, 1897 Washington St., NEWTON, MA from 2pm until 4pm.
Those who wish to pay their respects to Donato and his family can do so in the Mary Catherine Chapel of Brasco & Sons Memorial, 773 Moody Street, WALTHAM on Thursday morning prior to the service from 10am until 12pm. For those who wish to pay their final respects, but are unable to attend, please be sure to sign the guestbook at www.BrascoFuneralhome.com. Parking attendants will be on duty.
Expressions of sympathy can be made in Donato’s memory to Mass Audubon, www.MassAudubon.org