Ed was born in Queens, New York, on January 6, 1943, in his parents’ home. The only child of Edward and Catherine DeCiutiis, “Little Eddie” grew up alongside many beloved cousins who acted as his brothers and sisters.
Ed graduated as salutatorian of Archbishop Molloy High School, and served his country as an MP in the United States Army Reserve for 8 years. As a young man, he began to spend summers working for IBM cleaning typewriters; he would go on to move up the company’s ranks and ultimately retire as a branch manager in Austin, Texas, 32 years later.
He met the love of his life, Patricia Dunne, at age 14 among neighborhood friends. They were engaged in 1963, and married on May 8, 1965 at Our Lady of the Cenacle Parish. They started their family in Queens as their daughter, Christine, was born in 1966, followed by son Paul in 1968. The family moved to Levittown, New York, and lived there for seven years before moving to Austin, Texas, in 1976.
In Austin, Ed spent many happy years raising his kids and becoming “Poppy Eddie” to numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Some of his favorite days were spent boating with family on Stillhouse Hollow Lake.
He loved cars — talking about them, fixing them, and driving them. He never stopped checking his family members’ tires, and was always ready to help if someone needed a battery swap or an oil change. Ever the handyman, he took great pride in caring for his home, and could always be found gardening, trimming trees, or working on projects in the garage.
Ed was notorious for his sweet tooth, and was spoiled by Pat’s excellent baking and cooking throughout his life. After dinner, he especially loved lingering around the table with family and friends over dessert and coffee.
Ed is survived by his wife of nearly 54 years, Pat; his daughter Christine and her husband Dan; his son Paul and his wife Kris; and grandchildren: Christopher and his wife Danielle; Vincent and his wife Hillary; Hannah Jane and her husband Will; Marissa, and Jack. He is also survived by great-grandchildren Jace and Stella.
Ed’s family would like to extend their deepest appreciation for the staff at the Silverado Cedar Park Memory Care Community, who went above and beyond to ensure that Ed lived out his last days with comfort and dignity.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in honor of Edward J. DeCiutiis to the Silverado Cedar Park Employee Holiday Fund/Bonus, 800 C-Bar Ranch Trail, Cedar Park, TX 78613, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, P.O. Box 5014 Hagerstown, MD 21741, or a charity of your choice.