Christopher A. Civitillo Sr.

Christopher A. Civitillo Sr., 73, of Berlin, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Monday, October 28, 2019 after a brief illness. Chris was born on January 17, 1946, in Sepino, province of Campobasso, Italy, he was the son of the late Amante and Cristina Civitillo. At the age of 17, Chris moved to Florence to live with his beloved uncle and aunt, Adelmo and Carmela Civitillo, to study engineering. In 1966, at the age of 20, sponsored by his Uncle John Civitillo, he emigrated to Hartford, CT, with his mother and father, and joined his uncle’s company as a mason’s apprentice. After years of schooling and preparation in 1975, he proudly became American citizen. During his time in Hartford, he moved into a three story house on White Street where he fell in love with the girl downstairs, his wife and love of his life, Eugenia Russo, whom he was happily married to for over 48 years. Chris built a “castle” for Gina and his family on the beloved Nicholson street in Newington, CT. Together with their two children, Chris and Gina enjoyed their time together with many Italian dinners, family celebrations, and social events at the St. Lucy and Santa Cristina Societies. Their life was filled with four-wheelers, summers in the pool, hunting dogs, family vacations to anyplace there was an arcade, and their annual trip to visit family in Montreal, Canada. Coming into his home meant you had to eat, laugh, listen to his stories, take a tour of his yard, and his reloading area in the basement. Together with his cousin, Aldo, they built a successful masonry business, Cristaldo Masonry, where he and Aldo built several familiar buildings such as Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk, Stop and Shop in Newington, CT, and the Avon Public Library. Chris’s life was filled with many hobbies- skeet shooting at the Hartford Gun Club, tending his gardens, deer and pheasant hunting, attending game dinners, playing cards on Wednesday nights at the Pratolana Society, along with countless weekends grilling with his hunting buddies. After closing his company and working for Civitillo Masonry, Chris settled into retirement and enjoyed time with his four grandchildren. Nonno was always the teacher, he loved sharing his stories of his childhood and taught his grandchildren, as he did his children, to “work smarter, not harder”. Chris will be missed by his family and countless friends. especially his “partner in crime” Joe Tamburo. To know Chris was to love him. Chris led a full life, he was a generous and caring, father, uncle, Nonno, brother and cousin. He will forever be missed by wife, Gina, his son, Chris Jr. and his wife, Jennifer, and their children Jackson and Lilah, of Newington, CT, his daughter, Sarah Meyerhans, and her husband, Noah, and their children Logan and Henry of Seattle, WA ,his sister and brother-in-law, Albertina and Dominico Valente of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, his sister-in-law Elisa Civitillo, of Sepino, Italy, and several nephews, nieces, and many cousins. A special thanks go out to the amazing nursing staff in the Yale ICU, especially Katy S., and to the incredible Dr. Tickoo who took care of Chris like a member of her family. He was predeceased by his parents, his brother, Nicola Maria Civitillo of Sepino, Italy, and his beloved aunt and uncle, Adelmo and Carmela Civitillo. The Civitillo family will be forever grateful for the many kindnesses shown by friends too many to mention. Riposa in pace, Nonno. Ti amiamo e ci mancherai.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, November 2nd at 10:00 a.m. at the Church of the Holy Spirit, 183 Church Street, Newington, everyone is asked to meet directly at church. Entombment will immediately follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford. The family will receive relatives and friends on Friday, November 1st from 4-7 p.m. at the D'Esopo Funeral Chapel, 277 Folly Brook Boulevard, Wethersfield. In lieu of flowers, donations in Christopher’s name may be made to the Yale Interstitial Lung Disease Program, c/o Dr Antin-Ozerkis Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, PO Box 208057, New Haven, CT 06520-8057. For online expressions of sympathy to the family, please visit www.desopofuneralchapel.com.