Jerome Carmel Chetcuti

Jerome Carmel Chetcuti, 72, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on November 16, 2017. He was born on the island of Malta on October 15, 1945. Jerome met Rena the love of his life during their early teenage years. At the age 18 he decided to go to work in Australia to cut sugarcane by hand with a machete. He told her he would work and save money for their future together and asked her to wait for him and he would come back for her in two years. She waited for him and they courted through weekly love letters and photos, along with song dedications on the radio. He returned to Malta and they were married eight months later. They lived in Malta for a year and a half and had their first child Anna. In December of 1968 they had the opportunity to immigrate to the U.S. They first lived in New York and shortly thereafter moved to Sacramento, California where they continued to build their life and family together. Jerome started working as a gardener and in time with the help of his wife later started a landscape maintenance business of his own. Several years later after a lot of hard work they decided to expand their business by selling moss rock boulders and landscape materials the business known as Roundtree Rock and Gardening. He was an extremely talented man of traits. As a gardener he learned about plants, trees, lawn care, pruning, sprinklers and design. He had such an artistic mind and truly loved creating beautiful landscapes and waterfalls with his crane placing rocks. He loved to make people happy and worked from his heart. His crane was his paintbrush and the earth was his canvas. His father, Salvador and mother Anna preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife of 51 years Rena and daughters, Anna, Isabel, (Jay), and Pauline, (Jose), four grandchildren, Jared, Julia, Floriana and Sebastiano; three sisters Carmen, Grace and Josephine and a large extended family in Malta and Australia. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him and worked with him. Visitation will be held on Friday, November 24 from 4 7 pm. The Rosary will held at 7 pm both at Nicoletti, Culjis and Herberger Funeral Home. 5401 Folsom Blvd, Sacramento CA 95819. Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday November 25 at 9am at Saint Mary's Parish, 1333 58th Street, Sacramento CA 95819. A celebration of his life reception will follow immediately after Mass in the church hall. Graveside Service at Camellia Memorial Lawn, 10221 Jackson Road, Sacramento, CA 95827 at 1:45 pm. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to St. Mary's Building Fund.

Arrangements under the direction of Nicoletti, Culjis & Herberger Funeral Home, Sacramento, CA.