Obituary for Ronald Winston Del Sesto
Del Sesto, Ronald Winston, 75 of Providence, an attorney in the city for more than 50 years with specialization in estate law, died on December 30Â in Providence, Rhode Island.
 The middle son of Rhode Island Gov. Christopher Del Sesto and Lola (Faraone) Del Sesto, Mr. Del Sesto served as general counsel to Rhode Island’s first woman Secretary of State, Susan L. Farmer (1982-1986), and for more than 25 years as a member of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Uniform State Laws. He was president of the Justinian Law Society and a board member of the National Italian American Foundation. Until 2011 he served as Honorary Vice Consul for Italy.Â
Mr. Del Sesto was a graduate of Classical High School and Georgetown University (1962). After graduation from Boston College Law School (1965), he joined his older brother, Christopher T. Del Sesto, in private practice for several years, then partnered with former Rhode Island Attorney General Herbert DeSimone for nearly ten years. Their offices were in the Hall’s Building (circa 1876) on Weybosset Street which Mr. Del Sesto owned until his law office was officially closed in December and the practice merged with Del Sesto and Read.
Mr. Del Sesto spearheaded national adoption of several uniform state laws including the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act of 1987.Â
 In addition to the law, Mr. Del Sesto was a man of many interests. He was an avid and consummate traveler from Buenos Aires to Venice and music lover of everything from Opera to bossa nova. He co-founded the Umbrian Earthquake Relief Fund in 1997 and was a sponsor of the International Italian Film Festival. He was an avid reader of spy novels and the magic realism works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He was also a connoisseur of good food and forever in search of the freshest produce and the perfect loaf of Italian bread. He claimed to have found the latter most often in the bakeries of Silver Lake. He was a dual citizen of the United States and Italy.
Mr. Del Sesto is survived by his wife of twenty-one years, Deborah (Elsbree) Del Sesto. Also surviving are three children from his first marriage to Bettina (Buonanno) Del Sesto: Cristina Del Sesto and Ronald Del Sesto Jr., both of Washington D.C., and Justin Del Sesto of Fort Lauderdale, Fl.  as well as a step-daughter Kristen Coleman Dubois of Saunderstown, RI and five grandchildren, Oliver, Riley, Ian, Augustine and Oceane, and his brother, Gregory Del Sesto of Ft. Lauderdale, FL.Â
He encouraged his children and grandchildren how to think, not what to think. In this regard he respected education and scholasticism, and lived by the philosophies of St. Ignatius Loyola and St. Thomas Aquinas—self-judgment through the continual examination of conscience.Â
 A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, January 5 at 10 am in Saint Sebastian Catholic Church, 67 Cole Ave, Providence followed by a burial at St. Ann Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Sebastian’s Church
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, January 5 at 10 am in Saint Sebastian Catholic Church, 67 Cole Ave, Providence followed by a burial at St. Ann Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Sebastian’s Church
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 The middle son of Rhode Island Gov. Christopher Del Sesto and Lola (Faraone) Del Sesto, Mr. Del Sesto served as general counsel to Rhode Island’s first woman Secretary of State, Susan L. Farmer (1982-1986), and for more than 25 years as a member of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Uniform State Laws. He was president of the Justinian Law Society and a board member of the National Italian American Foundation. Until 2011 he served as Honorary Vice Consul for Italy.Â
Mr. Del Sesto was a graduate of Classical High School and Georgetown University (1962). After graduation from Boston College Law School (1965), he joined his older brother, Christopher T. Del Sesto, in private practice for several years, then partnered with former Rhode Island Attorney General Herbert DeSimone for nearly ten years. Their offices were in the Hall’s Building (circa 1876) on Weybosset Street which Mr. Del Sesto owned until his law office was officially closed in December and the practice merged with Del Sesto and Read.
Mr. Del Sesto spearheaded national adoption of several uniform state laws including the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act of 1987.Â
 In addition to the law, Mr. Del Sesto was a man of many interests. He was an avid and consummate traveler from Buenos Aires to Venice and music lover of everything from Opera to bossa nova. He co-founded the Umbrian Earthquake Relief Fund in 1997 and was a sponsor of the International Italian Film Festival. He was an avid reader of spy novels and the magic realism works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He was also a connoisseur of good food and forever in search of the freshest produce and the perfect loaf of Italian bread. He claimed to have found the latter most often in the bakeries of Silver Lake. He was a dual citizen of the United States and Italy.
Mr. Del Sesto is survived by his wife of twenty-one years, Deborah (Elsbree) Del Sesto. Also surviving are three children from his first marriage to Bettina (Buonanno) Del Sesto: Cristina Del Sesto and Ronald Del Sesto Jr., both of Washington D.C., and Justin Del Sesto of Fort Lauderdale, Fl.  as well as a step-daughter Kristen Coleman Dubois of Saunderstown, RI and five grandchildren, Oliver, Riley, Ian, Augustine and Oceane, and his brother, Gregory Del Sesto of Ft. Lauderdale, FL.Â
He encouraged his children and grandchildren how to think, not what to think. In this regard he respected education and scholasticism, and lived by the philosophies of St. Ignatius Loyola and St. Thomas Aquinas—self-judgment through the continual examination of conscience.Â
 A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, January 5 at 10 am in Saint Sebastian Catholic Church, 67 Cole Ave, Providence followed by a burial at St. Ann Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Sebastian’s Church
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, January 5 at 10 am in Saint Sebastian Catholic Church, 67 Cole Ave, Providence followed by a burial at St. Ann Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Sebastian’s Church
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