Giuseppe Auteri, 63 of Ringwood, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, May 11, 2017. He had lived in Hawthorne before moving to Ringwood in 1995.

Giuseppe was raised in Solarino, Sicily. His father was a shepherd with hundreds of sheep, and Giuseppe learned to work with animals from his earliest years. He also learned many traditional Italian crafts, such as cheese making and, of course, wine making which would become one of the family’s most beloved pastimes. He came to America at the age of 20 and started working in construction. He loved to dance and Saturday nights you could find him at the “Casa Italiana.” It was there, on one spring night in 1979 that he met Liliana Ceraulo. It was Liliana’s first time ever at the dance hall and ultimately her last as Giuseppe was smitten at first sight. One dance led to another and Giuseppe did the honorable thing very soon thereafter and came to her house to introduce himself to her parents. This gesture told Lillian everything she needed to know about Giuseppe and within a year of meeting they were engaged and then married on September 13, 1980.

Lillian and Giuseppe’s marriage was a special one to say the least, they were truly soulmates and their life together was full of beautiful adventures. It was never a dull moment with Giuseppe. There was always an adventure at the Auteri house. Lillian and Giuseppe worked as a team from day one, making decisions at every stage of their lives together. They built their dream home in Ringwood where Lillian raised their three children while Giuseppe worked tirelessly to support his family. He recreated a little slice of Sicily at his home in Ringwood, keeping a few goats, chickens, rabbits and horses. He loved and cared for his animals with great passion, and enjoyed spending time with them at the beginning and end of each day. He was truly proud of his roots and expressed and lived them daily. Another one of his passions was making homemade Ricotta cheese from the fresh goat milk he collected-just the way he had learned to as a young boy in Sicily. He especially enjoyed sharing his cheese with friends and family. Sunday dinners are a weekly tradition at the Auteri household, and as the years passed, the family grew. Spring was his favorite time of year, and Pasquetta was one of the most important days of the year for Giuseppe. The annual Pasquetta tradition was very special to Giuseppe and his family. A gathering of up to 400 people to eat, drink, and be merry, all for a good cause. Giuseppe was happiest when all of his family was gathered around, and “family” to him included all of his dear friends. While sitting together at this past Sunday dinner with his family, he turned and said to his wife, “what could be more beautiful than this?” How true, and how poignant.

Some twelve years ago, Giuseppe fell forty feet off a roof, an accident he was not expected to survive. During his recovery, his greatest concerns were for his family, and how he would continue to provide for them. The severe pain of his injuries was easier for him to handle than the pain of seeing his family’s anguish. The thousands of prayer chains from around the world and Giuseppe’s faith in God carried him through, and every day after that, for the next 12 years of his life. He was grateful for all that God had blessed him with, especially his family. Material things were of little importance, and even his own well-being was secondary to the needs of those around him. He was selfless, generous, and kind-hearted. Some would describe him as saintly, but he wouldn’t want to be acknowledged that way. He was a very humble and simple man who found happiness in every moment regardless of his pain and suffering. He simply trusted in God’s plan and believed that all things happened for a reason. In the end, God took him home peacefully while laying asleep in his own warm bed next to the love of his life.

Giuseppe is survived by his loving wife, Liliana, of nearly thirty seven years, three children; Frank Auteri, Angelo Auteri and his wife Alison, and Paula Greggo and her husband Vincent, four grandchildren; Joseph, Nicholas, Liliana, and Matthew, two sisters; Rosa Auteri and her husband Rosario, Santina Auteri and her husband Luigi, three brothers; Daniel and his wife Suzanna, Michael and his wife Linda, and Sebastiano and his wife Julie, as well as many, many, many dear friends.