John Dessanti

John (Giovanni) Dessanti, 94, of Milford, New Hampshire (NH), United States of America died on 30 January 2021 in Milford, after a battle with a serious illness. He was born 19 May 1926, in Zbisina, Cres, Croatia (at the time Italy), the son of the late Maria (Kucic) Dessanti and Ivan Dessanti. He was the oldest of 5 siblings (John, Joseph, Louis, Maria, and Anita). On 6 September 1953, he married Maria (Sladic) Dessanti at the church of sv. Alojzije in Zbisina. He is survived by his loving wife of 67 years, Maria Dessanti; two sons, Giglio D. Dessanti of Bedford, NH and Aleksander L. Dessanti and his wife Lee of Bedford, NH; five grandchildren, Alexander I. Dessanti (and wife Ingrid), Brendan J. Dessanti, David M. Dessanti (and wife Alicia), Megan L. Dessanti, and Nicholas A. Dessanti; brother, Joseph R. Dessanti and his wife Lidia of Cedar Grove, NJ; sister, Maria Sladic of Lindenhurst, NY; and sister, Anita A. Juric of Bronx, NY. He was preceded in death by his brother, Louis D. Dessanti of Stony Point, NY. His early years were spent living in Zbisina, a now uninhabited village, where he walked to school one hour each way. After marriage he moved to Cres, where he worked in a shipyard as a carpenter. He and wife with young sons, in search of a better life with more freedom, left the island of Cres, Croatia (at the time Yugoslavia) on 19 August 1966 and after spending time in refugee camps in Italy, emigrated to the USA, arriving in New York on 6 February 1967. He was employed by Minneford Yacht Yard in City Island, New York as a highly skilled wood craftsman, primarily in building the America's Cup 12-Metre racing yachts. He was always there for his family, even in the early years as he worked during the week building elite racing boats while on the weekends working at the Thwaites restaurant late into the night, for the first few years while learning English as his third language. He could identify a tree species by leaf or bark and make anything from wood. The family moved to Milford, NH to be closer to nature, cut and split wood, nurturing a vast garden and fruit trees, which he did to his last days. He was the most loving father and husband a family could ask for, and will be greatly missed by all whose lives he touched on two continents. He was honest, caring, dependable, worked hard, always got-it-done, and lived to realize the American dream for his family. There will be no calling hours. A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Thursday, February 4, 2021 at 10:00 am in St. Patrick’s Church, 34 Amherst Street, Milford, NH. Burial will be private and at the convenience of the family at the Bedford Center Cemetery, Bedford, NH.