James
James Christopher "Chris" DeSisto
d. August 24, 2022
DeSisto, James Christopher "Chris", 88, of Westwood, MA passed peacefully on August 24, 2022, surrounded by his beloved wife of 61 years, Martha, and family members.
The son of the late James and Eleanor (Parrow) DeSisto, Chris was born in Manchester, NH and lived in Roslindale, MA before moving to West Roxbury with his sister Mary (deceased). Chris was a proud alumnus of Boston Latin School, Boston College and Georgetown University where he received his Doctor of Dental Sciences. Upon graduating from Georgetown, Chris served in the United States Navy stationed in Okinawa, Japan before returning to Massachusetts and serving in the United States Naval Reserve from which he was honorably discharged in 1968.
Chris met the love of his life on a summer night in Falmouth which began a lifetime of happy memories on Cape Cod. Shortly after the birth of their daughter, Chris and Martha moved to Westwood and welcomed the birth of their four sons in rapid succession. Chris opened his dental practice in Dedham, MA and practiced for over 40 years caring for multiple generations of families. People often ask his children and grandchildren whether they are related to "the Dentist in Dedham." Chris and Martha raised their family in Westwood and as his children grew, Chris adopted the moniker of "Boss" (although nobody is quite sure of the origin, family lore references the movie "Cool Hand Luke") which is how friends and family still affectionately refer to him, unless you were one of his 18 grandchildren in which case he will always be "Grandpa Boss." Chris was active in the Westwood community and could often be found coaching Little League Baseball, and CYO Basketball and was a fixture on the sidelines of his children's (and grandchildren's) sporting events. Boss' sense of adventure and love of the ocean drew him to Cape Cod where he spent many summers pursuing the elusive striper with his family, chasing tuna with a lawn chair as a fighting chair, and giving the grandkids rides on his tractor. He relished all holidays and family events; however, the highlight of the year was his 4th of July cookout on Cape Cod where everyone enjoyed a lively conversation and cold beer with Boss. Chris was a lifelong learner and emphasized the importance of family, values he passed down to his children along with a love of the ocean and Cape Cod.
He is survived by the love of life, Martha DeSisto; Jane (DeSisto) and Paul Harrity of Medfield, MA and their children Ryan, Carolyn, Lauren, Jenny and Elizabeth; Chris DeSisto of Jamacia Plain, MA and his children, Isabelle, Camille and Pete; Greg and Sandy DeSisto of Portsmouth, NH and their children Maddy, Gabby and Olivia; Jim and Eileen DeSisto of Medfield, MA and their children Courtney, James, Matthew and Sarah; and John and Jen DeSisto of Needham, MA and their children Maya, Katie and Emily along with numerous friends.
Visiting hours will be from 4:00-8:00 PM Tuesday August 30th at Holden Dunn Lawler Funeral Home, 55 High Rock Street, Westwood. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Wednesday August 31st at 11:00 AM at St Margaret Mary Church, 845 High Street in Westwood and will be live streamed at https://www.saintmmparish.org/live-streaming.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Boss' memory to: The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research at https://www.michaeljfox.org/donate or Sisters of Life at https://sistersoflife.org/donate
The son of the late James and Eleanor (Parrow) DeSisto, Chris was born in Manchester, NH and lived in Roslindale, MA before moving to West Roxbury with his sister Mary (deceased). Chris was a proud alumnus of Boston Latin School, Boston College and Georgetown University where he received his Doctor of Dental Sciences. Upon graduating from Georgetown, Chris served in the United States Navy stationed in Okinawa, Japan before returning to Massachusetts and serving in the United States Naval Reserve from which he was honorably discharged in 1968.
Chris met the love of his life on a summer night in Falmouth which began a lifetime of happy memories on Cape Cod. Shortly after the birth of their daughter, Chris and Martha moved to Westwood and welcomed the birth of their four sons in rapid succession. Chris opened his dental practice in Dedham, MA and practiced for over 40 years caring for multiple generations of families. People often ask his children and grandchildren whether they are related to "the Dentist in Dedham." Chris and Martha raised their family in Westwood and as his children grew, Chris adopted the moniker of "Boss" (although nobody is quite sure of the origin, family lore references the movie "Cool Hand Luke") which is how friends and family still affectionately refer to him, unless you were one of his 18 grandchildren in which case he will always be "Grandpa Boss." Chris was active in the Westwood community and could often be found coaching Little League Baseball, and CYO Basketball and was a fixture on the sidelines of his children's (and grandchildren's) sporting events. Boss' sense of adventure and love of the ocean drew him to Cape Cod where he spent many summers pursuing the elusive striper with his family, chasing tuna with a lawn chair as a fighting chair, and giving the grandkids rides on his tractor. He relished all holidays and family events; however, the highlight of the year was his 4th of July cookout on Cape Cod where everyone enjoyed a lively conversation and cold beer with Boss. Chris was a lifelong learner and emphasized the importance of family, values he passed down to his children along with a love of the ocean and Cape Cod.
He is survived by the love of life, Martha DeSisto; Jane (DeSisto) and Paul Harrity of Medfield, MA and their children Ryan, Carolyn, Lauren, Jenny and Elizabeth; Chris DeSisto of Jamacia Plain, MA and his children, Isabelle, Camille and Pete; Greg and Sandy DeSisto of Portsmouth, NH and their children Maddy, Gabby and Olivia; Jim and Eileen DeSisto of Medfield, MA and their children Courtney, James, Matthew and Sarah; and John and Jen DeSisto of Needham, MA and their children Maya, Katie and Emily along with numerous friends.
Visiting hours will be from 4:00-8:00 PM Tuesday August 30th at Holden Dunn Lawler Funeral Home, 55 High Rock Street, Westwood. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Wednesday August 31st at 11:00 AM at St Margaret Mary Church, 845 High Street in Westwood and will be live streamed at https://www.saintmmparish.org/live-streaming.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Boss' memory to: The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research at https://www.michaeljfox.org/donate or Sisters of Life at https://sistersoflife.org/donate
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of James Christopher "Chris" DeSisto, please visit our flower store.
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