John E. Cerutti

WILLIAMSTOWN — John Eugene Cerutti, 96, of The Gardens and former resident of Montpelier and Barre Town, died Tuesday, May 8, 2012, at his home. His family was at his bedside.

Born March 22, 1916, in Barre City, he was the son of Onorato and Anna (Bongorni) Cerutti. His family moved to their farm in Plainfield where he attended elementary school and graduated from Plainfield High School in 1935. In 1939, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Vermont in Burlington.

On Sept. 4, 1941, he entered military service and was assigned to the Army Aviation Engineers at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. He served in England, France and Germany, and in 1943 he was commissioned a second lieutenant. He returned home in 1945 as a major and had been awarded the Bronze Star. John continued his military career in the Vermont Army National Guard, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

Following his discharge, he joined the Water Resources Department of the state of Vermont in their Engineering Division, retiring in June of 1977 after more than 30 years of service. He had served as director of the Management and Engineering Division, assistant to the commissioner of water resources and also as acting commissioner of water resources. John was a member of the Coordinating Committee on the Connecticut River Study and a member of the Physical Aspects Committee in the Richelieu River and Lake Champlain Study of the International Joint Council. He served as commissioner of the Connecticut Valley Flood Control Commission from 1973 through 1985, and in 1986 was reappointed by the governor to serve until 1991.

In 1946, he married Lorraine Rogers in Barre. They made their home in Montpelier, where she died in 1970. In August of 1977, he married Juelia Desilets, moving to Barre in 1982. Juelia died in 1999.

His memberships included the Hedding United Methodist Church of Barre, the American Legion, the Retired Officers Association and the Vermont 251 Club.

He enjoyed digging for old bottles, collecting coins, mushrooming, and hunting and fishing. He was a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox and the Celtics.

Survivors include his son, Bryan Cerutti, and his wife, Donna, of Ocala, Fla.; and three daughters: Jane Tait and her husband, Jim, of Barre Town, Martha Howe and her husband, Bob, of Shrewsbury, Mass., and Diane Root and her husband, Mark, of Enfield, N.H. He also leaves a stepson, Alan Desilets, and his wife, Barbara, of King of Prussia, Pa., and stepdaughter, Nancy Gale, and her husband, Stephen Martin, also of Barre Town; as well as numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by spouses Lorraine and Juelia Cerutti; sisters Helen Parnigoni and Rose Sabini, and brothers Silvio and Almo Cerutti.

The committal service with military honors will be held Saturday, July 14, 2012, at 1 p.m. in the Orange Center Cemetery.

There are no calling hours.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Vermont Foodbank, 33 Parker Road, Barre, VT 05641.

The Hooker and Whitcomb Funeral Home, 7 Academy St., Barre, is in charge of the arrangements.