Cesare "Jess" Ambrosio

Dr. Cesare “Jess” Ambrosio

Cesare “Jess” Ambrosio of West Chester, Pennsylvania passed away on Thursday, July 15, 2021.  He was 82 years old.  He is survived by Gaida Ambrosio, his wife of 55 years, and his children Christopher Ambrosio and Julie Ambrosio Wilt and five grandchildren.  He is also survived by his brother, Ferdinand Ambrosio and his sister, JoAnne Appello, and their families, and also by his Aunt Iris DeVito.  

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1939, Jess was the son of the late Ralph Ambrosio and Martha DeVito Ambrosio.  He enjoyed the typical activities of city kids of the 1940s and 1950s, including stickball, flipping baseball cards, and going to the Jersey Shore.  After graduating at age 17 from Henry Snyder High School, he attended Saint Peter’s College in Jersey City, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry.  From there, he attended the University of Connecticut and received a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry.  

While at UCONN, Jess made lifelong friends including Paul Donahue, Pete Vilinskas, Bill Cummings, the late Hank Seiler, and many others.  Most importantly, while working as a graduate lab assistant, he met an undergraduate student named Gaida Ozols.  Two years after graduation, they were married and remained devoted to each other until Jess’s passing 55 years later.  He also remained faithful to the UCONN men’s and women’s basketball teams, watching their games whenever he could.  

After graduating, Jess worked for DuPont for 28 years, primarily in the automotive finishes division.  He made lifelong friends at DuPont and continued to attend the annual luncheon of alumni from the Finishes and Fabricated Products Division.  Following his retirement from DuPont, Jess worked for Smith Systems as a driver safety instructor.  He was beloved by all of his “students,” including one who said: “If you can’t learn from this man, you can’t learn from anyone!”  

Jess battled multiple serious ailments for many years, leading to a series of hospital visits and an endless succession of medical appointments.  Through it all, he rarely complained and remained positive until the very end.  He charmed nearly every nurse and other caregiver who attended to him, and they appreciated his sense of humor in spite of his health issues.  The family is especially thankful to the nurses and staff at the Chester County Hospital and at the DaVita Dialysis Center in West Chester, who made his otherwise difficult circumstances as comfortable as possible.  Of all things, Jess was most proud of his grandchildren.  He loved spending time with them and they adored him in return, particularly his jokes and singing.  (His rendition of Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore” was a fan favorite among the grandchildren.)  Jess will be dearly missed by Gaida, Chris, Julie, their families, and the many other wonderful people that he loved and appreciated. 

Visitation with the family will be from 12:00PM until 1:00PM with a celebration of life service at 1:00PM on Sunday, August 1, 2021 at the LONGWOOD FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION of MATTHEW GENEREUX, 913 East Baltimore Pike, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.  The service will be streamed via YouTube beginning at 12:45PM  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nsic5smBofA

A luncheon reception will follow the service at Mendenhall Inn, 323 Kennett Pike, Mendenhall, PA.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Cesare's name may be made to the Kennett Food Cupboard

https://www.kacsonline.net/food-cupboard.html

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