Ruth Ann Sesto

When Ruth Ann Sesto walked into the room, those in her company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Ruth Ann was and how she impacted those around her. Ruth Ann was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Ruth Ann wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Ruth Ann was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

Ruth Ann was born on December 5, 1937 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Paterson, New Jersey. She was the daughter of James and Josephina DiCicco. Ruth Ann was raised in Paterson, New Jersey. Always at the ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person and her friends and family understood well that Ruth Ann was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.

Ruth Ann was raised with three siblings. She had an older brother, Vincent, and two older sisters, Jessie, and Esther. Ruth Ann was very accepting and supportive of her family. She was perceived as the central person in her family. She was there for everyone and loved unconditionally. These traits served Ruth Ann well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew her.

During her high school years, Ruth Ann responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. She graduated from Cential High School in 1954. Ruth Ann was a very good student, and generally did well in her courses. For Ruth Ann, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to her ability to turn just about anything into a game. Classmates considered Ruth Ann a good listener and she got along with everyone.

With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought her an endless stream of friends, Ruth Ann was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Ruth Ann was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. She always seemed aware of what was going on with people around her and throughout her life she made many, many friends. Some of her best friends were Jean Capitanelli, Barbara Lelay, Judy Byrouty, and Bebe Altieri.

On September 15, 1954 Ruth Ann married Peter J. Sesto in Paterson, New Jersey. Ruth Ann's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in her ability to make her new family happy. She was quite sensitive towards Peter's needs, showing her constant concern and fondness. Ruth Ann was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served her well in helping to nurture her family.

Ruth Ann was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Ruth Ann, parenting was an enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Sesto home. Ruth Ann's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Ruth Ann was blessed with two children: one daughter, Cheryl, and one son, Casper. She was also blessed with two grandchildren and three great grandchildren, Valentina, Gioranna, Jeilana, Justin, and Viyana.

Ruth Ann was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. Her primary occupation was in education. She was employed with Catholic Charities for six years and with Citi Bank for over fifteen years. Though she never did anything solely for individual recognition, Ruth Ann's ingenuity, resourcefulness, and selflessness, earned her accolades for her hard work. Some of her most prestigious awards included employee performance awards for Citi Bank.

Because Ruth Ann loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were swimming and exercising. In addition; Ruth Ann was an active member of several community groups, serving on the leadership committee for the ICLV Community Church. She also offered her time to Women's Ministries and was an Avon representative. Ruth Ann had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes.

Ruth Ann was a woman who was dedicated and devoted to her faith. She was a member ICLV Community Church for over ten years. During that time, she was a church greeter and Leadership Prayer Warrior. She was sympathetic and able to empathize with others and she used these qualities to the fullest while working tirelessly for her beliefs.

Ruth Ann's love of improvising in her daily life was a perfect fit for her enjoyment of traveling. Ruth Ann took her vacations seriously, well, as seriously as she possibly could. Favorite vacations included going back home to New Jersey to visit family and friends.

Ruth Ann was a lover of animals and cherished her dog, Snoopy, a half Collie, half mutt. They were the best of friends for sixteen years.

When Ruth Ann's retirement finally came in 2008, Ruth Ann handled it the way she usually did. She adapted and, like everything in her life, made it satisfying. Because she was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for Ruth Ann to master. In retirement, she found new pleasure in being very active in her church, spending time with friends and family, and supporting Catholic Charities. Even in retirement, Ruth Ann continued to stay in touch with her old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones.

Ruth Ann Sesto passed away from natural causes on April 5, 2018 in the comforts of her home in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is survived by her children, Cheryl and Casper, her grandchildren, Valentina and Gioranna, her great grandchildren, Jeilana, Justin, and Viyana, and her sister, Esther and her cherished and adored nieces and nephews who she deeply loved. Her memory will also be cherished by a large extended family and many dear friends. Services were held at Palm Northwest Mortuary. Ruth Ann will spend eternity at home with her loved ones.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Ruth Ann. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Ruth Ann Sesto for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Ruth Ann was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones.