Sam Contasti passed away Thursday, Jul 30th at his home the morning after being released from hospital. Sam was born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin to Italian immigrants Enrico “Andy” & Raffaela Contasti. He was the youngest of five children: Mary, John, Joseph and Josephine – all who have preceeded him in death.
In 1940, at the urging of his cousin Frank Gibaldi, Sam and his widowed mother moved to San Diego whilst his elder brothers served in the US Armed Forces during World War II. After finishing high school in southern California, he followed his brothers in supporting our country, joining the US Army. In the course of his service, he earned two bronze stars for acts of valor during the Korean War. Although deeply affected by this time in his life, he never spoke of it to the family other than to comment on the weather.
After the Korean War, Sam returned to his home in San Diego, where he courted Little Italy resident Maria (“Marie”) Tarantino, who became his wife in 1955. In 1958, they gave birth to their daughter, MaryAnn. After the birth of their second child, Andy, the Contasti family relocated to the Mission Hills neighborhood, which would be Sam’s home til his recent passing.
Sam’s military experience proved to be an asset for government contractor Convair, later acquired by General Dynamics. During his illustrious career at GD, he was fortunate to work on many NASA space projects including Atlas, Centaur, Apollo, and the several space shuttles both in San Diego and Cape Canaveral. His knowledge and skills were so valuable that even after retiring in 1997, he was called back on a per diem basis to consult on emerging projects.
Sam was always hard working, waking at 4 am daily to ensure his household chores were attended to before he left for work. Routine and structure were important to Sam. Even after his tenure at General Dynamics, he followed a strict schedule rising early to greet friends and baristas at the local Starbucks before heading over to the Mona Lisa restaurant. His daily duties completed, he would proceed on his bicycle for his midday exercise. Sam could be seen touring Ocean Beach, Mission Bay, and Pacific Beach boardwalks – riding as much as 20 miles a day, even to the age of 92. During weekends and other spare times, he was known for helping his neighbors with landscaping. Without fail, he would also attend to the gravesites of his mom, mother-in-law, father-in-law, his sister and sisters-in-laws, and of course his beloved wife – clearing away debris and replenishing each memorial with fresh flowers. When he was no longer able to do this himself, he arranged to receive a daily photo and update of his wife’s site.
Sam was well loved by neighbors and friends, and remembered as living life to the fullest – taking time to cherish each day and inspiring many. He is preceded in death by his beautiful wife of 52 years. He leaves behind his two children MaryAnn (Joe) Tarantino and Andy (Annette) Contasti, ten grandchildren Giovanna (Dino) Bingham, Anthony Tarantino, Marissa (Brian) Steele, Samuel (Kristyanne) Tarantino, Joseph (Catrina) Tarantino, Paul Tarantino, Mark Tarantino, Sam Contasti, Pat Contasti, and Marie Contasti, and great grandchildren Milena, Enzo, Marcella, Guiseppi, Edelia, Joe, Rocco, Chiara, Elanora, Marianna, Ellie, Alessandra, and Giovanna.
Per Sam’s request, those wishing to send flowers or other condolences can make a memorial tribute donation to the American Heart Association at: https://www2.heart.org/site/SPageNavigator/donatenow_legacy.html.
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