Francesco Galesi

To speak of our father is to speak of an immense presence, vivid, and difficult to contain within the ordinary means by which a life is described. He possessed an extraordinary force of vision and intellect, but also strength, grace, wit, and an appetite for life in equal measure that seemed, even in his final years, inexhaustible. Throughout nearly a century of life, our father lived as an unwavering force of nature, leaving an indelible mark on all who knew him.

Francesco Galesi was born on November 5, 1930, in Paterson, New Jersey, to Italian immigrants Mauro and Albina Galesi. Growing up amid the hardships of the Great Depression, he was surrounded by four brothers and one sister. He earned a degree in history from Princeton University in 1953. For over half a century, Francesco developed his company based on a simple yet powerful business instinct: the ability to see value where others saw obsolescence. He channeled this instinct into the Galesi Group, a diversified business empire that began in real estate but eventually branched into industrial development, logistics, telecommunications, hospitality, energy, as well as other investments. As Galesi Group thrived, it would see its business span across the country, it would acquire and develop more than 11 million square feet of commercial buildings, medical and healthcare offices, mixed-use properties, multifamily communities, and other ventures. In 1978, he received the Presidential Award of Achievement from President Carter for his contributions to economic development across the United States. Despite this monumental achievement, the extent of our father’s legacy extends beyond the monetary evaluation of the business he ran. Indeed, the transformative impact his business had in shaping the lives of millions of people who did not know him, be it is beyond monetary value. Under Francesco Galesi’s leadership, former military depots became industrial parks; outdated industrial land was transformed into mixed-use developments; and properties that had lost their original purpose were revitalized, gaining new economic life.

Despite his incredible achievements as a pioneering visionary and businessman, to us Francesco was always just Dad, and his greatest accomplishment and source of pride was his family. He was a beloved father, grandfather, and husband, a respected businessman, a raconteur, a film buff, a reciter of poetry and Shakespearean soliloquies, an avid tennis player, a formidable backgammon opponent, a lover of animals, and, above all things, he was a great giver, a man who cannot be replaced or replicated while the earth endures. We mourn his loss but rejoice in his life in the spirit of thanks for all he has done and all the lives he touched. We are grateful for the man he was, to have been part of the family he cherished, for the world he altered, and for the countless lives that became, in some way, part of his. His absence is enormous. There will never be another Francesco Galesi. He was singular, not merely because of what he accomplished, but because of the particular combination of force and tenderness, ambition and humor, intellect and appetite, that made him who he was. We mourn him deeply. And yet grief, if we let it, contains another feeling, deep gratitude at having been given the gift of such a life.

Francesco is survived by his wife, Princess Marina Wolkonsky-Galesi; his four children, Adriana, Christina, Sasha, and Francesca; his six grandchildren, Ruby, Rider, India, Sienna, Alexander, and Sebastian; and one brother, Michael.

In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Beautiful Brain Campaign, found at https://www.meredith-burns.com/beautifulbraincampaign