Biagio "Billy" S. Ciotto

Biagio S. “Billy” Ciotto, 91, of Wethersfield, passed away peacefully on Saturday March 20, 2021 with his wife, Jeanne and his son, John by his side. Born December 25, 1929, Billy was the only child of Antoinetta (Scinto) and Joseph Ciotto.

Billy was an amazing man who truly loved people and was loved by so many in return. There will never be another like him. He is survived by his “beautiful bride” of 66 years, Jeanne, his children and their spouses, Joseph, Anthony, Julie and John Ferrigno, John and Sherri Ciotto, and Maria and Ken Larose. He leaves his five grandchildren, Jonathan Ferrigno, Jessica Ferrigno, Gabrielle Ciotto, Daniel Ciotto, and Jack Larose, who were the lights of his life and always brought a smile to his face. Billy also leaves several dear cousins, nieces, nephews and friends (including an extra special group of people whom he and Jeanne considered as their other “kids”), with whom he shared many laughs, smiles and tears over the years. He was predeceased by his parents, his mother and father-in-law, Margaretta and Edmund Purtell, his daughter-in-law, Mary (Lupo) Ciotto, his aunts and uncles Dominick and Rose Ciotto, Antoinette Rosso, Giovaninna and Silvio Paoletta, Philomena and Michael Galizia, Louis and Isabelle Scenti, Mike and Corrine Scenti and Mary Scenti. He was also predeceased by Jeanne’s siblings and their spouses, Shirley and Al Amos, Walter and Lillian Miller, Norman Miller, and Marge and Henry Dowling, as well as many cousins and many dear friends who were more like brothers.

Billy and Jeanne were married on January 22, 1955 at Saint Augustine Church in Hartford. While raising their young family, Billy often worked three jobs so that Jeanne could stay home with their children. One of those jobs was as an accordion player in the infamous Hartford area band, the Bel-Aires, with Ernie Andreoli on drums, Tony Matassa on bass, and John Prokopec on saxophone. The Bel-Aires played an untold number of weddings and dance hall events in the 1950s through the 1970s. As their children grew older, Jeanne would often join the band as their singer.

Billy attended Hartford schools, graduating from Bulkeley High School in 1947 and began what would become a successful 42-year career with the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. His first position with the DMV was as a Teletype Machine Operator on the midnight shift. Throughout his DMV years, Billy worked as an Inspector, Supervisor, Manager, Director of Registry and Title and in 1987 was appointed to the position of Deputy Commissioner by then Governor William O’Neill. Billy served as Deputy Commissioner until his retirement in October 1989. Among his many accomplishments with the DMV was the transition to and implementation of issuance of a photo driver’s license to State residents.

Billy’s love for people was unmatched and after retirement in 1989, he spent the next five years as a volunteer at St. Francis Hospital bringing new patients through the admissions process.

As a member of the Wethersfield Democratic Town Committee, he was asked to run for the 9th District Senate seat and won election in November 1994. He served six terms as 9th District (Wethersfield, Newington, Rocky Hill, Cromwell and part of Middletown) Senator. While he was a proud Democrat, during his time at the State Capitol, Billy was renowned and respected for his unique ability to reach across the aisle and bring about common sense bipartisan legislative solutions. As the Senate Chairman of the Transportation Committee, Billy could often be heard saying, “There’s no Democratic way to pave a road and there’s no Republican way to build a bridge. It’s about the people, they just want to be able to drive on safe roads and bridges!” In that same bipartisan spirit, Billy, along with former Democratic State Representatives Richard Tulisano and Joe Serra, co-founded the Italian-American Legislative Caucus with current Republican State Representative Anthony D’Amelio and then Republican State Senator, Lou DeLuca, creating a bipartisan educational scholarship fund to promote the appreciation and understanding of Italian-American history and culture.

Shortly after his retirement from the State Senate in 2006, Billy began working with the Hartford office of U.S. Congressman, John Larson helping countless constituents of the 1st Congressional District until his passing.

Billy was best known for his infectious smile, ever-present cigar and his genuine love of people. He, along with his wife, Jeanne, always stressed the importance of Faith, Family and Friends to their children and grandchildren. They taught all of us so many life lessons. He was never happier than when he was surrounded by family, especially during our annual 4th of July week family vacations at Narragansett, RI with 17 of us all in one house for the week.

Billy received numerous accolades over his many years of public service. The ones that were most dear to his heart were received from the Greater Hartford Italian-American Home (Gold Medal for public service in 1977), the Rocky Hill St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee when they named him Town Marshall in 2010, Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center in West Hartford for attending over 60 annual retreats; InterCommunity Mental Healthcare in East Hartford, for his work on behalf of people suffering from mental illness; the Rocky Hill Democratic Town Committee naming him the first recipient of the Biagio “Billy” Ciotto Public Service Award, and of course, being named Irish Person of the Year by the CCCCC in 2016.

One of the shining moments of Billy’s life was the personal invitation he received from Speaker Nancy Pelosi to attend her swearing in in Washington, DC in January 2019.

The family would like to thank Mary Adjei, Martha Antwi, Sisay Demssie, Angela Johnson-Shaw, Natasha Edwards-Morant, Kemorione Brown, Donna Reynolds, and Teresa Sienko for their loving care of Billy over the last few years.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, March 29 at 10 a.m. in the Cathedral of St. Joseph, 140 Farmington Avenue, Hartford. Individuals planning to attend the Funeral Mass will need to register at www.hartfordcathedral.org and attendees are asked to please go directly to the church. Masks and social distancing will be mandatory. For those who cannot attend, the Mass may be watched via livestream on the church website (see above). Interment in the family plot will follow the Mass in Mt. St. Benedict Cemetery (section R ext.), 1 Cottage Grove Rd., Bloomfield. There will be a drive-thru visitation on Sunday, March 28 from 12-4 p.m. at the D’Esopo Funeral Chapel, 277 Folly Brook Blvd., Wethersfield. In lieu of flowers and to honor Billy, the family requests your consideration of a donation made to the Biagio “Billy” and Jeanne Ciotto Memorial Fund – make checks payable to “Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Inc.” 10 Columbus Boulevard, 8th Floor, Hartford, CT 06106. To share a memory of Billy with his family, please visit www.desopofuneralchapel.com.