Ettore "Eddie" Diamante

Diamante, Ettore (known by “Eddie” to many) 86 of Providence, passed away surrounded by great love and his entire family, including his grandchildren on Friday, August 24, 2018. He was the beloved husband of the late Esterina (Aurigemma) Diamante. 

Born in Fondi, Italy he was the son of the late Giulio and Teresa (Spirito) Diamante. He was a part of the Italian Army and loved the many beautiful areas of Europe he traveled to prior to coming to the United States in 1960. 

He is survived by his loving sons and daughter in laws, Dr. Giulio G. Diamante of Cranston and his wife Lynda (Michael), Vincenzo J. Diamante of Providence and his wife Melissa (Fountaine), twin sons, Marco A. Diamante of Attleboro and his wife Trisha (Turcotte) and Michael D. Diamante of North Attleboro and his wife Tracy (Lingerfelder). He is also survived by his cherished grandchildren, Giulia, Enzo, Emily, Rachel, Matthew, Aubrey and Grayson, and by a brother Norman Diamante. He was the brother of the late Emma Iannone and Gino Diamante. He was the beloved nephew of the late Diana (D’Acierno) Fiore. 

He was happily married for 44 years to Esterina (Aurigemma) until her passing in 2009 which left a great void in his life. He bravely continued on after her passing immersed in the activities of his children and grandchildren, all bringing great joy and comfort to his life following the loss of Esterina. Her absence over the past 9 years was the inspiration for him to fulfill the role of both grandparents to his beloved grandchildren. Without grandmother Esterina here, he provided enough love, attention, care, guidance and time as two Diamante grandparents. “Papa,” as he was known to his seven beautiful grandchildren, knew each and every personality and all their favorite things. He always visited each grandchild with delicious surprises of Italian cookies, candies and treats. But more importantly, he spent great amounts of time with every one of his grandchildren. He even found a way to cook some of Esterina’s recipes (which she was greatly known for) and always shared that in abundance with the family, especially his homemade pizza and eggplant. The words kind, generous, loving, good and honest were made to describe him. He was gentle and soft spoken and always spoke kind words of everyone he knew. 

He was a Master Tile Setter for over 75 years having learned this trade from his uncle in Italy. Professionally, he created some of the most exquisite homes and buildings in New England by setting marble, granite, tile and other stone in commercial and residential properties. As a Master Tile Setter he was capable of the most intricate designs and artistic applications of any stone. His work has stood the test of time for decades in countless locations. He loved his work and was extremely meticulous in every aspect of it, attentive to detail within a millimeter when perfecting lines or placement of his materials. He created amazing designs for his clients, some extremely advanced and unusual, and executed these designs with perfection, no matter how detailed or difficult. He took great pride in his work and still worked full time until 6 weeks prior to his passing. His son Vincenzo worked alongside him, and together they created endless surfaces of magnificence, quality and great beauty. He tremendously enjoyed working with Vincenzo, his work and his family were his greatest and most loved accomplishments in his life. He instilled his work ethic into his four sons. 

Outside of work, for enjoyment, he engaged in making homemade wine and it was spectacular. He made both red and white, sometimes rose, and had his sons and grandchildren present to learn the art of wine making. He carefully selected the right grapes in autumn and proceeded to tend to the process of turning them into incredible, natural wine. This wine was always a key feature at holidays, birthdays and special occasions, where it was enjoyed by all. He also shared this wine with everyone, generously and without reserve, as was characteristic to his giving nature. His wine making equipment sits ready for this year, and his sons plan to keep the tradition alive to honor him and make wine in the coming months as a tribute to his emphasis on family heritage. 

He also loved his grandchildren’s pets greatly and enjoyed feeding and playing with them with his grandchildren. Rocky, Gucci, Daisy, Lola and Munchkin (4 dogs and a bunny) will also miss him greatly as he loved these fluffy members of his family very much and had the kindest heart which loved all animals. Especially Rocky, who lived with him for many years. He always bought special treats for these fluffy friends from a local bakery, as was typical of his generous, thoughtful nature. 

In the summer months he enjoyed his gardens at his home. A large grape vine in his yard was a favorite spot of his. He enjoyed spending time tending to his garden which included basil, tomatoes, celery and other plants that he grew with his late wife Esterina and Aunt Diana. He often remarked that Aunt Diana was like a second mother to him and he loved her dearly. It was fulfilling for him and a connection to his roots in Italy to grow wonderful vegetables in his yard. For decades he tended to a fig tree on his property with his sons, even building a structure to protect it in the winter months. The tree, like everything in his life, flourished under his care and devotion.  

He was a wonderful teacher to his children and grandchildren. He instilled virtues of honesty, kindness and the importance of family in all of them. Family heritage was important to him and family get togethers were always of the utmost priority to him. 

To all of his daughter in laws he was the epitome of a perfect father in law. He always praised their success as moms and complimented everything they did for holidays and special occasions, welcoming them into the family as daughters. To his sons he was the best father anyone could ask for and raised them as gentlemen with kind hearts and beautiful spirits, just like him. He was proud of all of his sons. In his last days he commented that he had a fulfilling and very satisfying life and he was proud of everything he accomplished with his late wife in raising four wonderful sons. 

His funeral will be held on Saturday, September 1st at 8:45am at the A.A. MARIANI & SON Funeral Home, 200 Hawkins St., Providence, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10am at St. Pius V Church, Eaton Street, Providence. Burial will follow at St. Ann Cemetery, Cranston. Calling hours will be Friday 4-8pm. marianiandson.com

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