David Louis Del Tatto

David Louis Del Tatto, 82, of Houston, TX, passed away on Tuesday, February 7th. A first generation American, Dave was born on February 18, 1940, the son of Gino and Ramona Del Tatto, in Morristown, New Jersey. After graduating from Morristown High School in 1958, he went on to study at the University of Maryland, graduating with a BS in Chemical Engineering in 1962. In 1960, Dave met Lillian Dimichino. Dave and Lillian were married on June 27, 1964 and they went on to adopt three children, twins John and Marc, and Elisa. Dave had a fulfilling 38-year career with Chicago Bridge & Iron (CB&I) in the oil and gas industries. He began his career in Aurora, Nebraska but it wasn’t long before his career transferred him and his family to Chicago, New Jersey and eventually Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After six years he settled down in his final post, Houston, TX. His expertise in the industry took him throughout the Americas and around the world, to places such as Argentina, Australia, Europe, Thailand and all over the Caribbean. When not gardening or completing his Honey-Do list, Dave dedicated time to volunteerism. One passion was the St. John Vianney Eagle Pass Mission. He assisted the Benedictine Sisters with their donations, and traveled to Eagle Pass to put his handyman skills to work on home improvement projects. He also took the opportunity to share his bocce skills with Special Olympics Texas. He started with new coach orientation and then moved on to officiating. He was Competition Director for two years at the Area 4 Games. He later officiated yearly at the Area Games and the state-level Fall Classic for over fifteen years. Dave debuted as Santa Claus in 1992, where he visited local preschools to ask the children what they wanted for Christmas. He also made a few appearances at his daughter's social events during her early teenage years. And when his grandsons were little, Dave never missed a photo opportunity to walk into the family room as Santa so the boys could sit on his lap. This annual transformation brought smiles and much laughter to both the very young and the young at heart. Dave cherished the time spent with his grandsons. Whether it was a trip to Lubbock to see Nicolas and watch Texas Tech baseball and visit his room in the attic - “looks just like my dorm room at Maryland!”, or lunches with Christian talking about the business world. There were road trips in the “Green Machine” - his Toyota Highlander - with Cross to visit some of the Civil War battle grounds from Texas through New Orleans up to Vicksburg, MS. “Oh Henry!” might be Pa’s “Little Man” but Henry’s favorite time with Dave was arriving at the Broadgreen house and pulling Pa to the garden to see what was growing. If there were any tomatoes, Henry was there to pick them all. Dave always enjoyed the camaraderie of his family and close friends: great meals, savory wine and engaging conversation. Dave was predeceased by his mother, Ramona Del Tatto, and his father, Gino Del Tatto. Dave is survived by his wife Lillian; his children John (Jennifer) Del Tatto, Marc (Karen) Del Tatto, and Elisa (Mark) Roby; his grandsons; Nicolas, Christian, Cross and Henry; and his brother Gene (Ann) Del Tatto. A mass will be held at St. Catherine of Siena church, 10688 Shadow Wood Dr, Houston, TX 77043, on Wednesday, April 12 at 11:00 a.m., with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Benedictine Sisters/Sister Ursula Herrera, OSB, Caridad de Corazon, 216 W. Highland Drive, Boerne, TX 78006. Donations will help to support the Eagle Pass Mission.

David Louis Del Tatto

February 18, 1940 - February 7, 2023