Ottavio Giorgio Renzi
01/01/1930 - 02/21/2015

Ottavio Giorgio Renzi, 85, of Chatham, New Jersey passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 21, 2015 at Overlook Hospital surrounded by his family.

Giorgio, as he was known by, was born on January 1, 1930 in Valle Castellana, Italy. He was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Achille and Elisa (nee Volpini) Renzi.

Giorgio received his Bachelor of Arts in Romance Languages from Duquesne University. He received his Master of Arts in Romance Languages from Georgetown University. He later received his Dottore in Lettere in Italian Literature from the University of Rome.

He served in the United States Army during the Korean War. He later served as a Language Specialist with the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group in Italy from 1956 to 1960. Giorgio was a Professor of Romance Languages at Wells College in Aurora, NY from 1961 to 2010. He was the founder and director of the Wells College Study Abroad Program in Florence, Italy. Giorgio was committed to sharing his passion for Italy and developing travel-study programs abroad, exposing American students, both young and old, to Italy’s rich cultural heritage.

He is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Anna Maria Renzi; his loving children, daughter, Elizabeth Shehata and her husband Girgis of Summit, NJ; and his son, George Renzi and his wife Laura of Florham Park, NJ. He was the loving grandfather to Marc and Luke Shehata, and Francesca, Sebastian, and Charlotte Renzi. He is also survived by his sister, Assunta Tempesta, and his nephews Giacomo and Giancarlo Tempesta in Italy, various cousins in Italy and the United States, and dear friend and colleague, Joy Humes of Buffalo, NY. He was predeceased by a sister, Gloria Renzi, and an infant daughter, Christine Renzi.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, February 27, 2015 at Corpus Christi Church, Southern Blvd, Chatham, NJ 07928. An entombment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover, NJ. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center, Overlook Medical Center, 99 Beauvoir Ave., Summit, NJ 07901.


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