Teonte Celeste "Ted" Gentosi

Teonte Gentosi was born on August 31, 1932, on the south side of Des Moines in the neighborhood known as Little Italy. The son of Italian immigrants Aristide Giovanni and Antonia Maria Corso Gentosi, he was the middle child of two sisters, Diana Gentosi Evans and Amelita Gentosi Copley.

He attended St. Anthony’s School through eighth grade and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School. At eighteen he began a long career with Iowa Power and Light, now known as MidAmerican Energy, where he worked for 44 years before retiring. Outside of work, Teonte found joy in concrete construction alongside his lifelong friends Tony Grasso, Joe Balducci, and Rocky Vitiritto. He was also part owner of King Tut’s with his friend Frank Caligiuri. An avid outdoorsman, he trained his black Labrador retrievers for field trials across Iowa; two of them, Cork of Evergreen and Penny of Evergreen, became field trial champions. He cherished memories of hunting pigeons under the 7th Street bridge on the south side.

Later in life, Teonte reconnected with Dino Righi, who became a daily companion and the brother he never had. Together they shared meals, haircuts, and active membership in the Society of Italian Americans and the Vittoria Lodge. He raised his family on Evergreen Avenue, where he built three brick homes, following his father’s advice to always build with brick. Even as his short-term memory faded, he could still recall every detail of those houses.

Teonte passed away at the age of 89 while living at Edencrest of Green Meadows in Johnson, Iowa, where he deeply appreciated the care of the staff. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Diana Gentosi Evans, nephew Bobby Evans, and great-grandson William Webb. He is survived by his children Debra Roberts (Bill), Rick Gentosi (Ronda), and Ted Gentosi (Kim), his sister Amelita Gentosi Copley, as well as his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.