John Rino Brunasso, December 05, 1931 — January 20, 2019

John Rino Brunasso died peacefully surrounded by his family on January 20, 2019 in Santa Barbara at the age of 87. John is survived by his wife, Betty; his children, John, Theresa (Brian), Matthew (Adrienne), Mary (Melissa) and Michael (Gwen), six grandchildren, five great grandchildren, and stepsons Walter (Gloria), Ken (Mary) and Matt (Kristen). He is preceded in death by his first wife, Emma Villarruel Brunasso, and his son, Mark Anthony Brunasso (Deborah).

John was born on December 5, 1931 in Los Angeles to Antonia Regis Brunasso and Vittorio Caterello Brunasso. His mother died when he was just eight years old. His father, a baker, died seven years later, when John was 15 years old.

He served in Korea, and after his service he studied electronics at night while he worked in the parts department at Cummins Diesel. He started working at Burroughs as a technician, and worked his way up to engineer, designing magnetic tape drives. A self-taught engineer, his talents were sought after, and he worked for Memorex and Unisys.

After he retired from Unisys, he worked at Hendry in Santa Barbara. He married Emma in 1952 while he was on leave. Over nine years, the couple welcomed six children into their home.

His children remember him as a witty man who made them laugh as he encouraged them to work hard and pursue their goals. Two years after Emma’s death, he married Betty Williams. Their happy marriage lasted nine years and Betty welcomed all his children into their home.

John was accomplished at fixing and building almost anything, and was happiest in his garage workshop working on a project. At his request, no funeral will be held. The family would like to thank the dedicated staff of Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for their compassionate care.

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