By Sara Beth Williams–
One hundred-year-old Emil Giusti has spent the majority of the last century serving others, including serving in the Army as a corporal during World War II. Over the weekend, Giusti’s family threw a large birthday party in his honor as he approached the centenarian mark.
Joined by dozens of family members, some who traveled from three different states, along with plenty of old friends, the birthday party, held on the very property where Giusti grew up, featured a potluck, a time for sharing memories, and presentations of gifts from the Knights of Columbus, Veterans Affairs, and Daughters of the American Revolution.
Giusti’s daughter Carla Tilford said there were family members representing at least four generations in attendance at the party, along with some who traveled from Arizona, Washington, and Idaho.
Born Sept. 13, 1926, Giusti grew up on a large piece of property on Twin Oaks Avenue in what would one day become Citrus Heights. During his senior year in high school, he was drafted into the military and served in the Army during World War II.
Following his military service, he met his wife at a barn dance. Both attended and graduated from San Juan High School. Later they married and had three children, one of whom is completely deaf. Throughout his life, Giusti worked as a snow plowman for the Southern Pacific Railroad for 45 years, plowing snow up in Truckee. Giusti is also a big San Francisco 49ers and Giants fan.
Tilford said her parents were deeply involved with Holy Family Catholic Church. Giusti became part of the Knights of Columbus in the 1950s, Tilford estimated, adding that her mother worked in the Relief Society and food pantry at the church. Holy Family Catholic Church on Old Auburn Road was established in 1949.
Giusti was also elevated to Grand Knight and also recognized as Past Grand Knight during the birthday party. Her father would often help pick up or deliver food for the Relief Society and continued to do so until he was in his mid-90s, Tilford said.
During the aftermath of the 1973 railyard bombings, where a Southern Pacific Railroad boxcar carrying U.S. Navy munitions caught fire and exploded, destroying the railyard, Giusti immediately left to help at the railyards, and Tilford said her mother took in a large family overnight who had to evacuate their home. The family was fed and housed made comfortable until they were able to return home.
“They both set such a fine example for family and just everybody they came in contact with,” Tilford said of her parents.
Related: Citrus Heights Historical Society looks back on 1973 Roseville Railyard bomb explosions
Following her mother’s death over a decade ago, Tilford said she and her sister have carried on her mother’s legacy of service and continue to help out with the church’s Relief Society.
Some of the gifts given to Giusti during the birthday party included a quilted blanket featuring an eagle, an American flag, and a red, white, and blue patchwork, along with a service photo of Giusti in uniform. A handcrafted painted wooden flag was also given as a gift as well as a certificate from Pope Leo XIV as well as a certificate presented from the Veterans Affairs.
Tilford said she was overwhelmed by the generosity of the gifts and the number of people who have shown their appreciation for her father.
Currently, Giusti lives in a smaller home on Sycamore Drive in Citrus Heights, and though he doesn’t drive any longer, he lives semi-independently, with his nephew staying with him during the night and his daughter Carla staying with him during the day.
According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, there are an estimated 16.4 million World War II veterans, with 30,607 living veterans, representing less than 0.2 percent of the American population.
