Emil attended a San Juan High alumni picnic in October 2025 at age 99. Directly behind Emil is his nephew, Richard Giusti, son of Joe and Roeley Giusti. Picnic Chairperson Dave Patterson is on the left and San Juan Alumni Association President Larry Fritz is on the right. Photo courtesy of San Juan High School Alumni Association 

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) – Faith, Family, Country, Community. These are all cherished values held deeply by long-time Citrus Heights resident Emil Giusti, who is now nearing his 100th birthday, and his late wife Barbara.

On Saturday, Sept. 12, the children, grand-children and great-grand-children of Emil Giusti will gather at the Giusti Family Ranch in Citrus Heights for a very special celebration, honoring a truly remarkable man whose century of life and service to others is a profound gift and a remarkable inspiration to us all.

Formal honors and special presentations in celebration of his birthday milestone will be made to Giusti by the city of Citrus Heights and local public officials.

Barbara passed away on Oct. 29, 2015, but will no doubt be looking down from heaven upon her long-time love, whom she affectionately called “Giusti-fruit” after the popular chewing gum.

She met the young man who would become her sweetheart, then a returning World War II Army combat veteran of the Philippine campaign at an Odd Fellows barn dance in 1946 when the city of Citrus Heights was just a rural community called Sylvan.

“Mom was much younger than Dad,” recalls his daughter Carla.

“She also grew up in Sylvan, now Citrus Heights and knew Dad when he was a young man. They soon started dating, once Mom turned 18. Together, they were married a few months shy of 65 years before Mom passed away in October 2015,” she said.

Barbara married Emil, the love of her life, on March 16, 1951, at the Nazarene Church in Roseville.

The couple gave birth to six beautiful children. Their first child, Christina Lynn, passed away shortly after her birth in 1953. On May 10, 1954, Barbara gave birth to the oldest of her five children, Susan Elaine. She then gave birth to Linda Marie on Oct. 19, 1955, followed by her only son, Craig Allen, on Dec. 19, 1956. Carla Jean, her fourth child, was born on Sept. 10, 1958. The youngest of Barbara’s children, Laura Lynn, was born on May 2, 1960.

As her children grew, and then married, Barbara experienced the joys of parenting all over again with a whole new perspective: as a grandmother. With 13 grandchildren and four step-grandchildren, there is no doubt Barbara over-fulfilled her duty as a grandmother, Carla said, describing her. Her love has expanded across many generations, and her legacy will continue on through her great-grandchildren, she said.

Craig and Carla invited me to meet their father Emil at the long-time family home on Sycamore Drive in Citrus Heights.

Emil also kindly took time away from watching an afternoon San Francisco Giants baseball game to remember his days as a young man, just beginning his senior year at San Juan High School in the fall of 1944 during World War II when he was called up by the local Draft Board at age 18 to start Army basic training.

 During his wartime service, Giusti served with the Company C of the 145th Infantry Regiment served with the U.S. 37th Infantry Division ("Buckeye Division") participating in the final battles of the Philippines campaign in 1945. Photo courtesy of the Giusti Family 

“I registered for the draft in September when I turned 18, and in November 18th, I got called up,” he said.

The youthful recruit was soon headed off for basic combat training with the U.S. Army’s 88th Infantry Training Battalion at Camp Roberts in central California. His older brother, Mario preceded him in the Army, serving as a surgical technician and his younger brother Joseph would serve with the U.S. 766th Railway Battalion in France and Germany.

The three brothers, Mario, Emil and Joseph are inscribed on a commemorative plaque in a World War II remembrance garden in Rusch Community Park in Citrus Heights for their wartime service.   

 Emil and Barbara were remarried in the Catholic Church and were active parishioners at Holy Family Catholic Church in Citrus Heights from its inception. Photo courtesy of the Giusti Family

Emil was born in Roseville on Sept. 13, 1926, to Pietro and Josephine Giusti of Roseville, and is one of nine children. In 1930, Emil’s father bought the Giusti family ranch at 7665 Twin Oaks in Sylvan on a handshake and within five years had paid off the family house.

Emil lived on Twin Oaks family farm from 1930 until he married Barbara and they raised their family on Sycamore Drive.

Raised by her mother and stepfather, Jim, Barbara was the oldest of four children. Her three brothers were Lester “Dale” Lawson, Linvel James Phillips and William Warren Phillips.

Pietro worked at the Roseville Southern Pacific Railroad. All his sons also worked at the Roseville Railroad, including Louie, Joseph, Mario, Emil and John. Emil himself worked at the railroad on weekends while attending San Juan High School.

Life on the Giusti family ranch remains full of rich memories remembering hunting pheasants to bring home for dinner and raising chicken to take eggs to market in San Francisco and meet his older sister Ann.

Emil recalled attending Sylvan School, now the Citrus Heights Veterans Community Center before attending San Juan High School. He was a member of 4H, Future Farmers of America (FFA) and ran cross-country on the high school track team.

Emil also picked up part-time work while attending high school. As part of his class credits at San Juan High, he recalled pruning trees in nearby orchards and working part-time for the Southern Pacific Railroad, following his father’s second professional career outside of the thriving family farm.

During his wartime service, Giusti served with the Company C of the 145th Infantry Regiment and served with the U.S. 37th “Buckeye” Infantry during World War II, participating in the Philippines campaign and the Battle of Manila in February 1945.

For his wartime service in the U.S. Army, Giusti earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge (CIB), Giusti received the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with 1 Bronze Star, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal and the Philippine Independence Ribbon.

His discharge papers indicate that he was wounded in action during the battle for Luzon but was not awarded a Purple Heart Medal. The family is working with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Congressman Ami Bera’s office to review his Army service record to see if this unreceived miliary honor can be properly presented to him.

The U.S. 37th Infantry Division was part of the U.S. forces in the Pacific Theater, fighting through the Northern Solomons and the Luzon campaign under the command of Gen. Douglas McArthur. Giusti’s 145th Infantry Regiment, as part of the 73rd Infantry Brigade, advanced into Manila in early 1945 after the Japanese surrender.

Giusti concluded his enlisted Army service as a corporal in a military police unit and recalls escorting a Japanese general to Clark Field in the Philippines for a post-war criminal war trial.

He was discharged from the U.S. Army in November 1946 and returned to his parent’s home and went back to the Southern Pacific Railroad to get his pre-war job back.

Emil said he enjoyed the friendships he made during his work as a machinist and later a machinist foreman for the Southern Pacific until he retired in 1987.

Emil and Barbara were remarried in the Catholic Church and were active parishioners at Holy Family Catholic Church in Citrus Heights from its inception.

During her lifetime, Barbara was a long-time active member of the Holy Family Church. She was a member and past president (1978-80) of the Catholic Ladies Relief Society (CLRS), No. 11 of the Sacramento Diocese and was named “Woman of the Year” award from the Sacramento Deanery of Catholic Ladies.

In May 2015, she became the new grand president of the Sacramento Diocese Grand Council of the CLRS. Barbara also served as a member of the Christ the King Retreat Center Guild and the local Ladies Auxiliary for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).

Emil was active in the Knights of Columbus and Barbara was in the Catholic Ladies Relief Society. As part of the relief society, Barbara and Emil started a food closet in the family garage.

With the Knights of Columbus organization, Emil also helped support the ministry at the parish in various ways. They cooked a monthly breakfast for parishioners, aiding in selling fireworks, spaghetti feeds, father daughter dances and many other church functions.

Emil’s birthday celebration is hosted by his children, Susan (Roy) Frank, Linda (Steven) Fretwell, Craig (Dora) Giusti, Carla (Dean) Tilford and Laura (Phil) McCrory.

Birthday guests should arrive at the Giusti family ranch at 7655 Twin Oaks Ave. in Citrus Heights on Saturday, Sept. 12 between 11:30 and 11:50 am.

Desserts and sweets will be provided by the event hosts. Formal honors and special presentations in celebration of his birthday milestone will be made to Emil by the city of Citrus Heights and local officials will also be made.