Edward "Rick" Macsata

On January 6th, 2026, Edward Macsata hit his apex of the surly bounds of Earth, most likely straddling his 2006 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide, listening to Waylon Jennings’ Good Hearted Woman. A lifelong resident of Torrington, Connecticut, he was known to those who knew and loved him as Rick, and they undoubtedly appreciated his unmatched precision with a measuring tape or construction levels. Not known for being a talker, unless you talked about what piqued his interest, and then he’d speak until each angle was covered, committed to exhausting every nuance. Rick had two true loves in his life: his wife, Esty Tavano Macsata, and her cooking. The family marveled at how each mouthful of his wife’s cooking was strategically sliced and arranged around his plate, ensuring every single taste would satisfy his palate’s enjoyment. God called Rick home, waving the checkered flag for the last time.

Rick was born on March 5th,1941, in Litchfield County, Connecticut, as the only son of Edward F. and Eleanor Macsata. Aside from his wife and soulmate of 58 years, Rick is survived by his daughter, Cheryl Lyne Coyle and her husband Robert Coyle of East Haven, Connecticut, his son, Brandon Michael Macsata, of the Outer Banks, North Carolina, his beloved “little guy” grandson, Sebastian Ryan Macsata, also of the Outer Banks, as well as his sister, Margurite M. Blouin and her husband Norman Blouin of Claremount, New Hampshire. Childhood friends talked about his ability to power his share of longballs during neighborhood sandlot games, only equally matched by his older buddies, who admittedly cowered to his “terminator” look when his eyes demanded your attention. Throughout his life’s journey, he earned the respect of his peers, both young and old, by immersing himself in building or fixing what he could.

For 50 years, Rick was quite proud of his perfect driving safety record hauling consumer products in semi-trucks for Kimberly-Clark’s trucking division from the east to the west coast. The man could turn an 18-wheeler on a dime, including on the crowded streets of downtown Manhattan, New York, and notably a laughter-filled recollection of a delivery in The Bronx, where his entire shipment was stolen in the matter of minutes, unbeknownst to him. Anchored around his time at Kimberly-Clark was his time with hauling construction materials for O&G Industries, where few could match cleaner cement mixers or dump trucks. He was a 1959 graduate of Torrington High School.

Few could match his grasp and navigational prowess with an old-fashioned Atlas. Yet over the forty years since their mainstreaming in American households, almost anyone could operate a microwave oven better than he could. The stove was his nemesis, but a circular saw sang to him better than any music by the supergroup, The Highwaymen.

Rick faithfully served his country as a Sergeant in Company B, 2nd Battalion, 102nd Infantry in the Connecticut National Guard for six years from 1963 to 1969, earning expert marksmanship badges. Still, more importantly, he served humanity as the guy who always offered a helping hand to virtually anyone who walked into his life. He fixed his children’s friend’s bicycles. He fixed his neighbor’s lawnmowers and faucets. He fixed broken cars. He tried to fix the world, armed with his 12,495 tools (maybe more). Rick also taught countless aspiring skiers at Ski Sundown in New Hartford, Connecticut.

He was stubborn, yet humble. He was stern, yet a big teddy bear. He was an immovable object, yet light as a feather. He was always right, followed only by admitting he was wrong.

His life’s simple pleasures included lemon meringue pie, NASCAR, Kansas City Chiefs’ games on fall Sunday afternoons, Landline truckers’ magazine, Yuengling, Asiago Cheese, Clams Casino, grilled hamburgers, skiing, car roadshow programs, or watching sailboats on the Atlantic Ocean. But few things in his life brought him more joy than Esty’s kisses or Sebastian’s intoxicating laughter.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Peter Church (St. John Paul the Great Parish), 99 East Main St., Torrington, CT. There are no calling hours. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, please consider memorial contributions to St. Jude Children's Hospital (www.stjude.org) or to Tunnel to Towers Foundation (www.t2t.org)

Rick’s transition to the After Life, though a loss to those close to him, means Heaven has now added a devoted husband, loving father, and grandfather for the ages.