5/25/1926-1/19/2020
In San Francisco, aged 93. After a brief illness, Gloria passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family. A native of Napa, California. Daughter of Elizabeth Carbone Raneri, and Onofrio Vincenzo Fontana.
As a young girl, Gloria worked along with her sisters at the Christian Brothers/Mount La Salle winery in the Napa Valley, helping their mother sustain the family after her father became ill. During World War II, Gloria worked in the accounting office for the Selective Service Dept. at Mare Island Naval Base in Vallejo. After the war, she moved to San Francisco, and became an IBM keypunch operator for The General Agencies of New York Company. It was at this time she met a young man named Renzo Lavezzo at an Italian American Dance in North Beach. They smiled at each other, fell in love, and were married two years later in 1951. Later, Gloria gave birth to her first son Rick, and then to another son Stephen. While Renzo worked to build and eventually co-own Victoria Pastry Company in North Beach, Gloria worked equally hard as a wife, homemaker, and above all, a loving mother. Later, when her children grew up, she became more involved in the family business, helping our father make decisions as the company grew increasingly more successful. Our mother always maintained that one’s success in life can only be measured by the way you conducted yourself with other people. She believed in the virtues of modesty, kindness, and being helpful to others who were less fortunate, as real measures of a successful life.
Our sweet mother lived her life with grace and beauty, and the world is a much sadder place now that she has left. We will miss her always, but know that she will always be with us.
Gloria was pre-deceased by her husband Renzo, her sisters, Marie and Dolores, and her brother Vincent. She is survived by her sons Rick and Stephen, her dear sister Rosalie, her Godsons-David and Timothy, her nieces Suzette and Rebecca, their families, and many other nieces and nephews whom she loved so very much.
Rosary followed by the Funeral Mass will be held at SS Peter & Paul Italian Church, at Washington Square in North Beach, San Francisco, Thursday Jan. 30th, at 10:30 am. followed by interment at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Colma, Daly City. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Heart Assn. or The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.9.5