Constantino Lavezzo

Constantino (Tino) Lavezzo was born in Soglio, a small village on the Ligurian coast of Italy in 1937. After the war his family immigrated to San Francisco where Tino attended the Salesian High School and cultivated his passion for study, ritual, early mornings, and music. After attending San Francisco State, Tino was drafted into the army and stationed in Germany where he met Lela Whitcomb. They fell in love and married. Back in the States, Tino began teaching at Redwood Highschool, where he taught Government, Philosophy, and Italian. Tino was a generous teacher, who loved working with young people, challenging their assumptions, and cultivating their curiosity and critical thinking. His unorthodox and provocative style of teaching gained him a loyal following of students, but sometimes put him at odds with the school administration. Tino and Lela settled in Marin County and had four children. Tino was a Fulbright Scholar and studied German in Berlin. The family also spent a sabbatical year in Rome, where he received his Licentia Docendi at the Pontifical Gregorian University. After twenty-nine years at Redwood Highschool, Tino went on to the University of San Francisco, where he taught Ethics as an adjunct professor for fourteen years. Tino was an avid hiker, an enthusiastic and slightly disorganized gardener, played the violin and piano, was a lifelong lover of classical music, spoke five languages, and had a serious yoga practice before it was popular. Tino was a free thinker and ecumenical in spirit, but regularly attended mass on Sundays and took comfort in the rituals of the church. He was a grand conversationalist, and above all loved connecting with people and hearing their stories. His attention, humor, and natural enthusiasm kept him curious and young to the very end. He is survived by his children: Giulietta, Giuliano, Liliana, and Francesca, son-in-law, John Campbell, daughter-in-law, Tami Lavezzo, grandchildren, Gabriella and Giuseppe, and his brother, Joe.

A vigil for Tino will be held Wednesday, September 21, 2022 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Keaton's Mortuary, 1022 E St, San Rafael, California 94901. A Funeral Mass will occur Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 10:00 AM at St. Raphael's Mission Chapel, 1104 Fifth Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901. Following Mass, there will be a committal service at Mt Olivet Catholic Cemetery, 270 Los Ranchitos Rd, San Rafael, California 94903. The family would like to invite you to a Celebration of Life following the services. To RSVP or for inquiries, please email [email protected].