Lasting Memories
Marianne Pellegrini
Sept. 22, 1924-May 13, 2012
San Jose, California
Our loving mother passed peacefully on to join dad and our brother Marc in heaven on Mother's Day, having lost her long battle with breast cancer. She spent her last days at her home in The Villages with family and friends who helped her find her way to eternal rest.
Marianne is survived by her sons, Carlo (Nyack, N.Y.) and Ron and his wife Niamh (Los Altos, Calif.); her brother, Robert and his wife Donna (Los Gatos, Calif.); her sister, Geraldine (San Jose, Calif.); grandsons, Giancarlo and Joseph and her granddaughter Christina Maire; nieces, Gerrie Ann Bannister (Teresi) and Kelly Horan (Teresi); nephews, Joe Teresi, Dr. Louis Teresi, Matthew Teresi and Todd Teresi and their many children and family members. She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 21 years, Pellegrino (Pal) Pellegrini; her youngest son, Marc; her parents, Joseph A. and Clara Teresi (Saratoga, Calif); and her older brother Dr. Joseph Teresi of Milwaukee, Wis.
Born in Saratoga on the fruit ranch owned and operated by her father, she was a part of the valley?s history that has so quickly faded from view. Picking and processing apricots for drying, helping her mother feed the ranch hands, and helping her dad with daily chores were all a part of her early life?s experiences. She was also an accomplished performer as a young girl, studying ballet, developing her acrobatic skills, and taking acting classes in Saratoga from the mother of actresses Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland. After attending Los Gatos High (class of '42), she went on to receive her degree from the O'Connor Hospital School of Nursing in 1948 and became a surgical nurse, working in that same hospital until her marriage in 1951.
A widow for nearly 40 years, the great memories we all have come from the years in Palo Alto, beginning in 1952 when mom and dad opened and then operated Pellegrini's Crescent Pharmacy in the old Whiskey Gulch district of Palo Alto. As active members of St. Albert the Great parish community and school lifelong friendships were built and nurtured that survive to this day. Great times with great people. She created and managed a beautiful home and provided her family with all the care and love that anyone could ever hope for in a lifetime. After losing her husband in 1972, she relocated to the Oak Creek Apartments in Palo Alto where for the next 25 years she was at the center of all things tennis. It became her passion and both her physical and social outlet and created yet another new group of close friends with whom she enjoyed life to its fullest. Transitioning to The Villages in 1998 gave her yet another venue to exhibit her tennis skills and she played every day until her 80th birthday, making more great friends along the way, especially her caring neighbors Jan Holland and Shirley Roberts.
She will be missed and loved forever.
May 18, 2012
For me hospitality and Marianne will always be linked together. She was a warm and witty woman who made everyone feel a part of a family. One vivid memory of years ago was her standing in a kitchen in a beach house she had rented for the holidays down below Santa Cruz . There she was pulling a lasagna out of the oven, surrounded by her friends and her various family and adopted 'family'. It was a simple but elegant time made all the more warm and special because she cared about making a 'day' for all she loved. Sun, sand and ocean breezes and her preparations set the stage for a day I will always remember and mostly because of Marianne's thoughtfulness and love of life. I am thankful to have known such a generous and vibrant woman. What a blessing she has been. May she arrive in eternity to the same kind of warm welcome she offered all who knew her. Indomitable woman!
May 17, 2012
I remember Marianne fondly from my many years at St. Albert The Great Church, in Palo Alto. We all worked together on the annual dinner dances they would have. I knew she had moved to The Villages where my mother lived for many years and she became a friend of my Aunt Margie who also lives there. I heard of her passing today from my mother's companion of 20 years. The same wonderful lady who helped Marianne, also helps him. He remembered that I knew Marianne and let me know. She was a beautiful, and wonderful person and I am glad I had a chance to know her.
May 16, 2012
May 15, 2012
So loved aunt Sis (Marianne) ... I remember how she lit up an entire room....with just her smile. Her hugs were always filled with such love. May you smile now down upon us. Matthew