Marilyn Janet Paride

“Age is just a number and mine is unlisted,” was one of Marilyn’s favorite sayings when asked about her age. She never wanted anyone to know how “young” she was. “Forever young” and “74 again” always drew laughs. She would shake her finger and say, “Don’t you dare tell them how old I am!”

Marilyn was a beautiful, fun-loving lady with a huge smile that would light up any room. She was devoted to her family and was never one to turn down an invitation to dance, travel or play cards.

Marilyn Janet Piazza was born in San Francisco on August 3, 1921. She was the youngest of 11 children, 5 boys and 6 girls. Marilyn was only six months old when she moved from San Francisco to the growing suburbs of downtown San Jose. Her family moved to San Jose because her brother Tony was starting to associate with the wrong crowd and his teacher thought it would be best if they moved. Imagine that!

Family was front and center while Marilyn was growing up and throughout her entire life. She always described her father as domineering and her mother just short of being an angel. All of the kids loved their “mama” dearly. When Marilyn was nine, the family moved into a custom built home designed by her father. In the basement there was a long table with benches for the family, and above the table was a beautiful picture of the last supper. This was the center of family life growing up.

Days at the Piazza house were filled with simple pleasures such as puzzles, listening to the Zenith radio, and shopping at Montgomery Wards. Childhood games included kick the can and hide and seek. There was a beautiful library table in the hall that ended up in Marilyn’s room and she would use it to put jigsaw puzzles together.

As a young girl, Marilyn would go for walks on hot summer nights with her sisters, Pat and Katie. The 3 of them would sing to neighbors sitting on their porches who would call out requests to the young trio!

On wet, wintery days, the stove would be going in the basement and Marilyn along with her brothers and sisters would put on their own "amateur hour,” with a broom doubling as a microphone. Her brother Paulie was quite a comedian and would always make them laugh. Marilyn always said he missed his calling. Everyone had a good time together and squabbles were rare. This was truly a family filled with love.

Marilyn’s father, Ignatius, was in the fruit business, dealing in seasonal fresh fruit. He would contract out for the fruit, beginning with cherries in May. He hired pickers from the neighborhood and women would come and pack the cherries for shipping to the east coast. When Marilyn was 12, she loved to go to the ranch where they packed the cherries and help out. She enjoyed arranging the fancy cherries and sometimes the cherries were so big 10 could fit in a row across the box. One of Marilyn’s favorite stories was packing a box of cherries for President Roosevelt. Her family loved President Roosevelt and wanted to send him something to show how much they appreciated what he was doing for our country. In 1932, she packed a box of cherries shaped in an “R” and sent it special delivery to The White House. Soon after, the family received a personal thank you note from the White House staff thanking her family for the delicious cherries and letting them know how much the president appreciated the gift.

Apricots followed cherries. Marilyn used a large apricot knife (at age 12 no less) to help “cut” the apricots in half, pit them and send them on their way to the dehydration room. She enjoyed singing with the women while they cut the “cots.” As the summer progressed, the seasonal fruit rolled in—prunes followed the same path as the apricots.

Marilyn graduated San Jose High School in 1939. Her first job was at S.H. Kress, which was similar to a Woolworth. She worked there for one year before World War 11 broke out. During the war, Marilyn worked at the Newark Wedgewood stove plant. This plant was turned into a naval airplane repair site. Marilyn joined the ranks of “Rosie the Riveter” and worked on the airplanes. She repaired planes from 1943 to 1945, until the soldiers came home from the war.

In the early 1940s, Marilyn attended Saturday night dances at the San Jose Civic Auditorium as well as the Police and Fireman's Balls. Her father would buy the tickets and the Piazza sisters would go dancing. At one of those dances Marilyn met the love of her life and future husband, John Paride. Right after they met, he told her that he was going into the service and asked her to write to him. She wrote to “Johnny” for four years. And while they never really went out on an official date together until he was discharged in October of 1945, their hearts were made up. On April 21, 1946, John and Marilyn were married in San Jose. Throughout their nearly 61 years of marriage, Marilyn and John continued their love of dancing and were often referred to as “Fred and Ginger.”

Marilyn had a marriage filled with events and occasions that always included her family and friends, starting with her three daughters. Janice was born in 1948, Ginny arrived in 1952, and Gayle followed in 1958. Sadly, Janice predeceased her mother in 1988 after battling breast cancer. Marilyn and John adored their daughters, son-in-laws, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and the many nieces, nephews, and other members of their families, as well as countless neighbors and friends. Everyone was welcomed in their large family room on Cottle Avenue for weddings, baby showers, graduation parties, and any other excuse for a party! John even crafted a table extension from plywood to accommodate 14 people at one table! Talk about an extended family!

Marilyn’s big family and long-standing traditions included making Italian fig-stuffed Cuccidati cookies at Christmas. This was a huge extended family affair and cookies were placed throughout the house to dry on large sheets of plywood. Christmas eve was filled with many sisters, brothers and family friends sharing Italian sausage with peppers and onions and a friendly game of bingo (for pennies, of course!). Midnight mass at St. Christopher’s Church would follow for those who were up to going out.

While raising her children, Marilyn worked seasonally in the summer at California Canners and Growers in downtown San Jose. Over the years, she moved from sorting fruit to working as a timekeeper in the office. She always worked the night shift (6:00 pm to 2 am) and John would bring her dinner on Saturday night. Her uniform looked just like a nurse’s uniform and Gayle’s friends often mistook her for a nurse.

As the children got older, John and Marilyn enjoyed traveling with family and friends: taking cruises, joining group tours, and hitting the road with their RV group. In 1971, Marilyn and John bought their cabin in the mountains near Sonora and would escape to the quiet of the forest. This also became a family gathering spot for vacations. When not traveling or visiting their cabin, they enjoyed spending weeks or months at their daughter Gayle’s southern California home.

Like dancing and traveling, another one of Marilyn’s passions was playing cards--poker, solitaire and bridge. She had four brothers and a father who taught her well! They would play poker for money—five and ten cent limits. If no one was around, solitaire was her game of choice. When she hit her late 80s, it was tough competition at the local senior center bridge tables, but Marilyn hung in there and played at the San Jose Senior Center until almost 90! Playing poker at the casinos and at private poker parties with her daughter Ginny was a joy of hers till the last year of her life.

In her final years, Marilyn would take walks down the block or at the mall with her walker, affectionately known as “Big Red” or “Waldo” (because we often had to search for it). She enjoyed spending time with family, laughing and going out to dinner. Of course, spaghetti with meatballs was her favorite!

Marilyn’s time on earth was clearly rich and joyful. Her infectious smile and sweet disposition remained until the end. One of the last things she said with great clarity was, “Remember, when I close my eyes, that I had a happy life and how much I loved you.”

On January 15, 2014, Marilyn passed away peacefully at home, at the “forever young” age of 92. With her daughters by her side and family photos all around her, she gracefully exited the dance floor one last time