Ann Marcella Fontanella

Inspiring and beloved City College of San Francisco professor Ann Fontanella unexpectedly rushed home early Tuesday morning to meet her mom and dad Marcella and Albert in heaven. For those of us running to catch up to Ann, she would ask that we all slow down and pause a moment to count our blessings as we remember Ann’s beautiful life and momentous career.

Always true to her bilingual and bicultural roots, Ann was raised in San Francisco, California and Rome, Italy. A graduate of St. Gabriel’s School on Vicente Street in San Francisco, the Marymount International High School in Rome, and San Francisco State University (B.A. Italian Language & Literature, Minor in Spanish; M.A. Comparative Literature, Classics; M.A. TEFL), Ann’s love of learning is a gift that each of her students has the opportunity to share forever.

Early in her career, Ann taught at private language schools in the City and at universities in Japan and South Korea. Her rise at City College over the past twenty-six years from adjunct instructor to full-time, tenured professor includes selfless hours of service training other teachers, presenting at conferences, demonstrating for the educator’s Union, leading Project S.H.I.N.E. volunteers, ensuring quality of the accreditation team, and writing heartfelt letters of recommendation for students who transferred to major universities such as Columbia, Harvard, U.C. Berkeley, S.F.S.U., U.S.F., and more. Many of Ann’s students started in her non-credit E.S.L. classes and most of them have gone on to brilliant careers.

In March of 2014, Ann received the prestigious Teacher of the Year Award by the International Association T.E.S.O.L. and National Geographic Learning. Ann’s teaching was recognized for her outstanding ability to instruct for Student Engagement and Community Leadership.

Outside of the classroom, Ann was a bon vivant who volunteered yearly for the San Francisco Intl Jazz Festival, the San Francisco Intl Film Festival, and even worked a side job for a few years on weekends as a Concierge at the San Francisco Embarcadero Hyatt Regency Hotel! Her wit, humor, and generous soul is like her favorite fleur reminding us to always Look UP – The Sunflower.

Ann is survived by her cousins in Italy, the Timmi, Renzi, and Forgia families of Rome, the Eternal City, and by her many friends, colleagues, and students here in San Francisco and around the world.

Memorial Services will be held by Ann’s family at St. Peter & Paul’s Cathedral, North Beach, Saturday morning December 7th, 10:30 AM. The Visitation for Ann will be held Wednesday evening, December 4th, starting at 5pm at Green Street Mortuary, North Beach, San Francisco.