Raymond Eugene Zivelonghi Sr.

Raymond Eugene Zivelonghi was born on July 13, 1931 in Sierra Madre, California. Raymond’s mother gave birth to him at the family home with the assistance of a midwife. Otto Louis Zivelonghi and Anna De Lucia were Raymond’s Italian immigrant parents. Otto hailed from the ancestral town of Zivelongo which is an ancient settlement found in northern Italy in the beautiful countryside of the Lessinia Mountains. Known as a contrada or stone village, Zivelongo was built from prun stones before the Common Era. To this day, the village and its homes are inhabited by Zivelonghis. Anna came from the palatial city of Caserta which is found in the Campania region in southern Italy.

Upon arriving to the United States, Otto, then eighteen years old, passed through Ellis Island and made his way to San Pedro, California. At the young age of five, Anna too passed through Ellis Island and settled with her family in Connecticut. Eventually, the two crossed paths and created a family together. Josephine, Vincent, Raymond, and Linda were born to the Zivelonghi couple.

When Raymond was two years old, the family moved to their newly constructed home in San Gabriel, California. It was here that Raymond lived as a happy and social child. A favorite family pastime was to attend the Saturday matinee showing of westerns. This movie genre remained his preference throughout his life.

At the age of five, Raymond entered Washington Grammar School. He was considered to be a good and attentive student. In his later elementary school years, Raymond enjoyed the sport of football, but it was short lived as he was injured, and his parents no longer allowed him to play. It was also during these young school years that Raymond made important friendships which lasted a lifetime.

In 1945, Raymond began attending Alhambra High School. During his senior year, he acquired a Woody Station Wagon which he enjoyed cruising around in with his friends. One afternoon, he and his friend Bob Temple were on their way home from eating at Bob’s Big Boy Restaurant, and Ray was speeding on Los Robles Road which is a steep and windy street through the city of San Marino. Raymond lost control of the vehicle, and Bob was thrown twenty feet out of the car, and Raymond was badly injured when the steering knob punctured through his stomach. Fortunately, Bob was not badly hurt, but Raymond was in critical condition and had surgery to remove five feet of his large intestine. After three weeks in the hospital, Raymond recovered and returned to the life he enjoyed with his family and friends.

Later on, Raymond attended John Muir Junior College where he received an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration. With the knowledge gathered in school, with his father’s business example, and with his own entrepreneurial spirit and drive, Raymond would eventually become a businessman.

In 1951, Raymond wanted to serve his country and chose to enlist in the Coast Guard. His time in service lasted two years. While in Yokosuka, Japan, Raymond and his buddies made an unplanned visit to a tattoo parlor. It was a decision he forever regretted, and he made a point of always keeping his legs covered. Other ports visited were Saint Augustine, Florida and Acapulco, Mexico. The latter would eventually become the place where Raymond lived, found love, had children, enjoyed a full social life, and found great success in business.

When Raymond finished his two year service in the Coast Guard, he went to work as a set builder for 20th Century Fox Studios. With money he saved, Raymond and his friend Skip Rutherford opened a beer bar called My Place. It was located near the Santa Anita Race Track, and it was a success.

A short period later, in 1954, when Raymond was twenty three years old, a friend from the Coast Guard, Tom Popp, invited him to go to Mexico. While there, Raymond saw an opportunity in the export business. He moved to Mexico City and began exporting pumpkin seeds to United States. The business did very well and earned $30,000.00 per year.

Around this time, Tom Popp introduced Raymond to his girlfriend Angela’s younger sister. Her name was Carmen Isaura Melgarejo Miranda, and she was a beautiful, petite Mexican senorita. After falling in love with one another, Raymond, twenty-six years old, and Carmen, twenty-five years old, married on February 13, 1958. At this point, Raymond had a successful export business, and Carmen worked as a bilingual executive secretary for the Pepsi Cola Company. After a little more than a year of marriage, the young couple had their first child, a daughter. She was born on November 17, 1959, and they named her Ana Gabriela.

While in Mexico City, Tom Popp asked Raymond if he would be interested in becoming his partner in the pool industry which was a lucrative venture at the time in Acapulco. Paddock Pool Company, a service and pool building business was of interest to Raymond, so he accepted the offer. He, Carmen, and baby Ana moved to Acapulco.

The port city was beautiful. What came next was a very exciting time for Raymond and Carmen or Coco as she liked to be called. It was the Golden Age of Acapulco, and the hotel and restaurant industries were booming. Raymond and Coco, along with some of Raymond’s childhood friends, decided that the Big Boy Restaurant franchise was the right investment. They acquired the rights to and trademark of Big Boy. About a year later, the first restaurant opened, and it drew a large crowd. Raymond had the bright idea of an open air concept and a “come as you are” atmosphere which allowed for people to come straight from their day at the beach to enjoy a hamburger, fries, and a coke. The menu was well rounded with everything from hot cakes and eggs to hot dogs and milkshakes. Big Boy was a hit, and the profit was big for Raymond and Coco!

Raymond and Carmen enjoyed an active social life with local friends and with Americans who either vacationed or lived in Acapulco. On May 24, 1961, the couple welcomed their second daughter, Gina Maria. Their time was spent juggling work and parenthood. Around this time, Raymond and Carmen bought a large residential lot and built a beautiful home which they sold and doubled their money. As well, Raymond went into the exotic food business of canned parrot and iguana meat and exported it to the United Sates

With the Big Boy’s success, the couple decided to open a second location. They enjoyed the fruits of their labor and continued to have an active social life with friends, politicians, important businessmen and businesswomen, and movie stars. They became good friends with a local couple, Max and Shirley Tejeda. Max and Shirley owned a Tastee Freeze styled restaurant called La Vaca Negra. The two couples had a friendly business rivalry. Max Jr. and Ricky, the Tejedas’ two sons, were great friends to the Zivelonghi kids then and remain so to the present day. At this time, Coco was due to deliver their third child. They named her Adriana, and she was born on January 31, 1964.

Seeing as the Big Boy Restaurants did so well, Raymond and Coco opened a third restaurant, La Ballena. It was very different from Big Boy as its menu was made up of seafood dishes. Abalone, stuffed blue crab, fish sticks, fried and grilled fish, lobster, octopus, and seafood enchiladas were some of the food choices found at La Ballena. It proved to be as profitable as Big Boy. With so much good fortune, Raymond and Coco decided to open a forth restaurant. This one, Pecos, was opened with the concept of catering to American and Canadian tourists. It served a United States rendition of Mexican food that included burritos, quesadillas, and hard shell ground beef tacos. Unfortunately, Pecos did not thrive. The loss was minimal to Raymond and his wife, because they owned the land upon which the restaurant was built. They closed down Pecos and re-opened it as The Ziv’s. It was a Jewish deli that served blintzes, pastrami, and corned beef sandwiches among other things. The Ziv’s was particularly popular among tourists.

With all of their hard work paying off, Raymond and Coco decided to take a much needed vacation. The trip lasted two months and took them to such places as France, Italy, Spain, Morocco, and Japan. A year before their adventure abroad, Raymond and Coco welcomed their first and only son, Raymond Eugene Junior, on July 10, 1967 in Mexico City.

The next several years proved to be difficult ones. Mexico had become a place of political, social, and economic unrest. During the presidency of Luis Echeverria, the banks were nationalized which caused people to lose large amounts of money, affluent families lived with the constant threat of kidnappings and worse, and protesting college students in Mexico City were attacked and killed. The Zivelonghi couple was affected personally by all of the terrible events. Friends and acquaintances were kidnapped and were never seen again, close friend Luis Layseca’s son was one of the murdered college students, and they received a threatening letter which ultimately forced them to leave the city and country that brought them so much joy for so many years.

Arcadia, California was where Raymond and his family would next live. While Raymond had a home built, the family of six temporarily lived in a motel. As a way to help their children adjust to a new life in California, Raymond and Coco decided to get the kids a puppy. Joey was a sweet, apricot colored poodle, and as the beloved family pup, he brought years of joy to the entire family. Raymond’s siblings and their children lived in close proximity, and this allowed for them to spend holidays and special occasions with one another. Having family close by also gave Raymond and Coco the opportunity to take a cruise, and they entrusted the care of their kids with Raymond’s elder sister Josephine. Back in Mexico, Coco’s mother, Josefina, kept the Acapulco businesses running, and they continued to do well. Sadly, Josefina was soon diagnosed with cancer, so Raymond and Coco brought her to California where she lived with them and received medical treatment. They cared for her physically and financially. The Zivelonghi family as a whole was very close to Josefina. She impacted all of their lives in the most positive of ways, and because of the closeness and love they had for Josefina, her passing devastated them.

With all of his success in the restaurant industry, Raymond decided to give it a try in Pasadena. Along with his brother-in-law Bob Lukesh, Raymond opened a hamburger restaurant called Hugo’s Burgers on North Lake Boulevard. Unfortunately, with all of the competition of McDonald’s and Carl’s Jrs. popping up around them, Hugo’s Burgers did not do well and was closed. A hot dog restaurant of Raymond’s met the same fate as Hugo’s Burgers.

At this time, Raymond and Coco made the decision to invest in real estate. They bought rental income property in Carlsbad and Imperial Beach and an industrial property in Otay Mesa. As well, with their partners the Allens, they opened another two Big Boys in Tijuana, Mexico. Because these investments were south of Arcadia in San Diego County and directly across the border from San Diego, Raymond packed up his family and moved to Del Mar. His home on Rancho Real in Del Mar was to remain, for the rest of Raymond’s life, his favorite place on earth to live. The family settled nicely into their new neighborhood. Raymond and Coco, along with their kids, became good friends with their neighbors, Dick and Tuula Eddy and their two children. In the years to come, Raymond and Dick would take several fishing trips together and when older would play in weekly poker games with a group of friends. Coco and Tuula had a close bond that lasted until Tuula’s passing in 1983.

While things were going well for the family in Del Mar, the businesses in Acapulco began to have troubles. After the passing of Coco’s mother, the couple gave Mrs. Medegin, a long time bookkeeper, the management position. In the absence of Raymond and Coco, their businesses began to decline. The employees of La Ballena, with the urging of the Mexican Workers’ Union, went on strike. Because they knew it was a losing battle, Raymond and Coco surrendered the restaurant to their employees. As well, with the lack of foreign tourism and with the high cost of food, the couple decided to close the doors on The Ziv’s.

In 1979, Raymond and Carmen entrusted their daughter Ana to manage the Big Boys and their income properties in Mexico. They were ready to retire! At this time, they traveled to Europe and left their kids at home as they were able to care for themselves. Raymond had another wonderful adventure around this time when he and Ray Jr. visited Zurich, Switzerland, their ancestral town Zivelongo, where they spent time with their Italian family, Verona, Italy and Douglas, South Africa, where they experienced a hunting expedition. This trip proved to be a fun and memorable event for father and son.

During the 1980s, Raymond’s marriage to Coco became strained. In 1987, the couple made the painful decision to divorce. Raymond was devastated. Despite their problems, it was hard for him to accept the end of their marriage. Although there was deep resentment, many believed the two loved one another for the rest of their lives. This period of Raymond’s life was very difficult for him, and he leaned heavily on his children for support.

The next several years proved to be happier ones for Raymond. He spent quality time with his family and friends, met new friends, traveled, and continued to hunt and fish. Raymond’s family grew with the birth his grandchildren. From the mid 1980s through the mid 2000s, Raymond became grandfather to Ana’s two children Etienne and Anna Elisse, Gina’s two children Vanessa and Guillermo Raymundo, Adriana’s two children Aaron and Nathan, and Ray’s three children, Hanna, Lucas, and Samuel. Often, they would go to a park or watch cartoons together in Grandpa’s room.

Sundays at Grandpa’s house became a special family tradition. Raymond loved to have his family gathered at the dinner table on holidays and other special occasions. Cooking was a passion of Raymond’s, and he enjoyed preparing delicious meals with his family. His marinara sauce, which had imported Italian San Marzano tomatoes as its base ingredient, was kept a secret and never tasted by the family, because Raymond felt he had not quite perfected it. Another tradition that came to be in the 1990s was the way in which birthdays were celebrated. Typically, the family would go out for lunch and then return to Raymond’s home for cake and ice cream and present opening.

With the passing of time, Gina and Adriana joined their father for weekly dinners on Saturday nights. Ana and her family spent each Sunday with Raymond for lunch or an early dinner. Raymond also spent time with his son in Colorado. Ray Jr. moved there in 1989. Senior Ray frequently visited his son, daughter in law Helen and their kids. They fished, hunted for Elk, and enjoyed nature. Another demonstration of Raymond’s love for his children was his nightly phone calls to each of them just to say, “Hi, how was your day, and I love you.”

Friendships, throughout all stages of Raymond’s life, were of great importance to him. Bob Harris, Al Skiget, Wyatt Walker, Bob Temple, Jack Sedler, George Garrould, Bill Moore, Carl Sedler, Jack Bates, Berry Bollman, Terry Kanow, John Hamilton, and Jack Ritter were great friends of Raymond’s. In the 1990s and on, he and many of his childhood friends would meet on the first Monday of every month at The Fish Market in Del Mar. Afterward, they would gather at his home and reminisce about old times. He also during this time made new friends through a singles’ travelers’ club. It was through this club that Raymond met Shirley Gilbert. Shirley became a special and loyal friend for the rest of Raymond’s life. She, along with Dick, Woody, Sally, Dale, Linda, Beverley, Tom, Mickey, Judy, and others met weekly at Raymond’s for a potluck poker game night.

Overall, during this time, Raymond was enjoying his life. He took excellent care of himself by eating healthfully, walking to the top of his driveway regularly for exercise, managing his diabetes and cholesterol, and drinking only on special occasion. He was happy.

On May 14, 2009, Raymond suffered an acute attack of pancreatitis, and he was hospitalized. Sadly, a series of complicated and chronic health issues kept Raymond from making it back home. Throughout this time, his family and friends showed great support for him. For two years and four months, Raymond fought valiantly to be well, so as to achieve his two greatest wishes; a return to the home he loved and a return to a life with family and friends that he cherished. On September 10, 2011 at 3:39 PM, Raymond, with his children at his side, lost the battle he tried so desperately to win.

Raymond will be remembered as a deeply caring father, a loyal friend, and a hard worker. His wit, his strength, and his determination shaped so much of who he was and what he accomplished. Raymond is survived by his two sisters Josephine and Linda, his four children; Ana, Gina, Adriana, and Ray, his nine grandchildren; Vanessa, Billy Ray, Aaron, Etienne, Nathan, Anna Elisse, Hanna, Lucas, and Samuel, and his great granddaughter, Ella.