Dale and Ida Korzan

Ida Korzan joined her husband and family members in Heaven May 5, 2016. She passed away peacefully in Placerville after six months of complications due to a stroke. She was the only child born to Amaddio and Narcisa (Baggaini) Pucci.

Ida was born at home on Union Street in San Francisco, CA. She grew up in North Beach which at the time was the Italian section of San Francisco. Her parents were very active in the Italian community, her father was an owner of grocery store and her mother was a busy as a certified nurse and midwife.

Ida enjoyed the cultural diversity of the city, which included attending a French supported Catholic school and making many friends in China Town. Outside of developing an ability to speak different languages, she had a great love for music. Her music teacher, a member of the S.F. Symphony, found Ida had talent playing the piano. She was good enough to be included in a group of children who played concerts for patrons at some large hotels in San Francisco.

Due to economic conditions during the depression, Ida moved with her parents to different communities looking for work. Thanks to cousins, the Pieracci family, who lived in Roseville, CA, her father found steady work with the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Ida graduated from Roseville High School and continued her education at Sacramento City College. Riding the bus from Roseville to Sacramento, Ida developed some lifelong friendships. With one such friend, Jonelle Miner Hansen, they would later share together, as wives and mothers, Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve dinners with their families. After two years at Sacramento City College, Ida transferred to the University of California at Berkeley. She was interested in ancient cultures, so she decided to major in Latin American History with a minor in the Spanish Language. While at Cal, Ida stayed in a dorm house for women. After retirement years Ida would share annual Cal reunions with her friends from that dorm. Ida graduated from Cal and spent one more year in school getting her teaching credential.

Ida found her first job teaching, kindergarten and first grade, in another Italian community, Button Willow, CA. In this agricultural town, some of Ida’s family on her mother’s side, the Baggiani family, were living and working. Also, Ida met her future husband, Dale M. Korzan, at a Catholic Church dance in Button Willow, CA. Ida and Dale were married at St. Rose’s Catholic Church in Roseville, CA on June 19, 1949. After teaching at a school in Springville, CA, Ida moved with her husband to Placerville CA to be closer to her parents. While working part-time at her husband’s dry cleaning business, the Sanitex Cleaners, and substitute teaching at schools in El Dorado County, she raised three sons.

Ida Korzan really enjoyed working in education. She helped start the first pre-school in Placerville, taught Sunday school (Catechism) at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and continued to teach an Italian language class at ninety years of age.

Ida was a loving wife, a proud mother and grandmother, a caring Catholic, and a great Italian cook. She will be dearly missed.

Ida Korzan is survived by her three son’s Dale M. Korzan Jr. and wife Edith Korzan, Pat Korzan, Ted Korzan; and two grandchildren, Eva (Korzan) Barrow and husband James Barrow, and Paul Korzan. The Korzan family would like to thank the staffs at Marshall Hospital and the Pines of Placerville (*nursing home) for their professional caring treatment of both Dale and Ida.

A memorial Mass will be held for Dale and Ida, Saturday, July 2, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 3109 Sacramento St., Placerville, CA. The Rosary will be said Friday, July 1, 2016 at 3:00 pm (1:00 to 3:00 to pay respects and sign the guestbook) at Chapel of the Pines Funeral Home, 2855 Cold Springs Rd., Placerville, CA. In lieu of flowers donations may be made, in Ida’s name, to St. Jude’s Research Hospital for Children, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Online condolences may be posted at www.chapelofthepinesfunerals.com.