Giannina Carmen Tomassetti

Carmen was born on March 10, 1926 in Monte Porzio, Italy to Olinto and Rosa Guidi.

Carmen, the oldest child, was raised within a strict Roman-Catholic tradition along with her three sisters and two brothers in Monte Porzio, a country village near the Adriatic coast of Italy. Her devotion to her Faith and Family meant the world to her up to the very end.

After WWII, she met James Tomassetti, an American soldier and Sacramento native whose parents had immigrated to the United States from a village near Monte Porzio. They married in the village church and left her life and family in Italy to settle in Sacramento to start a new life and family in 1948. The newlyweds moved into one of the first four houses built on a developing street named Janey Way in the part of town to become known as Little Italy in East Sacramento. Here, Carmen became a matriarch among other matriarchs. The couple began raising their family of five children among the 50 plus children from other new families in the 30 houses of the newly establishing neighborhood. Carmen was the last matriarch alive representing that Janey Way Baby Boomer era.

In 1966 Carmen began her career in food service at Sacramento State College (later to become California State University of Sacramento). Here she worked 32 years happily preparing breakfast and lunch for the thousands upon thousands of students and professors passing her way.

Carmen Tomassetti was a wonderful, dedicated and loving Mother, Wife, Sister-in Law, Aunt, Neighbor and Nonna. She was forever giving and caring for others. She was an amazing cook and the host of many, many celebrations for her family, neighbors, and friends, in her home or out in her beautifully tended garden. She was a tremendously skilled seamstress and created many dresses and costumes for her daughters and granddaughters. She had a magnificent talent for crocheting and knitting which led to the making of many beautiful gifts for newborns, kids and grownups alike.

Carmen is survived by her sisters, Imelda, Agnese, and Tina in Italy, two sons, John of Pasadena, and Mark of Orangevale, daughters-in law, Mary Rhea Breen of Sacramento, Luisa Tomassetti of Pasadena, Sheila-Hull Summers of Citrus Heights, granddaughters, Maura Bernadette Tomassetti of Sacramento, Oriana Tomassetti of Pasadena, Payton Josephine Tomassetti of Citrus Heights, grandson, Raymond Revilla of Monrovia. She is also survived by many loving extended family members both in the U.S. and in Italy. Carmen is preceded in death by her parents, husband, James Tomassetti, daughters, Bernadette (Berna) Tomassetti, Josephine (Josie) Tomassetti, and son, Denis, all of Sacramento, and her brothers Giovanni and Giorgio in Italy.

A viewing is scheduled for Friday, January 10th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm with the Rosary at 6:00 at Nicoletti’s, Culjis & Herberger, 5401 Folsom Blvd in Sacramento. A Funeral Mass is scheduled for January 11th at 10:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Church, 58th Street & M Street in Sacramento, reception to follow. Burial will occur at St. Mary’s Cemetery, 6509 Fruitridge road on January 13th at 10 AM.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Mercy McMahon Terrace, 3865 J Street Sacramento, CA. 95816 and/or Applied Palliative and Hospice Services Inc, 2865 Sunrise Blvd, Rancho Cordova, CA. 95742.

The family would like to thank the following individuals for their presence, care, love and dedication: Caregiver Ione Bullock, RN Karen Johnson of Sutter Home Health, Hospice Nurse Kelly Belli and the Care Team from Applied Hospice, and the Nurses, Resident Care Aides and entire staff at Mercy McMahon Terrace.