Lena M. Rancatore

August 20,1926 - July 19, 2013

Lena passed away in San Jose, California on July 19, 2013 at the age of 86. Lena was born in Omaha, NE in 1926. Her parents were Italian immigrants. Lena's first language was Italian. She started learning English by playing with her friends outside. She was kind of a tom boy and enjoyed playing out door games. She learned to play the piano. Her family moved to San Francisco, CA when she was in high school. After graduating, she worked at Hunters Point for the Navy during WWII. She worked in the mail room as a messenger. After the war, she was a teletype operator with Pacific Bell. She married Frank Rancatore in 1948 and quit work after one year. The family moved to San Jose in 1958, where they raised their two children, Steven and Celeste. She was active at the children's school. She was room parent a couple of times. She also helped out with the school lunches. Lena loved to cook and bake for her family and friends. She was well known in the family for making a delicious Thanksgiving turkey dressing and her Cheese Balls appetizer at Christmas time. Although she eventually learned to drive, she never drove because she was uncomfortable at driving a car. She was widowed in 1972. She was employed in 1974 at San Jose State University as a supervisor for the Student Financial Aid Office until she retired in 1991. After retiring, she traveled to Alaska and Hawaii with her good friend Iris Wegl. She also joined the "Over 50 club" at St. Christopher's Church. Lena enjoyed game shows on television. Some of her singers were: Neil Diamond, Perry Como and Andy Williams. She enjoyed listening to classical music and reading romance novels. She also enjoyed playing ping pong. Lena liked attending musical theatre. She has four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. They called her Nonna which is grandmother in Italian. Lena's friends remarked that she was a friendly and kind individual and a good listener.