Marian F. Venezio

Marian F. Venezio was a modest woman, quiet and observant in her ways. She was trustworthy and traditional in her approach to her life and in her relationships. She was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew her. She was also a woman who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything she undertook. Realistic about life, she was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

Marian was born on October 1, 1913 at the family home in Kauai, Hawaii. Her parents were Antonio and Maria Falcato. Marian was raised in Hawaii until she moved to Castro Valley, CA as a young girl. She was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve her well throughout her life.

Growing up in the Venezio household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Marian was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and she was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Marian was raised with eight siblings. She had four brothers, Johnny, Frank, Tony, and Jose, and four sisters, Mary, Jeanette, Catherine, and Lucy. Marian was constantly involved in activities with her brothers and sisters. Marian and her siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Marian was always consistently loyal to her family.

As a young child, Marian was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. She wasn’t pushy and never forced her way into games or other activities. Marian developed a variety of interests, though, and the things she enjoyed doing she did well. She was always curious about the world around her and was often eager to explore it. In her spare time she liked crocheting and embroidery. Marian's memorable achievements included completing school through the 8th grade. However, what Marian enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with her many friends.

Always considered to be a solid friend, Marian was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during her life. Since she disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw her own conclusions based on direct observation, Marian was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew her. She was committed to her friends and valued the trust she placed in them. It was not uncommon for Marian to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought her out for advice because she had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. Later in life, she became friends with Gloria Sabatte in San Jose, CA, and Doris Hodges in Galt, CA.

Marian exchanged wedding vows with Anthony (Tony) Venezio in Reno, Nevada. Compassionate and devoted to Anthony, Marian held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. She took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it her total commitment. She was a source of strength to Anthony and using her gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, she worked hard to make her new family happy.

Marian brought the same traditional values in her marriage to bear on how she raised her children. She was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in her dealings. She would always listen carefully and think things through before she acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Marian was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Marian had two sons, Leonard (Lenny) and Arthur (Art). She was blessed with ten grandchildren, Christina, Jason, Charles, Catherine, Matthew, Carol, Jalin, Spencer, Jaimie, and Jesse. Marian was also blessed with eleven great-grandchildren, Kai, Riqi, Michael, Casey, Nicole, Canon, Kaden, Roshanna, Adel, Sebastian, and Isabel.

Marian greatly enjoyed what she did for a living. She was a hard worker who expected the same in return from her co-workers. She was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Marian enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Marian was excellent at meeting deadlines. She was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. Her primary occupation was as a housekeeper and packing dried fruit. Marian worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Marian liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into her hobbies, where she was very methodical in how she organized her activities and categorized things. Since she enjoyed her private time, Marian always tried to allocate a specific time for working on her hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were sewing, knitting, crocheting, and gardening. Marian was content to enjoy her hobbies alone but was also willing to share her interests with others.

Marian was a woman who was dedicated and devoted to her faith. She was a member of St. John Vianney in San Jose, CA. During that time, she was a seamstress for the Portuguese Holy Ghost Festival sewing the Queen's gowns. She was a sympathetic woman who valued her beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

Marian enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since she was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Marian appeared effortless. She enjoyed researching all of her examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where she traveled, Marian always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included Portugal, Panama Canal, Hawaii, and Reno bus trips.

When Marian’s retirement finally arrived, she was well prepared. She always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things she knew, so she was very confident in planning her retirement. She had begun the process early and had her retirement all laid out well in advance. Her new life involved relocating to Galt, CA, then to Morgan Hill, CA, and then to Gilroy, CA. In retirement, she found new pleasure in traveling, gardening, and sewing/knitting for her family. Even in retirement, Marian continued to stay in touch with her old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. She was active in her new community and felt fulfilled.

Marian F. Venezio passed away on May 28, 2014 at Morgan Hill, CA due to a stroke. She is survived by her children; her grandchildren; and her great-grandchildren. Services were held at Oak Hill Funeral Home in the Chapel of Roses in San Jose, CA. Marian was laid to rest in Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose, CA.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Marian F. Venezio. She was committed to living the life of a good woman who was both practical and trustworthy. She was committed to the traditional values that she upheld her entire life. She committed herself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around her. Most of all, she was committed to those she knew and loved.