Wilman Vincenzo Iacomini

Tagliacozzo in the region of Abruzzo, Italy on March 20, 1934. As a child of WWII, he survived the brutal

occupation of his town by the Nazis and faced challenging economic times like so many in post-war Italy.

Despite these hardships, he enjoyed a happy childhood along with his brother, Luciano, and sisters,

Rossana, Rosalba, and Iris. He learned early on what love of family was and he strived to provide for and

protect his family throughout his life.

In Tagliacozzo, Wilman had many friends and cousins to share life’s simple pleasures with. He played

soccer, excelled in school, and learned to play saxophone. As a teenager, he was already playing in the

town’s band with his father and several friends. He spoke of the wonderful times he had traveling to

many towns in Abruzzo playing for special occasions such as religious holidays and town festivals. Music

became his passion and nothing made him happier than to pick up his saxophone and spontaneously

play just for the love of music and for the enjoyment of his audience. Those were very happy years for

Wilman.

At age 19 in 1953, life as he knew it changed completely when he, his mother, and 17-year-old brother

boarded a ship called Homeland in Naples, Italy and emigrated to the USA in search of better economic

opportunities and a more promising future. He and his brother, Luciano, worked multiple jobs in

construction by day, and factory jobs at night to save enough money to pay for the voyage of their

father and sisters to reunite with them in Yonkers, NY one year later. Even though they barely got any

sleep, they managed to find time to play on a soccer team on weekends with their new-found friends. In

1956, the family decided to make one last move, but this time it was to the West Coast of the USA, San

Jose, California to be exact. Lured by abundant work in construction, ideal climate, and family friends

who already lived in the Santa Clara Valley, the Salciccia family, Wilman and his family quickly

assimilated into their new environment.

Wilman found work in residential home construction working for Carl Swenson Construction Co., George

Day Construction Co., and, finally, Iacomini Construction Company founded by his brother, Luciano,

where they specialized in building large homes in Saratoga, Los Gatos, and Monte Sereno.

In 1960, Wilman took his first trip back to Italy since immigrating to the USA 7 years prior. As a huge

sports fan, he took the opportunity to go watch the Olympic Games in Rome that year, then he returned

to his beloved Tagliacozzo to visit his extended family he deeply missed. It was that summer while in

Tagliacozzo that he fell in love with the local barista in Piazza Obelisco named Torella Rubeo. Although

the courtship was short, their love for each other grew stronger each passing day. Once returning to San

Jose, he decided that she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, so he proposed

marriage to her in a letter and she accepted. Once married in 1961, three children soon followed, Elena,

Anna, and Mario, and Wilman and Torella’s family was complete. Love filled the air in the Iacomini

household. Family meant everything to Wilman, so he made sure the family stayed close, attended

church together, ate dinner together every night, participated in sports (soccer), played music together,

attended large family gatherings, especially the annual Madonna dell’Oriente picnic that his father

Mario and friend Tobia Salciccia founded in the late 1950s, and he cultivated a sense of love, respect,

deep faith, kindness, and humility within his family and to all who knew him.

Wilman’s smile and laughter lit up a room. He loved gatherings with family and friends in his home, and

he would often break out his saxophone and play tunes of his homeland which inspired singing and

dancing from all the guests. He was an original San Jose Earthquakes fan since 1974, and he made many

happy memories for his family by taking them to games where tailgating in the parking lot of Spartan

Stadium with a bucket of KFC and a soccer ball to kick around was always the pre-game highlight of the

evening.

Wilman was a strong man in every sense. As a carpenter and former athlete, he was physically fit and

very muscular, had amazing math skills (especially in geometry), was a perfectionist with measurements,

and could place large beams and headers in homes with minimal help. He was a true artisan with home

building, and the homes he built continue to stand the test of time. Wilman was also compassionate,

humble and never sought attention onto himself. He had a strong devotion to our Blessed Mother, and

he was a faithful husband to Torella for their 63 years of marriage. He was a devoted father to Elena

(Greg) McShane, Anna (Giulio) Bernardi, and Mario (Paula) Iacomini. He had 6 amazing grandchildren,

Elizabeth, Amanda, Christopher, Michael, Roberto and Carina, and two great-grandchildren, Emmett,

and Isla, and another great-grandchild on the way. He was a beloved son, brother and uncle to many

nieces and nephews, and all who knew him will miss him dearly. He is also survived by his three sisters

Rossana, Rosalba and Iris.

In lieu of flowers, the Iacomini family kindly requests donations to Golden Hills Care Home where

Wilman was well-cared for during the last 10 months of his life. Checks can be mailed to the following

address. Please note on the check: “In memory of Wilman Iacomini”

Golden Hills Care Home

2845 Westbranch Drive

San Jose, CA 95148

For those unable to attend the funeral service for Wilman, live streaming is available at the link below.

Please cut and paste link into your browser.

https://sjvnews.net/mass-livestream