Anne was the daughter of Spanish immigrants, John and Beatrice Munos. When Anne was 3 years old, her mother died of pneumonia. Her father, who worked variously as a shepherd and an orchard foreman (including stints for Sarah Winchester), made the difficult decision to separate his five young children, so they could be raised by in stable households while he worked and saved. Eventually reunited, the single-parent household struggled through the Great Depression. To make ends meet, Anne and her siblings worked seasonally as child labor at various orchards around the County. The family was helped by relatives and by various New Deal programs; a vivid memory was that of her father walking through the front door with a sack of government surplus flour. Some of her fondest memories as a child involved the Carmelite Monastery, which she felt helped raise her.
Anne, like much of her family, would continue to work seasonally at canneries through her adult life, eventually becoming a fore-lady. Anne married Sam Chiaramonte in 1943. During World War II, Anne's two brothers and most of her childhood male friends were drafted into the military. Sam, who had previously worked on Liberty Ship engines at Joshua Hendy, was drafted before their marriage, and the couple lived in Barstow for a time, while Sam was stationed at Fort Irwin.
Aside from seasonal work as a fore-lady at various canneries, Anne's work-life would revolve around Chiaramonte's, which was founded by Sam's grandfather in 1908. The couple ran the Market until retiring in 1986, when their son, Louis, took over. The couple settled in San Jose, and eventually built their own house on North 2nd Street. They had two children, Louis and Marian. The closest her life came to the Silicon aspect of the Valley is the fact that Louis founded and chaired the Electronics Department at Ohlone College.
A life-long gardener, Anne's yard was studded with fruit trees. She also enjoyed cooking, sewing, drawing, family, and imparting her personal history. Sam passed away from complications related to Alzheimers in 2002. Anne lived on her own into her early 90's, until a fall limited her mobility. Anne was mentally sharp to the end, and was about to participate in an ethnographic study relating to the history of the City of Santa Clara.
She is survived by (siblings) John Munoz, Lila Teixeira (Ed), and Tom Munoz (Connie). By (children) Louis Chiaramonte, Sr. (Rose); and Marian Chiaramonte. By (grandchildren) Dennis Fernandez, Jr. (Shannon); Louis Chiaramonte, Jr. (Gwen); and Marianne Chiaramonte (Joe O'Brien). By (great-grandchildren) Adrian, Damien, Abigail, and Dennis III Fernandez; and Louis O'Brien.
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