John Giacomazzi was born in San Jose in 1930. He grew up on a prune ranch in Campbell until 1938 when his family purchased the Greenawalt ranch on Almaden Road. John worked the property with his father, while attending Campbell High School where he was a diligent student and played football. Then in 1946, when his father died suddenly, John quit the football team, took over the farm and worked tirelessly for the rest of his life to save and sustain it.
When he graduated from high school, John drove his Model T Ford to San Jose State where he studied engineering and met his wife Elsie Lawson with whom he would be married to for 67 years. After two years at San Jose State, John transferred to Santa Clara University where he finished his degree in Mechanical Engineering and took a job at FMC Corporation. He worked at FMC 35 years, even as he continued to work the ranch with his sons John Jr. and Richard and his daughter Gail.
John is survived by his wife Elsie, his three children and four grandchildren, in whose loving care he died at 12:33 p.m. on April 22, 2021.
The family is receiving guests at Lima Family Erickson on Thursday, April 29, 2021 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. with a private funeral service for family on Friday, April 30. May he rest in peace.
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