Clementina Lee

CLEMENTINA PATRIZI LEE September 5, 1917 ? July 1, 2011 Clementina passed away peacefully at The Redwoods in Mill Valley on July 1, 2011, after having lived a long and happy life. She is survived by her loving family, daughter Diane Levinson-Fass (Michael); grandson Jeffrey Levinson; granddaughter Jennifer Doucette (Mark); and adoring great-grandchildren Miles Allan and Georgia Lee Doucette. She is predeceased by her former husband Johnny Lee; wonderful sister Mary Russo (Tony); and brothers Louis Patrizi (Margaret) and Frank Patrizi. Many nieces and nephews will miss ?Auntie Dee? ? Catherine Clark, Nick & Mary Russo, Ray & Bonnie Russo, and their children. Clementina was born in Collinsville, CA, on September 5, 1917, in what was a thriving fishing community. Her father Nazareno Patrizi, from San Benedetto Del Tronto, Italy, met and married Mamie Clima from Palermo, Sicily. They had four children and eventually moved to North Beach in San Francisco, where Nazareno plied his trade as a fisherman at Fisherman?s Wharf. Mamie worked on the line at the Tea Garden Jam & Jelly Factory, which was located near Broadway and the Embarcadero. Clementina met her future husband Johnny Lee while walking down Columbus Avenue with her sister, Mary. Although she had been courted by many Italian men from North Beach, she was ?love-struck? by this uniformed doorman at the Lido Nightclub. Johnny Lee was from a farm in rural Georgia, who mustered out of the Marines in San Francisco. They married, had one child, divorced and neither married again. She worked hard to provide for her daughter by working days at The Emporium and evenings at the New Tivoli Restaurant. She saved her money and was able to buy a house in Cow Hollow, where she and her daughter lived for some time. Eventually, she moved into the Patrizi family home, where she remained until 2009. She moved to The Redwoods after recovering from a hip replacement as a result of a fall, where she remained until her death. Clementina had a tremendous sense of humor, making stories last a little longer with each telling. She was the family historian, knowing that as families grow the last names of past generations sometimes get lost. A very generous mother and grandmother, who would always have some sort of ?paper clip? attached to birthday and holiday cards. A great deal of gratitude and thanks to The Redwoods, for the loving care they gave to Clementina and a special thanks to Paula Miller from Visiting Angels, who unfailingly took her for a drive to San Francisco to see the ?old sights? every Tuesday and Thursday. Family and friends are invited to visit on Wednesday from 4:00PM to 8:00PM and from 9:00AM to 10:30AM on Thursday, at the chapels of Valente Marini Perata & Co., 4840 Mission St., SF, 94112. A committal service will be celebrated at 11:00AM on Thursday at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, 1500 Mission Rd., Colma, 94014.

Clementina Lee

September 5, 1917 - July 1, 2011