Gloria Ann Ruggeri

Gloria Ruggeri was born November 11, 1923, to Italian immigrant parents, Fred and Katie Fontana in Cowell, California. Shortly thereafter, the new family moved to the Ocean View District of San Francisco where Gloria attended Sheridan Grammer School with her life-long friends Elizabeth Buckley and Louise Connolly. After graduating from Balboa High School in 1941, she got a job as a secretary at Dunham, Carrigan and Hayden and chose to remain in San Francisco when her family moved to Saint Helena in November, 1941. She met Pino Ruggeri through a friend and they were married in St. Helena on May 2, 1943. Pino and Gloria lived in the Excelsior District their entire married life. Gloria was very active in the Corpus Christi Mother?s Club, was a Girl Scout leader for Troop 485 and also served as Neighborhood Chairman for the Corpus Christi parish Girl Scouts. She was a long time member of the New Mission Terrace Improvement Association. Gloria was a loving daughter and sister, a devoted wife, a caring mother and a loyal friend. She was the ?Emergency Mother? for the Murphy Family and a ?significant mother? to Susan Bird Fox, Judy Sedgwick and Judy Holm, as well as to countless others that she mentored at her job at City College and elsewhere. She was a volunteer at Project Open Hand with the Monday gang where she made many deep friendships. With her vivacity and joie de vivre she had many friends and was a vital influence to all who met her. Her shoes always matched her colorful outfits.She was predeceased by her parents, husband Pino Ruggeri and dearest friend, Eve Taylor. She is survived by her brother Frank Fontana and his wife Bobbi; daughters, Denise Ruggeri and Mary (Gerard) Schiraldi; grandsons: John Girarde, Michael Schiraldi, and Christopher Schiraldi; granddaughter-in-law, Kari Girarde; great-grandchildren: Lillian, Victoria and Augustus Girarde; many cousins; nephew Jeff Fontana and his wife Lee; niece Lynette Cooper and her husband Kent; six great-nephews and their wives and families; and devoted friends Elizabeth Buckley, Louise Connolly and Betty CastagnolaGloria would want you to make a donation to Project Open hand or New Mission Terrace Improvement Association.Friends may visit after 4:00 pm Wednesday and are invited to attend the Vigil Service at 7:00 pm also on Wednesday and the Funeral Thursday at 10:00 am from the chapels of Valente Marini Perata & Co., 4840 Mission St., SF then to Corpus Christi Church where a Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 am. Committal to follow at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery. Online condolences may be offered to the family by clicking on the "SIGN GUESTBOOK" tab on this page. Visitations: 4:00PM to 9:00PM on Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 at Valente Marini Perata & Co. Funeral Directors (map/driving directions) Services: 7:00PM at Valente Marini Perata & Co. on Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 (map/driving directions) 10:30AM at Corpus Christi Church on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 (map/driving directions) Cemetery: Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery1500 Mission RoadColma, CA 94014 (map/driving directions)

Gloria Ann Ruggeri

November 1, 1923 - October 12, 2009