Antoinette Alioto Canepa

June 13, 1921-February 4, 2021

Fiercely proud of her North Beach Sicilian heritage and her City, Antoinette, “Ninu,” lived 99-years full of life and ‘in command’ of her own ship. She was an alumna of Presentation High School ‘38. A member of the Salesian Girls’ Club as a child, she was honored as Woman of the Year as an adult. She was baptized at SS. Peter and Paul Church, was married there to her beloved Johnny (d. John), and has come full circle.

She and John raised four children: Antoinette “Toni” Sarraille (Ed); John B. Canepa,Jr. (partner, Linda Sherman); Frank M. Canepa (Dianne); Charles A. “Chuck” Canepa (Lena Emmery). She hit her stride as “Noni” to 10 Grandchildren: Nicole Sarraille, Jessica Bacon (Bill), Katie Edison (Kevin), E.J. Sarraille (April), Jenny Camardo (Lou), John Canepa, III (Sara), Amy Donahue (Mark), Michael Sarraille (Jordan), Michelle Canepa Finnegan (Gabe) and Tony Canepa (Kelly).

She and John were active members of Holy Name Church and School, helping with parent groups, newspaper drives, bazaar staffing and hot meals; the Canepa, Capurro, and Alioto cousins infiltrating the mostly Irish parish. In summer, she loved returning from sweltering weekends (and huge family festas) in Los Gatos and seeing the fog and mist of the Sunset. After raising their children, Ninu and John moved to the Marina and belonged to St. Vincent de Paul Parish and the de Paul Seniors.

Family, God and Country: For Ninu family was everything. Born to M. Concetta Balestrieri and Francesco “Frank” Alioto,

Antoinette was born on Lombard Street and lived surrounded by her brother, sisters and cousins. She is pre deceased by her brother, Mario “Brother” Alioto; her sister, Anna Capurro (Louis); sister in law, Norma Alioto. She is survived by her youngest sister, Stephanie Suacci (d. Armond) and sister in law, Gloria Lee Alioto. For her and her sisters, affectionately referred to as ‘The Three Graces’, cousins were not just family but friends. As young married women, “Club” with their Alioto, Balestrieri and Tarantino cousins was a rotating monthly evening of cocktails, cards, and laughs. As children, we loved when it was at our house, stealing candy coated peanuts from the dining room table. Well through her late nineties, “Club” was a bimonthly lunch event held at her nephew Paul’s restaurant, Capurro’s.

Auntie Ninu had a prodigious memory for history, dates, and relationships: our own ‘ancestry.com’. She, with her nephew Mario, shared a true affinity for the stories of our grandparents and Fisherman’s Wharf. She was a voracious reader, two or three books at her bedside. She read the newspaper daily; was well informed, and unabashedly opinionated, on city and national politics and current issues.

Antoinette had a 29-year career with the Catholic School Department in Teacher Placement for the parochial schools which then included Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose. Ninu and John would frequently host the priest and sisters for a homemade Italian dinner. Those who had studied in Rome enjoyed speaking Italian with her. Ninu was president and treasurer (maybe at the same time) for the Societá Madonna Addolorata, an organization honoring the patroness of S. Elia, Palermo, Sicily. The St. Joseph Table was a favorite annual event. Ninu loved taking charge and in another era we’re sure she would have been CEO of GE. Noni would look forward to taking her grandchildren to the ‘blessing of the fleet’ each year with dinner following at Salesian’s.

Together with her siblings and children, her many nieces and nephews, their children and children’s children, it made for large, chaotic and charming “Big Christmas” celebrations, many at Salesian’s cafeteria and Capurro’s restaurant. Traditional fare was requisite: oysters, antipasti, ravioli, cookies (uccidadi and ossa di morto), cannoli; Noni was renown for her pizza.

Noni had 26 great grandchildren and diligently inscribed each birth into her well worn Birthday Book: Matt & Jane Bacon; Maria, Josephine, Mario, Giovanni, Antonina and Anna Maria Camardo; Josh and Elise Canepa and Will Brown; Mark Joseph “M.J.”, Reagan and Lauren Donahue, Kyle,

Greg and Molly Edison , Terra and Isabelle CanepaFinnegan; Jake, Max & Sam Goligoski; Enzo, Iona and Olimpia “Pia” Sarraille; Camryn and Michael A. “Caden” Sarraille. She is the former mother-in-law of Kim Hoffman Canepa and Alyson Loeffler Canepa.

Antoinette was a resident of Heritage on the Marina and, though beset with multiple issues over the years, she had tremendous resiliency and loved her life there. She was a highly engaged member in the community and we so appreciate the staff, the administration and fellow residents for their care and friendship, especially during COVID. She would say her daily caretakers treated her like a queen. Antoinette was a patient of Kaiser Permanente, her longevity testament to Dr. Erica Metz, formerly Dr. Sheryl Garrett, Dr. Lovett, multiple hospitalists, surgeons and hospice practitioner’s incredible expertise and compassion. Thank you.

Mass and Internment will be private due to COVID guidelines. Donations in her memory may be made to Salesian Boys’ and Girls’ Club, 680 Filbert Street, San Francisco 94133.