Armando J Garaventa

June 5, 1925 - January 19, 2020

Armando Garaventa, son of Marco Garaventa (18891951) and Emilia (Massone) Garaventa (1895-1967) was born at home, 48 Castle Place, SF on June 5th, 1925. His father immigrated with his brother Luigi from the village of Calcinara, Genova Italy prior to WWI. His mother was from Uscio, worked as a maid in the seaport town of Camogli, and immigrated from Genova in 1920. They met in San Francisco and were married in January 1922 in Saints Peter and Paul Church. Armando attended Spring Valley, Salesians of the Saint John Bosco, Marina, and Galileo. He was a member of the USCG Merchant Marine 4/21/1943-8/15/1945. After WWII he met his wife, Virgiline Reiling, a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota who with her sister Dolores, moved to the West Coast during WWII. “Monty” and “Virgie” were married at her parish church, St. Agnes in late 1946. Post WWII he worked with his father at his Poll Parrott Shoe Store at 1147 Grant Avenue. After the death of his father and the later closing of the store in mid-1950s, Armando then worked at various companies in the Bay Area.

He was member of District Lodge No. 115 International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers AFL-CIO and in the 1980s, a member of the American Can “100”.

Armando’s final decline began with 19-day cascade – ER on New Year’s Eve, emergency vascular surgery, transfer to skilled nursing facility, a return to ER followed by a short hospice respite. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Norma Rose (1923-1995) and Gloria Luisa (1929-2013) and is survived by his wife of 74 years (now a resident of Alma Via of San Francisco) and their offspring: Donna Marie (Frank Norick), Gloria Stella (Mark Rulli), and Marco Joseph.