Oscar N. Degiovanni

Oscar N. Degiovanni passed away peacefully in his home on May 20, 2019. Oscar was born in Las Rosas, Prov. Santa Fe, Argentina on April 11, 1937. As a young man he served in the Argentine Army Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers. Afterwards, he graduated from the Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Rosario, Argentina with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, emphasis in metallurgical engineering. He later earned a Master of Business Administration from Golden Gate University, San Francisco.

Arriving to the United States in 1965, Oscar soon found employment with Bechtel Corporation where he started a long and esteemed journey as a metallurgical process engineer. His career took him around the globe working on projects in South Africa, Europe, Japan, and the Andes of Chile and Peru. Oscar contributed to the refinement of bauxite, uranium, molybdenum and other minerals but it was work with copper that earned him the reputation as one of the most distinguished global authorities on copper concentration and refinement. His contributions included some of the largest mines in the world including Esocndida, Collahuasi, Los Pelambres, Bingham Canyon, El Teniente, and many more. He retired from Bechtel Corporation in 2015 after a 50-year career. He married his beloved high school sweetheart Maria Del Carmen Navas in 1965 and they soon emigrated to San Francisco, CA in 1965. They shared 54 years together building a family, traveling the world, and spending time enjoying the richness of the city of San Francisco and surrounding Bay Area. He is survived by his wife Maria, children Edgar and Melina, their spouses, and grandchildren Zachary, Alexandra, Anthony, Leo, Oliver and Franco, and his sister Elda. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, friend, and a brilliant engineer who will be missed by all those who were fortunate to have him in their lives. Services will be held at 11:00 am on July 13th, 2019 at St Dominic’s Church San Francisco. Contributions may be made to the San Francisco Shrine of St. Jude.