Maria Pezzulich

June 13, 1930 - April 20, 2023

Maria Pezzulich, beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister, grandmother, greatgrandmother, and friend unexpectedly passed away on Thursday April 20, 2023, at Stanford Hospital, at the age of 92.

Maria was born on June 13, 1930, in a seaside fishing village near the Adriatic Sea called Porto Albona, on the Istrian Coast of Italy. Maria was the seventh and last-born child of Andrea and Antonia Scopazzi, as well as the longest surviving member of her immediate family. Maria attended school in the town of Albona. She spent most of her childhood years with her nieces, nephew, and youngest brother, (Elda, Malvina, Bianca, Joe, and Albino). Her childhood home was across from a small beach where she would swim all day in the sun, as she had a deep love for the ocean. One of her most cherished memories was fishing for calamari with her father.

Maria was nine years old, at the beginning of World War II, and fortunately survived the six years of war hardships, along with her family. Due to the aftermath of World War II, her family lost their home, land, and their life as they knew it. They were forced to relocate to a tiny apartment in Genoa, Italy. During this time, Maria explored creative outlets and was inspired by fashion design. She taught herself how to sew and created a sketch book of her own designs, as she dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. Even though moving to a new home was challenging and difficult, being in Genoa brought new opportunities and was the spark of Maria’s epic love story.

Her father introduced her to an Italian sailor named Nicoletto. It was love at first sight from the moment Maria and Nicoletto locked eyes. They fell in love and got engaged shortly after. Unfortunately, before they could be married, Maria’s family decided to immigrate to America, specifically California. Maria and Nicoletto were heartbroken during the time they were separated. While she waited for her true love to find his way back to her, she tried to make the most of the opportunities that California had to offer. Maria began to look for work in the fashion industry, as that was a deep passion of hers. She ended up working as a seamstress at Levi Strauss, sewing denim jeans on a production line.

Despite exploring the fashion industry, Nicoletto was the one missing piece in Maria’s life. They were separated for a long time, but somehow, Nicoletto found his way back to her. As soon as they reconnected in California, the two love birds were immediately married at St. Peters and Paul in San Francisco on November 11, 1950, and soon after, were blessed with three children, Bruno, Ottavia, and Linda. She raised a family and worked endlessly with her husband with their ventures in real estate. In the early 70’s their family moved to Burlingame. For thirty-seven years, she was blessed with a loving and happy marriage, until sadly Nicoletto passed away in 1987. She never remarried, as she believed Nicoletto was the love of her life and no one could ever replace him. She wore his wedding band for the duration of her life, along with her own, as it was a special token of their everlasting love for one another. In the late 80’s she moved to San Mateo, where she resided for the remainder of her life.

After Nicoletto passed away, Maria tried to appreciate the life in front of her, until she would meet her true love again in the afterlife. In her later years of life, she helped raise her daughter Linda’s children, acting as a second mother to them. Maria loved being a mother, but even more so, she loved being a Nonna to all her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Another passion Maria had during her life was her love for cooking Italian food. She would always make her signature gnocchi for her family on every holiday and birthday. In addition to being an incredible cook, Maria loved to sing Italian songs, watch her favorite sport teams such as the Warriors, Giants, and 49ers, play the Italian card game (Scopa), and had a passion for gardening. Every flower that bloomed made her smile. She would sit in her garden for hours every day, as she loved smelling the fresh air and blooming flowers, as well as, appreciating the beauty and life that surrounded her. She had an unconditional love for her family and faith. Her resilience encouraged others as she endured almost five years of dialysis, three times a week. Maria radiated the goodness of the Lord every day with the people that touched her life. She was full of determination to live life to the fullest and was so thankful for all the gifts God had bestowed upon her throughout her life. God has now called her home to rejoin her husband and watch over her family from above.

Maria is predeceased by her parents, Andrea and Antonia Scopazzi, sister (Antonia), brothers (Giuseppe, Guido, Albino, Giovanni, and Andrea), and countless other relatives that were dear to her heart. She is survived by her three children, Bruno (Linda), Ottavia (John†) and Linda (Gregory), six grandchildren, (Laurie, Nick, Brian, Vincenzo, Nicoletta & Isabella), three great-grandchildren, (Ryan, Lauren, and Justin), along with nieces, (Elda, Bianca, Marina), sister-in-law, (Anna), and numerous other family and friends. Maria Pezzulich was a beacon of light and will be sorely missed by all those who loved her.

Remembrance Service: Rosary- 7:00pm on Friday May 19th at Crosby N Gray, 2 Park Road, Burlingame. Funeral Mass- 10:00am on Saturday May 20th at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 1310 Bayswater Avenue, Burlingame. Immediately followed by burial services at the Italian Cemetery and concluding with a Celebration of Life Reception at Mistral Restaurant, 370-6 Bridge Parkway, Redwood City.

Per Crosby N. Gray funeral home, if sending flowers, please send them before 4:00pm on May 19th or in lieu of flowers, send a donation to St Jude’s Children Hospital in loving memory of Maria Pezzulich, as she believed that children were the future.