John Congi
April 24, 1921-September 14, 2021
Born in Castelsilano in the Crotone region of Calabria, Italy to Rosario and Rachela Congi, John achieved the embodiment of the Italian toast “Cent’Anni”, passing in San Francisco at the age of 100. He is survived by his son Aldo (Julie) and his granddaughter, Alexandra. John is predeceased by his wife of 72 years, Germana Congi and his brother Vincent Congi of Dunsmuir, California.
John was raised in Castelsilano until the age of 9 when the family reunited in Dunsmuir where Rosario (Roy) had immigrated a few years previous to work in the Southern Pacific railyards. The family lived the country life of the Great Depression in the 1930s and John spent many days hunting and fishing with his father to feed the family, a tradition he would carry throughout his adult life. After graduating from Dunsmuir High School in 1941, John enlisted in the Armed Services and was stationed at the Hunter’s Point Shipyard as a welder to repair the battleships returning from the Pacific front during World War II. Upon discharge, he worked for a time selling beauty supplies to the sales of Union Square and the Tenderloin before obtaining his real estate license, a career that would span his next 60 years. John’s client base included many hardworking immigrants of all nationalities who were seeking the American dream of homeownership. He also branched into real estate development where he would work with builders to erect apartment buildings throughout San Francisco to sell to investors in the 1960’s and 1970’s. He was meticulous in his business practices and built a client base that was multigenerational.
John had a tremendous passion for the outdoors, especially hunting and train his favorite dogs, English Pointers. Whether it be hunting deer with his father on Ball Mountain, pheasant at Cache Slough and Hastings Island, dove in rural Madera, quail on Jube Weston’s ranch in Ono or duck at Tule Lake, John found great joy and fulfillment as an outdoorsman. He was an incredible “shot” putting on many displays of his prowess both in the hunting fields and on Sunday afternoons at the Pacific Rod & Gun Club on Lake Merced. John was also a superb ballroom dancer with his wife, Germana. In his early days in San Francisco, John learned the discipline of the waltz, foxtrot, tango, etc. in the long-gone ballrooms throughout the town and later the Italian American Social Club and Verdi Club where he and Germana would enjoy many turns with the orchestra. John had a great love for Italian music, especially artists like Lou Monte, Mario Lanza, and, his favorite, Sergio Franchi. Many evenings were spent in the living room of our home on Noriega Street in peaceful mode.
John was a great provider for his family. Given his childhood, he never wanted us to be lacking, and we never were.
Two days before he passed his granddaughter, Alex, brought him the music of Sergio Franchi. As they listened to Sergio’s rendition of “In the Still of the Night” he smiled and told Alex that was his favorite. Riposare in Pace, John. Sempre.