Theresa Panozzo's Obituary
Theresa (nee Ferrari) Panozzo died peacefully at home in Foster City, CA (her home for thirty five years) with her family at her side, three months before her 90th birthday. Theresa was born in Riverdale, Illinois on March 4, 1923 and after her marriage to Gildo (Leo), settled in Roseland, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago where they raised three children. They remember their mother as a determined woman who believed if anything could be done, she could do it. She worked part-time selling home products and took pride in being the top saleswoman month after month. She always said, 'Remember, sales is all about selling yourself first. If people like you, you can sell them the Brooklyn Bridge.'Ever the exemplary cook and entrepreneur, she and her husband (who pre-deceased her in 2003) opened and operated a successful restaurant in Riverdale where she met many new friends. One and all left with stomachs filled with her homemade gnocchi, risotto, polenta, lasagna and other Italian entrees. During the Christmas holidays, her favorite customers would be presented with trays of home-baked cookies to take home.She scrubbed a multitude of pots and pans, stirred what seemed like thousands of pots of soup, fried and abundance of chicken, made heaps of salad, mopped miles of floors until it was time for retirement. Theresa and Leo moved to California and she immediately embraced all that her new environment had to offer. Theresa was an avid reader and could converse with anyone on any topic and current event. The highlight of her day, beside visits from her family, was watching the SF Giants and cheering them on to win the World Series. She decorated her Spanish-style home with exquisite taste and style, spent endless hours cultivating her flower gardens and was known by her neighbors as 'the lady who brought them warm loaves of homemade bread.' However, she never forgot her Chicago roots or her Italian heritage and reveled in news of old friends and family. She is survived by her children, Geraldine (John) Blatt, Aloma (Bob) Pericolosi, Lawrence, her sisters, Florence Cohn, Mary Jance Enochs and many nieces and nephews. She was Nonni to seven grandchildren, Brian (Norma) Blatt, Todd, Gina (Mark) Dorst, Jennifer (Bonnie) Pericolosi, Leah, Geri (Nick) Silic, Mark (Anna) Panozzo. Bisnonni to ten great-grandchildren, Gabrielle, Taylore, Bobby, Gianni, Eme, Mia, Abby, Allie, Brianna and Ava. Theresa's family and friends will always remember her smile, so bright you could read a book by it, a laugh so hearty, tears would cascade down her cheeks, a spirit filled with generosity and love. As we shed tears by her passing, we take comfort in knowing that while we are saying our good-byes, there are many loved ones on the other side with open arms welcoming her home. Her family would like to thank Mission Hospice for their care and compassion and her faithful and loyal caregiver, Cindy. Honoring her wishes, services will be private.
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