In Memoriam - Paul Orsi (1928 - 2017)

It is with great sadness that I report on the death of my cousin and godfather, Paul Orsi, 89, on April 6, 2017 in Ukiah, California.

The son of Marian (Toots) Coronado Orsi, Paul was born March 25, 1928 in Oakland, California.  He grew up with his younger sister, Kathleen, in Calistoga and Forestville, California.  His parents, Albert and Marian Orsi, owned and operated the well-known Skippy’s Hacienda Inn in the redwoods along the Russian River, which offered food, lodging and outdoor recreational activities.  Known for its homemade Italian specialties, the Inn attracted locals, tourists and many film celebrities for its celebrated ravioli and sauce that Skippy (Albert) would make from scratch in the kitchen.  Paul and Kathleen, of course, helped around the Hacienda Inn, but mostly enjoyed swimming and playing in the Russian River after work was done.

Paul served in the U.S. Army in Italy during the post-World War II US occupation from 1946 to 1948.  Returning home, after his discharge from the Army, Paul met the love of his life, Betty Greeott, while he worked a food delivery route in Santa Rosa, California.[1]  They married on April 12, 1953 in Ukiah, California, a grand wedding that I remember attending.

Paul and Betty owned and operated Paul’s Grocery Store in Ukiah near the Ukiah High School, which was a popular lunch stop for the students.  Paul later worked for several local employers in the Ukiah area.

The last years of Paul’s life were marked by the great sorrow of his wife’s illness and death.  Betty passed away in 2015.  His great joy was his five children, Janet Orsi, Jim Orsi, John Orsi, Julie Orsi Rus, Jeff Orsi, nine grandchildren, six great grandchildren and his sister, Kathleen Parker of Sebastopol, California.

Frances and I were blessed to see Paul one last time during the month of February 2017 which we spent in Yountville, during which the 5-year California drought was broken with about 20 days of rain.  One of our brightest moments was our visit to Paul, his family and friends in the assisted care facility in Willits, California.

He was in such great spirits for our visit, having old photo albums available for our review, arranging for pizza to be brought in, and introducing us to all his friends at the home.  Although it was a month before his birthday, his family arranged for a birthday cake and ice cream.  I brought along a slide show on my laptop of historic Coronado family photos and he was thrilled at seeing the pictures.  He gave us a demonstration of his motorized wheelchair, which allowed him to travel outside on his own.

As we were leaving and wishing everyone well, I gave Paul a big hug and instructed him to take care of himself.  He replied that he would and gave me his dazzling smile.  When I stepped to the threshold to leave, I turned around to smile at Paul – he smiled back and gave me a wink.  I didn’t realize at the time that this would be the last time I would see him.

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[1] Some of this information was taken from an online obituary published in the Ukiah Daily Journal on April 16, 2017.

Frank Coronado Mishap

The following is an article written by cousin John J. Coronado, Jr. for a 1994 edition of The Coronado Newsletter.  John was the son of John (Doc) Coronado.

He describes a harrowing experience for the young Coronado family on the ranch in 1910.

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This is a short story about my uncle, Frank Coronado, told to me many years ago by my father, Doc Coronado.

The Coronado boys were all raised on the Coronado ranch and were all expert horsemen, because they had all learned how to ride at a young age.  They were on their own if they wanted to saddle up a horse and head for the hills for a ride.  In 1910, when this story takes place, Jim was 13, John (Doc) was 11, Frank was 10, and Paul was 9.

One day Uncle Frank saddled up a horse and went out riding.  Some of the other kids saw him leave the ranch. It was mid-afternoon when he left and it was assumed that he would return for dinner, since none of the kids ever missed dinner.

But Frank did not show up at the dinner table and his father, Mariano Coronado, grew worried.  He ordered his other sons and some farm hands to saddle up and head out to look for him.  They spread out and formed a line and rode up to the first hill.  There was a grove of oak trees at the top and they spotted Frank immediately.  He was hanging in one of the trees.  He had ridden under the tree and a sharp branch had entered the back of his neck and was lodged at least a foot along his back.  Frank was out cold and wasn't moving.  Nobody seemed to know what to do, so two riders headed back to tell his father and to get medical help.

Mariano ordered the two to ride as fast as they could to get the doctor and get him back here as fast as possible. Mariano ran for the barn and got a saw and some rope.  He quickly saddled his horse and headed for the scene.

Frank Coronado, as a young man,
 with his mother, Louisa

When Mariano arrived, he could see that the ranch hands had tied rope around Frank in several places, like a harness.  He lassoed a big limb high above Frank and tied it to the harness.  Several of the group pulled on the rope and took the weight of Frank off the limb.  A ranch hand was already in the tree and had the saw ready to cut the limb.  When it was cut, Frank was lowered down to a saddle horse and secured in the saddle with more rope.

The group and Frank arrived at the ranch house about the same time that the doctor arrived.  The rope was cut off Frank and his father carried him into the house so the doctor could look at him.  As it turned out the wound was not as bad as it could have been, nothing deep, just surface cuts.  Frank was given a shot, the branch was removed, and he slept until the next day.  When he woke up, he asked about his horse.  His brothers went out to search and they found the horse grazing in the hills by Blue Rock Springs.  Frank was happy to know his horse was back.  He was a strong kid and recovered fully in a short time.

Adolph Coronado - The Land Developer

Adolph Coronado, the eldest son of Mariano and Louisa Coronado, was always an entrepreneur.  He was an auto dealer and a boxing promoter.  But later in life, when he “retired”, my uncle became a land developer.  The news article that follows was published in the Napa Journal[1] in 1936 as he was beginning to develop residences in an area just north of the Napa State Hospital, which was a prominent landmark that visitors passed as they entered the City of Napa from the south.

Dolph, as we knew him, would eventually build many houses on the large tract of land he owned.  He named one street Coronado Avenue, which is the street where he lived.  I grew up across the street from him in one of the houses on Coronado Avenue that Dolph built for his mother, Louisa Coronado, her daughter and my mother, Cecelia Coronado Phipps, and my father.  We moved into the house in 1948.

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20 COTTAGES CONTEMPLATED FOR

TRACT OF A. B. CORONADO

Early Development of Acreage Seen;

Cost Said to Be $40,000

Plans for development of privately owned acreage adjoining Napa State hospital into restricted residential districts were disclosed here yesterday.

The disclosure came with announcement that Adolph B. Coronado, owner of a tract of 41 acres, has under consideration extensive building plans which he proposes to complete within the next two years.

Coronado’s plans, call for the installation of two paved streets through his tract during the coming spring season, these improvements to be followed by the erection of four modern cottages each year until a total of 20 homes occupy the area.  The site fronts on Imola lane, directly opposite the state institution.

STREET PLANS

At present there are four cottages on the Coronado tract besides the owner’s home.  They are under rental to employees of Napa State hospital and have been continuously since completion.

TO COST $40,000

In disclosing plans for the project yesterday, Coronado asserted that over a period of five years the cost of improvements will aggregate approximately $40,000.

The present tentative plans of Mr. Coronado call for the building a score of detached bungalows.

A NECESSITY

“I feel that the establishment of a residential district in this locality will serve a useful purpose and bring me satisfactory returns,” said Coronado yesterday.  “There is a plan under way, I understand, to provide for the general expansion of the state hospital.  That means that additional living quarters will have to be provided for from three to four hundred employees and if those accommodations can be provided at small cost and convenient to the hospital, the homes will be occupied throughout the year.”

Coronado took over the acreage several years ago and has gradually developed them with much success.  The homes on the tract at present are modern in every respect.  Among the numerous features is the water supply furnished direct from a 220 foot well.

The Development Tract in 1940

AUTO PIONEER

Prior to taking over his present holdings Coronado for years was engaged in business at Vallejo.  Until retirement several years ago he was the second oldest automobile dealer in point of service, having established the first Overland, Willys-Knight agency at the navy yard city in 1910.

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[1] The Napa Journal, February 18, 1936, page 1, column 1