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