Coronado Family Reunion - 1973 - Additional Photos

The previous post described the happy Coronado Family Reunion of 1973 in Napa and provided a photo of seven of the 10 Coronado brothers and sisters who were able to attend.  Catherine McIntosh took the photo and sent me two other photos that she took at the same event, memorializing other relatives who attended.  I remember seeing these photos and others taken at the reunion, but my growing family and I were living on the East Coast and we were not able to attend.

These are the sons and daughters of the "10" who were able to attend the 1973 reunion:

Standing left to right: Robert McIntosh, Paul Orsi, Gary Coronado, Bob Coronado.

Seated left to right: Harrison McIntosh, Helen Coronado Jenkins, Dorothy Coronado McKenna

Robert and Harrison McIntosh are sons of Hess Coronado McIntosh.  Paul Orsi is the son of Marian (Toots) Orsi.  Helen Jenkins is the daughter of Marion (Dutch) Coronado.  Dorothy McKenna is the daughter of Dolph Coronado.

This photo includes the grandchildren of the "10" who were present at the reunion:

I can identify 4 of the 6 people in this photo, but I don't recognize the girl standing on the left or the boy seated in the middle.  Claudia McKenna Moelk is standing in the center with Gerri Eichler Handschumacher next to her on the right.  Seated on the left is Juanita Coronado Lecair and seated on the right is Catherine McIntosh.  [Update: Jim Orsi recently says the girl in the upper left is his sister, Julie Orsi Rus, and the boy in front center is his brother, Jeff Orsi.  Jim, Julie and Jeff are children of Paul and Betty Orsi.]

Claudia is the daughter of Dorothy McKenna and granddaughter of Dolph Coronado.  Gerri is the daughter of Lillian Eichler and granddaughter of Dolph Coronado.  Juanita is the daughter of Marion Coronado and granddaughter of Dutch Coronado.  Catherine is the daughter of Harrison McIntosh and granddaughter of Hess Coronado McIntosh.

This is a more informal photo of the reunion showing the side yard and extent of the tables set up in Helen's yard for the 1973 reunion.

Surrounding the table are Robert & Helen McIntosh, Al Orsi (husband of Toots), Harrison McIntosh, Frank Coronado and Helen Coronado Jenkins.

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.