Giacinto, aka Gino, Galliani
Gino Galliani, a founding member of our club in 1980, passed away on July 17th in San Jose. He was born in Lardaro in the Valle del Chiese, which is part of the Valli
Giudicarie. He was the first in his family to receive an education beyond high school. He had a promising career in the Italian forestry service, but his mother encouraged him to seek a life of greater opportunity with his 2 brothers in Canada. On the trip to
New York, he met Paula who was headed to LA. They stayed in touch and married in 1958. Soon later they had son Richard and daughter Aurelia, both residents of
the South Bay. At the young age of 37, Gino became a widower and had to raise the children on his own. Gino worked for Italian Swiss Colony, where he put to use training he received in Italy as an enologist. In the 1960s the winery was the second most visited tourist spot in California next to Disneyland. As we all recall, Gino was a talented speaker and loved to socialize.
So, he became a tour guide at the winery. In his off-time he worked fixing up
his real estate investments. Gino lived in Cloverdale for 50 years. He spent the last couple of years in Lardaro where he remodeled the house he inherited from his parents. Gino always brought cheerfulness and humor to our club events. His presence will be sorely missed. Our sincere condolences go out to Richard and Aurelia and their respective families.
Passing of Nadia Holober, Vice-Mayor of Millbrae
Nadia Holober passed away on May 8th at the age of 54 from a private battle with cancer.
Her parents, Antonio Vitlacil and Laura Floriani Vitlacil, immigrated from the Valsugana
to Canada, where Nadia was born. When Nadia was 4, the family moved to the Bay
Area. She graduated from the University of California Berkeley and the Hastings School
of Law. She was a firm believer in social justice and worked tirelessly for her local
community. In 1982 she met her husband, Richard Holober, while working on a political
campaign. They had two boys, Reuben, 25, and Evan, 21. In 1991 the family settled in Millbrae where Nadia volunteered to put on the city’s 50th anniversary.
She served on the city council from 1999 till her passing except for a 2-year gap
caused by term limits. From 2003- 04 she served as mayor. Accomplishments included Millbrae’s landmark new library, sister-city relationships with
Malta, Chile and China, the town’s acclaimed grease cogeneration plant and a balanced budget. Nadia was also a Eucharist minister at her church and an avid gardener. We send our heartfelt condolences to Nadia’s friends and relatives, and in particular to Antonio, Laura, Richard, Reuben, Evan and her siblings.
Kelly Kielar Sessi
Kelly Kielar Sessi passed away on May 3rd from a long battle with cancer. She was
delighted to witness her 2 oldest daughters get married last year. She also celebrated her
only grandchild’s first birthday and took her on a trip to Disneyland. Our club sends
profound condolences to her husband Martin Sessi, to their 4 children, Nicole, Kaitlin,
Kyler and Isabella, to their granddaughter Adrienna, and to all other family members.