Louis Paul Geranio

Louis Paul Geranio, 83, of Castro Valley died Saturday, November 13th. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Elaine Geranio, daughter Karen Hoekstra, sons Nick and Mike Geranio, 8 grandchildren, and his younger sister Frances Valdovinos. He was preceded in death by his older sister Nella Barbour and younger Brother Mike Geranio. Louie had many cousins and friends. Louis served in World War II as a merchant marine and in active duty as an Army machine gunner in the Korean War. After the wars, he worked his way up from street sweeper to superintendent of public works for the city of Oakland and retired after 30 years. Louis was an avid adventurer starting in his youth as a motorcycle racer. He fell in love with boating and the California Delta. Dawdling on the Delta was his favorite pastime. He would fish all night long for striped bass at Frank's Tract during the foggy winter nights, and water-ski till the summer sun set. He could always be found repairing his or someone else's boat. Helping stranded boaters was one of his passions. He always carried a gallon of gas to give to a fellow boater, or he would tow them back to the harbor or repair their boat. One of his first rescues became close life-long friends, the Marshalls, who for decades spent every weekend with Louie and Elaine. Frugality was his trademark, he would never pay anyone to do anything that he could do himself or make his kids do. Waste of any sort would stress him out. He would stop and pick up flotsam and spend hours repairing it, to be used again. Join us on Friday, November 26th to celebrate his life. Contact a family member for details. In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite charity or the Alzheimer's Association. Enjoy life, help others in need, stay active!