Timothy Charles Benetti

1964 - 2023

Timothy Charles Benetti
May 8, 1964 - January 11, 2023
Timothy Charles Benetti passed into the next life, in his sleep on January 11, 2023 at 12:07 a.m., finally free of his wheelchair. Those that knew him picture him now playing baseball on a deep green and perfectly manicured field in warm spring air, hitting game winning doubles off the left centerfield wall.
Tim was born in San Francisco, California on May 8, 1964 to parents Irene and Ernie Benetti. Ernie came and went soon thereafter, leaving Irene and her parents (Nonno Julio and Nonna Loda Garbini) responsible for raising both Tim and his brother David (sister Anna Lisa). Years later, in 1974, Irene remarried Raymond Devita. Ray provided love and support for the entire family.
Beginning at about three years old, Tim began his lifelong love affair with baseball. Many of Tim's best childhood memories are of playing ball everywhere he could and of watching his heroes Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, John Brodie, Joe Montana, and Ronnie Lott (who shared the same birthday as Tim) chase glory at Candlestick Park. Tim was himself a great baseball player and although he played ball in high school and college, he excelled at and loved all sports. Tim loved his native San Francisco, the San Francisco Giants, the Forty-Niners, and the Warriors.
Tim grew up in the Portola District on the Southeast end of San Francisco. Nearby John McClaren Park allowed Tim, brother Dave, and friends to escape the inner city and lose themselves in a forest-like wonderland, giving them freedom of movement and thought that helped shape Tim's early life.
Tim attended Corpus Christi Grammar School, Riordan High School, and Santa Clara University. Tim went on to receive his Juris Doctor degree from UC Hastings College of the Law in a class that included Vice President Kamala Harris. Resilient and undeterred by an auto accident that left him in a wheelchair at 23 years old, Tim passed the bar exam and went on to practice law briefly before going into business with his brother Dave as founders and owners of the iconic Bottom of the Hill in 1991. Tim was still a part owner at the time of his passing, along with Kathleen Owen, Ramona Downey, and Lynn Schwarz. Both careers, but especially the Bottom of the Hill, provided him extended families that he cherished for the rest of his life.
Tim was a dedicated public servant. He was a Deputy City Attorney with the San Francisco City Attorney's Office from 2004 to 2006. He was then a legal advisor for the San Francisco Employees' Retirement System from 2006-2013. He also served on the San Francisco Entertainment Commission from 2010-2014, where he fiercely advocated for the protection of the City's live music scene and small businesses.
Tim was many things, but he also had an indescribable magic. Tim lived life fully, including travel to Europe and South America. He was brutally and refreshingly honest, headstrong, quick-witted, caring, and upbeat. He greeted all those he met with an easy smile and kindness, regardless of their place in life. Tim was a dedicated and generous friend to many, offering both guidance and support, not asking for anything in return. He was a good son and a mountain of strength to his mother.
He was deeply loved and will be missed by so very many in San Francisco and in the Sacramento region where he later moved. He is predeceased by father Ernie and stepdad Ray (both of whom he adored) and survived by mother Irene, sister Anna Lisa, beloved cat Joey, and countless friends.
A funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. on March 7, 2023 at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, 450 Somerset Street, San Francisco, CA, 94134. All are welcome to attend. A celebration of life will be held at 1 p.m. on April 16, 2023 at the Bottom of the Hill Nightclub, 1233 Seventeenth Street, San Francisco, CA, 94107. Kindly RSVP to: email@bottomofthehill.com.