Bernice Giansiracusa

Bernice Kathryn Giansiracusa, MD

Resident of Saratoga

Passed away peacefully at the age of 87 on October 24, 2010, with her family at her side. Known by many as Nici, she was born on February 10, 1923 in New York City to Bernard Freericks and Anne Maas Freericks. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1928 when her father took a job with 20th Century Fox studios as a sound engineer in the infancy of the "talking movie" industry. It was from her father, who traveled the world to make films, that she inherited her wanderlust.

After graduating from University High School, she entered an accelerated program designed to train physicians needed for World War II. She attended UCLA and UCSF, earning her MD degree in 1946 as one of only a handful of women in her class. She met Frank in medical school, and they married in February of 1946. Her long medical career started at the San Francisco Health Department, followed by the Santa Clara County Health Department, retiring in 1985 as Director of Public Health after 31 years of service.

Bernice had many interests. She was an avid reader and it was not unusual for her to be reading numerous books simultaneously. She kept current on public health issues through medical books and journals, and enjoyed other subjects including travel, arts and sciences, and always, a beloved mystery for escape reading. Bernice was also especially talented in arts and crafts and enjoyed designing and constructing miniatures, often handcrafting tiny replicas of items she could not find in stores or catalogs. She held memberships in reading, miniatures, and retirement groups.

Her retirement in 1985 did not slow her down. Bernice continued her devotion to the public by volunteering with the Friends of the Saratoga Library and the city of Saratoga. She traveled the globe and she particularly enjoyed educational trips through National Geographic and the Smithsonian Institute. She took numerous adventurous trips on her own and after Frank's retirement in 1993, they enjoyed traveling together.

Bernice is survived by her husband of 64 years, Frank Giansiracusa MD, sister Claire Barlow, children Richard Giansiracusa MD and his wife Ellen, Anne Giansiracusa Noe and her husband Mike, and Susan Giansiracusa; granddaughters Jennifer and Kathryn Giansiracusa, 3 nieces and 4 nephews.

A celebration of life will be held on Friday, November 12, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. at the Joan Pisani Community Center, 19655 Allendale Avenue, Saratoga, CA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Friends of the Saratoga Library in Saratoga.