Tina Cella

Tina P. Cella Passed away peacefully on October 1, 2010 surrounded by her family. Tina was born in Parma, Italy. She attended Columbia University and it was there, at a dance she had organized, that she met her future husband, Major John B. Cella II, a pioneer in the California wine industry. They married in New York in 1945 and moved to California, first to Fresno and in 1964 to San Francisco. As a couple they loved the Opera and regularly attended performances until John's death in 1998. Tina was a passionate bridge player and was also known among friends for her Italian cooking and her wonderful dinner parties. Her boundless energy and horticultural knowledge was also expressed in her gardens in Fresno and at her family's homes where she visited often. In addition to her involvement in numerous charitable organizations both in Fresno and San Francisco, she was a member of several social and country clubs. However, most of all, Tina adored and was involved with her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, whom she enjoyed hearing from and seeing regularly until her death. She is survived by her three children, Barbara Cella Wilsey (Michael), John L. Cella (Sally), and Peter M. Cella (Laura), 13 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren. A private family mass was celebrated on Monday, October 4th, at St. Ignatius Church. The family requests that donations in Tina's memory be made either to Mitochondrial Research in honor of Grace Wilsey in care of Dr. Greg Enns at Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, 400 Hamilton Ave., Suite 340, Palo Alto, CA 94301-1805 or to the UCSF Foundation for the Barbara and Michael Wilsey Family Fellowship in Diabetes, UCSF, P.O. Box 45339, San Francisco, CA 94145-0339.