ANTOINETTE GIACALONE

GIACALONE, ANTOINETTE Antoinette Giacalone was born in San Diego, California on June 14, 1926. She was the first of four children born to Mario and Anna Balestrieri. Her sister, Lucille, arrived three years later, followed by brothers Mario and Donald. As a young girl, Antoinette, affectionately nicknamed "Toni," loved singing and music. She sang in the choir at Our Lady of the Rosary Church. She also enthusiastically sang at home, prompting a visiting Uncle to liken her to a famous opera star. Toni excelled in other areas. She was an excellent student. So much so, at Washington Elementary School, she earned the honor of presiding over the class while the teachers took a "smoke break." Her responsibilities included recording the names of unruly classmates on the blackboard. Two students always seemed to be talking, laughing and disrupting the class, however, only one boy found his name on the chalkboard. The other boy, Nick Giacalone, would eventually become her husband! She, obviously, did not want her future spouse to begin life as a juvenile delinquent. She continued to care for Nick for 57 years. Toni's dream was to become a teacher. She understood subjects quickly and could easily impart that knowledge to others. And while that dream was never formally realized, Toni imparted her accumulated knowledge, wisdom, and common sense to her nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, and anyone who needed advice and guidance. Her biggest challenge and triumph came when Nick could no longer participate in his profession as a fisherman, due to a long-standing illness. After moving from job to job, Nick decided on a career in real estate. Armed with only a junior high education, he needed to pass the state exam. Fortunately, he had Toni by his side. After months of study, (to the point where Toni passed the test first!), her student accomplished his goal, and, later, became a successful broker. The saying: "Behind every great man there is a great woman," never rang truer. She was a role model and an inspiration to her numerous nieces and nephews, as well. Considered by many of them as their "second Mom," Aunty Toni was always available to dispense sage advice, give an opinion, solve a problem, or teach a lesson. Common sense Italian sayings became part of her personality. She seemingly knew them all, and could pull the appropriate one out of her quiver at a moment's notice, when the need arose. When the need arose to help her family, Toni was there. She began her work life at an early age. She quit school to work in the fish-packing canneries to help raise money for a surgery required by her mother, Anna. She frequently told the story of bus passengers moving away from the cannery workers to avoid the stench of fish! After she married Nick, the jobs had less offensive, pungent odors. As a couple, Nick and Toni lived in an apartment of a building they purchased on Florida Street. When Nick's parents heard their son and daughter-in-law were moving, they were initially shocked. "Their moving to Florida!" Speaking only Italian and not having a grasp of the English language, they mistook the state for the street. As resident manager, Toni became a surrogate mother to the, mostly, military personnel who rented there. She would collect rents, clean and paint apartments, and generally oversee the entire operation. Those 10 units eventually grew to 50, increasing Toni's workload. Until, one day, as she was loading her car with cleaning supplies, her neighbor shouted: "Is that how you want to spend your life?" The light bulb went on and she immediately called Nick to tell him her career in property management was over. Toni now had more time to devote to her family and hobbies. She was an excellent seamstress; creating most of the clothes she wore. She knitted afghans and quilts, embroidered towels, patched and hemmed pants. She could accomplish anything with a needle and thread. Gardening was a passion as she inherited her mother's green thumb. Approaching her house from the alley one could smell the aroma of the sweetest cherry tomatoes from 25 yards away. As a cook and baker, she grew ingredients to enhance her meals. Basil, parsley, lemons, tomatoes, and eggplant all found their way into Toni's mouth-watering dishes. Perhaps her tastiest creations were her lemon cake and cannoli's made from scratch. Holidays were the highlight of the year, thanks to Aunty Toni. She poured herself into the season by collaborating with her Mother on homemade ravioli, pizza, bread, breaded artichokes, cakes, cookies, and even holiday decorations. Toni would always say: "Gee, Mom, how come my food doesn't taste like yours? I use the same recipes." And Nana would say: "It's the pleasure I know my family will have when they enjoy the food." Well, this was one rare instance when Toni was wrong. Her cooking was enjoyed by anyone who had the privilege to taste it. Her later years were devoted to playing an active role in her family. She would regularly take her mother shopping, chat with her sister every morning, walk with her friends and relatives throughout the Mission Hills neighborhood, and enjoy the view from her sister's front porch. To everyone who met Toni-her renters, neighbors, friends, family, and, later, her caregivers-the impression was the same. Here was the sweetest, kindest, most compassionate, helpful, intelligent person one could hope to meet. She enjoyed life and handled the difficulties with dignity and grace. Toni will be remembered for her big heart, loving disposition, and words of encouragement and wisdom. Everyone whose lives she touched will sorely miss her. Antoinette is survived by her husband, Nick, her sister, Lucille, her brothers, Mario and Donald, her aunts, Esther, Antoinette, and Anita, and numerous nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held at Merkley-Mitchell Mortuary on Wednesday, December 1, 2010, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Services will take place at Holy Cross Chapel Catholic Cemetery on Thursday, December 2, 2010, at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the George G. Glenner Alzheimer's Center.