John Massimo Giraudo

John Massimo Giraudo passed away on November 12, 2025 with his family by his side after a yearlong battle with liver cancer. John fought hard to beat cancer but in the end the side effects of the cancer treatment grew too immense. He appreciated everyone who helped him with his cancer journey. He always said, "What you give, you get back" and this is true for John all the way until he took his last breath.
John was born in San Francisco, CA on February 24, 1937, to John and Madeline Giraudo, both immigrants from Northern Italy. John grew up in SF and attended both Saint Peters Elementary school and Saint Ignatius High School. As a child, John spoke Piedmontese with his family and didn't learn to speak English until he began Kindergarten. John was immersed in his Italian heritage that continued on throughout his life. John often spoke of his parent's grocery stores in S.F. as well as his paper routes that allowed him to save enough money to buy his first car, a 1950 Ford Convertible.
John's family moved to Redwood City in 1952 where he attended Sequoia High, meeting his best friend and wife Diane Mueller. Upon graduating high school, John enlisted in the US Army from 1955-1957. John came back from Kentucky in 1956 to marry his high school sweetheart Diane and together they began their marriage in Germany where they met some wonderful lifelong friends.
John and Diane came back to Redwood City expecting their oldest son, John. Their journey together started with them living on the same street they dated on, and after 5 years, they proceeded to buy Diane's family home on Delaware Avenue where they raised their five children. Their family continued to grow by the births of three more sons: Robert, William and James followed by the birth of their daughter, Joan. John began his career as a project estimator for Baker's and Hamilton in SF. From there he worked at Palo Alto Hardware, Hopper Inc. and finally retired from Santa Clara Lumber and Millwork in 2000. When he wasn't working he was building boats, working on Mustangs & Bronco's, fishing, waterskiing, traveling in an RV, or sitting on his deck in Arnold counting his Pine & Cedar trees. John loved to fish with his friend Ralph, his boys, his grandsons and his great grandsons and all of their friends. From Clear Lake to Arnold, you could always find John with a fishing pole in his hand. Family and fishing went hand in hand for John.
John lived a long happy life with his best friend by his side until the day he passed. John was preceded in death by his brother (Max), sister, mother (Madeline), father (John), and grandson (Anthony). John is survived by his wife Diane, sons John (Robin), Bob (Sheri), Jim (Renee), Daughter Joanie and grandchildren; Angela (Colin), Andrew (Stephanie), Daniel (Gabriela), Alyssa (Mike), Johnathon (Yvette), Patrick, Chris (Libby) and Hannah, as well as his great grandchildren: Colin, Kylee, Sofia, Liam, Giovani, Anthony, Savannah, Olivia and Aspen.
John lived a long humble life. He was hardworking, dedicated and a genuinely kind person everyone easily became friends with. John will be missed and his life's memories will be held close by his family and friends forever.
Per John's request, our family will have a short Rosary/Burial service at 10:30/11:30 am at Alta Mesa Memorial Cemetery in Los Altos on November 24th. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Cancer Society (ACS) in Johns name.