Camele DeNolf Ball

BALL, CAMELE DeNOLF
On March 7, 2003, Camele was called to his eternal reward. Part of America's "Greatest Generation," he embodied the values of faith, devotion to country, and love of family. Camele was preceded in death by his loving wife of 57 years, Ida Mae, who passed away on November 2 of 2002. Inseparable in life, they are together again in eternity. Camele and Ida Mae raised four children who survive with their spouses: Linda and Daryl Alvernaz, Mary Catherine and Bill Fippin, Robert and Margaret Ball, and David and Debra Ball. "Pop" passed on his strong values and devoted love to his 13 grandchildren, Dennis and Anthony DeWinter, Kristen Harle, Elizabeth Alvernaz, Alicia Plante, Jeffrey and Kevin Fippin, Annie Ball, Cassandra Brennan, Christopher, Matthew, Camille and Theresa Ball; and three great-grandchildren, Bryce and Leif DeWinter and Lauren Harle. He is also survived by his two sisters, Mary Van and Gabriel Wilgus and was preceded in death by his brother, Albert Ball. A native of Sacramento, Camele was born on March 22, 1913, on the old Lagomarsino Ranch, in what is now East Sacramento. His parents Rene DeNolf Ball and Florence Algoet had immigrated from Belgium the previous year. The family settled on a small farm in Bryte, where they lived for several years until moving to the booming community of Oak Park in the 1920s. Rene was a well-known master cabinetmaker, and Florence ran the family-owned grocery store on 2nd Avenue and San Jose Way. The family was an integral part of the Oak Park community and devoted parishioners of Immaculate Conception Church. Camele attended St. Francis Elementary School and Christian Brothers College as part of the class of 1929. Before the War, he worked in the hotel industry and became a bartender at the old Senator and El Rancho Hotels. In their day they were "the happenin' place to be seen." During the War, he served his country in the U.S. Army, stationed at home and in the Philippines. While stationed at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, on a blind date he met the "love of his life," Ida Mae. They married and settled in Sacramento where Camele found his second love - landscaping - when he joined the Sacramento Parks Department. He helped plant and care for the beautiful gardens at McKinley and William Land Parks. He later ran the Sacramento City Nursery, where all the trees, shrubs and flowers planted in the city parks were grown. He retired in the late 1970s as a Park Foreman. From his earliest days in Bryte, Camele was a passionate outdoorsman. His entire family was included in his many fishing and hunting adventures, which he continued to pursue well into his 80s. All family and friends are invited to visitation on Tuesday, March 11 from 5:00-7:00 PM, followed by the Rosary at 7:00 PM at LIND BROTHERS MORTUARY , 4221 Manzanita Ave., Carmichael. Friends are also invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial that will be offered for the repose of his soul on Wednesday, March 12 at 9:00 AM at St. Michael's Catholic Church, 4524 Garfield Ave., Carmichael. Interment will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery. Remembrance may be made to St. Patrick's Home for Children, Franklin Blvd. in Sacramento.