Gilda J. Stagnaro

Gilda Jenny Stagnaro, one of the most beloved figures in her native Santa Cruz and an icon of the Central California waterfront, died of a coronary-related incident that took place in front of the restaurant bearing her name on the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, Friday, January 4. She was 83.

Born the ninth of 11 children to Cottardo II and Batistina Stagnaro both natives of Riva Trigoso, Genoa, Italy, March 31, 1924, Gilda was named after an elder sister who died in infancy. "G.J.," as she was called by family members when young, was raised in the Santa Cruz Italian Fishing Colony, known as the "barranca," on the Westside of Santa Cruz. As a girl she recalled loving to hear the elderly fishermen sing passages from Italian operas.

Gilda attended Bay View Elementary School, Mission Hill Junior High, and Santa Cruz High, where she was an honor student and played catcher on the girl's softball team. She excelled in shorthand and was the recipient of an American Legion Award. She also completed additional courses in bookkeeping and business practices from the Southwestern Publishing Company.

Gilda took her first job two months after graduating from high school, at the age of 17, with the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce and then worked in the office of Dr. A.E. Allegrini before he was called into the service during World War II. She then went to work as a secretary at Mission Hill Junior High until the end of the war, when she went to work for her family's business operations on the wharf, which then included a fishing fleet, fish market, speed boat rides, coffee shop and wholesale fish operation.

She worked all aspects of the business-except for the boats, as she was prone to seasickness-and she, like all of her brothers and father, took pride in being a fine fish filleter. She often put in 16 to 18 hour days, seven days a week. The only day she took off for many years was Christmas.

In 1971, she opened Gilda's Restaurant, on the site of the family's former fish market and coffee shop. She was later joined at Gilda's by her brother and partner, Robert "Big Boy" Stagnaro, and his sons, Malio and Dino Stagnaro, in running the restaurant.

Gilda was extremely proficient in foreign languages, speaking fluent Italian and Spanish, and delighted in speaking foreign languages with visitors to the restaurant from around the world. She always said that she didn't need to travel because the world came to her. She was known for remembering customers by their first name. Always a warm smile on her face, she was the consummate hostess.

Gilda never retired. She was devoted to her work and to her family and many friends who visited with her at the restaurant. She continued to work 40-hour weeks until the time of her death.

In recent years, she enjoyed Tuesday night dinners with an assortment of family members at The Lucky Dragon Restaurant in Aptos.

She is survived by her brother Robert "Big Boy" Stagnaro; sister Yolanda "Lindy" Stagnaro Dunn; and more than 100 nieces and nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her beloved uncle, Malio J. Stagnaro, and nine siblings: Cottardo III "Babe"; Mary; Estrella; Batista "Dodie"; Malio H. "Stago"; Joe; Gilda I; and Betty.

As she requested, no public memorial services will be held and interment will be private. Friends and family members are invited to remember her by visiting the Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel, 1050 Cayuga St., tomorrow Wednesday, January 9, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Contributions in her memory may be made to Cystic Fibrosis Research, Inc., 2672 Bayshore Parkway, Suite 520, Mountain View, CA 94043.