Joseph Bollentini

1944 - 2017

Joseph Bollentini
Nov 12, 1944 - Oct 19, 2017
Aptos
Joseph "Joe" John Bollentini, 72, passed away at his longtime Rio Del Mar home on October 19, 2017. Joe, a native of San Francisco, spent much of his childhood summers in the Santa Cruz Mountains before moving to Aptos in 1978. He is missed dearly by his wife of 50 years, artist and retired educator Dianne Bollentini; loving daughters Nicole Bollentini of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Gabrielle Mackle of Aptos, Kristina Eisenhut of Santa Cruz; and six grandchildren: Kassa Bridgewater; Kelsey, Joseph and Patrick Mackle; Katie and Ian Eisenhut as well as many other friends and relatives.
Born to Mamie and Sylvio "Pat" Bollentini on November 12, 1944, Joe attended Jefferson High School in Daly City, California where he excelled in baseball and football. Joe was named the youngest player on the San Mateo County All Star squad.
He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1962 and would be part of the Caribbean blockade which was a factor in what we now know as the Cuban Missile Crisis. He also served in Vietnam and Korea where he was trained as a photographer. The knowledge and discipline he gained in the military would shape much of his eventual career path.
Joe soon began selling cameras and other photographic equipment to stores in the San Francisco area, eventually founding his own sales firm, Bollentini & Co in Aptos and became one of the nation's leading sales representatives in the photo and consumer electronics industry. He received many awards for his work, including being named "Rep of the Decade" by Ricoh Electronics in 1990. He later became General Manager of the Consumer Products Group for Ricoh, where he helped introduce digital photography to the masses.
Work in the growing technology industry was a natural extension of his talents and Joe became Chief Operating Officer for ArcSoft, a Fremont based software company that helped marry digital photography to the Internet. He then worked at Silicon Valley's Roxio and Sonic Solutions as Senior Vice President until retiring in 2009. However, loving to keep busy, he continued to work as a consultant for as long as he was able to do so.
His work took him around the world and he spent a great deal of time traveling, particularly to Asia. He was one of the earlier American businessmen to work regularly in China and once had a problem with his visa that resulted in his sharing his hotel room with three heavily armed Chinese soldiers.
Joe was a dedicated husband, father, grandfather, brother, friend, and neighbor. Joe coached Aptos Little League and basketball, and later enjoyed attending his grandchildren's sporting events. He loved Christmas and enjoyed friendly neighborhood Christmas lighting competitions. Joe had miniature train sets as a boy and during a business trip to Germany he purchased trains so he could continue the tradition at his home. He built elaborate holiday villages both inside and outside with the help of his wife and grandchildren.
He grew up on and around the beach and shared his love of the ocean with his daughters. He loved parties and family gatherings and spent almost every Sunday with his daughters and grandchildren at "Sunday night dinner" at his home. He loved dogs and adopted rescue pup, Gigi, in 2007 whom had twice been returned to the shelter, believing everyone should be given another chance.
He also enjoyed gardening, golf, fishing, movies, vacationing with his extended family and was a longtime season ticket holder for the San Francisco Giants. He will be remembered for his quick wit, charm and undying generosity.
In addition to his wife, daughters and grandchildren, he is survived by his sons-in-law David Eisenhut and Brian Mackle; sister Loretta Germano; brother David Bollentini; and many other family members and friends, including special friends, Charles and Kathy Bamford , Dan and Jill Braga and Barbara Meck.
A Celebration of Life for Joe is planned on October 29 at 1 p.m. at Seascape Golf Club, 610 Clubhouse Drive, Aptos. The family would like to thank the wonderfully supportive caregivers and Hospice who helped during an especially hard time. Donations in honor of Joe are appreciated and can be made to the American Diabetes Association and Hospice Santa Cruz.


View the online memorial for Joseph Bollentini