Guiseppi (Sylvia) Norton nee Carcione

1921 - 2024

Guiseppi (Sylvia) Norton nee Carcione
11/19/1921 - 06/25/2024
Sylvia, known to her family as TiTi, passed away at age 102 on June 25, 2024. She had no disease, no lingering health problems, some dementia. Her passing was peaceful, with family present. It was her time. Sylvia was predeceased by her parents Giuseppi (Joseph) Carcione and Silvia Roventini, a San Francisco native. Joseph was born in Sant' Agata di Militello Italy (Sicily) and traveled in 1900 with his mother Giuseppa Salvo Carcione and his older brother Pietro (Peter) Carcione through Ellis Island and to Spring Alley in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.
Her mother's parents Gustavo Roventini (TiTi's favorite nonno) and Maria Matteoni were both born in Lucca, Italy. Giuseppa was previously married in Sicily to Salvatore Balestrieri and had two children, Maria and Vincenzo who traveled to America separately. Sylvia is pre-deceased by her beloved siblings, brother Sal Carcione (Carson) and his daughter Kathleen, her sisters Valeria Bulgo and Gloria Kelly, half-sister Elayne (daughter from Joseph's first marriage), stepdaughter Judy Norton, close aunts, uncles and cousins (including TV's Joe The Green Grocer).
She is survived by daughter Donna M. Oppedal and son Gregory K. Oppedal, granddaughter Lesley K. Johnson, great granddaughter Claire N. Levinson, great grandson Blake A, Levinson, step-children Tedra Norton, Larry and Barry Norton, god-daughter Diana Jo, and many nieces, nephews and other extended family.
TiTi started life on Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco. She told how she loved going to the "country" Redwood City to visit Uncle Pete and Aunt Katie, waking up to a crowing rooster and the smell of drying hay. She had dreams to be a professional dancer but Daddy and Mama had other plans. She loved long fingernails, red nail polish, music, dancing, tennis, friends, chocolate and life. Her father made sure the children went to all the operas and they loved going to movies with him. He divided his professional time between his marble-walled barber shop in a historic building on Montgomery Street in downtown San Francisco and singing with the San Francisco Opera.
The family moved to Oakland to live with Auntie Gemma Marchi prior to TiTi's little sister Gloria's birth. Sylvia attended Oakland's Claremont Junior High and University High School. She met Arthur Oppedal who played saxophone in her brother Sal's band and they eloped to Santa Cruz in August 1939. Three months later on her 18th birthday they had a church wedding at the Little Chapel of the Flowers in Berkeley. During WWII Sylvia worked as a comptometer operator at a local military base while Art served in Japan during the occupation. Following his return they lived a traditional 1950's lifestyle and had two children. Art was a carpenter, then a general building contractor. He built a wonderful home for the family (making the adobe bricks by hand) in the Oakland hills.
Sylvia loved gardening. They had friends, parties, PTA, scouts and dogs, but in the late 50's Art and Sylvia divorced. She went to work at Joseph Magnin in Oakland. Soon after, she met the dashingly handsome man she married in 1962, Forrest "Chico" Norton, who worked decades as the storied equipment manager for the SF Forty Niners. They moved to San Francisco and Sylvia worked at H. Liebes and Roberts-Liebes Furs. They had a great life, world travel, friends, an occasional martini, Joe Bulgo's chicken wings, enjoyed sports (attended all the Niner Superbowl games), holidays, and gambling in Reno until Chico was struck with Alzheimers and she lost her chum in 1995.
The decades that followed were spent enjoying family and friends, grandchildren, Reno with her sister, walks with neighbors, short domestic and foreign trips, good music and books. We thank family caregivers Teddy, Lesley, Richard and Frances Tawase for the support that allowed Sylvia to stay at home as she declined.
Sylvia's celebration will be Tuesday, July 23, 2024. Rosary and visitation will be at 10:00 a.m. followed by 11:00 a.m. mass at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 2320 Green Street, San Francisco. Internment follows at Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma. In lieu of flowers donations may by made in Sylvia's name to a charity of your choice.