John Monfredini

1927 - 2018

John Monfredini

March 18, 1927 - September 6, 2018

John Calisto Monfredini, dancer extraordinaire, fantastic storyteller, faithful 49er fan, Jack Daniel's Manhattan aficionado, lover of jokes, competitive bocce player, old car collector, chauffeur to many a bride on her wedding day, Sunday night pasta eater, drinker of root beer floats on a hot day, hugger and kisser to everyone he met, and he met and loved everyone, ascended to his heavenly Father on Thursday morning, September 6, 2018.
John lived a full and wonderful life. He was born in 1927 in San Francisco, a first-generation Italian, to Calisto and Santina Monfredini. John grew up in North Beach in a set of flats that housed his grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins. At the age of five, his mother, Santina and his aunt Freda walked him from his home on Lombard Street to the Salesian School at St. Peters and Paul's Church. John, always one to make his wishes known, screamed at the top of his lungs, but temper tantrum notwithstanding, he was left in the good care of the nuns. From that moment in 1932, John was proud to be a Salesian, practicing the ways of John Bosco and serving on the Board of Directors at the Salesian Boys' and Girls' Club until his death.
Raised in his uncles' butcher shops (Vannucci brothers), John learned the meat business eventually working for California Meat Company and later was able to partner with his father-in-law, Angelo Gramaccia, and purchased the J&A Market on the corner of Stockton and Lombard Streets (it still exists today).
Eventually, he, along with his brother Emil, owned the Cabrillo Meat Co., near the beach at the bottom of Cabrillo Street in San Francisco. From there, he and Emil purchased The Modesto Poultry Co. at 6th and Clement doing both retail and wholesale fish and poultry sales. As business grew, they moved the wholesale end of the business to Colma, becoming Modesto Sales, where they prospered until Emil's untimely death in 1971. John's love for his brother remained stored in his heart until his death.
After a short period, he partnered with Harold DeLuca to resurrect Berkeley Poultry Company, which became Allied Poultry Co. and where he worked until 1994 retiring as President and Owner.
John was a veteran of WWII having served as part of the Invasion of Okinawa. As a vet, he was proud to hang the American Flag outside of his home and to call himself an American. He was thrilled in 2016 when he was chosen to travel to Washington DC to be honored with other WWII vets in a wonderful program called Honor Flight.
Always active in his community, he served as President of the Old Timers Club, was a lifetime member of the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club, a bocce player, and a self-appointed, expert teacher to the chagrin of his teammates. He enjoyed golfing with his high school friend Lloyd, partnered with his friend Bob at the Sonoma Foothill Vineyard, was a founding member of the San Francisco Rod and Racket Club, and was a Salesian Boys' and Girls' Club Board Member. John was honored throughout the years with numerous awards and recognition, but his proudest moment was being named the Salesian Man of the Year in 1994.
John was always active and willing to tackle any type of home repair job. Like his father, who was a cabinet maker, John was a master of facing a repair. At the age of 86, he built a beautiful fence around his summer home and later decided that his wife Nora should become a farmer and built her three gorgeous vegetable boxes. He was never afraid to get up on a ladder, string lights, and clean gutters, repair windows, fix plumbing and amazed his neighbors with his dexterity.
John grew up loving cars, a love that lasted a lifetime. He could get under the hood with the best of them, especially while at Galileo High School with his buddy Lloyd, and he always had a shine on his old 1940 Fords. His '57 Chevy truck is a specimen of chrome, pipes and wonderful memories. To see John in his truck was to see happiness from ear to ear.
John was predeceased in death by his high school sweetheart and wife of 28 years, Esther Gramacci, his brother Emil Monfredini and his sister Eleanor Barbagallo.
He leaves behind Nora, his devoted wife of 35 years and three beloved children, daughter, Janet Monfredini (Mark Plumley), son, David Monfredini (Debbie) and son, Michael Feld (Carrie).
Family was always very important to John. He was loved as both Nonno and Grandpa John by his five grandchildren, Jenny Woods, Robin Monfredini Devine (Sean), Kelly Monfredini (Erik), Courtney Coppage and Dalton Coppage.
John had many first cousins and was an adored Uncle to nephews John (Arlette) Jim (Lee Ann) and Marty Monfredini (Denise), also Bill Barbagallo (Lisa), with many more cherished nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.
The family would like to thank the kindness and exceptional care provided by his amazing doctors, Dr. James Yoss and Dr. Remo Morelli, and will be forever grateful for their extraordinary compassion.
If you wish to honor John with a donation in his memory, John was a big supporter of the Salesian Boys' & Girls' Club and the work they do. You can donate and learn more at www.salesianclub.org.
Friends are welcome for visitation at 5PM followed by the Funeral Mass at 6PM on Tuesday, September 11, 2018 at SS Peter & Paul Church.
For funeral service information please go to www.monfredinimemorial.com.