Obituary of Edward (Eddie) Dovichi

Born in San Francisco on February 20, 1922, Ed moved with his father and mother to Davenport at the age of one. He grew up and worked on the Seaside Ranch in Davenport with his family, until 1937, when his father sold his partnership in the ranch and moved the family to their new home and orchard in Soquel. Ed graduated from Santa Cruz High in 1939 and worked on the family orchard until his father's death in 1943, after which he took on numerous odd jobs, many of which ended quickly. As Ed recently declared with his typical dry wit, "I'm surprised they lasted as long as they did. I would have fired me a lot sooner!" Ed then found his niche when he started working for Stewart Engineering, which later became Watkins-Johnson in Scotts Valley. That niche was engineering, and his career in the field spanned 40 years, the second half of which was spent primarily at Fairchild Semiconductor. Ed applied his passion for engineering to everything he did. Home projects were planned, designed, tested, and then rechecked twice before starting. When Ed completed a project you could entrust your life to its integrity. This trait spread across his whole life. His yard, house and workshop were always immaculate, which earned him the nickname "Mr. Perfect" from his neighbors and friends. Ed and his beloved wife of 65 years, Veronica (Roni), built their home next door to his mother's on the original family orchard. They enjoyed their years together hosting events and visiting family and friends, and taking the occasional road trip. They never missed a birthday, wedding, holiday, family gathering or any other opportunity to get together with friends and family. Loved and adored by his nieces and nephews, he was an integral part of a close and happy family. Ed lived life simply, on his own terms. Even after Roni's passing, he still enjoyed daily outings to his favorite restaurants, the wharf, or wherever he could find just the right part for one of his projects. You could always count on him for help, yet he never asked for anything in return. His wry sense of humor, good heart and long term twist on local history drew people to him naturally. Ed is survived by his nephews Mike Tolaio (Stacey) of Scotts Valley, Mark Tolaio of Santa Cruz, Jeff Tolaio (Andrea) of Santa Cruz, Lance Tolaio (Sharon) of Corralitos, niece Stacey Mecadon (Willie) of Santa Cruz; his grandnieces and grandnephews, Kristen Kudenov of Cary, NC, Michael Mecadon of South Lake Tahoe, Lauren Mecadon of Santa Cruz, Bradley Tolaio of Scotts Valley, Erica Tolaio of Scotts Valley, and Luca Tolaio of Santa Cruz; his brother-in-law Vince Tolaio (Donna); and cousins Gloria Frazier (Ron) of Scotts Valley, Betty Tambellini of Capitola, Deana Henderson (Richard) of Santa Rosa, Roy Buoncristiani of Eureka and Angie Rossi of Santa Cruz. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Veronica in April of 2010. A celebration of Eddie's life will be held on May 18 at 2:00 pm. If you would like more information please leave a message at (831) 476-4524. Eddie, of the stories you told, many of our favorites were from your early life living amongst the Italians of the Santa Cruz County's North Coast. So we'll finish with your favorite toast. Salute per tutti!