Obituary of Alta Marie Pieracci

ALTA M. PIERACCI A vigil service will be held on Wednesday evening in Santa Cruz for Alta Pieracci who died peacefully at her Watsonville home on September 11, 2010, with her loving family at her bedside. Alta would have celebrated her 83rd birthday on November 13th. Born and raised in Taft, California, she graduated from high school there and moved to Santa Cruz at age 17 for employment training with Western Union. She worked for several years at the Western Union office in Santa Cruz. She also worked for Carniglia Brothers for many years in the 1950's before purchasing Picwick Fish and Chips on Beach Street, and a second location on Mission Street. Alta was a very good dancer, and met her future husband, Emo, in 1944 at a Cocoanut Grove dance. They were married in 1945. Alta was an accomplished traveler; visiting Hawaii many times, and was very involved with the Watsonville Band and their performances. She resided in many places including Sonora, Coeur d'Alene , Idaho, and Tucson, Arizona, before moving back to Watsonville in 2008. She was active in the Miss California Pageant in the years Santa Cruz hosted the event. She was a familiar face at the Santa Cruz Elks Lodge, and the Santa Cruz Yacht Club. Her family will always cherish the many memories of Alta's garden that she enjoyed working in, and her love for going on motorcycle trips with her husband. She was very good at home remodeling projects; recently installing new bathroom tile. She is survived by her daughter and son in-law, Vicki and John Pain of Watsonville, her sister Bonnie Cox of Atwater, CA; her eight grandchildren: Randy, Ronnie, Rodney, Tammy, Neil, Jennifer, Amy, and Michael. She leaves ten great grandchildren, and her loving nieces and nephew. Alta was preceded in death by her husband Emo in 1999, and her daughter, Yolanda Thomas in 2005. Friends are invited to attend the vigil ceremony on Wednesday, September 15th at Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel in Santa Cruz, beginning at 7 p.m. A private burial will take place at a later date in Evergreen Cemetery in Tucson, Arizona where she will be laid to rest beside her late husband, Emo. Kind acts of charity may be made in Alta's name to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105) Her family would like to thank all the medical staff and caregivers who helped us through this transition, and a very gracious and special thanks to Rosie and Josh of Hospice, and Dr. James Engelman, for their excellent care.