Clara Simonetti

Clara passed away on Jan. 12, 2022, at the age of 93 due to complications from Alzheimer's.

Since childhood, Clara was always sweet, kind, and soft-spoken. She maintained her sweet and pleasant nature through to her final days. Her Alzheimer's seemed to awaken a witty sense of humor, causing people to laugh at her one-liners, "Clara's zingers."

Clara was born on April 16, 1928 at the family home on the Breschini and Luchessa Ranch south of Soledad, just one day after her cousin Jimmy Luchessa was born on the ranch. She said she always felt a special kinship with Jimmy. Clara was the fourth child of Bernardino and Cornelia Breschini, who immigrated from Cugnasco, Switzerland, canton Ticino, in 1923. Clara grew up on the ranch with her five siblings and six Luchessa cousins.

Clara learned hard work growing up on the ranch. She mainly worked inside the house, performing household chores and helping cook meals for the ranch hands. During the summer, she also worked in the fields, hoeing weeds and harvesting hay. As there was no television, Clara liked to listen to the radio a lot. She also enjoyed decorating the house, ordering the curtains and bedspreads from catalogs and playing with her siblings and cousins. They played Kick the Can, Hide and Seek, marbles, cards, Pick Up Sticks, football, and baseball. The family enjoyed annual outings under the Arroyo Seco bridge near Greenfield, having a picnic lunch and playing in the water. That was a big treat for them.

Clara grew up speaking the Swiss Ticinese dialect and later learned English from her older brothers, cousins and school. Apparently, her English was not the best. In her high school yearbook, her English teacher wrote, "I never knew anyone who could mix up the English language quite like you do – but it is charming."

After high school, Clara attended Salinas Junior College (Hartnell) for four months, studying accounting. She also took a tumbling class – they performed during halftime at football games. In December 1946, Ernie Gnesa offered her a bookkeeping job at his Soledad Plumbing & Electric business. She accepted the job at $40/month. She held that job for 35 years through change of ownerships, working for Teddy Tisdel and the Al DeCarli family. She was a conscientious and loyal employee throughout her career, retiring in 1988.

Clara met Joe Simonetti at an American Legion dance in Soledad. But prior to that, he caught her eye when she visited her sister Sylvia, who lived next door to him. She could sometimes see him shaving through the back porch window. They began dating in February 1953, got engaged on her 25th birthday and married three months later on July 12 at the St. Joan of Arc Church in Las Vegas. 27 years later, Clara and Joe's oldest son Larry got married on this date and 61 years later, their granddaughter Lindsay did the same.

Clara and Joe lived their first two years renting the small home behind her mother's home in Soledad until Joe finished building their family home on Walker Drive. They lived the entire rest of their lives there, both passing away peacefully at home.

Clara was proud of her Swiss heritage. She was a lifetime member of the Monterey County chapter of the Swiss American club and a member of the Ticinella club, comprised of Salinas Valley daughters of Ticinese ancestry. In 1990, she traveled to Europe with her daughter Julie, focusing on her ancestry in Cugnasco and the Lavertezzo Valley, and visiting her many relatives.

Clara enjoyed many vacations to Lake Tahoe. Most of these trips were with her sister Sylvia. Their relationship exemplified sisterhood and they held a close bond throughout their lives.

Clara was preceded in death by her husband, Joe, in 2010; and her brothers, Reno, Bruno, Elmer, and Milton. She leaves behind her sister, Sylvia; her four children: Larry (Gloria), Steve (Betty), Julie Herback (Phil), and Jane (David Zavislan); six grandchildren: Joseph, Lindsay, Ben, Leslie, Jason, Natalie; and six great-grandchildren.

A private family service will be held. In lieu of flowers, donations would be appreciated to either Central Coast VNA & Hospice or Alzheimer's Association.

Published in Salinas Valley Tribune · January 19, 2022