Carol Sandra Calcagno

Carol Sandra Calcagno, 86, joined her husband, Louie, on November 7, 2023. She passed in her beautiful home overlooking the Elkhorn Slough, just as she had wished. Her family was with her. Carol was born on October 29, 1937, in Salinas, CA, to parents Frank and Claire Lanini. Carol grew up in their Spanish style family home in Salinas, which her father had built for her mother upon their marriage. Across the field was her grandparent's Victorian home where Carol would run across to her grandmother's house and play with her cousins, Lorraine, Janice and Lillian Ann when they visited. Those were very special and happy times for Carol. The homes still stand today and remain in the families. As a young girl, Carol attended Sacred Heart School in Salinas. She and her brother, the late Gerald Lanini, were both very active 4-H members. They raised sheep at the barns behind their family home and became expert showmen, always winning champions and showmanship at local fairs. Their father, Frank Lanini, was their 4-H Leader and when Carol was only 15 years old, her dad passed away at the young age of 45. Carol took this very hard, as she was very close to her father.

Upon attending Salinas High School, Carol met the love of her life, Louis Calcagno. They both had a passion for animals and this drew them together. Louie was in FFA and showed dairy cattle. Together, with their love for animals, they developed an inseparable bond. Carol married Louie in 1956 and moved with him to San Luis Obispo while he attended Cal Poly. In their later years, they used to love to take Sunday rides to San Luis Obispo and drive by the old house where they first lived and talk about old memories. In 1957, Louie and Carol started their dream Dairy Farm and family in Moss Landing, CA, on Louie's parents ranch on the Elkhorn Slough.

Carol was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She loved her animals and whenever a baby calf, lamb, duck, etc. was sick, she would bring them into their small one-bathroom house and put them in a box in the bathroom with a heat lamp. She would stay up all night nursing the animal back to health! Carol and Lou were active in the Dairy Industry. For the annual "June is Dairy Month," Carol was the chairperson of the Decorating Committee every year and would have everyone over to the house to make a special centerpiece table decoration for all of the tables. She was very creative and everyone loved taking home the decorations. She and Louie were also the chaperones for the Dairy Princess Contestant every year and looked forward to this once a year get-away from the ranch to Los Angeles for the State Contest. Later in their marriage, Lou decided to run for Monterey County Supervisor. Carol was his greatest supporter and always behind the scenes. She took care of every detail for him. He was Supervisor for 19 years and Carol, along with her son Louie, ran the Dairy and kept everything in order for Lou while he was at the office. Carol and Lou were a great team and counted on each other!

Carol loved cooking, baking and canning. She was best known for her incredible homemade pies! She would make homemade pies for every family dinner--her most popular was banana cream which everyone stood in line for! Carol was also an incredible seamstress. Every year she would take her grandchildren to the fabric store and have them pick out a pattern for a Halloween costume and now her great-grandchildren are wearing those same homemade Halloween costumes. Carol adored her family and would do anything for them. Later in life, Carol enjoyed her grandchildren and great grandchildren and their sporting events. She and Louie attended all of their football and basketball games in high school to watch them play and cheer. They even had their own box seat at all of the football games! Carol would stand up and yell and cheer louder than anyone in the stands! She was an avid Palma fan and she and Lou never missed a football or basketball game. Even after the grandkids graduated, they still looked forward to attending the games for years to come and support Palma.

Carol worked on the Dairy every single day until about 5 years ago when her knees and hips just gave out from overworking. She was up at the crack of dawn every single morning feeding 100 + baby calves and would then come in the house and fix breakfast for her family. She was one of the hardest working women anyone had ever met! During her final years, she loved going for rides with Louie in the truck and stopping to get a strawberry shake, an ice-cream sundae or a hotdog at Wienerschnitzel! In her later years, Carol also developed an affinity for sweet candy and romance novels, which her son, Louie and Daughter-in-law, Carolynn brought her weekly. Carol also looked forward to her great-grandchildren coming to visit her. They made her so happy in her final years and her eyes lit up every time they entered the room! Carol will be deeply missed by her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, but we find solace knowing she is now together with her soul-mate and love of her life! Carol is survived by her son Louie Calcagno and his wife Carolyn, her daughter Debbie Soares, her grandchildren, Adam Soares and his wife Colleen, Lauren Singh and her husband Raj, Jennifer Calcagno and her fiancée Jake, her step-grandchildren, Tony Dahl and Tammy Dahl Mayes, and her great-grandchildren, Bradley, Audra and Sienna Soares. Also, her loving cat of 19 years, Yuma.

The family of Carol would like to express their deepest thanks to all of those who loved and helped care for her over the years, Manuel, Denisse and Star and most recently Milly, the two Blanca's and Maria. You were all special to her! Carol's funeral mass will be held on Monday, November 20, 2023 at 9:30 am, Sacred Heart Church in Salinas. A celebration of her life and lunch will immediately follow at the adjoining Sacred Heart Parish Hall. The family invites all to attend and share their special memories of Carol. Donations in memory of Carol can be made to: The Lou and Carol Calcagno Scholarship Fund. Please make checks payable to: Agri-Culture and refer to the fund. Mail donations to Agri-Culture, 141 Monte Vista Avenue, Watsonville, CA 95076, or make a donation to your favorite charity. For more information go to www.struveandlaporte.com

Online condolences at: www.struveandlaporte.com

Published in The Pajaronian · November 14, 2023