Nick M. Mariani died of prostate cancer in Reedsport, Ore.,
Saturday, Nov. 13, 2004.
Nick M. Mariani died of prostate cancer in Reedsport, Ore., Saturday, Nov. 13, 2004.
Mr. Mariani was born Feb. 22, 1929, in Komiza, Dalmatia, in what is now the Republic of Croatia, and immigrated to the United States in 1935 at the age of 6. A former Cupertino and Morgan Hill resident, he was a farmer, teacher, counselor and restaurateur.
He attended Live Oak and Fremont high schools where he excelled in sports and graduated from Fremont High School in 1947. He served in the U.S. Army at Fort Ord during the Korean conflict. He earned a degree in Business Administration from San Jose State University in 1957. From 1957-65 he operated Mariani Orchards, a family-owned business in Morgan Hill, where he grew apricots, cherries and prunes. In the 1960s, he also worked as a teacher/counselor at the James Boys Ranch and later as a teacher at Quimby Oak School in San Jose.
He also owned and operated The Villa Restaurant. He retired in 1993 and moved to Gold Bar, Wash., where he continued to be involved in real estate and land development. He was a member of the Croation Fraternal Union of America and teachers’ and farmers’ professional organizations.
He is survived by his wife, Jackie Shupe, whom he married in 1958; daughters, Simi (and Greg) Hoover of Reedsport, Tori (and Chuck) Combs of Redding and Heidi (and Jeff) Barberio of Pittsburg; grandchildren, Lea, A.J., Robyn, P.J., Brandyn, Rejena and Nicholas; sister, Victoria (and Sam); brother, Mitch (and Dede) Mariani and Andy, all of Morgan Hill; cousins, Sonja (Mariani) Porter of Carmichael, Nick J. Mariani of San Pedro and Arlene (Mariani) Kielbasa of Palos Verdes Estates; along with numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. In 1967 he married Louise Williams and leaves behind her and their son, Nick Mariani Jr., of Morgan Hill.
Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 2:30pm Saturday, Nov. 20, at St. Catherine’s Church, Morgan Hill.
Donations may be made to Lower Umpqua Hospice, 600 Ranch Road, Reedsport, OR 97467.
