Florence Josephine Queirolo entered into eternal rest in San Francisco, the city of her birth. She is survived by her beloved husband of 62 years, Dino A. Queirolo and her loss will be felt deeply forever.

Florence was the youngest of six children born to Giuseppe and Giulia (Ballestrasse) Fontana. She had three homes in her life: her birthplace at 23 Oakwood Street; the flat on Scott Street where she and Dino lived when they wed in 1952; and their home, since 1956, on the southern slope of Twin Peaks.

Her playmates in "the alley" were the children of Italian families who emigrated at the turn of the 20th century. Theirs were friendships that lasted, in many cases, for her entire life. She was a proud daughter, niece, sister, wife and aunt of garbagemen, and immediately after graduation from Mission High School (class of 1945), she started working for her uncle, Domenico Fontana, who was the president of Sunset Scavengers, at the company headquarters on Hampshire Street. (Sunset, now called Recology, was founded in 1920 by some 26 emigres from the Ligurian region of Italy, including her father and uncle.)

It was at the Sunset offices, in 1947, that she met the man with whom she would share her life, Dino. After a 2-year courtship, they married at Mission Dolores Catholic Church, and shared a love affair that lasted over 64 years.

Flo also worked at the delicatessens L & L and Town Foods for many years, serving up cold cuts and also outrageously cutting up, keeping her customers and co-workers entertained.

When her widowed mother, Giulia, moved to El Verano to be near her daughter Margaret, Dino and Florence spent nearly every weekend in the country, and Sunday family gatherings there were warm, festive affairs, cherished by family and friends alike. As Giulia's health deteriorated, Florence and Margaret alternated as caregivers, and when their beloved Mama died in 1977, she passed peacefully in Florence and Dino's San Francisco home.

Florence was devoted to Dino, and she enjoyed traveling with him on business trips and making new friends on cruises and vacations. In retirement, they loved their daily outings to Golden Gate Park, Crissy Field, Fort Funston and Sigmund Stern Grove, always with one of their adored pets: Michelle, Dach, Jenny 1, Jenny 2 and Barney.

She and Dino hosted family Christmas gatherings for more than 50 years. The food and drink were sublime, and the entertainment, provided by the "Italian Carol Burnett" (according to one of her nephews) was, literally, incredible. After dinner, and during the singing of carols and oldies, Florence would amaze everyone with her antics and costumes. She had been bitten by the show biz bug during a brief stage appearance at Everett Junior High, and so on her Sunview Drive stage she would appear in a wild wig, or in her wedding dress and tap shoes, or in some other outrageous get-up. The results were always hilarious. Preserving her Italian tradition was important, so the singing always included the songs learned in her childhood home or at the annual garbagemen's picnics.

Florence was a great cook, and she welcomed new brides to the family with some of her favorite Italian recipes, all written in her beautiful, florid hand. The littlest relatives always benefited from her (and Dino's) generosity, with a few bucks slipped into their hands to buy a treat.

She was blessed to have many relatives who will miss her greatly, her in-laws Elsie (Cavagnaro) Fontana and John and Catherine (Queirolo) De Martini, and by three generations of loving nieces and nephews, including Joe (Sandra) Fontana, Julie (Joe) Collins, Dominic Fontana, Mary (Steve) Pellegrini, Frank (James Millefolie) Fontana, Joe (Kathy) Fontana, Barry (Jeanine) Leonardini, John (Connie) Curotto, Jo Anne Meroney, Lynne Fontana, Paul (Diane) Fontana, and Steven (Lu Ann), David, and John (Jeanette) De Martini.

She was pre-deceased by her parents Giuseppe and Giulia (Ballestrasse) Fontana; sisters Margaret (the late John) Curotto and Inez (the late Albert) Leonardini; brothers Pasquale, Domenic (the late Dorothy and Barbara) and Alfred (the late Emily) Fontana, and great-nephews Michael Fontana and Kevin Curotto. Florence was a great lover of animals, especially dogs, and a supporter of Hopalong Animal Rescue in Oakland and the San Francisco SPCA. A Memorial Mass in celebration of her life was held at St. Brendan Catholic Church, 29 Rockaway Avenue in San Francisco, on Saturday, October 11, 2014.

 

Published in San Francisco Chronicle from Sept. 6 to Oct. 5, 2014

Dino Queirolo — husband, uncle, family man, garbage man — has died.  He passed away in December of 2017.

Dino was born at home in Petaluma, California on April 28, 1928, the second child of Antonio and Carolina (Callegari) Queirolo.  Antonio was a vegetable and fruit farmer, and a streetcar operator in San Francisco, and his untimely death in 1931 caused Carolina to move to San Francisco with Dino and his older sister, Catherine.

Dino was educated in San Francisco Catholic and public schools and, always industrious, also worked to help supplement his small family’s income by, first, selling newspapers and, later, working in a pharmacy.  Hard work and devotion to family were traits that would come to define his life.

As a student at Mission High School he attended summer school and worked hard to earn extra credits which led to his early graduation in 1945.  He immediately enlisted in the U.S. Army, and in joint operations with the U.S. Navy he served 2 years onboard the USS Mt. McKinley as a radioman.  He ultimately achieved the rank of sergeant and was honorably discharged in 1947.  He then returned to San Francisco, to his Scott Street home, and to his pharmacy work.

Also in 1947, at the suggestion of his uncle, he began employment as a worker at the Sunset Scavenger Company.  In his early days, he would rise before dawn to work on his garbage route, return home to nap and then proceed to his second job at the pharmacy.  Eventually, his dream of becoming a pharmacist gave way to the profession that he grew to love, that of a garbage man, and he became a proud shareholder in the company.

In 1964 there was a shareholder “revolution” at Sunset Scavenger and a new Board of Directors was installed.  Dino’s election to the Board meant leaving his work on truck #86 and assuming the role of Vice President of Sunset Scavenger, as well as additional executive positions with affiliated Sunset (and, later, Envirocal) companies.  He served in these roles for nearly 20 years, and was very proud of his contributions to the modernization of the solid waste industry, as well as to the excellent and always-improving service provided to the residents of San Francisco and other cities in which Sunset/Envirocal did business.  He was a strong advocate for his fellow scavengers, and until the end of his life was a member in good standing of the Scavengers’ Protective Union.

Were it not for his career change from pharmacist to garbage man Dino might never have met Florence Fontana who was a worker in the old Hampshire Street headquarters of Sunset Scavenger.  Theirs was an instant attraction that led to a happy courtship and ultimately a wedding in May of 1952.  They shared a long, loving marriage of 62 years, enjoying extensive travel (for business and pleasure), large family gatherings, and the companionship of a number of beloved dogs.  They hosted family Christmases at their Twin Peaks home for more than 50 years.

Until the day he died, Dino called Florence “my queen,” and her death in 2014 left him deeply sad.  He longed to be reunited with her.

While Dino and Florence were not blessed with children, they loved and were loved by their great extended family, and Dino will be dearly missed by three generations of loving nieces and nephews, including John (and Connie) Curotto, Jo Anne Meroney, Lynne Fontana, Paul (and Diane) Fontana, Joe (and Sandra) Fontana, Julie (and Joe) Collins, Dominic Fontana, Mary (and Steve) Pellegrini, Frank Fontana (and James Millefolie), Joe (and Kathy) Fontana, and Barry (and Jeanine) Leonardini.  Dino is also survived by his sister Catherine (and her husband John) De Martini and their sons Steven (and Lu Ann), David, and John (and Jeanette) De Martini.

Dino was predeceased by Florence and by his parents Antonio and Carolina Queirolo and by Florence’s parents Giuseppe and Giulia Fontana and by his dear brothers- and sisters-in-law John and Margaret Curotto, Pasquale and Elsie Fontana, Domenic and Dorothy and Barbara Fontana, Albert and Inez Leonardini, and Alfred and Emily Fontana, and by great-nephews Michael Fontana and Kevin Curotto.

Dino and Florence were also lovers of animals, especially dogs (and, over the last 3 years, a great rabbit).  In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for memorial gifts to the San Francisco SPCA or the Peninsula Humane Society.

A memorial Mass in celebration of Dino’s life was held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 28, 2018, at St. Brendan Catholic Church, 29 Rockaway Avenue in San Francisco, followed immediately by a reception in the Parish Hall.  Later that day Dino and Florence were interred at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Colma.

 

Published in San Francisco Chronicle in April, 2018

Dino A. Queirolo
April 28, 1928 – Dec. 11, 2017