Teresina (Theresa) Josephine Cammarata Piano of Ventura California, was peacefully called home to heaven with her great granddaughter by her side on October, 7th 2023 at the amazing age of 106.5 years old. Teresina was born on April 10th, 1917 in Cleveland, Ohio to Angelo Cammarata and Lena Gelfo Cammarata, who’s origins lie in Sicily. She was most outspokenly proud to be a Sicilian. In her early 20’s she moved to Rochester, New York where fate would lead her to her husband Norman Piano. While it was love at first sight for him, she made him wait an entire year before agreeing to date him. Not long after on June 19th 1943 she married the love of her life!
She was always adamant and told every couple she encountered that, “every relationship must be 50/50, none of that 90 one person and the other person 10”. They didn’t wait long to get their family started and soon had two children that they deeply loved, Micheal in 1944 and Bernadette in 1946. In 1952 they moved to Los Angeles California to raise their children together and remained there most of her life.
She had an amazing work ethic and a plethora of skills and talents allowing her to maintain a variety of jobs throughout her life. She styled women’s hair, worked at Eastman Kodak and in factories making women’s army coats during WW2, and many more. She was an avid sewer and sewed all her life, even into those final days. She made pillows and blankets for every single one of her 2 children, 6 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and even her 3 great-greatgrandchildren. She was an amazing cook and her pasta sauce that took 3 days was legendary.
She would travel all over to deliver her sauce and it was worth its weight in gold to those who were blessed to enjoy it. She loved to share her recipes and love for cooking with all those that she encountered, even writing a cookbook in her 100’s to be passed down to family and friends and sold to those in the community. She was a dancer by nature and at an early age crowds would gather around her cheering while she did the “jitterbug”. Up into the final days of her life she would drink beer and dance at her favorite bar, The Garage, every single weekend. Her mind was kept sharp by her daily crossword puzzles and her love of novels, allowing her to share
story after story with you even things from as early as 4 years old. She captivated everyone with vivid stories of her life and experiences, many saying that she changed their lives forever. One of her favorite stories to tell was from when she was 8 years old, helping her father make bootleg whiskey for the Mafiosa during prohibition by washing her hands constantly and climbing up
the ladder to add the sugar. She always said, “it was the best whiskey you’d ever taste and went down like velvet”.
She had an adventurous spirit and loved to travel, from regular trips to Vegas, Cessna plane rides even at 104 years old, and even a trip to the Philippines in her early 100’s to finally visit her brother Jimmy’s grave as he passed during the war. She made friends and family everywhere she went, constantly “adopting” grandchildren causing many to know her simply as Grandma. She loved to share stories of her son Micheal Piano, the lead singer of a famous band The Sandpipers. What was her secret to this long full life you might ask? Well in her own words when asked this question she would simply reply, “I like my food hot, my coffee hot, my men have to be hot and my beer has to be cold”.
She was truly one of a kind and will be deeply missed by the many, many people who knew and loved her. She was preceded in death by her parents Angelo and Lena, two brothers James and Anthony, seven sisters Mary, Dorothy, Margaret, Billie, Angela, Josephine and Rose. As well as her husband Norman and her dear son Micheal. She will forever have a special place in the heart
of all who met her, by her many friends and by everyone in her huge family she built; survived by her daughter Bernadette.
Donating was also very important to her. She made donations to the ASPCA, as she loved animals, The American Heart Association, as heart problems ran in the family, and most importantly to her she donated to the Disabled Veterans National Foundation as every vet held a special place in her heart in honor of her brother Jimmy who passed away with honor during WW2, sacrificing himself to save his platoon. She insisted on hugging every vet she met. For flowers please call Jennifer Warner (805)665-8217 or email [email protected]. However in lieu of flowers, the best way to honor her is to please make a donation in her name for the
above charities.
As many loved her and have photos from meeting her please add memories and photos to
Everloved.com/life-of/Teresina-Piano.
Family and friends are invited to visiting hours Friday afternoon October 27, 2023 from 1 to 3pm in the JOSEPH P. REARDON FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICE, 757 E. Main Street, Ventura, where a closed casket remembrance service will be held at 3pm. in the chapel. Her “Celebration of Life” will be held at 1000 Scandia Avenue in Ventura from 5pm-8pm. Lastly, by her personal request, her party and life celebration will be held at the bar she dearly loved and went to twice a week The Garage Bar from 9pm12am. She insisted that all the events for the day be a celebration and that no one be in all black while we celebrate her very long and very full life. All are welcome to celebrate the beautiful and
long life Teresina blessed us all with.