Don Manzo
I met Don Manzo at Gilroy Presbyterian Church over twenty-five years ago . We were original members of a men ’ s group . Recently , we got together again . I found out that he was born in1929 in his house down a then country dirt road which is now Wren Avenue . He was the sixth of eight kids . His parents were from the Piedmont region in Northern Italy . They immigrated to San Jose where they married in 1916 . They later moved to Gilroy .
Don grew up as a rancher . He and his brothers and sisters helped their parents tend to pears and prunes . Their family ranch , along First Street , was self sustaining with a garden , milk and butter from their cow , and fat and meat from the pigs . All of this was done with no refrigeration until the 1930 ’ s .
Don went to Gilroy High School and graduated in 1944 . It was almost the end of World War II , so he was required to register for the draft . After receiving papers to be inducted , his older brother went to the draft board and requested that Don ’ s draft be deferred until the prunes were picked and processed . The following December he went through training in the Navy and became a gunner ’ s mate . After eighteen months the war was over and Don came back to Gilroy to farm prunes . Among a Texas family who picked prunes was his future wife , Rhoda . They communicated by mail for about a year and were eventually married in 1962 in Cupertino .
Rhoda and Don had four children and eleven grandchildren . Sadly , Rhoda passed away in 2007 . Don and Rhoda had a Thanksgiving tradition . Rhoda made the crusts for pumpkin pies and Don made the filling . To this day when Don is involved in a dinner he is commissioned to make a pumpkin pie .
Don , at 91 , says he is too old to move from Gilroy . He does recall the small town atmosphere . In 1944 as a high school graduate there were only 3,000 people in Gilroy . Don walks regularly , and has coffee at Sandy ’ s cafe with some life-long friends . He occasionally journeys to the family home in Lake Tahoe but he always looks forward to home on the street where Henry Miller planted all those beautiful trees .
Ann Barbero Jaszewski
Ann was was born in Soledad in 1920 . Her parents came from the Northern part of Italy . Their goal was to buy a heard of dairy cows and start a dairy in Soledad . Unfortunately , the cows became ill and the hopes of a dairy dimmed . Not long after that , they relocated to Gilroy . Ann graduated in 1938 from Gilroy High School formally Severance High School , located at Third and Church .
Ann worked at the Woolworth store on the corner of Fifth and Monterey Streets . It is there she met her future husband to be , Dave Jaszewski . They found out that they both loved to dance and entered dance contests and even won a few . They married in 1941 and had four children . Dave and Ann operated the Polyanna Bakery for twenty-eight years . Their Danish , carrot cake and Pantone were legendary . For a while Dave and Richard Conrotto were in the ravioli making business together . Dave passed away in 1980 .
When Ann turned ninety , friends wanted to give her a party . She said “ Lets do something with purpose .” Her friends organized a 5K walk and 128 people showed up and completed the walk . Ann was right there with them . The money raised went to the charity “ Hospice of the Valley ” for the great work that they did with her son during his final days .
Each day she walks to the store . When I asked to do this interview , her response was , “ Can ’ t do it until my walk is over .” Her group has walked from St . Louise Regional Hospital to Morgan Hill only using orchards and back-roads . She has walked in the Bay to Breakers and across the Golden Gate Bridge .
Ann loves Gilroy and she attributes that to the people that she interacts with … from the staff at Nob Hill Foods to her walking group , to the people at St . Mary Church .
On December 6 , 2017 she will be 97 . Save the next dance for me , Ann .
Anita and Andy Zanardi
Anita and Andy came from Mountain View to Gilroy in 1997 . Anita was born in 1920 in Genoa , Italy and moved with her family to San Francisco in 1922 . Andy was born in 1923 in San Francisco . They met some time after Anita ’ s first husband , Vincent , and Andy ’ s first wife , Norma , had passed away . Anita got to know Andy when she waited on tables at the Sunnyview Social Club in Mountain View . Andy played the accordion and had a band , The Andy Zanardi Group , that played there for twenty-five years . He started playing the accordion — and still has his first one — when he was eight years old . When David , Anita ’ s son , married , Andy ’ s band played .
For many years , Andy and Anita went to the family home near Tuscany , Italy . They would stay for three months . The house was located on a hill from which you had clear views of the countryside and other towns .
Anita loves Gilroy and the friendly people . Anita ’ s sons , Dave and Don , and their wives , Valerie and Sharon , make sure that Andy and Anita get to many Gilroy Elks events like the Tom & Jerry Party in December , the Lenten Fish Dinners , and Mothers Day Brunch to name a few . Anita and Andy are also regular members of the Italian Catholic Federation .
During the interview , with help from daughters-in-law , Valerie and Anita , we determined that the Vanni-Zanardi family has 17 grandchildren , 29 great grandchildren and one great-greatgrandchild . I asked them if they rent a hall when they get together . Anita responded that the boys , Dave and Don , built a big party room at the Ranch .
This November , Andy and Anita will celebrate 42 years of marriage .
Written By Sam Bozzo
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN JULY / AUGUST 2017 gmhtoday . com
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