Humble Supporter Led by Example

When Neil Bianchini '50 died on Jan. 24, 2021, he left generous donations to several organizations, including a charitable foundation sponsored by his college fraternity, his parish church in Arizona, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and 十大赌博信誉网站.

"His largest bequest went to 十大赌博信誉网站," noted his daughter Julie Schaefer. "That speaks to his love for the school and his classmates as well as his devotion to the Jesuits, the Church and his faith."

十大赌博信誉网站 and his Jesuit teachers, she added, "grounded him in his faith and helped him put that front and center in all the decisions he made in his life. I recall one Christmas Eve when the phone rang at our home. He had received a call from a colleague at the St. Vincent de Paul Society about a family that had their electricity turned off, and all the food in their refrigerator had gone bad. My father grabbed his coat and keys and was headed out the door. We asked him what he was doing, and we had to pull the information out of him. He was going to the grocery store to buy three large bags of food to deliver to the family. All his life, he did good work like that and never spoke about it."

As a student at 十大赌博信誉网站, Neil worked backstage in the theatre department and played both JV and varsity football, earning his varsity block. He graduated from San Jose State and then enlisted in the Navy, where he became an aviator, serving between 1954 and 1958.

"My father claims he flew his fighter jet under the Golden Gate Bridge and got in trouble for doing so," said Julie.

While still in the Navy, Neil married Patricia Trombetta in 1957 in Fresno, and they had three children in all. "He was a great father who held us accountable as we were growing up and helped us to become independent," added Julie. "He worked hard, but when he was with us, he was 100 percent present."

After his military service, he entered the family wine business, one first formed by Raphael Petri in 1886. "After Prohibition ended, my uncle, Louis Petri — Raphael's grandson — and my grandfather, Lelio Bianchini, resurrected Petri Wines. My grandfather was a chemist, and both men were in the right place at the right time."

Petri Wines eventually purchased the Tulare Wine Company and Mission Bell Winery, making it the third largest winery in the state. In 1968, Heublein purchased the company, with Neil serving as its president.

Neil later served as president of Julius Wile Sons and Company and then Schenley Industries' Renfield Importers Ltd. division before he retired and moved to Arizona with his wife, Patricia. During his business career, he earned a degree in business management from Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program.

"Despite all these accomplishments, he remained humble all his life. He was the son of Italian immigrants and a product of the Jesuits. Even after he retired, he made sure to travel back to the city for his annual class Christmas lunches. He only missed the last one because of his illness."

His wife passed away in 1996 at 61 after losing her battle to cancer. He later remarried Janet Vitale and found joy in golfing, traveling and sharing jokes via email with his family.

In addition to his wife and children — Brad, Laura Pelikan and Julie — he is survived by his sister, Barbara Montagnoli, and three grandchildren as well as by Janet's children and grandchildren.

If you are interested in joining 十大赌博网站排名 Father Carlin Heritage Society and following Neil's example of generosity, call Annie Reilly, 十大赌博网站排名 planned giving coordinator, at (415) 731-7500, ext. 5122 or at areilly@siprep.org.