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 SI.

“His largest bequest went to SI,” 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.”

SI 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. 我记得有一个平安夜，家里的电话响了。 他接到圣文森特·德·保罗协会（St. Vincent de Paul Society）的一位同事打来的电话，说有一户人家断电了，冰箱里的食物都变质了。 父亲抓起外套和钥匙，向门外走去。 我们问他在做什么，我们不得不从他嘴里套出信息。 他正要去杂货店买三大包食物送给家人。 All his life, he did good work like that and never spoke about it.”

作为SI的学生，尼尔在戏剧系的后台工作，参加了JV和校队的橄榄球比赛，赢得了校队的block。 他毕业于圣何塞州立大学，然后加入海军，成为一名飞行员，在1954年至1958年期间服役。

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

1957年，在海军服役期间，尼尔与帕特里夏·特朗贝塔在弗雷斯诺结婚，他们一共有三个孩子。 “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.”

服兵役后，他进入了家族葡萄酒企业，1886年由拉斐尔·佩特里（Raphael Petri）创立。 “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葡萄酒公司最终收购了Tulare葡萄酒公司和Mission Bell酒庄，使其成为该州第三大酒庄。 1968年，休伯莱恩收购了这家公司，尼尔担任总裁。

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. 他是意大利移民的儿子，是耶稣会的产物。 即使在退休后，他也一定要回到城里参加一年一度的班级圣诞午餐。 He only missed the last one because of his illness.”

他的妻子在1996年因癌症去世，享年61岁。 后来，他与珍妮特·维塔尔（Janet Vitale）再婚，并在打高尔夫球、旅行和通过电子邮件与家人分享笑话中找到了快乐。

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 SI’s Father Carlin Heritage Society and following Neil’s example of generosity, call Annie Reilly, SI’s planned giving coordinator, at (415) 731 - 7500, ext. 5122 or at areilly@siprep.org.