It is with a heavy heart that we must report that our devoted and talented mother, Vera Pedretti, passed away on Sunday, April 28th, 2024 at the age of 92 after a two-month battle with Covid pneumonia. She died peacefully and quietly at home on hospice, surrounded by loved ones and her favorite things.

She was born Vera Mae Farrington in Clarksdale, Missouri, where she lived with her mother and her three siblings until the age of 9, when the family took a chance by selling everything that they owned in order to buy train tickets out to California in search of a better life. They found it in Lakeport, California where she grew up and where Vera's mom, Goldie, met and married George Heckler, who was a loving stepfather to Vera. She graduated with honors from Lakeport High School in 1949, and then enrolled at Modesto Junior College, where she obtained her Associate of Arts degree in Physical Education in 1951. While at Modesto J.C., she met her husband, Jack Victor Pedretti, who she married on May 11, 1952. Jack and Vera had three children, and lived in Santa Clara, California for a time before building their dream home in Mountain View, California in 1966, where she lived until the end of her life. She and her husband Jack were happily married for almost 67 years until his death in February of 2019.

In her early married life, Vera worked for a few years as an elementary school clerk at Sutter Elementary School in Santa Clara, but she then spent most of her career as a homemaker — raising her three children, and enjoying her many artistic endeavors. She was an expert carver, painter, knitter, stained-glass artist, cross-stitch aficionado, wallpaper hanger, and seamstress. Perhaps she was best-known, though, for her
extensive indoor and outdoor seasonal house decorations — many of which she made herself. Throughout the year, she would lovingly and extensively re-appoint her beautiful home with creative and colorful decor for each holiday, including Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and especially Christmas.

In their retirement years, Jack and Vera traveled the world for over two decades, visiting 82 countries across the globe, and having the time of their lives. In 2019 though, after losing Jack, the love of her life, Vera slowed down a bit. However, as the longest-living family member of her generation, Vera was the inspirational matriarch to not only her own children, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, but also to her many nieces and nephews and their descendants. She was beloved not only by her family, but also by her friends and neighbors, all of whom admired her energy, her productivity, her healthy lifestyle, and her level of fitness (she worked out at the gym until well into her 80s!). In addition to her artwork, she will be remembered for her loving spirit, for her generosity, for her sharp wit, and for her kind and gentle nature. She was one-of-a-kind, and she was someone who was always, always there for those she loved. We will all miss her so very much.

Vera is preceded in death by her husband, Jack Pedretti, by her daughter, Valerie Pedretti-Allen, and by her siblings Wayne Farrington, Twila Keeble, and Lois Lyon. She is survived by her daughter Vicki Stewart, by her son Kevin Pedretti, by her granddaughter Lindsay Allday, by her grandsons Grant Rinker and Miles Pedretti-Allen, and by her great-grandchildren Cameron Rinker and Olivia Rinker.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Vera on Sunday, June 2nd, 2024 at Noon at Cafe Vitale in Los Altos,CA, where a program of remembrance will be followed by an Italian luncheon in her honor.

Please RSVP to Vicki Stewart at 903-387-0349.