Antonina Castagnola
OBITUARY
It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Antonina Castagnola, the last living direct descendant of Francesco and Antonina Crivello Sanfilippo. She was 104 years old.
Antonina was born in San Diego to Sicilian immigrants Domenico and Maria Lococo Sanfilippo. She lived in Little Italy until her marriage to Louis Castagnola, when she was 18 years old. They built their first home in South Mission Hills and lived there over 50 years before moving to their current residence. They were married 55 years until Louis’s passing in 1995.
Antonina was a stay at home mother and caregiver for her parents while her husband spent months at sea as a captain for the Castagnola Family tuna boat business. She later helped manage the business when her husband and sons began a fishing operation of their own. She was an active supporter of her church being a member of Our Lady of the Rosary Guild and the Sacred Heart Society. She enjoyed baking, knitting, crocheting and traveling with her husband and family. Gardening was her passion. She tended to her vegetable and flower beds meticulously and enjoyed the results of her efforts.
Antonina was predeceased by her husband Louis, her siblings Francisco Sanfilippo and Rosalie Lococo, her daughter-in-law Maria Castagnola and great-grandson Andrew Beebe. She is survived by her sons, Andrew (Rosella), Dominic (Judith) and Louis Castagnola, Jr., 10 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.
Honoring her wishes, private funeral services were held on October 16th. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to her favorite charity, St. Jude Children’s Hospital. www.stjude.org.