Bernice “Bea” Panetta
September 20, 1936 – January 2, 2018
Resident of Santa Clara
Bea, 81, of Santa Clara, died January 2, 2018, with her family and friends by her side. She was born in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, to the late Stephen Sokol and Suzanna Zupko.
Bea married the love of her life, Alfred “Al” Panetta in 1955 and relocated to California.
Bea started her career at Hewlett-Packard in 1962. She was well-known at the Palo Alto division from being the Chief Telephone Operator and the highlight of her days would be when Mr. Hewlett and Mr. Packard would stop in and visit her whenever they were in the building. Bea retired after 39 years and was even busier than before working with her husband at his CPA practice. When she wasn’t helping out at the tax office, she focused on her family and was very active with her grandchildren.
In her final months, daughter, Teri, son-in-law, Paolo, and their children, Bianca and Roberto, were constant figures in Bea’s care. This is a beautiful tribute to Al and Bea’s example of love and family. We were blessed to have Bea through the holiday season. She had a lifetime of laughter, family and love, always, love.
Bea is preceded in death by her parents, Stephen and Suzanna; her stepbrother, Frank Bartkowski; and stepsister, Eleanor Latsko and sister, Agnes Ricci.
Bea leaves her loving memories to be cherished by her devoted husband of 62 years, Alfred: her daughter Theresa, husband Paolo and children, Roberto and Bianca all of Santa Clara; and her daughter Rhonda, husband Rich of Eatonville, WA. She is also survived by her brother Paul and his wife, Roberta and son, Stephen of Nanticoke, PA; and stepsister, Irene Lasecki of Nanticoke, PA.
A Rosary will be held January 17th at 7 pm at Spangler Mortuary, 174 North Sunnyvale Ave, Sunnyvale CA 94086. A Funeral Mass will be held January 18th at 11 am at Saint Lawrence the Martyr,1971 Saint Lawrence Drive, Santa Clara, CA 95051 with interment immediately following at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery, 490 Lincoln St Santa Clara, CA 95050
In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to the American Lung Cancer Society in Bea’s honor. The family would also like to express their gratitude to Kaiser Permanente for their support.