Dolores “Dede” J. (Ardizzone) Mariani – On December 26, 1944, Dede Mariani joined the family of her parents, Victor and Virginia Ardizzone and sister, Jo Ann, the day after Christmas. Throughout her life, she continued to be a gift. A native of San Jose, Dede graduated in 1962 from Samuel Ayer High School in Milpitas and attended San Jose City College. After vacationing in New Orleans, Louisiana she relocated and resided there for 18 months. A few years after returning to San Jose, her Aunt and future Brother-in-Law gave fate a hand in introducing Dede to her husband, Mitchell. In 1971, the newlyweds established their home on his parent’s fruit ranch in Morgan Hill. Dede’s family became complete with the birth of her Son, Mitchell II in 1974 and her daughter, Stacy in 1976. In the many years to follow, continuous growth of the families business, tireless dedication to her children and her love and commitment to her husband is what she lived for. On October 5, 2007, Dede joined her father and other family members on the other side of Heavens gate at the age of 62.
Dede was an owner and worked for the family business, Mariani Orchards. She was involved in every aspect, including receiving and shipping, bookkeeping and directly in the orchard. Many customers will remember Dede as Mariani Orchards friendly retail store manager.
Always generous with the donation of her time, Dede was involved in many organizations. This includes duties and leadership rolls for the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau, the California Farm Bureau Federation Women’s Committee, Morgan Hill Ag Boosters Foundation, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties Country Crossroads and the Santa Clara County Fair Agriculture & Horticulture Department. For her children, she was also involved with the Morgan Hill FFA, Paradise Valley 4H Club and countless school activities and field trips.
Dede also made her free time extraordinary. She enjoyed cheering for the San Francisco Giants and the San Francisco 49ers. From a very young age, she was an avid angler for trout and salmon, but she also enjoyed crabbing and claming. In more recent years, she discovered the joy of camping on the Oregon and California coasts. She also enjoyed craft projects, knitting, growing a vegetable garden, home canning and visits to many favorite retail stores.
Throughout her life, Dede had many shining moments. Always a pioneer, she was the first woman to be elected as president of the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau. When fishing on the Feather River, she was very proud to have landed a 49-pound salmon.
Her father, Victor Ardizzone, preceded Dede in death. She is survived by her husband of 36 years, Mitchell Mariani of Morgan Hill, mother Virginia Ardizzone of San Jose; sister Jo Ann Frevert of Aptos and children Mitchell Mariani II & Stacy Mariani of Morgan Hill. She is also survived by aunts, an uncle, in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, close friends and the family’s beloved canine, Junis.
Services will be held at Saint Catherine’s Catholic Church, 17400 Peak Avenue in Morgan Hill on Friday, October 12 at 10 a.m. Burial at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made in Dede’s memory to your favorite charity or The Ronald McDonald House at Stanford, 520 Sand Hill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304-2001.
