Many of us can attest to how dramatically Hollister has changed
over the course of the last 10, 15 or 20 years. But imagine living
through 86 years of growth and change in San Benito County.
Hollister – Many of us can attest to how dramatically Hollister has changed over the course of the last 10, 15 or 20 years. But imagine living through 86 years of growth and change in San Benito County.
Marguerite Tortorelli, 92, has such a perspective, having moved here in her early childhood and raised not only her children in Hollister, but her grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well.
Tortorelli was born in Morgan Hill but moved with her family to Hollister when she was only 6 years old. Her early memories of the county consist largely of wide open spaces and sprawling orchards.
“There were no street signs or street lights,” she said. “There weren’t even 2,000 cars in the entire county… maybe less than 200, but it’s a big county.”
As a child, Tortorelli attended Ausaymas School, a small rural schoolhouse which no longer exists today. Classes were small, made up of about 15 students, and each teacher taught two grades in one classroom at the same time. As a result, the students grew very close throughout their school years.
“We would walk two miles each way to school, there would be at least six of us,” she said. “I really did enjoy it, I loved school.”
After eighth grade, Tortorelli spent most of her time tending to the family farm with her three sisters and one brother.
“We were just like hired men after a while,” she said. “I could run that place… there’s not much to it once you learn what you’re doing.”
In her late teens, Tortorelli took a job at a cannery in Gilroy, where she stayed for only a few years because she was not at all fond of the job. The job did enable her to go to night school with her sister, however, where she took classes in math, English and typing, her favorite subject.
Tortorelli met her husband, Albert, when she was in her early 20s while visiting a sister who had moved to Canada. Albert supplemented his work as a butcher with a part time job as a newspaper delivery boy, and Tortorelli saw him often. When the two were married in 1940, Albert chose to go back to Hollister with his new wife.
“I gave him a choice,” she said. “But he wanted to come to California and make a better life for himself.”
The two enjoyed travel throughout their married life, often returning to Canada and spending weekends at Lake Tahoe, where they often attended performances by their favorite artists, such as Lawrence Welk. Marguerite and Albert had two children, and today she has four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. The Tortorellis had been married for 59 years when Albert passed away in 1994.
Today, Tortorelli remains close to her family – most of whom have chosen to remain in the South Valley – and their roots here are evident in their day-to-day life. Her grandson, Vince, works at Nob Hill, where his father worked and his grandfather before him.
Tortorelli says she is busier than she has ever been in her entire life. In addition to keeping up with her family, she volunteers extensively for local community organizations, is deeply involved with Sacred Heart Catholic church and is working on her 22nd term as president of the church’s altar society.
“That pretty much makes her a deity,” said her grandson Vince. “Everyone in town knows her. You go to her house on the weekend and she makes you feel welcome right away… she is Hollister.”
And some may be wondering how she manages to stay so active at 92. The answer shouldn’t surprise anyone – exercise and healthy eating.
“I’ve probably walked more miles than anyone in this county, I’ve walked everywhere,” she said. “And I eat two apples a day. Well, at least I like fruit.”
Tortorelli is duly proud of her accomplishments, and says she intends to stay in San Benito County with her family.
“When you get to be my age, you don’t plan too far ahead,” she said. “But I am perfectly happy where I am, and I’m glad to be close to my family.”
