Willow Glen Resident
Community
May's Relay for Life to honor someone who honored others
By Alicia Upano
Kathleen Pizzo honored those lost to cancer during her four years as a volunteer for Willow Glen Relay for Life, an American Cancer Society fundraiser. This year, friends and family will honor her.
Pizzo, 49, died of complications related to cancer on April 9. Originally diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997, Pizzo was cancer-free before it spread to her bones in early 2006. That year, Pizzo's husband, Dennis, organized friends and family to attend Relay for Life in her honor. Thirteen of them walked the Willow Glen High School track, each carrying a letter of her name, spelling K-A-T-H-L-E-E-N-P-I-Z-Z-O.
"I was worried she wouldn't be able to participate," said Georgia Ladd, chairwoman of Willow Glen's first Relay for Life in 2001. "She came out there and stayed all day long; it was just inspiring."
Not only did Pizzo walk a few laps with other survivors, but she spent the day greeting participants in the hospitality tent. "If she was in pain that day, you wouldn't have known it," Ladd said.
Ladd and relay volunteers Mary Keenan and Sherry Rodriguez describe Pizzo as a kind, quiet person with a gentle presence and enthusiasm for the relay.
Pizzo was born in Gilroy on Feb. 22, 1958, to Josephine and Luigi Berardi. She was raised in San Jose, where she attended St. Christopher School and Presentation High School. As an adult, she worked as an administrative assistant at Lima Family Erickson Mortuary in Willow Glen.
Her husband, Dennis, said he was instantly taken with her when he met her at a wedding in 1979. Kathleen had caught the bride's bouquet, and Dennis snatched the garter. Superstition aside, Dennis said the two had much in common--they were both Italian, Catholic, short in stature, had mothers named Josephine and grandfathers who were shoemakers, said Dennis with a laugh. Nearly 500 people attended their wedding in 1981.
Although the couple lived in the Santa Teresa area, Kathleen wanted her children to attend St. Christopher School. Her three children, Annemarie, Vincent and Gina, attended the school, and Kathleen was a member of the church's Ladies Guild. She also participated in Presentation High School and Bellarmine College Preparatory events, such as the annual fashion shows.
Dennis said his wife loved to clip coupons, and would drive a mile to save a dime. She entered numerous contests, winning the family trips to Puerto Rico, and movie and theater tickets. She was also a skilled cook who served Halloween dinner in a pumpkin, and was an avid watcher of the Food Network.
Kathleen had a mastectomy and underwent extensive chemotherapy following her diagnosis in 1998. Last year, however, while shopping in San Francisco, Kathleen felt pain in her legs. Her doctor discovered two big tumors in her hips that pushed on her knees and spine. Her spine collapsed, and she lost five inches on height, Dennis said. The cancer continued to spread.
The family will continue her work with the relay May 5-6. The organizing committee is dedicating its efforts to Kathleen, and the Pizzo family will continue to honor her, and her dedication to the cause.
"It brings back all the memories of all the family and friends who we've lost to cancer," said Rodriguez, after attending Kathleen's funeral on April 13. "It gives [the relay] a meaning again; it refreshes my mind about why I'm doing this."
Kathleen was buried with two keys--one to the front door of Lima Family Erickson Mortuary, and one for her house in Santa Teresa.
"So she could always come home and go back to work; that's what she wanted to do," Dennis said. "Every day was a good day with Kathleen."
Kathleen is survived by her husband, three children, mother Josephine and sister Marilouise Salsiccia. Services have been held.
To participate in, or donate to the Willow Glen Relay for Life, visit www.kintera.org/ faf/home/default.asp?ievent=192333.
