Valerie Ann (Scatena) Silvestri

Valerie Ann (Scatena) Silvestri March 20, 1941 September 25, 2019 Valerie (Scatena) Silvestri, left this life she so completely embraced on the evening of September 25, 2019 (after battling Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in recent years) surrounded by her devoted family at her Novato home. Valerie was born in San Francisco where she attended Notre Dame des Victoires grammar school and St. Rose Academy High School. At age 7 she met the future love of her life, George Silvestri, at his surprise 7th birthday party in Mill Valley. They began dating a decade later while she was attending Dominican College in San Rafael and he was attending St. Mary's College in Moraga. They married in 1964 and began their married life together in San Rafael where Valerie began teaching at Coleman School while George attended Hastings College of Law in San Francisco. In the late 1960's their 3 children, George Peter, Gina and Dominic Silvestri were born and in 1969 the family moved to their Novato home where Valerie and George have lived ever since. Beyond her accomplishments, her loyal devotion to her children and family, HOME was Valerie's castle. Her family, friends and relatives will all remember her tireless capacity to serve one gourmet Italian meal after another. A traditional annual event in Valerie's kitchen was Ravioli Night a production line of female relatives rolling out delicious raviolis to be shared and taken home for Christmas meals. This tradition owes its origins to Valerie having learned to cook in her grandmother's kitchen while living on the family farm in Yerington, Nevada. Valerie taught at her children's grammar school, Our Lady of Loretto. The children all graduated from Marin Catholic High School and St. Mary's College, which schools Valerie thereafter supported, especially the Italian language department at MCHS and men's basketball team at SMC. Valerie gave many years of volunteer service to Nazareth House in San Rafael. The wind beneath his wings, for many years Valerie has also served as her husband's right hand in his various service projects, especially those involving Italian-American organizations and Rotary. One of her most valued areas of community service she and George have supported for decades is Scouting in Marin. Valerie volunteered at both the unit level, beginning as Den Mother to her sons' Cub Scout pack in 1973, and in later years on the Executive Board and Advisory Council of the Marin Council BSA who honored her with its Award of Merit in 1980 and the Silver Beaver in 1984, the highest award given by Councils to volunteers. Some of Valerie and George's greatest joys involved traveling with their family and friends to visit their ancestral homeland in Italy, riding on camels in the Gobi Desert while re-tracing Marco Polo's Silk Road trail in Western China with friends, attending St. Mary's basketball games in Moraga or wherever the team was assigned during "March Madness", or sitting in their favorite seats at the ballpark rooting for her Giants. Valerie is predeceased by her parents, James and Helen Scatena and is survived by: her loving husband George; their children, G. Peter (Libby), Gina (Ben Sanger), and Dominic; grandchildren Carlisle, Laughlin, Bryson, Jacob, Jordan & Kyra Silvestri; her brother Jim Scatena (Joan), sister Lauren Santucci (Steve) and numerous other relatives and friends with whom she remained close. Memorial mass to be held on Saturday, October 26th at 11:30am at St. Vincent's School for Boys Chapel, 1 St. Vincent Drive, San Rafael. Monte's Chapel Of The Hills San Anselmo 415-453-8440.

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