David Anthony Berto

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, and uncle, longtime Sonoma resident and decorated World War II Veteran David Anthony “Nonno” Berto passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of August 27, 2014 with his wife Eleanor and daughter Elena by his side.  He was 93.  Dave was born on April 25, 1921 in San Francisco to Achille Berto, an immigrant from Pietra Ligure, Italy, and Emma Baldelli, an immigrant from Pergola, Italy.  He had an older brother Andrew and a younger brother Robert, who preceded him in death.

In 1933, Dave moved with his father to Sebastopol to operate the family chicken ranch in Hessel, where his job was to clean the chicken coops and raise rabbits among other duties.  He was briefly allowed to attend high school at Analy High in Sebastopol, but going to school was considered a luxury in the 1930’s and he was not allowed to complete his sophomore year.  He was, instead, required to work on the ranch full time, as were so many young people in those days. In January 1942, Dave discovered he had been drafted into the U.S. Army to serve in World War II.  A week before being deployed overseas, Dave met eighteen year-old Eleanor Meneghetti at a dance party.  He asked her to go on one date with him before his deployment, telling her, “I don’t know whether I’m coming back.”  Eleanor agreed.

Dave left home on December 1, 1942 to embark upon a grueling three-year journey in which he landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy on June 9, 1944 (D-Day+3); engaged in battles in Verdun and Moncourt Woods outside of Nancy, France; participated in the pivotal Battle of the Bulge in Belgium; and suffered a severe injury from grenade shrapnel, leaving him unconscious for one month and hospitalized for three.  His exemplary service earned him seven or eight Battle Stars, a Sharpshooter medal, and a Purple Heart for his injury, which he subsequently refused because “I figured there were other people more deserving than me that needed it.”

He returned home in late 1945 and immediately resumed his courtship of Eleanor, whom he married on November 30, 1946 in San Francisco.  Eleanor gave birth to Dale Maxine Berto on January 11, 1948; David Anthony Berto, Jr. on January 5, 1950; and Elena Catherine Berto on May 11, 1951.  The family moved from San Francisco to Sonoma in 1956.

Dave worked in the naval shipyard in Vallejo and at Hamilton Air Force Base, retiring in the early 1970s.  In the years that followed, the Berto clan grew and grew.  Dave and Eleanor welcomed grandchildren Maxmilian Victor Zarzana in 1972, Joelle Marie and Amy Catherine Zarzana in 1975, Eric Toscano in 1977, Lindsay Toscano in 1979, and Ellen Toscano in 1982.  Dave and Eleanor attended the weddings of several grandchildren and treated all spouses and significant others-Nick Tomasello, Scott Mangold, Delaney Carlin Zarzana, Anthony Albano, Stephanie Court Toscano, and Lucas Domingue-like their own grandchildren.

Dave loved animals, Chinese food, automobiles, and gadgets.  But more than anything else, he loved spending time with his family and making them laugh.  Dave’s gift for impersonations, his irreverent sense of humor, and love of being the center of attention ensured that any family outing was entertaining.  In his final years, he enjoyed trips with his family to Disneyland and to Steve Silver’s Beach Blanket Babylon in San Francisco to watch his granddaughter Ellen perform.

Although he is deeply missed by family and friends, his legacy of bravery, humor, and most of all love for family lives on in his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.  Dave is survived by his wife Eleanor, sister-in-law Olympia DeMicheli, three children, six grandchildren, six great grandchildren, numerous in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Visitation will be held from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 28 at Duggan’s Mission Chapel, 525 West Napa Street, Sonoma, CA 95476.  A Catholic vigil service will follow at 6:00 p.m. at Duggan’s.  A Catholic mass will be celebrated by Father Michael M. Kelly on Friday, August 29 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Francis Solano Church, 300 West Napa Street, Sonoma, CA 95476.  Entombment with military honors will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, August 29 at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, 1500 Mission Road, Colma, CA 94014.  Please direct all inquiries to Duggan’s Mission Chapel at (707) 996-3655 or www.duggansmissionchapel.com.