Aileen Patricia Bacigalupi

Aileen Patricia Bacigalupi, 93, passed away peacefully at her home in Napa on October 19, 2017, after living with advanced osteoarthritis for many years. She was born in Oakland at the Fabiola Women’s Hospital on April 2, 1924, the daughter of the late Anthony and Teresa Sola, one of the pioneering families of Albany. Her husband, Robert John Bacigalupi, DDS, preceded her in death by two years and just six days shy of their 70th wedding anniversary. Aileen is survived by her devoted daughter, Barbara Bacigalupi of Napa. She was a loving sister to the late Genevieve Collins of El Cerrito.

Aileen felt very deeply about the hardships of the depression while growing up in Albany. She was top student at Albany High School. The war interrupted her business college education to call her to work at Mare Island Naval Shipyard as the secretary charged with transcribing the depositions from injured workers.

She was introduced to her future husband, Robert Bacigalupi, through her aunt and uncle who were close friends with Robert’s parents in San Francisco. On a short leave from Navy duties, Robert came home to marry Aileen at St Ambrose Catholic Church in Albany, on September 23rd, 1945.

Following the war, the young couple settled in El Cerrito, which they considered home for all but the last several years of their life. Aileen was an integral, but behind-the-scenes, part of Robert’s dental practice in Albany. Throughout her life, Aileen focused much attention on volunteer service, first to St. Jerome’s Church and then in support of her daughter’s education at St Jerome’s Elementary School and at Presentation High School, Berkeley. But it was through thousands of hours spent on the front desk at Alta Bates Hospital, Berkeley, that she found her greatest satisfaction, helping patients and their families access the medical center’s many services. Aileen was especially fond of ballet performances at the SF Opera House, Broadway theater at the Curran, and shopping on Union Square.

Some twenty-six years ago, when Napa Valley Club first opened, Robert and Aileen purchased their second home and moved there fulltime ten years ago to better support their aging health care needs.

Barbara Bacigalupi wishes to personally thank David Pratt, MD, for the very compassionate and respectful care he provided to Aileen in her home. Her team of caregivers, Amparo Luchin, Patricia Monroe and Alexis Gonzales, deserve the greatest appreciation for the unconditional love and care they extended to Aileen during her last few years of life. Together with Barbara, they formed a special and deep bond of family love for Aileen that will be treasured forever.

Memorial services and interment at Napa’s Tulocay Cemetery are private.

The family requests that donations be made to the Dr. Robert J Bacigalupi Memorial Fund, Salesian College Preparatory, 2851 Salesian Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804. Established by Aileen and Barbara in 2015, the Bacigalupi Fund will annually support exceptional student performance for those pursuing healthcare and biological sciences career paths.

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