Cecelia Elkington Setty

Cecelia Elkington Setty was born in Salinas on March 1, 1935, and passed away on May 16, 2021 after a long illness. Her parents, George and Anne (Happ) Elkington, were descendants of early California pioneers. She is survived by her two children, her sister Anna of Salinas, and brother Arthur of Kalispell, Montana.

She attended Sacred Heart Grammar School, Salinas High School and Hartnell College. She worked as a telephone operator in Salinas and Monterey. She later was an insurance supervisor at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula.

She eloped with Daryl Setty of P.G. on October 25, 1954. On December 5, 1954, Cecelia and Daryl were "officially" married at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Salinas. The couple had two children, Michael and Sharon. The family lived in Pacific Grove before moving to Paradise, California in 1974.

Daryl built several houses on the Peninsula and in Paradise, and also remodeled many houses in both places. The family often helped, with Cecelia becoming an "expert" at various aspects of construction, including interior painting and wallpaper. However, all the fine houses in Paradise built by Cecelia and Daryl were lost in the 2018 Camp Fire.

Cecelia and Daryl moved to Napa County in the mid-1980's to property in Cecelia's family for nearly a century. They planted a small vineyard in 1990, but Daryl died in 1993 before first harvest. Cecelia and Sharon continued to manage the vineyard, driving the tractor, mowing, spraying and pruning. Their friend Rudy Bergantini designed the vineyard's permanent irrigation system that is still working today. Rudy died in 2011 after being a very close friend of Cecelia's for 17 years.

Cecelia, with the help of her son Michael, published five books regarding Napa County history. These are Atlas Peak: A History of a Napa County Settler (2004); Paesano Poker Club (2007); The Mount Veeder Resort: A History of Napa County Settlers (2011); A Rutherford Farm: Early Pioneers, A Boy's School, Silkworms & Grapevines and Wilson's Inn, Atlas, California: A Napa County Watering Place (2018).

No services are planned. Please donate to the charity of your choice.

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