Gianfranco Marocchino was born on July 26, 1946, in the small town of Rueglio Canavese, in northern Italythe only son of Ida Chiartano, a homemaker, and Sirino Marocchino, an officer in the Arma dei Carabinieri, the Italian military state police. Tragically, Gianfranco’s mother died of pneumonia when he was only seven months old, and his fatherworried he would be unable to raise the boy adequately by himselfmade the decision to return to his native Crova to seek the assistance of his sister’s family. Over the next five years, Gianfranco grew up on a sprawling farmstead, where his life-long love for animals and his uncanny ability to forge unique relationships with them began to develop.
Two of his fondest memories were the morning his father brought a lamb into his bedroom to celebrate his birthday and the friendship he shared with a huge bull, unapproachable by anyone except Gianfrancowho enjoyed the privilege of rubbing his head. When his mother’s older sister asked that he return to Rueglio to spend time with her and her husband, Gianfranco began experiencing a new series of adventures, although it took a while for him to reacclimate to his birthplace. Although he and his father remained close throughout the years, and Gianfranco often spent time in Crova to help out with the family restaurant, he eventually came to deeply cherish his aunt Maddalena and his uncle Filippo as a loving, childless couple willing to go to great lengths to provide for him.
As he matured, Gianfranco found himself ever more drawn toward everything that concerned law enforcement and public service, and between 1962 and 1965, he eagerly attended summer camp conservation training under the auspices of the Guardie Forestali, the Italian National Forest Rangers. During this period, he also volunteered in several search-and-rescue operations, the most notable being assisting the victims of the Vajont dam disaster that struck northern Italy in 1963. To further add to his public safety education, Gianfranco even underwent training as a prison guard in Biella, but ultimately decided to follow in his father’s footsteps by joining the Arma dei Carabinieri in 1966.
Sadly, his father’s sudden and untimely death changed the course of his life when he had to be released from active duty to care for his elderly aunt Maddalena, now a widow, but serendipitously, Rueglio soon found itself in need of a full-time municipal and traffic police officer, and Gianfranco met the challenge. Much like Mayberry’s Andy Griffith, he became the centraland onlylaw enforcement figure in town, overseeing everything from keeping the peace to handing out traffic tickets and from serving summons to attending town council sessions. He came to know every single one of the 1,500 residents in town and readily earned their respect due to his jovial nature, his great sense of personal integrity, and his deep sense of duty.
In his spare time, Gianfranco also completed a radio-electronics course and soon obtained his CB Radio Operator’s License, establishing himself as a well-known figure throughout the Canavese Valley. It was during this time that he met the love of his lifean American girl named Kathryn Dorothy Magario, with roots in Rueglio, who had just permanently moved to Italy from Belgium, where her father had been stationed before retiring from the US Army. Gianfranco and Kathryn dated for six eventful years before taking their marriage vows at the Sanctuary of the Black Madonna of Oropa in 1974, and continued spending their time equally between her grandmother’s villa in Rueglio (affectionately known as Tulairoli) and her parents’ apartment in Torino, while Kathryn pursued a doctorate in foreign languages and literature and taught English as a Second Language to college students.
One of Kathryn’s loveliest memories of their courtship was when Gianfranco came to her grandmother’s house dressed in full uniform and leading a white horsea veritable prince charming. For the rest of their lives, Gianfranco and Kathryn would be virtually inseparable and rarely apart from one another. By then, Gianfranco had taken on a new assignment as a select security guard with Vigilanza Mondialpol of Torino, offering armored car and plainclothes services to businesses, banks and entrepreneurs.
While there, he gained further training in martial arts, security guard procedures, emergency vehicle operations, and shooting range practice. Two years later, he moved on to work with Elbi International in Collegno, near Torino, becoming their Chief of Securitya position he maintained until he and Kathryn left Italy for California to join her ailing parents, who had moved to Alameda three years prior. During their entire married life in Italy, Kathryn and Gianfranco shared a common and special affinity for cats, and almost every weekend they spent in Rueglio, they would take evening walks along the country road that bordered Tulairoli with a host of kitties in towto the great amazement of passersby.
They would carry this great affection for felines with them to the New World, where fate would eventually lead them to their true calling.On November 18, 1982, Gianfranco, Kathryn, and her grandmother arrived in Alameda to begin a new life in the US. Although Gianfranco initially found it difficult to understand the intricacies of Englisha language he had never formally studiedhe attended ESL classes at the Alameda Adult School and did his best to fit in.
Kathryn’s cousin Max soon offered him a one-day custodial job, and Gianfranco proudly came home that evening with the first $50 bill he had earned in America. By spring of 1983, Kathryn had begun working at Sierra Academy of Aeronautics at Oakland International Airport, and in September, Gianfranco was offered a full-time position there, which placed him in charge of landscaping, maintenance, and all building upkeep. Additionally, he was asked to assist the Flight Department with a variety of tasks, as needed.
Beloved by students, staff and instructors, Gianfranco left a lasting impression on all who met him. In 1987, when Kathryn’s father Joseph passed away, he and Kathryn returned for a brief visit to Italy. Although he was happy to see his family and friends again, those five years now spent in California had somehow renewed him, and he readily confessed that he couldn’t wait to get “back home” to the US.
In 1988, Gianfranco and Kathryn fell in love with a model home in Glen Cove, Vallejoa simple but graceful tract house they would spend years transforming into a Victorian gingerbread dream named “Rosemoor House.” It would be the first and last home they would ever purchase together, and it was Gianfranco’s pride and joy. When they moved in, their silver mackerel tabby Nikkiadopted while they were still in Alamedacame with them.
Given that the commute to Alameda was now becoming tedious, however, and Kathryn had accepted a lecturer position at UC Davis, Gianfranco left Sierra Academy to devote himself entirely to “Rosemoor House,” where he excelled at maintaining the beautiful garden and grounds that meant so much to him. Indeed, his hard work earned him a number of awards from the Beautification Committee of Vallejo, and “Rosemoor House” was even featured on the “Beautiful Backyards Tour.” But it was at Christmastime that “Rosemoor House” would truly come to life, illuminated by Victorian greenery around the eaves, a tree in the entryway that gently spoke of yesteryear, and thousands of white lights twinkling in the large redwoods that lined the property.
Gianfranco looked forward to this ritual every year and did his best to continue the tradition as long as he was able to, winning awards along the way and warming the hearts of many who would drive from afar to see the dazzling spectacle. A year later, in 1989, the couple welcomed Anastasia into their livesa gorgeous white borzoi that would become Gianfranco’s canine soulmate. The light and laughter of “Rosemoor House,” this spritely and very gentle girl became a neighborhood fixture, recognized by all and sought-after by the local children.
Although Gianfranco had never owned a dog, he fell in love with the breed and dutifully took her for long daily walks along the Glen Cove trail, the Benicia Waterfront, or Lake Herman Road, where they made friends with all the locals. In 1990, when Kathryn’s grandmother Maddalena passed away, the couple made their last trip to Italy to settle her estate. As bittersweet as this event wasfor they had to say farewell to Tulairoliit allowed them to bring back many family heirlooms that still grace their home today.
During these years, Gianfranco had also developed a love for photography and took innumerable photos of “Rosemoor House” and its occupants at every opportunity. One of his masterpieces, “Anastasia’s Angel,” won him a trophy and a medal and was published in two separate volumes of the International Library of Photography, Best Photos of 2003 and Meadows of Memories. As the years went by, Kathryn garnered a full-time, tenure-track position at CSU Maritime in Vallejo and did translation work in her spare time, with Gianfranco often contributing as proof-reader and editor, always willing to lend a helping hand.
In 1996, Nikki went into acute kidney failure and had to be euthanized at UC Davis, although Gianfranco and Kathryn had tried desperately to find hospice care for her. The experience proved to be life-altering and paved the way for the creation of The Nikki Hospice Foundation for Petsthe organization Gianfranco was most proud of and to whom he dedicated the rest of his life. As co-founders, Kathryn and Gianfranco spent the next 28 years sponsoring the first symposia ever held on animal hospice care, giving radio and television interviews to promote their cause, and doing everything in their power to ensure that companion animals had access to compassionate and comforting end-of-life care options in accordance with their caregivers’ wishes.
Based on the principles of human hospice, the concept of animal hospice launched a revolution within the veterinary community, gradually becoming a household term, and thanks to their nonprofit (which officially incorporated in 1998), Gianfranco and Kathryn were able to create enormous changes in the way end-of-life care for animals is now perceived. When Anastasia died at home from cancer of the spinal cord in 2001, on the exact same day as Nikki five years earlier, the entire board of directors of The NHFP held sacred space for her at “Rosemoor House.” The circle of care was now complete.
Over the ensuing 8 years, Gianfranco and Kathryn continued to care for the special cats who had tiptoed into their livesTatiana and Sacha, most notably, who became foundation mascots until their untimely deaths. But in 2009, when the housing crash led to the abandonment of many pets, their lives changed dramatically. Several groups of homeless kitties found their way to “Rosemoor House” and the couple now had to contend with trapping, spaying, and neutering, and doing their best to find suitable homes for the kittens.
Since that initial year, at least 60 cats have come and gone, the only ones remaining being special needs, geriatric, or in hospice care, and consequently, difficult to adopt. Alongside the community cats, Gianfranco and Kathryn also cared for a host of other animals on their propertyespecially squirrels, to whom he fed Hartley walnuts dailyand in 2020, their nonprofit certified as a wildlife habitat with the National Wildlife Federation. Throughout the last 14 years of his life, Gianfranco had endured, and overcome, a fair number of medical issues, yet he bravely came through each and every one of his challenges with flying colors.
Tragically, as he was waiting for a TAVR operation, an undetermined infection compromised his health and led him to the emergency at Kaiser Hospital in San Francisco on July 9. Despite his medical team’s best efforts at identifying and resolving the problem, he unexpectedly succumbed to complications from pulmonary edema and kidney failure. Thankfully, palliative sedation allowed him to rest deeply and breathe more comfortably during his final hours.
At 1:42 AM on Monday, July 22, as Father Michael Hurley was administering the Anointing of the Sick, and with Kathryn at his side, Gianfranco left this world for a far more beautiful and resplendent shore. He and Kathryn had just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on July 6. At her request, Skyview Memorial Lawn in Vallejo immediately attended to his transfer and Director Edward Wilkes ensured that Gianfranco could spend 7 hours at his beloved “Rosemoor House” before his final journeya last wish that his doctors had been unable to fulfill given the seriousness of his condition.
Accordingly, every cat he had ever cared for and loved came to pay their last respects; it was the highest and most fitting tribute he could ever have received. Gianfranco leaves behind to honor his memory and continue his legacy his beloved wife Kathryn and their precious companion animals: Moopa, Little Bear, Foxy, Nina, Bunny, Savana, Smokey, Kismet, Little John, Hari, Buttercup, Mango, and his dear sweet little boy, Geronimo. He is also survived by his god-child Luisella Marocchino (Max) of Crova, many cousins in Italy, and friends everywhere far too numerous to count.
Kathryn wishes to thank the cardiology and internal medicine teams at Kaiser Hospital in San Francisco for the excellent care they bestowed on Gianfranco during his stay, the entire nursing staff for their compassion and kindness, and the members of Palliative Care Services who quietly stepped in to assist him when it became apparent that further attempts to save him had become futile. On Friday, August 9, a formal police escort will accompany his urn and funeral procession from “Rosemoor House” to St. Dominic’s Church in Benicia, where a Requiem Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM with Father Michael Hurley officiating.
Music Director Luke Shalz will be conducting a string quartet, an organist, and a four-part vocal group to honor Gianfranco with a collection of deeply moving classical pieces and his cherished Gregorian chant. The community at largeespecially the animal-loving communityis most welcome to attend the service. A reception for family, friends, and neighbors will take place at 1:00 PM at Bella Siena in BeniciaGianfranco’s favorite restaurantwhere harpist Natalie Cox (who played for the couple’s golden anniversary) and her husband, cellist Dan Reiter, will provide musical accompaniment.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets, in memory of Gianfranco, or to an animal charity of your choosing. Honor with Flowers In memory of Gianfranco Plant a Living Memorial In memory of Gianfranco.
