Vincent Bernucci

Vincent Bennet Bernucci was born on November 13th, 1930 in San Francisco to Louis Bernucci and Sylvia Shelton. They left him at the Little Children’s Aid orphanage, where he was placed into the care of his foster parents, Guido and Nancy Cresci. Vince had many great memories of his San Francisco boyhood, including riding the cable car lines on a piece of cardboard. At age 14 he got a position as a bell hop at the Palace Hotel. The job left him with a lifetime of interesting stories.

Vince attended the University of California, Berkeley. He met his future wife Peggy Theis there while he was working as a hasher at women’s rooming house. He and Peggy married in 1952 and later had four daughters. He left Berkeley when he was drafted during the Korean War. Instead of seeing the world, he was stationed at Fort Ord, ninety miles away, for the duration of his service. He got his teaching credential at San Jose State, returning there in the mid-seventies for a Masters in Fine Arts. Vince spent his career in the East Side Union High School District in San Jose. He taught at Andrew Hill High School and at the newly opened Independence High School. Vince was an industrial arts teacher specializing in wood shop, a photography teacher, and for one memorable semester, a home economics teacher.

He retired to Independence, Oregon after he and Peggy divorced. He later moved to Springfield, Oregon. He took a part-time job running the wood shop at the Willamalane Adult Center, where he met his beloved partner of 21 years, Marianne Brown. Vince was known for his creativity, his outrageous sense of humor, his amazing wood-working skills, his beautiful photographs, and his general love of life.

Vince passed away on September 7 th , 2024 . He is survived by Marianne, his daughters Suzy Bernucci, Katy Bernucci Vaughn, Julie Bernucci, Beth Bernucci, son-in-law Greg Johns, granddaughters Ariel Biggs and Elena Vaughn and great-grandchildren Calvin Tadlock and Aviva Biggs.