Obituary of Antonette Rianda

Antonette “Ann” Rianda, 98 years old, of Hollister, California passed away peacefully in her home on Sunday, May 4, 2025. Ann was born in Hollister to Yugoslavian immigrants, Antonette and Nicholas Lazaneo, on September 3, 1926. She was a life-long resident of San Benito County who attended Hollister Elementary and Hollister High School. Ann was a good student, becoming Valedictorian of her high school class. She would have loved to have gone onto college however, the times and family circumstances kept her from furthering her formal education. Ann was raised in a home on Hillcrest Road. Her family had an apricot orchard, vegetable garden, and several animals. She loved to be outdoors, often times working with her father. Unfortunately, in Ann’s senior year of high school her father, age 51, died. Years later, Ann met Jack Rianda (who had often saved a seat on the school bus for her older sister). Ann and Jack fell in love and were married in 1950 at Sacred Heart Church in Hollister. In their first year of marriage, they lived on the Rianda Ranch off of Murphy Road in Paicines. Later, they moved to a home on Airline Highway and in 1955 moved to their residence on Monterey Street in Hollister, where Ann lived for over 70 years. In that same year, Ann gave birth to their first daughter, Diane. Carol, their second daughter, came along two and a half years later. Family was Ann’s number one priority. She devoted hours upon hours assisting with 4-H projects, schoolwork, and just the day-to-day chores of cooking and cleaning. There was a home-cooked, heart-healthy, and balanced meal on the table most every night. When time allowed, she loved working at the kitchen table on her latest sewing project, usually, a gift to be given to someone else. Ann regularly attended weekly masses at Sacred Heart Church and in her later years at St. Benedict’s Catholic Church. She made all the holidays special. Her Easter egg hunts were infamous. Ann was an expert typist and quite good at working with numbers. Her health kept her from having a life-long career, but didn’t keep her from working. She held several paid positions. The first one was in high school when her typing teacher recommended her to the San Benito Jr. College staff. Ann’s typing skills so impressed them that they paid her for her work. After graduation, Ann spent many years employed as a secretary including time at Tiffany Motor Company, Hollister Ice Company, Hollister City Hall, Gavilan Junior College (then located at the Hollister Airport), and San Benito County Office of Education. She worked for Pauline Valdivia writing and securing funds to establish what today is the Hollister Senior Center. Preparing taxes and working in the cannery are two other jobs Ann undertook. Ann was a daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother, co-worker, neighbor, and friend. She was preceded in death by her parents, Antonette and Nicholas Lazaneo; husband, Jack Rianda; and three sisters, Genevieve Andrus, Paula Roth, and Mary Ann Revello. She is survived by daughters, Diane Barr (Larry) and Carol French (Jeff); 4 grandchildren, Kris Barr (Sara) of Tualatin, Oregon; Nik Barr of Santa Cruz; Cortney Johnson (Dustin) of Cedar Park, Texas; and Devin French of Lodi. She also is survived by 4 great grandsons, Liam Barr, Henry Barr, Paxton Johnson, and Jarrett Johnson; as well as, sister-in-law, Adeline Rianda; 9 nieces; 13 nephews; and numerous great-nieces and great-nephews. Visitation is Thursday, May 15th, at Grunnagle Funeral Home between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. with a Catholic Rosary at 5:30 p.m. Friends and family will meet for a mass of Christian Burial at Sacred Heart Church, Fifth and College Streets, Hollister, on Friday, May 16th at 11:00 a.m. Entombment will follow at Calvary Cemetery. Ann requested that donations be made in her memory to Sacred Heart/Saint Benedict Church.