Obituary of Norma Joan Giudici

Norma Joan Bender was born March 27, 1924 in Brooklyn, New York. She was the first child born to Ralph Eugene Bender, an “adventurer” (born in Illinois) and Agnes Strom Bender, a concert pianist (born in Rhode Island). She had two younger brothers, Donald and Richard. Unfortunately, her mother died when Norma was only six years old. Although she was so young, Norma had many vivid memories of her mother. Agnes had “fancy” parties, and Norma would peek through the dining room door to see the beautiful table and fine dressed ladies. Children were not allowed. Norma loved going to Coney Island with her parents, and loved her mother’s codfish balls. Her father remarried later in life to a “chorus girl” on Broadway. Norma was not impressed. The family moved around quite a bit, and her father hired a housekeeper to care for the children. Norma did not like her and said she was a terrible cook. On Saturdays, Norma’s chores included sweeping the back stairs, which she did not like, and polishing all the shoes. In 1934, Ralph sent Norma to a Catholic convent boarding school for girls in Minster, Ohio ran by the Sisters of the Precious Blood. He felt he just couldn’t care for his daughter. The boys stayed with him and the housekeeper. One of her jobs there was to go down to the basement and get coal for the stoves. She hated this chore as it dried and cracked her fingers and became painful, and she was afraid of the dark basement. She only stayed for a year and a half, until just after her 1st Communion in May of 1935. In November, Norma, age 11, boarded a train for San Francisco to go live with her grandparents. As her grandfather, Alonzo, worked for the railroad as a telegrapher, Norma was well cared for all the way. Her grandmother, Theresa, worked at the Southern Pacific Hospital. Norma has fond memories of sitting in the Santa Clara Train Depot tower where her grandfather worked. She often stayed with him on the weekends there and slept on the bench. She lived with her grandparents in San Francisco where she attended a Catholic elementary school, then her Freshman year at Girls High School. She enjoyed participating in school plays, and played volleyball, tennis and ping pong, and was a catcher in baseball. Her favorite and best subject was spelling. On May 27, 1937, Norma walked across the Golden Gate Bridge – the day it opened. A favorite memory was when she was 14 or 15. Her aunt was taking flying lessons and sometimes Norma would go with her and watch. One of the instructors, who was also a student pilot, gave her “the ride of her life” for her birthday. She really enjoyed it. Norma attended the 1939 World’s Fair in San Francisco with her grandfather. Sally Rand and her “Nude” Ranch was one of the curiosities. Her grandfather took her in! She was shocked to see a naked cowgirl on stage. Coincidentally, her hubby, John, and his brother also attended the fair and saw Sally. Could they have been there at the same time? They moved to Santa Clara in 1939, where Norma finished school at Santa Clara High School, graduating in 1941. She had completed all of her credits in 3 ½ years. She did not go to college and regretted it because she had wanted to be a nurse. In 1946, her grandfather bought the home on Washington Street in Santa Clara. Norma lived in this house (except for a short time when she was first married) for 74 years, until her death. Norma had several jobs. She worked at Woolworths at the soda fountain, at a cannery putting labels on frozen food boxes and putting pears on the peeling machine, crated cherries in an orchard, was a car-hop, and was a PBX operator for the San Jose News (later the Mercury News). She also worked in the office for San Jose City Lines. Her final job, and the job she retired from, was working with the Credit Bureau. She was a fact checker and was involved in several investigations. It was while working at San Jose City Lines in 1946 that Norma met John Giudici, who was a bus driver. He went into the office often to talk with her. They both had a 1939 Chevy Coupe. She said John’s was beautiful and hers was a “wreck”. They were married July 3, 1947 in Carson City, Nevada. As soon as they were married, they began to travel around California. First, they went on weekend fishing trips. Then fishing trips to Idaho. On their travels, they loved to root around old dumps in the middle of nowhere, visit ghost towns, and as the years went by, they knew the best places to find the good stuff. They collected railroad memorabilia, insulators, rocks and gems, china, and bottles. They loved to attend auctions and visit antique stores and thrift shops. They traveled pretty much all year after they both retired in the 80’s. Norma was proud to say that they had visited all 50 states, although New Mexico. John stopped driving around 2009 and their traveling ended except for later trips with Bill and Georgia. Norma loved to cook, crochet, was an excellent seamstress and was an avid canner of fruits and vegetables and pickled just about anything. She entered her needlework into the County Fair and won many ribbons. She was also a great photographer. She went on club trips, entered contests, and won many awards. Norma truly loved her collection of Native American pieces. She made jewelry from silver, beads, and turquoise, and also from broken pieces of railroad china. She was very intelligent and very creative. Both she and John were active and volunteered at the Santa Clara Senior Center. Here, Norma did lapidary (working with rocks-cutting, polishing) Her beloved husband, John, passed away on July 25, 2018. His death occurred not long after celebrating their 71st wedding anniversary. His death affected her deeply. She was not quite the same afterwards. The past couple of years has been hard on Norma. Her health began declining and her will was lost. Early in July Norma had a fall and spent a few days in the hospital. After this, she had to be put in a rehabilitation home where she stayed for about three weeks. After a couple more days in the hospital, we brought her home and she was put on Hospice. She passed away peacefully in her home on August 20th at the age of 96. Norma is survived by many good friends and many nieces and nephews. It is wonderful to know that she is back with John and has found her mother’s open arms. She loved roadrunners. She once thought about writing a book. This short synopsis was told to Laura on September 26, 2019. There was an old couple that moved to the desert. Soon the husband dies, leaving the wife alone. One day she finds an injured roadrunner. She mends its injuries (a broken leg/wing, etc.). Being alone, she needed a friend, someone to talk to. They became friends, very close, and had many adventures… She said it would be a good book because roadrunners are funny. A graveside service will be held on Monday, August 31st at 10am at Calvary Cemetery, 1100 Hillcrest Road, Hollister, CA. Please follow COVID distancing rules and wear a mask. No flowers. Donations are preferred to the Carmelite Monastery in Santa Clara, CA in care of the mortuary.