Gino Paul Panelli

Services will be held on Thursday, July 7th for Gino Paul Panelli, who passed away on June 25, 2016, at his Santa Cruz home after a courageous 5-year bout with colon cancer. His family was at his side when he passed. Born in Santa Cruz on October 11, 1965, he was 50 years old. For close to 25 years, Gino worked for a variety of companies in software sales, and it was at one such company where he met his wife Solange. Nothing gave him greater joy than his family and friends. He never once complained about his illness or the pain he was in; his fight to live was driven by his love of family and friends, and the fact he lived 3 years longer than doctors anticipated shows how strong that love was. A 3rd generation Santa Cruzan, Gino was a graduate of Holy Cross elementary, Santa Cruz High (Class of '83), and Cabrillo College. He was one of the best athletes to ever play in Santa Cruz County, playing football and baseball at Santa Cruz High, earning All-County MVP in baseball as a senior, as well as being named to the San Jose Mercury's All-Mercury team. He was a 4-year varsity baseball player at SCHS under legendary coach Bill Dodge, with whom he remained friends until his passing. At Cabrillo, he played under former Major League pitcher Andy Messersmith, another person with whom he stayed in contact after his playing career ended. He was also a key player on the Watsonville Aggies baseball team that went to the Babe Ruth World Series. He continued to stay active throughout adulthood, playing beach volleyball beach volleyball and golf with his friends, and playing over-30 league baseball for many years, relishing the chance to play doubleheaders on Sundays, often catching both games in sometimes -100 degree weather and hitting home runs with regularity. A lover of travel, Gino was always the first one to say yes to road trips, whether it was taking his family and friends to Lake Tahoe for snow and water sports, or joining his buddies for weekends in Las Vegas, Colorado or New Mexico. The trips to Tahoe were taken over a 20-year span with fellow longtime Santa Cruz family the Marinis, where the kids went wakeboarding, river rafting, had barbecues on the beach and shared tons of laughter. He never met a game of cards he didn't like, and even on his last trip to Vegas, despite his illness, he was the one who wanted to stay out later than all of his friends and continue to gamble. Gino was also part of a core group of friends who did fantasy football and baseball drafts over the course of 30 years, and the drafts were always filled with good-natured joking and heckling, much of it involving him. Gino was a huge fan of all Bay Area sports teams, and reveled in the Giants' 3 World Series titles, the Warriors' NBA title last year, and his most beloved San Francisco 49ers' 5 Super Bowl wins. 49ers watch parties at his parents' house on the Westside were legendary. He was a loving and loyal husband, father, stepfather, grandson, son, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend. He took great pleasure in being part of the Santa Cruz High community. As his kids and nieces made their way through his alma mater, he was at every game, and he always dispensed advice after every game (or during halftime!), acting as a surrogate coach to his nieces. He was a volunteer for the Dad's Club Tournament, and participated in the Cardinal Club's fundraising golf tournament every year. He was a role model to countless numbers of kids, who were friends with his own kids and nieces, and they all saw him as a second father or uncle. Gino embodied everything we all aspire to be, taking in all of life's gifts with gratitude: family, friends, love, laughter, and sports. Dancing at weddings and parties was one or his biggest joys, and he was a great dancer who could cut a rug with anyone. His laugh was infectious, he was always quick with a joke, and his friendships numbered in the hundreds, no matter their age, race, or gender. He also took pride in his fashion sense, was always the best-dressed person at every event, and he loved to help dress up his friends as well. His friends' closets had more of Gino's Clothes than their own. His hair was always perfect, and friends loved to tease him about the amount of gel he went through each day. He is survived by his grandmother, Josephine Pista, and his parents, Corky and Paula Panelli. He also leaves behind his beloved wife, Solange Hale, and his children Jasper Panelli, Maxwell Somerville, Fabiano Hale, and Juliana Hale; his sister, Lisa Larkin, brother-in-law Ian Larkin, and nieces Ashley and Morgan Larkin; his auntie Lee; the Pappas family; the Stumpf family; the DelBianco family; the Lindgren family; the Micheli family; and numerous other cousins and extended family members who loved him as much as he loved them. He was preceded in death by his grandfathers Paul Pappas and Louis Pista, his grandparents Eugenio and Assunta Panelli, and his uncle/godfather Art Clarke. Services will be held at Holy Cross Church in Santa Cruz at 10am on Thursday, July 7th, and a celebration of Gino's life will follow next door at Holy Cross Hall. Because this is a Celebration of Gino's Life, the family asks you to please dress in colorful attire, not black, to capture his love of style and eccentricity. The Panelli family would also like to thank those who gave Gino care throughout his illness, including Hospice of Santa Cruz, Dr. Julie Jaffe and staff, Dr. Brendan Visser, and the oncology nurses at Katz Cancer Center. In lieu of flowers, please send donations for a scholarship to be set up at Santa Cruz High under Gino's name to: 331 Majors Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, and please specify your donation goes to the Gino Panelli Santa Cruz High School Baseball Scholarship Fund.