Faces of Bodega Bay

Bodega Matriarchs Pass On Evelyn "Evie" Casini, the beloved owner of The Casino Bar and Grill in Bodega, California, has passed away, according to close friends and social media posts. (1 Oct 1926-Sep 3, 2024) In 1949, Evelyn and her husband, Art Casini, took over The Casino Bar and Grill, transforming it from a simple bar into the heartbeat of Bodega. For 75 years, she welcomed every customer, whether a local or a visitor, with genuine warmth and a friendly smile. She wasn't just running a bar; she was creating a gathering place for all kinds of moments; celebrations, casual get-togethers, and even memorials. Her ability to connect with people, sharing stories that captured decades of local history, made The Casino a beloved spot for everyone. Bodega is already in mourning for 99 year old Josephine Franceschi (31 Dec 1925-17 Aug 2024) who passed away in Santa Rosa. Both matriarchs were from old Italian families in Sonoma County. Josephine was a Mantua before she married Humberto Franceschi and Evelyn was a Piazza until she married Art Casini right after he came home from serving in WWII. Both families had originally emigrated to Sonoma County in the late 1800's.

Tooch Columbo Arthur Charles Colombo "Tooch" peacefully passed away in his home on February 23, 2024. Born on October 20, 1935 in Santa Rosa, Tooch spent his formative years on the family ranch in Bodega. Dedicating over 50 years to a successful career as a butcher, and later as an elder of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. In remembering Tooch and his heritage in the Coastal Miwok Native American tribe, his contributions to the communities he served will be greatly missed. Growing up in Bodega Bay and fishing the northern California rivers, Tooch's love for the outdoors including being featured in the movie "Rivers of the Lost Coast," where he shared the screen with the nation's top fly fishermen. Beyond his passion for fishing, Tooch was an avid hunter, exploring the wilderness not only in California but also in Montana. His adventurous spirit and connection to the natural world added a rich layer to the tapestry of his life.

Annie Springer Annie Springer is well-known in this community for her activism, organizational aid, legacy of Bodega's "Big Event," and much more. Her purple-tinted watercolor paintings are easily recognizable across the county, representing the Bodega area and beyond. Once the chief of the Bodega Volunteer Fire Department from 1979 to 1984, Springer helped the area through its worst-ever flood in January 1982 and remained a spokesperson for Bodega. She accomplished a lot in Northern California, working to create positive change in her communities. She retired into artistry. Throughout her life, she wore many different (purple) hats. Annie Springer has left us. She is done creating art, she will never again sing those boisterous tunes, she can't crack her suspenseful jokes, and her purple flair will dissipate. This loss will take time to process and recover from. We will remember her through memories and by looking at her beautiful artwork. She left quite a mark.

Shirley Ames Shirley Ames passed away peacefully at her home. She was born in Fort Bragg, CA and moved to Bodega Bay at the age of 13 with her parents Edward (Dusty) and Ella Rhodes. Shirley attended Tomales High School and married her high school sweetheart, Harold Ames. Shirley worked in the crab and fish processing plants, and the US Postal Service for 31 years, serving as Postmaster for 22. On Christmas Eve she made sure all packages were delivered before she went home. She was a charter member of the Bodega Bay Grange and instrumental in the creation of the Bodega Bay Volunteer Fire Department and Volunteer Ambulance Service, a member of the Bodega Bay Fisherman's Wives, and the Rancho Bodega and Tomales Historical Societies. Shirley cooked and served many Bodega Bay Grange Crab Cioppinos and volunteered many hours at the Bodega Bay Fisherman's Festivals. She also enjoyed her role in the Alfred Hitchcock movie "The Birds".

Fishermen Dick Ogg There are some battles that can never be won because they cannot and should not ever be lost. They must be fought continually, over and over again. Both environmentalists and commercial fishermen can give example after example of that type of battle. The battles to prevent dumping sewage into the ocean, the battles to save salmon runs in clean, unobstructed rivers, the battle to prevent the ocean floor from being stripmined, the battles to keep the oil industry out of fishery conservation zones at sea, and such, never end. Forces of greed or expediency are always ready to pounce. Our fishing industry at first resisted joining forces with environmental organizations. The environmental groups began showing up at the Fisheries Forum in Sacramento, then began to attend other fishery related groups.

Ned Mantua Ned Mantua passed away unexpectedly on February 15, 2022, at the age of 80. He is lovingly remembered by his daughter Tania (John Rohan), sons Mitch, Nate (Christine), and Dominic (Lisa), grandchildren Max, Sofia, Trent, Nicholas and Marina, and his many relatives and friends. Ned lived his entire life in Bodega and Bodega Bay. He and his parents, Johnny and Irene, lived on their ranch off Valley Ford Freestone Road until he was five, then moved to Bodega Bay. He attended Bodega Bay Elementary School and many of his classmates ended up being his lifelong friends. He went on to Tomales Middle School and Tomales High School where he was active in sports and the senior play and graduated in 1959. He spent one semester at Santa Rosa Junior College, long enough to complete the football season.

Glenice Ames Carpenter Glenice passed away peacefully at her home on August 4th. Born in Santa Rosa on June 30, 1931, Glenice soon moved with her parents, Harold and Frieda Ames, to Bodega Bay where she would live all 90 of her years. She was fondly referred to as "Tootsie" by her family and friends. Early on she helped her parents operate the old Bodega Bay hotel and store. Glenice was Valedictorian of Tomales High School in 1949, where she met her future husband, Earl Carpenter. Shortly after the two were married and had sons Stephen and Stanley, who soon "helped" their father commercial fishing as soon as they could crawl on the boats.

Amanda Bryant Bodega Bay was the go to place for Amanda's grandparents when her mother was growing up, and Amanda and her mother and family often spent the month of October in Dillon Beach. So in 2009, when Amanda was looking for a place to call home and raise her daughter, Elsie (born in 2004), Bodega Bay called out to her as the place to be.

Ren Brown Ren was born in 1947 in Berkeley, California, where his father taught Japanese History. His mother had been born and raised in Japan. So it seemed natural that the family lived first in Hong Kong and then in Japan when Ren was a young boy. He remembers being about seven years old and going to school in Japan, where he learned enough Japanese to get by.

Bob Miller Bob has an infectious enthusiasm or in his words he is "stoked" about surfing and has been working here for 25 years teaching novices, intermediate students and surfing with world class surfers. His Surf Shack has grown into a family business and many local kids have worked there helping out when Bodega Bay hits the busy summer tourist season.

Adri Boudewyn Adri Boudewyn has a special connection with Salmon Creek. He smiles as he describes the uniquely tight-knit community filled with friendly, active and caring residents, many whom have become his best friends. Adri and his wife of 60 years, Waltrut, became Salmon Creek residents 30 years ago and share time between their coastal home and one in San Francisco.

Josh Perucchi Josh is an enthusiastic supporter of Bodega Bay's Fisherman's Festival. He first volunteered his support for Fish Fest as a student at Tomales High. Starting in 2007 he assisted with site setup as a member of the Bodega Bay Fire Protection District. In 2015 he became Vice Chair and in 2018 was proud to be named the Festival's Chairperson.

Alicia, Patty and Paul Ginochio Patty is a humanitarian whose greatest role is nourishing family and community. Her love for her family is as big as her smile. Quick to show humility by sharing credit with her husband Paul and their daughter Alicia, they are proud owners of two local businesses, Sonoma Concierge and Ginochio's Kitchen. They built the businesses with a goal to keep families together. Noticing that there are so few young people in Bodega Bay, she knew that if young people need livelihoods in Bodega Bay, she could help by creating jobs and supporting families. Her family, working alongside a second local family, serve BBQ, baked goods and pasta. Daughter Alicia is the light of the family business confidently running Ginochio's Kitchen. Patty's husband Paul built the interesting, beautiful tables with a seashore theme. He holds cooking classes at the Kitchen passing on his mother's Italian handcrafted focaccia and pasta-making skills.

Mary Cook Mary Cook is a respected Bodega Bay original, especially when it comes to the history of our Fire District. Mary moved to Bodega Bay in 1968. She worked at the Bodega Bay's Post Office for nearly 30 years. She is one of the original volunteers on the ambulance squad, founded in 1974. Called BBAR or Bodega Bay Ambulance Rescue, Mary and the other founders witnessed too many serious heart attacks and accidents to stand back when help took at least an hour to get to the Coast. They raised money, found and bought used ambulances from places like Truckee and trained in lifesaving EMT skills.

Michael and Barbara Trapani The sun shone on foggy Bodega Bay when Barb Dunning moved to the Sonoma Coast in 2010. With a friendly disposition and helpful attitude, Barb was quickly embraced by our community. After settling into Michael's cozy Carmet cottage, Barb agreed to join Michael in opening a veterinary facility. Their dream became reality when Barb saw laundromat space in Pelican Plaza available for rent. After months of work, in September 2011 she and Michael opened the Bodega Bay Veterinary Hospital (BBVH) to the good fortune of Bodega Bay pet owners and visitors to the Coast.

Fire Chief Sean Grinnell Here in Bodega Bay, residents and visitors alike are grateful and honored to have Sean Alan Grinnell as a well-qualified, dedicated Fire Chief. At the time of his appointment in 2002, the position had been filled seven times in just 10 years. He earned his current role as a certified Chief Fire Officer with many successive steps of training, experience and education including a BS degree in Fire Service Administration followed by ongoing continuing education and training.

Lira Filippini Bodega Bay smiled large on the day that Lira chose to reside here. Originally from the Sierra Foothills, that day was in 2011 when Lira discovered the rugged Sonoma Coast.

Shona Weir For more than 25 years, Shona Lee Weir's influence has been exerted for good in Bodega Bay. Hard work, affability, devotion to the community, the determination to give 100 cents for every dollar received, with close attention to every business detail has made Shona's Business Services Unlimited an underpinning of the Community's ability to be self-reliant without heading into town for business services.

Diana Bundy Just about every month of the year presents a new season in Bodega Bay. You'll find Diana among the fresh local vegetables and bakery goods at the Bodega Bay Community Center's Farmers Market, or producing Bodega Bay's Cabaret. Perhaps she is volunteering at Fish Fest, scratching the dirt in the green Community Garden, or preparing the Beachy Car Show. If you are lucky and it's time for the Salmon Creek Art Walk, you can surely find her in her wonderful stained-glass art studio. Her themed stained-glass creations are extraordinary with amazing pieces, both large and small, that compliment collector's homes.

Roadhouse Coffee - Jim Irving The proprietor of the Roadhouse Coffee, Jim Irving opens every morning at 5:30 AM, ready to serve coffee along with wisdom, an opinion and a smile. Riding the tide between non-stop holiday weekends and the doldrums of winter, Jim has more than just a coffee shop. He has a place for people to gather and relax, hear a story or two or visit with a friend.

Spud Point Crab Company The project started with a photo shoot of the crab boat, the Annabelle. The Anello family and crew (Moose & Diego) graciously granted John Hershey access to the full operation, starting with the boat at Spud Point Marina, going out to the ocean to pull the crab pots, and back to the marina to unload the crab.