Joseph Filippi Sr., an Italian immigrant who worked his way from bundling
shingles for 15 cents a day to building one of California's oldest and most
prestigious wineries, died Sunday. He was 93.
| John Filippi Sr. (1904-1998) |
|
At the height of grape harvest time, Mr. Filippi, the founder of Filippi
Vintage Co., died at Inland Christian Home in Ontario, one day after he and his
wife, Mary, celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary.
"He waited," grandson Gino Filippi said.
Funeral arrangements and services have not yet been finalized. |
Mr. Filippi was remembered Monday by family and friends as a small, quiet man
with a shrewd business mind. But he had a heart as vast as the land he plowed,
family members said.
His life was the grapevine, Gino Filippi said. The younger Filippi said he
could remember running up to his grandfather with a fist full of grape
leaves.
"Not only could he tell me what kind of grape that was, but also if
there was something wrong with the vine. That was fascinating to me," Gino
Filippi said. "It was our whole life."
| A man of few words, Mr. Filippi taught by example. While working to provide
for his own family, he sent money back to Italy to help support his brother's
family who stayed behind. That part of the Filippi family prospered, too,
accepting Mr. Filippi's financial support and investing in land and equipment.
Today, they grow wheat, olives and grapes.
"He said to us 'work hard, mind your own business and be fair.' He was
extremely focused. There was never a sense of panic in him. He was obviously a
self-made man," Gino Filippi said. "He was such a generous man and
truly a good Samaritan." |
 A collage of wine labels from Filippi
winery products. |
Mr. Filippi overcame much adversity as he forged his way from northern Italy
through New York to settle in Etiwanda. He was born Dec. 12, 1904, in a rural
area of Schio, Torrebelviano, in the province of Vicenza in the fertile Veneto
region. Before he was 6 years old, Mr. Filippi's mother died.
In 1918, with northern Italy's war-torn economy in a shambles, Giovanni
Filippi and his 14-year-old son Joseph boarded a boat to America and arrived at
Ellis Island, N.Y.
Mr. Filippi spent the next two years with a family in Little Italy in New
York, while his father joined a brother in Southern California. In New York, Mr.
Filippi learned English and worked his first job, bundling shingles for 15 cents
a day.
He joined his father in 1921 in Southern California and graduated from a
trade school in Santa Monica, where he learned electrical mechanics. Upon
graduation, he returned to the family home in Etiwanda and, in 1922, helped his
father plant their first vineyard off Jurupa and Etiwanda avenues in what is now
Fontana.
When he was 26, Mr. Filippi married Mary Danzo of Riverside. Prohibition had
set in and the Filippi family survived by selling sacramental wine to
churches.
In 1932, Mr. Filippi's son, Joseph Jr., the first of four children, was born.
The following year, Prohibition was over and the Filippi Vintage Co. began to
prosper.
The Filippi family life was steeped in hard work, good food, lots of children
and grandchildren, fine friends and, of course, great wine. Mr. Filippi loved to
travel, visiting Europe and South America, and he was enthralled by world
events. Still, he kept his life simple, measuring time by what he reaped each
season.
"He had a deep connection to the land and his work at the winery,"
his daughter, Linda Filippi, said. "I remember just sitting with my dad on
the steps of our house and watching the birds in the mulberry trees, drinking
Zinfandel, eating cheese and talking about the cycle of the
vineyard."
There were trying times as well.
In 1969, severe flooding threatened the Filippi vineyards, including the
newly-purchased Thomas Vineyard, California's oldest winery.
The family cleaned up the damage and rebuilt their business. Increasing
development threatened the vineyards, but still the Filippis persevered.
The grandsons attribute their endurance to their grandfather's ability to
focus. Joseph Filippi, the oldest grandson, recalled an incident when the family
was en route to Los Angeles to deliver cases of wine.
"The truck overheated and we didn't have any water. My grandfather told
us to pull down some jugs of wine and put it in the radiator, and it
worked," he said.
Perhaps the most daunting tragedy the family has had to endure was the death
of Mr. Filippi's son.
Five years ago, Joseph Filippi, suffering from depression and alcohol abuse
and plagued by marital and financial troubles, took his own life.
Filippi Vintage Co. is now in the hands of Mr. Filippi's three
grandsons.
Mr. Filippi is survived by his wife, Mary; his two daughters, Louise Nix, of
Las Vegas and Linda Filippi, of Placitas, N.M.; and his three grandsons, Joseph
P. Filippi, of Rancho Cucamonga and Gino L. and James W. Filippi, both of
Upland. |
