Alfred Mario Fambrini

Long time Petaluma resident, Alfred Mario Fambrini passed away peacefully on November 25th, 2021 at the age of 81.  Al was born in San Francisco on April 25, 1940 to father Mario Edward Fambrini and mother Matilda Fambrini.  He was married to his cherished wife, Carmelita “Carmie” for 39 years, and was a loving father to daughter Povi Wagner.

After attending Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, Al served in the United States Marine Corps after which he also served eight years in the Marine Corps Reserves.  He attended San Francisco City College and Santa Rosa Junior College studying criminology.  He started his law enforcement career in 1960 with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department.  In 1962 he started with the Petaluma Police Department where he served the community for more than 30 years.  New to the department, Al received one week of training and then, as he liked to say, “he was on his own.”  He was a leading officer in the Department’s initial canine program in 1967.  His policies set the foundation for the program and many are still in effect to this day.  Al’s first police dog, Arko, was at his side for many shifts from 1968- 1975, and he always remarked how Arko was “…a one in a million dog.”  Al advanced up the chain of command to lieutenant, where he retired in 1993.  He spent his retirement years raising and training dogs and spending time with family and friends.

Al was a member of several dog training clubs including: the German Shepard Dog Training Club, the German Shepard Dog Club of America, the Northbay Shutzhund Club, and Schutzhund USA.  As a founding member of Kaleidoscope Adult Day Program, Al helped pave the way for a much-needed community facility for people with developmental disabilities.  He was also a faithful parishioner of St. James and St. Vincent Catholic churches.  Al loved dog training, the High Sierra mountains, hiking, telling police stories, and visiting with family and friends.

Al is survived by his daughter Povi Wagner and her husband David, along with his adored grandchildren Sierra Hill, Brandon Hill, Cooper Wagner and Caitlyn Wagner; his sister Yolanda Stallings, niece Diane Moncrief and her daughter Elora McLean and her husband Bobby, his cousin Rena Metzger, along with family and extended relatives from the Hoopa Valley Tribe; his long-time friends whom he considered family: Roy, Stacy, Parker, and Piper Loden, Andy Mazzanti, Pat Parks, Diane Turner and their families, as well as his beloved companion Joyce Bruce. He was preceded in death by his parents Mario and Matilda, his wife Carmelita, and nephew David Stallings.

All services are private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to a charity of your choice, St. James Roman Catholic Church or St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church.

Al’s family wish to express their appreciation to the ICU nurses, respiratory therapists and physicians at Sutter Santa Rosa Hospital for their extraordinary compassionate care.

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