Dorothy Petronella Paganetti

Dorothy Petronella Paganetti, 91, of Petaluma, California, passed away peacefully on December 30, after a brief illness. Dorothy was of a generation that grew up in tough times and worked hard with her hands but never complained. She was born at home in Novato, California, on a dairy ranch. Dorothy, along with her five brothers and sisters, all worked hard every day. Life was tough but so was Dorothy! She and her brothers and sisters attended the one-room Black Point School House in Novato on School Road and walked there every day. In her twenties she married Rico Paganetti, a dairy rancher, and they lived on the secluded Paganetti Ranch in foggy Marshall. She worked for many years as a waitress at Nick's Cove Restaurant and later at the Marin French Cheese Factory in Hick's Valley, driving home at night on the deserted roads at a time when there were no cell phones or road side assistance to call. Dorothy was fiercely independent up to the last weeks of her life. She had no children but leaves behind her brother William Mazzoleni and many nieces and nephews and friends. Dorothy left her family a fine example of living life to the full no matter what the circumstances, relying on her God given abilities, and loving her family to the end. Interment will be at the Tomales Catholic Cemetery, 1400 Dillon Beach Road, Tomales, at 11 a.m., on Monday, January 5, 2015. Contributions in lieu of flowers can be made to Hospice of Petaluma, 416 Payran Street, Petaluma, CA, 94952, or a charity of your choice.