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Another Cucamonga Vintner Passed
Submitted by Ginoffvine on Sat, 10/06/2007 - 8:16pm
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, September. He was 93.
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 L. 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 or upset in him. He was obviously a self-made man," Gino L. Filippi said. "He was such a generous man and truly a good Samaritan."
|
Mr. Filippi overcame much adversity as he forged his way from northern Italy through New York to settle in the Ontario-Fontana area. 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 shortly after from a trade school in Santa Monica, where he learned electrical mechanics. Upon graduation, he returned to the family farm and, in 1922, helped his father plant their first vineyard off Jurupa and Etiwanda avenues in what is now Fontana. G. Filippi & Son was the name of the business.
When he was 26, Mr. Filippi married Mary Danzo of Riverside. Prohibition had set in and the Filippi family survived by working growing grapes, selling sacramental wine and helping other farmers. Mary lived in Guasti for a few years with her family.
In 1932, Mr. Filippi's son, Joseph Jr., the first of four children, was born. The following year, Prohibition was over and the Filippi Winery was founded.
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 with the help of many friends 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 Paul 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. In 1993, Joseph A. Filippi, suffering from depression and alcohol abuse and plagued by marital and financial troubles, took his own life.
The Filippi Winery is owned by Joseph A. Filippi's sons.
The Filippi Winery is owned by Joseph A. Filippi's sons.
Written by Joan Kite, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - Sept 1998
The Don is Dead
I mean that sincerly....Joseph Filippi Sr was known as the Don or head of all of the wineries in the Inland Empire at least as far as my family was concerned.....I hope he is surrounded by his favorite wines now, far away from any floods or other worldy troubles....Gary Hall. theghostpainter
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