The Pellini family name stood in tall block letters at the center of Sebastopol for almost seven decades, painted over the entrance to the family’s Chevrolet dealership. The name also adorned Little League uniforms, the Ives Park ball field fence and on annual entries in the Apple Blossom Festival Parade.
The Pellini name disappeared from downtown when the dealership was demolished to make room for a new CVS drug store at Sebastopol and Petaluma avenues. And, now Pete Pellini, the last Pellini Chevrolet owner and grandson of the founder, has died. He passed away in the hospital on Thursday, April 2. He was 74.
Pellini joined his family’s business at age 12 and had a successful career in the automobile business. He bought dealerships in Woodland and Watsonville before returning home to purchase the family dealership from his father in 1984.
He was born Jan. 6, 1946, to Harold and Mildred Pellini, both now deceased. He attended Sebastopol grade schools and graduated from Analy High School, where he met his lifelong sweetheart and future wife, Pauline Ramondo. Besides his wife, he is survived by his children Angela and Michael.
After closing the dealership in 2009, Pete and Pauline traveled all around the world on many trips. They traveled to all seven continents and visited 80 countries. Pete and Pauline were married in 1967 and shared 53 years of marriage, business operations and community giving.
Pellini served in the U.S. Navy and was honorably discharged in 1970 after serving on the USS Ticonderoga.
Pellini Chevrolet dates to 1932 when Angelo Pellini bought the local dealership from R.C. Meyers. Pete’s father Harold bought the business from his father in 1952 before handing over the keys to Pete in 1984. Pete’s children Angela and Michael were working at the dealership when it closed in 2009.
Pete was active in the Northern California Chevrolet Dealers Association and the California Motor Car Dealers Association, serving as president from 1997 to 1998. He was a member of the National Automotive Dealers Association, serving as the political action chairman for numerous years.
The four generations of the Pellinis spanned an era of Sebastopol history that started with the Great Depression, endured through World War II and witnessed firsthand a changing American automobile industry from when all cars were black (1930s), Corvettes were hot (1958) and Volts (2009) had to be plugged in.
“Pete’s greatest love was his family,” said his wife Pauline. “He will be deeply missed by all of us,” she said. “It’s still a bit of a shock to us.”
Other survivors include son-in-law Kevin Knight, daughter-in-law Jennifer, granddaughters Sophia and Elliana Pellini, step granddaughters Kathryn and Erin Knight, sister Carole Weeks (Dan), sister Nancy Fiddler (Roger), brother-in-laws Stan Ramondo (Kathleen), Richard Ramondo (Manni), Darrell Ramondo (Teresa) and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins
A celebration of Pete’s life is pending. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Pete’s memory to The Sebastopol Rotary Education Foundation, PO Box 213, Sebastopol, CA 95473.
