Grace McLeod's Obituary
Grace died peacefully after a long, wonderful life. True to her name, she was gracious and clear to the end. She inspired new friends with her warmth, spontaneity, enthusiasm, elegance, and beauty.Grace was born Maria Grazia Garagliano. The youngest of seven children, she grew up in an Italian neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles. Her parents Francesco and Rosa emigrated from Tusa, Sicily to New York, then Los Angeles. Francesco worked as a blacksmith and Rosa brought up seven children – Mary, Frank, Joe, Cedric, John, Edward, and Grace. Francesco died young, when Grace was 12, so the family pulled together to make ends meet.After graduation from Lincoln High School, Grace worked as an editorial assistant at the Los Angeles Examiner, with William Randolph Hearst within view in an office down the hall. In her spare time, Grace acted in local theater groups and enjoyed the life of the burgeoning city in the early 1940s. One day, while Grace was shopping in a Los Angeles department store, a smiling stranger tapped her on the shoulder and said, “Buy that belt.” The stranger was Tyrone Power.At 24, Grace was a legal secretary and attended a party at the Lake Merritt Hotel in Oakland where she met Charles McLeod, a 38 year old attorney. Just before their meeting, a mutual friend noticed that Charles was preparing to leave and asked Grace to convince him to stay. When she did, Charles responded, “I will if I can buy you a drink afterward.”Charles and Grace were married in 1953 and lived in Piedmont, enjoying life with their son John and Charles’ son Clark. Grace loved opera, Charles loved golf. So she took up the game, becoming club champion of Sequoyah Country Club four times. They traveled with family and friends to Bermuda, Cuba, Hawaii, and Italy. They loved their home, which Grace made special with her eye for beauty, memorable Italian cooking, piano playing, laughter, and warm conversation. Charles loved jokes and Grace loved to laugh, but when he told a racy joke, Grace would scold him with a smile, saying, “Charles!”After Charles died in 1991, Grace continued in Piedmont, caring for her beloved sister Mary and participating in the Museo Italiano Americano in San Francisco, Italian classes in Orinda, and a local widows group. Grace took Italian 4 in Orinda for seven years not because she was unable to learn the language but because she loved her teacher and classmates and the bonds of friendship that endured.Grace leaves behind many friends, as well as her son John Francesco, daughter-in-law Teresa, daughter-in-law Ann (Jim), grandsons John Clark, Charles, and James (Elizabeth), and nieces and nephews Anita (Ron), Tom (Linda), Cedric, John (Diane), Tina, Victoria, Rosemary (Dana), and Valerie (Jay). A celebration of Grace’s life is planned for early 2014. For information, contact John McLeod ([email protected], 925-963-3093).
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