Carmen Patane, a life-long resident of Gilroy, passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 28. He was 86 years old.

He is survived by his wife, Mary; his daughters Marie Blankley (Steve) of Gilroy, Nina Patane (Jim) of Carmel, and Jeanette Aguilar (Matt) of Los Banos; his son Carmen Patane of Gilroy; his grandchildren Andrew and Stephanie Blankley, Samuel and Anna Gumberg, Domenic Aguilar, and Jacqueline Patane. He was preceded in death by his parents Sebastiano and Agata Patane, his sisters Lena Chiri and Mary Puliafico, and his brothers Al and Joe Patane.

Carmen was born April 7, 1928 in Gilroy and was raised on the family ranch at the corner of Fitzgerald Avenue and Monterey Highway. The youngest of five children, he attended Rucker School then began farming with his oldest brother, Al Patane. He farmed prunes for 30 years and later switched to row crops. He managed a dehydrator for Mayfair Foods for several years while still living on the home property, and was a member of the local Farm Bureau and Sunsweet Growers Association. Carmen was neat, organized and a very principled man.

He loved the outdoors, especially the majestic beauty of Yosemite. A bachelor until he was 34, he enjoyed many camping trips with buddies Gene Bozzo and John Marfia. He enjoyed ballroom dancing and met his wife while taking lessons at Arthur Murray Dance Studio in San Jose. After marriage, he enjoyed family vacations to Yosemite, family barbeques on his New Avenue ranch, annual hunting trips with his son, and socializing with friends. He also enjoyed the unconditional love of animals, often saying he strived to be the person his dog thought he was. A dedicated volunteer, he spent countless hours benefitting causes he believed in. He regularly tended to his fruit trees and vegetable garden, and enjoyed distributing the produce to family and friends.

Carmen was loved and will be greatly missed but his strong character and honesty will not be forgotten.

Family would appreciate donations to the John Birch Society,770 N. Westhill Blvd, Appleton, WI 54914, St. Aloysius Retreat House,P.O. Box 1379, Los Gatos, CA 85031 or Teri Davis Patane Memorial Horse Camp, P.O.1621, Morgan Hill, CA 95038.

Vigil services will be held on Sunday, October 5 at 3:30pm at Habing Family Funeral Home in Gilroy. Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, October 6 at 10am at St. Mary Catholic Church in Gilroy, followed by entombment at Gavilan Hills Memorial Park.

Please join the family afterwards for a celebration of his life