A celebration of life will be Feb. 4 in Felton for longtime town resident Bernardo “Bennie” Romele, who died Jan. 7 at Stanford University at the age of 78.
Mr. Romele was born in Concho, Ariz., and moved his family from Inglewood to Santa Cruz and then Felton in 1961.
Relatives said he was determined to raise his young family away from big-city culture.
In 1948, at age 15, Mr. Romele joined the U.S. National Guard by forging his mother’s signature. He joined the U.S. Army two years later and, at 17, found himself on the front lines in North Korea. He was a company clerk and assistant squad leader for the 35th Regiment of the 25th Infantry Division. A decorated Bronze Star recipient, Mr. Romele was one of three survivors of an ambush of his 16-member patrol during a late night reconnaissance mission.
A union carpet installer by profession, he was a lifetime member of International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 1288. He retired in 1988 to focus his attention on his family.
Since moving to Felton, Mr. Romele had been involved with San Lorenzo Valley sports events, coaching farm-league baseball from the early 1960s. He was a fixture in the stands at his children’s and grandchildren’s sporting events for almost 50 years and is the only person to have been awarded super fan trophies by the athletic department of San Lorenzo Valley High School. Mr. Romele was awarded the Central Coast Section Sportsmanship Award in 2010.
Mr. Romele is survived by his partner, Pam Robinson of Felton; five children, Gary Romele of Port Orford, Ore., Darrell Romele of Medford, Ore., and Tim Romele, Julian Romele and Renee Romele-Kellogg, all of Felton; 11 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and 12 nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 32 years, Sylvia Lorraine Romele; a daughter, Catherine Romele; parents, Julian and Graciana Romele; and five siblings, Victoria Soria, Samuel Romele, Ofrieda Romele, Malia Villanueva and Julian “Junior” Romele.
A private graveside service will be followed by a public celebration of life from 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 4, a Saturday, at Felton Community Hall, 6191 Highway 9.
