Before Fremont was officially incorporated as one city in January, 1956, the surrounding area (the Tri-Cities) was known as Washington Township. Washington Township was an agricultural community of about 22,000 people living in and near eight small towns. Fruit orchards, truck farming and dairies were the main industries.
The people in Part 1 of Fremont Stories reminisce and talk about those days and how their families came to Washington Township.
Part 1 – Photo slideshow of families of those interviewed for Fremont Stories (Those who arrived before 1955)
The DVDs of all interviews from Fremont Stories, Our Family Album are for sale in the museum store.
Mae Avila, Eleanor Currie, Harry Avila
Interviewer: Nydia Estrada
Mae Avila, Eleanor Currie and Harry Avila were born and raised in the Warm Springs area. Antonio and Maria Alvernaz, immigrants of the Azores Islands, were married in Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Niles in 1912. In 1889 Antonio had purchased acreage in Warm Springs, which today is the entrance and site of the NUMMI company. Antonio, Maria and their descendents would live on the property until 1956 when it was sold to Western Pacific for industrial development. Daughters, Mae Alvernaz (Avila) and Eleanor Alvernaz (Currie) were born and raised on the farm and attended Warm Springs Grammar School and Washington High School. Mae continues to live in the Irvington district of Fremont and Eleanor resides in San Jose. Online interview
After completing high school, Mae’s son, Harry Avila, attended and graduated from UC San Francisco with a doctorate in Pharmaceutical Sciences. He returned to Fremont and worked as a pharmacist for Wally Pond and later acquired other pharmacies throughout Washington Township. Harry was a member of Washington Hospital District Board of Directors from 1974-1994. Harry and his wife, Janet, have three children Anthony, Timothy and Gina.
Mae Avila, Eleanor Currie, Harry Avila
Primitiva Taclindo Ranoa Gador
Interviewer: Nydia Estrada
Primitiva Taclindo Ranoa-Gador was born in the Philippines and came from Hawaii to San Francisco in 1951 with seven of her children. The youngest child had to stay behind, due to illness, and later came by airplane carrying his own small suitcase. Her husband Victor M. Ranoa had come a year earlier. In 1952 they decided to move to Washington Township. They worked and lived in Irvington at Mr. Allan Hirsch’s strawberry farm where they met other Filipino families. A year after they started working at the strawberry farm they were able to buy their first house on 39392 Blacow Street (formerly Mr. Mattos house) in Centerville. Together with her husband she became active in civic groups, helping Filipinos in the Tri-City area adjust to life, as owner of the Ranoa Enterprise in Centerville, offering affordable rent housing, English and naturalization classes, and general coping skills. She served as president of the Filipino Circle Group and started the Filipino Association of the East Bay. She also served as court interpreter for 40 years and also taught seniors coping classes in Fremont and Newark for many years. She has received recognition for her achievements and community service from various organizations. Online interview
Primitiva Taclindo Ranoa Gador
Bernie Leal
Interviewer: Lila Bringhurst
Bernie Leal was born in the Niles Maternity Home in 1932 and his family lived on the farmland that his grandfather purchased in the late 1800’s. Bernie, in his younger years, grew up in the upper ranch home and then moved to the lower ranch home on Mission Boulevard. Today he still lives on the original ranch of his grandfather. He remembers the rural living (no electricity) and still works cattle and makes wine as did his grandfather. Online interview
Bernie Leal
Barbara Lesh
Interviewer: Patricia Bagwell
Barbara Lesh was three when her family moved to Irvington in 1943. The oldest of five children, she grew up helping with the younger children and helping her dad in the poultry business, slaughtering chickens and working in the Oakland store. After college she went into the novitiate convent in Mission San Jose for seven year. She then left the convent she eventually worked for Hewlett Packard in graphics and then statistics. She also taught art history, drawing and painting. Barbara lived in Santa Clara for many years and was happy to return to Fremont in 1989. She has two children who live in the bay area. Online Interview
Barbara Lesh
Irene Lesh
Interviewer: Patricia Bagwell
Irene Lesh moved to Irvington with her husband, Larry, in 1943 when her godparents were retiring. Larry and Irene took over the chicken business from Joe and Molly Medeiros. By 1946 Larry had built a house in Niles and established a poultry store in Oakland. In 1954 they moved to a place in Niles that had been a rabbit farm. Larry converted it into a chicken farm. Throughout the years Larry worked as a photographic artist, poultry business owner and real estate agent. Irene was a seamstress, a member of The Country Club of Washington Township for more than fifty years, a member of the choir at Corpus Christi Church, and very involved in PTA form any years. Online Interview
Irene Lesh
Bruno Orsetti
Interviewers: Tommy Andrew, Patricia Schaffarczyk
Bruno Orsetti was born in Italy in 1921 and came to the United States with his family in 1923. Like many new struggling immigrants they moved often until they finally settled in the Centerville District in 1934 on Decoto Road, where the Reagan Nursery is today. Bruno’s father eventually owned twenty-five acres and farmed cauliflower, lettuce and various other large vegetable crops. Bruno worked the farm with his father and married and raised his three children there. When his father retired Bruno worked for ten years for the Union City School district as a bus driver and as a custodian and later for another ten years as a custodian at Chabot College. He lives in Centerville near Washington High School. Online interview
Bruno Orsetti
Dino Ramacciotti
Interviewer: Lila Bringhurst
Dino Ramacciotti moved to Centerville with his family in 1952 when he was a sophomore in high school. In 1948 his father had purchased property, where Lam Research is now located on Cushing Parkway, to relocate the family hog farm from San Lorenzo. It was quite an adjustment for Dino moving from city life in East Oakland to the quiet country life of Centerville. Dino graduated from Washington High School in 1954 and worked with his father on the hog farm and also in his dad’s restaurant, The Italian Village [now Papillion Restaurant]. Dino married in 1957 and became partners with his dad in the hog farm business. His father also owned Stella D’Oro Italian Restaurant in Centerville and his brother opened the first health studio in Fremont [located in Centerville] Dino remembers car racing at the Fremont Drag Strip. He and his wife raised their children here. His children also graduated from Washington High School. The hog farm was closed in 1977. Dino and his family have all lived here since 1952. He is glad that he has made Fremont his home. Online interview
Dino Ramacciotti
Bruce Roeding Jr.
Interviewer: Dorothy Bradley
Bruce Roeding Jr., the son of California Nursery Co. George C. Roeding Jr., was born in Niles in 1928. In 1917 his grandfather, Fresno horticulturist George C. Roeding, purchased the California Nursery Company. As a child growing up in Niles Bruce remembers the wonderful experience of contributing as a youngster working in the family Nursery when they adjusted their crops to support the war efforts, the emotional time when longtime Japanese and Chinese workers and their families were ordered to move to encampments, and schools had to adjust their teaching schedule for children to help farm at the nursery to support the war efforts. He recalls his first experience at the Nursery adjusting from using farm animals to mechanical tractors, the growing landscaping business contracts, workers strike, the flood of 1955, his father’s involvement in the incorporation of the city of Fremont, growth in the area, and selling portions of land because of difficult times.
Bruce Roeding Jr.
Rosemary Ramsell
Interviewer: Patricia Schaffarczyk
Rosemary Ramsell was born in Holtville, California to Swiss immigrant parents. She lived in Switzerland and in various places in California until the family moved to the Mowry Dairy [now New Park Mall] in 1938, in her junior year in high school. Rosemary married Gene Ramsell in 1941. Gene worked for Cloverdale Creamery since he was nine years old and he retired in 1997 [after more than sixty years]. Rosemary and Gene raised their family and have lived in Centerville since 1941. Rosemary was active in many community organizations including CYO, PTA. Boy Scouts, Brownies and various Swiss organizations in addition writing a column for the Swiss Journal for more than thirty years and to being a full time tour conductor. She still works as a bookkeeper for Swiss Park. Online interview
Rosemary Ramsell
Bernice Voorhees
Interviewer: Reshma Yunus
Bernice Voorhees was born in Mission San Jose next to the original PG&E sub-station which was located on Mission Blvd. and what is now the 680 freeway exchange. In 1920 she moved with her family to the new PG&E sub-station off of Boyce Road [on Weber Road] where her father, Harry Weber, was plant supervisor. She grew up in the company housing development sharing the close community with fourteen other families who also lived there. Bernice married Karl Nordvik in 1941 and moved to Centerville. She raised three boys while living on Oak Street. Karl and Bernice were instrumental in starting Little League Baseball in Washington Township. She worked as a secretary for many business people in Centerville while raising her family and was very involved in community activities including, Little League Baseball of Washington Township, PTA, Country Club of Washington Township and Washington Township Business and Professional Club. She also was the secretary for the S.F. firm that formulated the incorporation papers for the five communities to become the City of Fremont. Karl Nordvik died in 1961 and Bernice married Raymond Rehfeld in 1966. Raymond died in 1997 and Bernice married Clyde Voorhees in 2001. Online interview
Bernice Voorhees
Earlene Maloney Walker
Interviewer: Page Mosier
Earlene Maloney Walker was born in San Mateo and came to Irvington with her husband William Henry Maloney, known as Harry Maloney, and their two small children in 1949. They lived for three years on the Copeland Farm, where Santa Paula Catholic Church is now located. Earlene loved the quiet sunny country living. She raised her two children in Irvington and was secretary for three Fremont city managers from 1958 until she retired in 1977. Online interview
Earlene Walker
Shirley Wein
Interviewer: Lila Bringhurst
Shirley Wein came to Fremont with her family in 1954 because her husband was transferred from his job. After they settled in Centerville they never left because this was such a wonderful place to live and raise their family compared to Chicago, their former home. She raised two children and became very active in volunteer organizations including the American Red Cross, Tri-City Chapter, and soon became Chairman of the Board of Directors. She then became active in Real Estate and got her broker’s license in 1977 and opened a property management office (The Advantage Group). For the next 15 years she enjoyed building the company, which she sold in 2003. Shirley was on the Board of Realtors Board of Directors for about 5 years taught Real Estate classes for Chabot and Ohlone Community College for about 20 years and spent about 5 years on the Board of Ohlone College Foundation. Online interview
Shirley Wein
