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Bee Cilenti
Jan. 30, 1925 Oct. 12, 2009
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Bee Cilenti passed away on Oct. 12 at Mark Twain Convalescent Hospital. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17 at the San Andreas Community Covenant Church in San Andreas.
Bee was born in Denver and raised in Sterling, Colo. by adoptive parents A.E. and Grace Slama. After high school, she worked at Bremerton Naval Shipyard, where she met John Cilenti. They were married in November 1944.
Bee and John came to Calaveras when John was discharged from the Army and joined a very large extended family in the Jesus Maria / Rail Road Flat area. They moved away form the Cilenti family ranch to their own ranch in West Point in 1956. They moved to the Sonora area in 1962.They later moved to Valley Springs and then to Turlock, where she worked for the Grange Credit Union and the Rolling F Credit Union. They were very active in Calaveras, Tuolumne and Stanislaus County Granges as well as the California, and National Grange. After many years away, Bee and John returned to Calaveras County where Bee worked at the Golden State Credit Union, until she retired.
Bee became a volunteer with the Mark Twain St. Joseph Hospital Auxiliary and served for many years, becoming a life time member. She worked on arts and crafts for their sales, and at the MTSJ Hospital information desk, where she made “Mommy Baskets” for all of the new mothers.
She also served an extra term as president of the Auxiliary while the new hospital was being build. She enjoyed her many years of volunteering, and especially enjoyed the companionship of those women she met there, many of whom became cherished friends.
Bee was a member of the San Andreas Community Covenant Church. She sang in the choir for as long as she could, and she sang solos after that on several occasions.
She is survived by her son Michael Cilenti, daughter Jean Cilenti, grandson Aaron and his wife Monica, granddaughter Audrey and her husband Jake, as well as eight great grandchildren. She is also survived by two sisters-in-law, Carmenne Poore, and Syd Cilenti, both of San Andreas.
Bee was preceded in death by her husband John, daughter and son-in-law Joan Cilenti Baker and Terry Baker, and her granddaughter Amber.