Mario Ghilotti, prominent Marin builder, dies

Carolyn Jones - San Francisco Chronicle - November 29, 2010

Memorial services will be held this week for Mario Ghilotti, a gregarious icon in the Bay Area construction industry and a stalwart supporter of Marin County sports and military life.

Mr. Ghilotti died Nov. 20 after falling down a flight of stairs at his Kentfield home, while in a rush to get to his office and then his grandson's high school football game. He was 87.

"He was very passionate and excited about everything he did. Even at age 87, people thrived off his energy and enthusiasm," said his son, Michael Ghilotti of San Rafael. "No one outworked him."

Mr. Ghilotti worked seven days a week for more than 60 years at Ghilotti Brothers Inc., the San Rafael construction firm started in 1914 by his father.

Ghilotti Brothers has directed some of the Bay Area's most prominent public works projects, such as the Crissy Field restoration in San Francisco, the Interstate 680 and Highway 24 interchange in Walnut Creek, and the 1996 renovation of the curvy portion of Lombard Street.

The firm won an award for its renovation of Octavia Boulevard in San Francisco and is now working on the rebuilding of Doyle Drive south of the Golden Gate Bridge. Mr. Ghilotti, though, was most proud of a project in his hometown - the $100 million widening of Highway 101 near Larkspur.

The firm was founded by Mr. Ghilotti's father, James Ghilotti, an Italian immigrant and stonemason who came to the Bay Area seeking work after the 1906 earthquake. Born Dec. 4, 1922, Mario Ghilotti spent his youth hauling rocks and cement bags for his family's company.

He was a football star at San Rafael High, which launched his lifelong interest in Marin County youth sports. He donated money to build sports fields across the county and was a founder of the Marin Athletic Foundation. He also gave money to build the bocce courts at Albert Park in San Rafael.

"He always felt athletics were an equal part of education in the development of young people," said another son, Dante Ghilotti of Ross. "He felt that sports helped young people learn about character, team building, discipline."

After high school, Mr. Ghilotti joined the Navy and served in the Pacific during World War II. He was a gunner on a torpedo bomber, surviving the battle of Saipan and a typhoon that killed hundreds of sailors.

Mr. Ghilotti then attended the University of San Francisco, where he played football, but he had to leave school before graduating to help with his family's business.

He and his brothers took over the firm in 1950, when it had roughly 25 employees and annual revenues of less than $5 million. At the company's peak in the late 1980s, it had 525 employees and revenues topping $100 million, his sons said.

As general manager, Mr. Ghilotti oversaw the finances, equipment, assets and property. The firm's success was partly due to Mr. Ghilotti's work ethic and the connections he built with local politicians, community leaders and colleagues in the industry, his family said.

He was a founding member of several construction associations and was a fixture at community gatherings, ranging from water board hearings to his regular meetings with friends at San Rafael Joe's.

"He had an opinion and he gave it," said San Rafael Mayor Al Boro, who knew Mr. Ghilotti for 25 years. "He was really a champion of San Rafael, and helped a lot of people. His mark is on a lot of things here."

Mr. Ghilotti gave money for the Lone Sailor memorial near the Golden Gate Bridge and several veterans' memorials near the Marin Civic Center. Last year, he donated enough to save the ROTC program at Novato High School.

"He wasn't politically correct, but he had a big heart, and was always caring and helping other people," Dante Ghilotti said. "He could make anyone laugh. Everyone just seemed to like him."

In addition to his sons, Mr. Ghilotti is survived by his wife of 50 years, Eva Ghilotti, and eight grandchildren.

A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Raphael Church, 1104 Fifth Ave., San Rafael.

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