IN MEMORY OF NELLIE BROCCHINI
Nellie Brocchini left this earth on March 28, 2007, passing into the presence of God in the manner that she lived - strong, courageous and positive, joyful in her life. She was with her beloved family, sailing the beautiful Sea of Cortez in Mexico, savoring every moment of the day.
Nellie leaves behind a legacy of love from her husband Paul, her children Matt, Theresa and Anne, and five grandchildren, Alex, Sam, Nikhil, August and Lena, sister Katherine and brothers, Mike, Ted and David, and countless friends from her extraordinary years of life among us.
We honor Nellie’s passion, integrity and humor with this memorial page, dedicated to a woman who will live in our hearts forever
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Eleanor “Nellie” Holcombe Brocchini was born in Concord, California, the second of seven children and the oldest girl. By the age of ten, she had learned to play the role of surrogate mother to her siblings, and found a path that suited her well. She loved working with children, and would become a dedicated teacher, and mother to her own family
She earned a B.A. in Child Development from U.C. Berkeley, and taught most elementary grades and preschool. She was a leader, and knew how to help her students believe in themselves and make the best of their talents.
Nellie met Paul Brocchini in September, 1957, when she was 19 years old and they were both students at Cal. He was immediately taken with this beautiful blonde “wisp of a girl”, and they began dating about a year later and fell in love. They were married in 1960, and became loyal and dedicated partners on a great adventure. Their twisting path took them from Washington, D.C. to Bogota, Colombia, where Matt and Theresa were born, Sao Paulo, Brazil, back to Washington DC and then seven years in the New York City area prior to returning to Brazil in 1974 where Paul founded a business in Rio de Janeiro. Her third child, Anne, was born in Summit, New Jersey in 1968. In Summit Nellie was a dedicated homemaker and volunteer and won a Federated Woman’s Club statewide award for her work in public relations
In Rio de Janeiro Nellie founded a “Junior Babylon” Catholic preschool, and groomed students from all over the world. The Brocchinis finally settled in Carmel in 1978, where Nellie guided her brood through Carmel High School and on to college. Paul and Nellie founded The Pewter Shop in The Barnyard, and she attacked all aspects of the retail venture with her usual passion and commitment. When the shop closed in 1992, she joined Paul as his partner in real estate sales for Coldwell Banker. They welcomed Mark Ryan to the partnership in 2005.
Nellie was incredibly gifted as a teacher, mother and grandmother, a talented seamstress, avid bridge player, and well known for her invention of the “Nellie Ball”, a small, hand-sewn felt soccer ball for children. Most of all, she was the beloved and cherished wife of Paul, who best remembers her “as a woman who never lived for herself”. She was always by his side, “supporting his schemes and the twisty path they traveled” together. She had a great sense of humor, which came through every aspect of her life, and touched everyone she met.
In the later years of her life, Nellie Brocchini became a great sailor, and joined Paul in his passion for the open seas. “Admiral Nellie” got her Bareboat license, and together she and Paul sailed extensively on the Monterey Bay, up the Delta, to the Santa Barbara Channel Islands, Greece, Spain and the British Virgin Islands. She was the perfect mate to Captain Paul, having razor sharp vision and an eye for landmarks. She always guided them into port.
In October, 2006, Nellie and Paul set off on their dream sailing trip, down the coast of California all the way to Manzanillo, Mexico, and back up to the Sea of Cortez. They sailed Athena into exotic ports, swimming and eating, and drinking beer, exploring new towns and walking hand in hand on ever-changing beaches. They also kissed a lot, according to Paul.
On March 28, Nellie died in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, from a ruptured artery in her brain after a heroic rescue effort from a remote anchorage on Isla Partida. She was just 68 years old. She was deeply loved, and will be sorely missed by all.
The Carmel-by-the-Sea Kiwanis has established a scholarship in the name of Nellie Brocchini, to be awarded to a student at Carmel High School who is passionate about working with children.
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This poem was written in Nellie’s honor by Carmel poet and Kiwanian, J.W. Winslow.
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NELLIE |
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