Oakdale’s Glenn Bacigalupi, who, along with his family, was honored earlier this year by the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce with their Lifetime Achievement Award, passed away at age 87 Saturday, Sept. 26 in the late afternoon, his son Michael reported.
“Oakdale has lost one of its best,” said Susan Bacigalupi, Mike’s wife. “A husband, father grandfather, great-grandfather, father-in-law…a great friend to so many.”
Glenn Patrick Bacigalupi was born in Jamestown in 1928, went to Oakdale High School, graduating in 1947, and on May 6, 1950, married Bernadine Brennan, who became a 10-time woman’s champion in golf in Oakdale. The couple was married 65 years with three adult children, Michael, Kim and David.
In the fall of 1950, after a stint serving in the Navy, at a Cal-USC football game in Berkeley, Bacigalupi’s close friend Bob Gilbert offered him a job with his family’s company. He stayed there until the day he retired 62 years later in May 2013 in addition to working and managing the family business, Oakdale’s H-B Bar.
In 1978, Glenn, also known as “Bachi” handed over the reins to his oldest son Michael.
“I told him you’re going to be on that side (of the bar),” Glenn said earlier this year in an interview with The Leader. “I’m going to now be on this side.”
Michael said for the last few months his father had been battling an illness and as recent as Wednesday (Sept. 23) “had a good day.” On Thursday he started to decline and Friday he slipped into a coma, passing away on Saturday around 5:30 p.m.
“He was a great dad, a role model, family was very important to him,” Michael said. “At 87 years old, he lived a good life.”
On Monday, Sept. 28 Gilbert remembered his friend of over 82 years, stating they had been neighbors when he befriended Glenn in 1933.
“Even though he was small, he was quite an athlete in school playing for some of Oakdale’s great football teams with Eddie LeBaron and Bob Moser,” Gilbert said
Gilbert, who spent several hours with Bacigalupi on Saturday, said the two would regularly meet on Saturdays over the last several years, the last being in August until he fell ill.
“We had a wonderful life together,” Gilbert said. “I have wonderful memories of him as a neighbor and my best friend over many generations.”
Michael added that despite his father’s death, the H-B would remain open this week.
“There’s no way Dad would want us to close down,” Michael said.
The Bacigalupi family said funeral services will start with a 10 a.m. Mass on Friday, Oct. 2 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Olive Street followed by graveside services at Oakdale Citizens Cemetery.
