Angie Accornero, of Kensington, a longtime presence on Solano Avenue and in West Contra Costa County, died July 30. She was 92.
Accornero had a long association with Oaks Jewelers, the family business co-founded by her husband, Henry Accornero, and still run by family members today. Accornero eventually joined her husband at the store and was a familiar figure on Solano Avenue, known for her upbeat and outgoing personality.
“She always had a smile on her face,” said daughter Cherie Accornero-Myers. “It was something about her that was very endearing. She loved all of Solano Avenue.”
The shop, second only to Andronico’s in terms of longevity in business on the avenue, was an original participant in a small evening shopping promotion by merchants on Solano Avenue that grew to become the large annual Berkeley-Albany street party now known as the Solano Stroll.
“It is always sad when we lose someone from our small community, especially someone as loved and engaged as Angie Accornero,” said Allen Cain, executive director of the Solano Avenue Association. “The Accornero family has been an important part of Solano Avenue since 1948. Our hearts go out to the Accorneros.”
Angelina Mapelli Accornero was the daughter of Italian immigrants who settled in North Richmond, where she grew up and attended Richmond Union High School. She graduated early and, because of her shorthand skills, worked during World War II as a secretary at the Kaiser shipyards in Richmond, where her father and sister had already found employment.
In 1948 she married Henry Accornero, of Albany, whose family owned a poultry market in Richmond. The family business opened that same year as the couple settled in Kensington and raised their family. The business grew, and so did the family. Angie ultimately joined the family business, while remaining a devoted mother and grandmother, raising four children.
Even with 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, “She never forgot birthdays,” Accornero-Myers said. Christmas Eve and Easter were cherished family holidays when the extended family would come to her home. “She always kept things the same, it’s what the kids liked — they knew what she was going to do,” her daughter added.
Accornero was also dedicated to numerous charitable causes in the community, as well as St. Jerome Church in El Cerrito and Salesian High School in Richmond. She was also active with Richmond’s Italian-American community and made staying in touch with her heritage a priority.
“She was active in a lot of different things,” Accornero-Myers said. “She was always ready to help whenever she could.”
Accornero is survived by her husband, Henry, 95; children, Don Accornero, Cherie Accornero, Sandy Quintana and Jeff Accornero; 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Chris Treadway is a former reporter, columnist and editor for the Bay Area News Group specializing in community news and local history.