Vincent Joseph Balesteri

Vincent Joseph Balesteri, age 68, passed away on May 14, 2018, at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego. He was born in San Pedro, California, on March 12, 1950, to Anthony “Tony” and Virginia (Iacono) Balesteri. Vince attended Mary Star of The Sea Catholic School with his two brothers and many cousins, and enjoyed growing up with a large family. Vince graduated from Loyola Marymount University, and went on to attend Pharmacy School at the University of Southern California. While in Pharmacy School, he married his life-long partner Dollene “Louise” Johnson on August 11, 1973, and already had their first child before graduating from USC with a Pharm. D. in 1976.
This year, Vince and Louise would have been married 45 years. Together, they had three children.  After raising their children, Vince and Louise settled in to the small, family, friendly town of Ramona, where Vince enjoyed tending to their grape vines and making his own wine, and puttering around the garage with whittling and woodworking projects.   He loved spending time with family and friends, and his loyalty and dedication led him to be wherever he was needed.  Vince is survived by his wife and best friend, Louise, his children Anthony, Michelle (Mike), Kimberly (Steve), nine grandchildren, his two brothers Sandy and Johnny, one nephew, three nieces, and many cousins.
For 41 years, Vince worked as a pharmacist for Sharp Grossmont Hospital, in La Mesa, California, where he experienced, first-hand, how modern medicine had advanced.  He was dedicated to shaping pharmacy as the gateway to health through best practice.  He just recently retired with a grand celebration at SGH.  He was passionate about things being done right, so even after his retirement, you could find him with a smile and a chuckle, back at the hospital ‘helping out’.
As a husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, friend, and mentor, Vince was a role-model for all, encouraging hard work, honesty, life-long learning, letting go of the little things, making time for what counts, always standing up for what was right and encouraging you to make the world better if you can. He was fun, loving, and laughed a lot. His smile and comforting words were always enough to bring sunshine to your day. A gentle soul with a passion for life that will forever be missed, but carried on by his legacy and influence on all.
There will be a viewing and Rosary on Thursday May 24th from 5pm-8pm at Bonham Bros & Stewart Mortuary Chapel in Ramona.  The Rosary will be recited at 7pm.  The Funeral Mass will be on Friday, May 25th at 10am at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church.

Bonham Bros. & Stewart Mortuary and Cremation Service is assisting the family.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Vincent Joseph Balesteri, please visit our floral store.