Caesar F. Abate

Born to Josphine Milani and Ceasar Abate on July 2, 1923, he passed away at 90 on September 14, 2013. He transferred from Sequoia High School in Redwood City after his father died when he was 15 and graduated from George Washington High School in San Francisco. Leaving his job at Standard Oil he served in the 11th Airborne in World War II earning the Bronze Star as a paratrooper in the Philippines and he was part of the Occupation of Japan. He married Nancy Payne on October 2, 1949, raised three children, Sue Abate Kilday (Bruce), Peter Abate (Mary Ann) and Joan Abate, in Redwood City where he lived for 36 years until his retirement. Wanting to be closer to his children and grandchildren, Elisabeth and Patrick Kilday and Annie Frazier (Geoff) and John Abate, he moved to Sacramento. He became a regular volunteer at Campus Commons neighborhood events and could be seen changing light bulbs for his village, or in his garage looking for the perfect item from his hardware collection to make a necessary repair for family or friends. He was a docent at the CA State Railroad Museum for over 25 years and was a regular on Mondays, dressed in various costumes and telling the history of the Railroad. In addition to devoting over 10.000 hours at the Railroad Museum he also volunteered at the State Capitol. His most rewarding volunteer job was at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery after Nancy, his wife of 60 years, was buried there in 2009. Volunteering at the cemetery gave him the opportunity to help others by sharing his own personal experience of burying a loved one. A Memorial Service will be held on October 26 at 11AM at the Newman Center, 5900 Newman Ct. Sacramento, followed by a celebration of his life. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Caesar's name to the California State Railroad Museum Foundation, 111 I Street, Sacramento CA 95814 for a memorial in his honor. He will be dearly missed and forever loved.