Rick Chiala, known for his “playful” personality, died unexpectedly in Santa Cruz
Published in the May 25 – June 7, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Marty Cheek
Rick Chiala
Friends and family celebrated the life of longtime Morgan Hill resident Rick Chiala, remembering him for his playful personality and integrity at a funeral mass held May 10 at St. Catherine Parish Church. Born Feb. 16, 1950 in Cupertino, Chiala died unexpectedly of a heart attack May 2 in Santa Cruz.
Lloyd Richard (Rick) Chiala moved to Morgan Hill with his family when he was 8 years old. He attended St. Mary’s School in Gilroy through the eighth grade. He graduated from Live Oak High School and earned a bachelor of science degree in business and economics from Santa Clara University. After college, he worked for a time in the agriculture irrigation business and then earned his real estate licensed and stayed active as a South Valley commercial Realtor for many years. He also helped manage the Chiala ranch and various family properties.
His parents were Vito and Catherine Chiala, who started the Chiala Farms business in Morgan Hill. Siblings Rosemarie, John, George, Bill and Fran remember their brother as a “very significant, powerful leader with his family in managing Fountain Oaks Estate.” He is also survived by nieces, nephews and their children.
“Rick was very private and quiet, but a man of the highest integrity and honesty,” said Fran Lauridsen, his sister. “He was really a pillar-stone of security around here at the ranch. With the real estate license that he had, he very much managed the property that we own.”
Chiala was active in the South Valley community as a member of various nonprofit organizations including the Knights of Columbus, the Italian Catholic Federation, Fish and Game and Leadership Morgan Hill. He enjoyed cooking with his friends for charitable events, having learned the culinary arts from his parents and then mastering them through formal cooking classes, Lauridsen said.
“He liked being with people in a playful way when they worked together,” she said. “Rick was the kind of guy who did the cooking or enjoyed helping the church or helping an organization. He would work hard with them on any event they were getting ready for.”
Chiala had an outgoing personality and sense of humor that easily made him many friends, she said. In his younger years, in the summer time he would bring friends from high school or Santa Clara University to the ranch to cut apricots and do other jobs on the Chiala ranch.
“He was enjoyable. He and my parents and I would go some place and he would drive and take care of things and make it very enjoyable,” Lauridsen said. “He was fun to be around. We always wanted him around and to be with him.”
One of Chiala’s personal prides was the Eastman Kodak Estate of Fountain Oaks in the eastern foothills of Morgan Hill, a beautiful home built by Gertrude Strong Achilles, the heiress to the fortune of the famous photography firm. Chiala made sure the magnificent family home was well maintained. He loved sitting in the back patio after an exhausting day, sipping on a cocktail and munching on cheese with family and friends.
“Living on this estate is like giving your life to it. By that I mean, he just became a part of it,” Lauridsen said. “He managed the guys who took care of the place.”
One of his favorite activities was visits to the Pacific coast where he enjoyed time relaxing away from business, she said.
“He liked getting away to Santa Cruz. He like the coolness of it,” she said. “He wasn’t a big guy on heat. He liked the ocean. He and his dog spent time with his friends over there on the coast.”
The Chiala family requests that any donations in honor of Rick go to the South County High School building. Checks can be sent to 17590 Monterey Road, Morgan Hill, CA 95037.
“He really supported that project. I think (his brother) George really got him into it. He was very willing to support George in any way,” Lauridsen said. “Any little function that we had here, he would be enthusiastic and say, yes, let’s do it.”
