Gary Fazzino, a longtime member of the Palo Alto City Council and former mayor, died Tuesday evening [October 30, 2012] at his Palo Alto home following a 2 1/2-year battle with multiple myeloma, a form of cancer.
Fazzino had been undergoing a new round of chemotherapy and tests and had returned home from a hospital stay last week.
Fazzino, 60, was recognized as the foremost expert on Palo Alto political history and was involved directly or indirectly in local politics since the early 1970s, when he hosted the KZSU Stanford student radio broadcasts of City Council meetings. At the time of his death, he was working on a history of Palo Alto elections dating back to the city's incorporation in 1894.
He served more than 12 years on the council, including three one-year stints as mayor.
He is survived by his wife, Annette; their twin children, Matthew and Julia, 5; and by three siblings: Donna, an East Bay resident, Brian of Saratoga, and Wayne of Nevada.
Obituary
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Karen Wiebenson (Weigel)
Gary was a member of our 40th reunion committee, but unfortunately missed the event as it occurred shortly after his initial diagnosis and treatment. I was shocked and extremely saddened to receive the Palo Alto breaking news email this morning. A truly wonderful individual!!
Pete Keesling
Audrey J. Zobel (Dollinger)
Such sad news. What a great person and friend. He will be missed.
Todd and Audrey Dollinger
Andrew L. Shrader
This was indeed some very sad news. Gary was a terrific person and I enjoyed time spent with him at Paly. We were in "You Can't Take It With You" together during our Junior year. I used to kid Gary over his having trouble saying Adirondacks (as in the mountains). It always came out as a-DIE-ron-dax. There are impact people in our lives and Gary was one of them. He touched us all in one way or another. You will be missed!
Rob Wilson
I am so sad to hear this news, which I only learned about while on the road for the election. My first encounter with Gary was when he was deliberating about whether or not to run for Student Body President against Bruce Clark. I remember advising him "You will never beat Bruce Clark, but you should run anway, to get your name out there." He did, and he always said this was the beginning of his long political career.
Gary was an honest, true and dedicated friend, an example of that rare and endangered quality known as Citizenship. I was proud to be his friend, and deeply sorry that he had to endure this battle and that we have lost him way, way too soon.