Obituary of Ruth Virginia Pileggi

Ruth Virginia Pileggi, age 85, of Las Vegas, died Saturday, September 24, 2011. Ginny was born January 18, 1926 in Blair, NE to the late Nels and Hanna Nelsen. She was raised on a farm in Blair NE, as the youngest of 7 children. One of her fondest memories was her horse, Topsy, who carried up to five chldren to school each day. At age 16, Ginny hitchhiked to California and began working. She married Joseph Francis Pileggi on Nov. 12, 1943 and worked at a number of jobs. These included being a taxi cab driver at age 18 in SanDiego, CA with her husband, Joe., working at the Naval Air Station, San Diego during the war, and various waitress jobs in Denver, Colorado, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, and eventually she then retired from Norms Restaurants after 28 years there. Ginny was a very outgoing woman in her youth. She loved to drive taxis. She also loved to meet and help customers as a waitress, mostly at Norms Restaurants in Los Angeles area. She once waited on Elvis Presley and Elizabeth Taylor and others at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. She loved people. She loved horses, and was once a teller and cashier at Santa Anita and Inglewood Park racetracks. She loved playing the slots and the horses at the casinos. Mostly she loved her Joe.they were known as Ginny and Joe..Joe loved Ginny and Ginny loved Joe, married just about 68 years. She was a Christian woman who loved the Lord and never passed a person she didn't say "God Bless You" to. She raised 5 children and has numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren and one great-great. As a young mother, she put on the BEST baby showers, wedding showers, you name it, the best parties. She once wore a bustle at a baby shower and dressed up as a woman in the 1800's. She was the cutest hostess. She is survived by her husband, Joseph F. Pileggi, Sr.; daughters Theodora Peters (Robert); Ruth V. Frehner, Jr.(Joseph), Martha E. Nordenstrom (Richard); son Jonathan A. Pileggi (Cheryl); grandchildren: Robert Heathcote, Nicholas Pileggi Bernacki, Joseph Pileggi, Frank Pileggi, Shawnda Roberts, April Roberts, Gina Rykert, Angela Pileggi, Roseanna Pileggi; numerous great grandchildren; one great-great granddaughter; brother in law, Bruno Pileggi and his wife, Ginny Pileggi; nephews Russ and Doug Nelsen, niece, Renee. She is predeceased by her son, Joseph F. Pileggi, Jr., and her siblings Josephine Nelsen Romero, Irene Nelsen Hiduk, Theodora Nelsen, Raymond Nelsen, Nels Nelsen, Jr. and Vernon Nelsen. Memorial donations are sugggested to support her loving husband, Joseph Pileggi. The burial will be held on Wednesday, September 28 at 2:0 PM at Woodlawn Cemetery, 1500 Las Vegas Boulevard North, Las Vegas, NV 89101. A reception will follow at her daughter, Ruth's home. A special thank you is extended to St. Rose Hospice and Nathan Adelson Hospice for their wonderful care in Ginny's last month and days. .