Arthur Lafranchi passed away at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital on Sunday, October 14, 2012. He was surrounded by loving family when he finally succumbed to heart and kidney failure. Art and his wife, Diane, were high-school sweethearts. They were married for more than 55 years, and have five proud children and twelve loving grandchildren.
Art, 76, was born on July 17, 1936 in Petaluma and was raised on a dairy in Nicasio in rural western Marin County. He was the fifth child of Fred and Zelma Lafranchi and is survived by his sister, Estelle Moretti, and his brother, Edward. Brothers Henry and Wilfred have already passed.
Art’s extensive education began in a tiny, one-room school in Nicasio. After three years, he transferred to San Anselm’s Elementary School in San Anselmo. He then went to Marin Catholic High School, where he served as Student Body President and graduated in 1954. Art majored in Political Science at Santa Clara University and went on to Law School at USF, where he graduated in 1962.
After earning his law degree in 1963, Art opened a practice in Petaluma and chose to focus on estate planning, trusts, and real estate. Years later, he moved the practice to Santa Rosa. He went on to become a prominent Sonoma County attorney a with a career spanning nearly 50 years. In October 2010, he was honored by the Sonoma County Bar Association for his “Career of Distinction”.
In addition to his success as an attorney, Art’s true passion remained in the dairy business. His family maintained the dairy in Nicasio and went on to obtain properties in Petaluma, Valley Ford, and Santa Rosa. In 1976, he and Diane opened a new dairy in Santa Rosa, later built a home on the property, and operated the business to the present day. On this ranch, originally purchased by Art’s father in 1962, they milked up to 450 cows and grew 150 acres of corn. In 2009, they expanded into the wine business and converted 61 acres of the property into a vineyard. Art spent evenings, weekends, and any other time he could find on the dairy, doing everything from record-keeping to tossing bales of hay. He drove tractors, delivered calves, and milked cows, all with a smile on his face. On July 19, 2012, Art was honored to be inducted into the Sonoma County Farm Bureau Hall Of Fame.
Art was also a community leader who believed in helping others. He generously supported the Catholic church and a number of charitable organizations. He was the president of the Petaluma Rotary Club in 1975, served as a director and president of the Community Foundation of Sonoma County, was a director and past president of the United Way, and was a member of the board of directors of the Farm Bureau Foundation of Sonoma County. Art was known as “a man of the land and a vocal advocate for agriculture”.
Art also believed in loyalty, and is remembered by Sharon Carey, his legal assistant throughout his entire career, and Carlos Soria, who has faithfully managed Rancho Laguna for more than 34 years. Art considered each of them family.
Friends and family are invited to attend the Funeral Mass, Friday, October 19, 2012 at 11:00 AM at Resurrection Church, 303 Stony Point Rd., Santa Rosa. A Visitation will be held on Thursday, October 18, 2012 from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM with a Vigil Service at 7:00 PM at the Parent-Sorensen Mortuary & Crematory, 850 Keokuk St., Petaluma. Memorial contributions may be made to Catholic Charities or the Redwood Empire Food Bank. The burial will be private.