Richard "Chick" Lanza

It is with great sadness, with his family by his side, Richard “Chick” Lanza passed away peacefully on June 10, 2024, after a year long battle with cancer. Chick was born in Oakland, California, on April 9, 1940, to parents Mario and Lena Lanza. The family moved to Suisun Valley in 1944 after Mario was injured in a work accident and could no longer fulfill his duties as a partner in the Oakland Scavenger Company. During this time, the family became partners and eventually sole owners of Wooden Valley Winery in 1955. Chick grew up on the ranch, in the house where he currently lived, and he would eventually raise his family. He attended Suisun Valley School and graduated from Armijo High School in 1958. It was at Armijo where he met his wife to be, Adrienne Struble and they were married on April 22, 1961. Chick and Adrienne went on to have four sons that would eventually stay with the business and take over the operations. Chick enjoyed farming and being in the shop, as the shop was his second home. If you gave him an idea, he would figure out some way to create it and make it work. He would stop whatever he was doing to help anyone who needed it or had something that needed to be fixed. He used to say he never dressed out for P.E. in high school because Coach Hopkins always gave him a project to do. When he graduated, he left his gym clothes because he could not remember the combination. Until he physically could not go out to the shop anymore, he was always cleaning, sorting, fixing what he could, and complaining how no one puts anything away and just leaves everything on the bench. Chick loved Suisun Valley and talking about its history. He enjoyed sharing stories of long-time families, what used to be, where things were, what creeks had been moved, but most of all, the “I remember when’s”. His knowledge of the valley will be missed. Chick was an active member in his community which he loved, serving as a member of the Suisun Fire Protection for 41 years, twenty-five of those as chief. He also served as a deputy fire warden under Gil Richardson and three terms on the Solano County Planning Commission. Chick was instrumental in petitioning the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to recognize Suisun Valley as an American Viticulture Area, and in December of 1982, Suisun Valley became a nationally recognized AVA. Chick and Adrienne loved traveling, taking their trailer on yearly camping trips with family and spending winters in Arizona. They also made many trips with family and friends to Mexico, Hawaii, Florida, and Alaska. Chick enjoyed being with his grandkids and watching them grow, ice cream, and of course, a good nap. Chick was preceded in death by his sister Marlene, parents Mario and Lena, and grandson Nick. He is survived by his wife of 63 years Adrienne, sons Rick (Debie), Ron (Janet), Larry (Tracy), Ken (Melissa), 12 grandchildren, and 5 great-granddaughters. He will be greatly missed. At Chick’s request, services were private at the Rockville Cemetery. The Family asks that any memorial contributions be made to the charity of your choice.

Richard "Chick" Lanza

April 9, 1940 - June 10, 2024