Giorgio Ettore Bettosini went to be with his Lord and Savior on July 7, 2016. Giorgio was 88 years old. He passed peacefully surrounded by loved ones and will surely be missed. Giorgio was born on September 12, 1927 in Lugano, Switzerland, to Francesco and Carolina Bettosini. Giorgio was the 8th child. Three of his siblings had passed before Giorgio was born. Matilda, Alfonso, and Elisa Bettosini all died too young. Giorgio's oldest sister Serafina passed when Giorgio was 10.

Giorgio grew up with a love of all outdoor sports. An avid skier and mountaineer, he passed these loves to his children. Giorgio taught his kids and grandkids how to ski as soon as they could walk. Giorgio enjoyed all alpine sports. In 1948, Giorgio just missed out in qualifying for the Swiss Olympic Bobsled Team that would participate in the St. Moritz Olympics. His favorite event was the one-man luge, and as he would often joke, he had the fastest track time on the first run but ended up in a tree on the second qualifying run.

Giorgio immigrated to the United States in 1952, first arriving in Canada. He worked in the hospitality industry in some of the finest hotels and resorts of the time. Most of the resorts located very near, or at prime skiing locations, such as St. Moritz, Banff, and Lake Tahoe. He supplemented his income teaching Americans how to ski. It was on a snowy ski slope outside of Reno where he met his future wife Joane, teaching her and her sister Carol how to ski. Giorgio and Joane married July 16th, 1955.

Giorgio graduated San Francisco City College and became general manager in many different hotels and resorts around the world, from Oregon to the Bahamas. He and his family moved frequently as bigger and better hotels came along requiring his management skills. He finally settled into the Fresno area and ended up calling it home.

Giorgio is preceded in death by his parents and six of his siblings to include his older sisters Antonia and Pancetta. He is survived by his older sister Nena. Giorgio is also survived by his loving wife, Joane, as well as his three kids, Tracy Diefenbach, Mark Bettosini, and Lisa Kincaid. He is also survived by his five grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, and three step-great grandchildren.

A celebration of his life will be held July 23, 2016 at 2:30PM at the Peoples Church, GL Johnson Chapel in Fresno, California.