[Obituary] Napa Valley Register - 18 December 2002
Enzo J. Belli, born April 10, 1924, in Lucca, Italy, died Monday morning Dec. 16, 2002, after a courageous year-long battle with cancer.
Enzo, his mother and father, Erina (Marchi) and Julio Belli, and his sister, Anne (Eny), immigrated to California when Enzo was 2 years old. He was the first-class president at the new Lincoln High School in San Francisco, graduating in 1941. He served in the Army for three years. Upon his discharge, he began his retail career in New York City as a "market scout" for the Roos Brothers clothing stores. There, he met and married Muriel Brokaw. They moved back to the Bay Area and raised their two daughters on the peninsula. At Roos Brothers, and later Roos/Atkins, Enzo served in capacities ranging from boys' department manager in San Jose to executive vice president of merchandising in San Francisco.
In 1970, Enzo became president of the Hastings Stores in the Bay Area — a subsidiary of Hart Schaffner & Marx. He gained national attention with the ground-breaking billboard campaign featuring the "Hastings Man," and also for a fashion show staged on Alcatraz Island.
In 1986, he was named president of the retail division of Hart Schaffner & Marx and moved to Chicago, consolidating merchandising operations of 23 companies with a total of 235 stores. He retired to Silverado in 1989.
In 1997, he married the former Mary Kelly and they enjoyed a full life of family, friends, travel and golf.
Enzo is survived by his wife, Mary; his sister, Anne; his daughters, Marianna Belli and Barbara Morrison and her husband, Richard, all of San Jose. He is also survived by his granddaughters, Jennifer Avila and her husband, Josh, and Daniela Belli; his grandsons, Ricky and Christopher Morrison; his great-granddaughter, Rachelle Avila; as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
Enzo will be greatly missed by all who knew him for his precise mind, his gentlemanliness and a fierce loyalty to his friends.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Claffey and Rota Funeral Directors, 1975 Main St. A memorial Mass will be celebrated by Monsignor Joe Alzugaray Friday at 1:30 p.m. at St. Apollinaris Catholic Church, 3700 Lassen St., Napa.