Lynette Maria Rebecchi
November 6, 1955 - January 26, 2025

Our Nette
Lynette Maria Rebecchi, Nette as our family called her, born November 6th, 1955, a date she shared with her maternal grandmother Maria Rocco Toscano. To those who did not know her they might say she led an unremarkable life but, to those who did know her she was a remarkable woman. Our Nette was born to Italo Rebecchi and Betty Jean Toscano in the old hospital in Los Banos.
She grew up in Firebaugh in a little house on 10th street with her sister Jeanine "Nin", but they were raised in the Rebecchi Dept. Store around the corner. Nette first started school at Mills School but soon moved over to St. Joseph Catholic School. Nette graduated from Dos Palos High School and attended Merced Jr. College for Accounting. Nette went into the family business full time when she realized the family needed her there. The girls started helping their Mom and Dad with the store where they learned from an early age about work and family. Often, she would start her day at 5 am to go to the store to clean the inside, wash windows, and restock before the store would open. During the day she could be found on the roof of the store fixing coolers, re-roofing sections that had been damaged and other carpentry type stuff she learned from her Dad. Jeanine, Nin as the family calls her, ever the saleswoman would be found helping inside the store.
Nette also found purpose in helping her Church by volunteering for the Choir, Alter Society, fundraisers and cooking for both the Church and the School. She was not just a handyperson she was also an accomplished artist who enjoyed painting (and I do not mean the bathroom walls) and drawing when she could find the time. Nette made hand painted signs for different local organizations over the years. Her paintings and drawings are few but treasured by the family members and friends who were gifted them. Nette loved to continue her family's Italian traditions from the Rebecchi, Del Carlo, Rocco, Borelli, Toscano families. She learned cooking from her Mom and Grandmother Rebecchi, and Aunt Helen.
Nette was a large part in Raising her nephew and double Godson Jason. She was both his playmate and teacher as he grew up in the back of the store like she and his mother did. She built him a play area and stocked it with toys and books that would have made any daycare envious. She and Nana Betty looked after Jason when Nin had to work and after school as he grew older. When he was old enough, they put him to work in the store to teach him skills and customer service that he uses today in his job as a shift manager at Dollar Tree store.
After a downturn in the economy Nette joined Nin at the United Security Bank as a teller. Nette often remarked that she enjoyed working for the bank because it gave her a chance to talk and be with people in the community and the camaraderie of working with a close-knit group of fellow employees. She so looked forward to decorating the Branch for the holidays and dressing up as different characters for Halloween (as you can see in some of the pictures).
What people did not realize, because Nette decided to keep her struggle from them, was her courage and resolve when it came to fighting the Cancer since 2008. She was successful in her treatments to keep cancer at bay until 2020 when the Cancer came back with a vengeance that eventually took her life. Many a time she would go to C-Care cancer treatment center in Fresno with appointments as soon as they opened at 7:00 am, go through several different types of Chemotherapy then drive back to Firebaugh and work the rest of the day at the bank. Ever the private person, she said she did not want people to know so that she would be treated normally and not be pitied or treated differently or specially. She wanted those near her to be comfortable around her and to feel at ease when she was there. She fought it with the strength and dignity that impressed the doctors and staff of the facilities she had to visit for treatments or tests. One doctor complimented her by saying they had never had someone take so much difficult and painful treatments and keep a positive attitude and the willingness to continue the fight. He said that most people would have given up long before. She never gave up and continued the Chemotherapy up to the week she passed. She took the time from work and treatment to make them, and her Church Betty's Famous Stuffed Buns and Nette's special Brownies.
Nin retired from the Bank last October to care for Nette. She never, at any time, left her alone and was there because Nette asked her to be with her at her side. Nin loved her sister and fulfilled her every need and her wishes up to the end. The two shared such a strong bond of love that few siblings can claim.
The family has had a long-held belief that when you find a coin on the ground that someone in Heaven is thinking of you. The higher the denomination of the coin the more they are showing you how proud of you they are and how much they love you. We have been finding a lot of pennies lately. Jason found a new one the night she passed. If you find one you must have done something good.
A special thank you for your kindness, care and for being a source of strength to Dr. Marcia Sablan, Dr. Oscar Sablan, Dr. Wm. Jawien, Dr. J. Monson, Dr. P. Ginn, and the Staff at C-Care of Fresno: especially Gina, Liz, Dianne, and Jennifer. Thank you to Jennifer at CBA of Fresno, you had her back.
In closing I hope you can come to the same conclusion as I did. We lost a remarkable woman who will be forever loved by her family and those who knew her.
She is survived by her Sister Jeanine Rebecchi Teague, Jeanine's husband Jim and their son her Nephew and Godson Jason, Aunt and Godmother Helen Nocito and numerous Cousins and friends.

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