Della Frankie Orcino

Our beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and aunt, Della Frankie Orcino, 93, of Elk Grove, California, passed away on March 16, 2022.

 

Della was born on September 15, 1928 to Erma Ward and Otto Humphries in Chanute, Kansas.

 

Della's first marriage was to Joseph Vallo in her home state of Missouri. Della and Joseph went on to have two children, Marcella and Joseph. After the passing of Joseph Vallo, Della eventually met and married Victorino F. Orcino. From this marriage Della and Victor had one child, Steven. Together they moved to California and raised a family that would grow to a multitude of loving grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

 

If there was anything that Della loved as much as her large family, it was her garden of vegetables, fruits, and flowers. Della always made sure that there was enough home-grown produce to go around to her family’s various households. The many garden beds she tended further fueled the fire of her imagination in one of her other passions – cooking. What once was an occupation as a restaurant owner/cook became a lifetime of curiosity and adventure in recipe building, making and sharing. Her love for nourishing others was always felt in every tomato picked and in every bite of every homemade pie.

 

The mere creation of food was never enough. Della also pursued sewing, quilting, knitting and crocheting, and passed these skills down to her grandchildren and great grandchildren whenever given the opportunity. When not teaching her family, she used her time and skill to craft large donations of hand-knitted gloves, hats and blankets to the homeless within the Sacramento Community.

Outside of the home, Della spent decades working and caring for patients in various medical environments as a Licensed Vocational Nurse in the southern California, Redding and Sacramento regions.

 

Della is preceded in death by her husband, Victorino Orcino.

 

Della is survived by her children: Marcella Theisman, Joseph Orcino and Steven Orcino; her grandchildren: Danielle Stelter, Richard Theisman, Christina Sherman, Victoria White, Kathryn Orcino, Joseph Orcino, April Woodcheke, Victor-James Orcino, Jeffrey-David Orcino, and Olivia Orcino; her great-grandchildren: Michelle Theisman, Brittany Theisman, Jessica Theisman, Isabelle Sherman, Austin Orcino, Colton Green, Nathan White, Brayden White,  Samantha Stelter, Ryan Stelter, Lillian Orcino, Jacob Woodcheke, Jaxon Orcino, Lincoln Orcino, and Elijah Orcino; her sister Barbara McCracken and her half sibling, Raymond Humphries.

 

 

A private celebration of life will be held for family and close friends near the end of May. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women  (https://www.csvanw.org/donate/), an organization Della supported.