Nat’s Story

Nat was born on May 27th 1943 in Lucca, Italy to Antonio and Dina Passaglia. For the first two years of Nat’s life, World War II had some impact on life in Lucca, but overall his childhood was filled with all of the best parts of growing up in a small town in Italy; lots of family around, amazing food, strong religion, and the expected mischief of a young boy called “Natale” and “Natalino”.

When he was 13, Nat traveled by ship to the United States with his mother, older sister Licia and younger brother Frank. From New York, they traveled by train to California, initially staying with family in Roseville. Soon after, they moved to San Francisco and this city became Nat’s home for the next 10 years.

In his teenage years, Nat worked at Panelli’s, a well-known deli in North Beach, the Italian district of San Francisco. This experience helped shape his strong work ethic and his appreciation of a great deli sandwich.

In 1966, Nat graduated from the University of San Francisco with a B.S. in biology. During this time, he also served in the US Army Reserve. He trained as a medic at Fort Ord in Monterey, and served 5 years at the San Francisco Presidio.

Also in 1966, Nat married “the girl down the street”, Sylvia Burman. After a short time living in San Francisco, they moved to Napa Valley where they built their life and family. Their first child, Carla, was born in 1967. The following year, their second child, Donna, was born.

Nat had a 40-year career in environmental health, working for Napa County. Much of his work was in the field, outside of the office, which fit him perfectly. He loved the outdoors and staying active.

Nat spent much of his free time golfing, playing tennis and swimming laps. He was a brown belt in karate. In 1980, Nat completed the Napa Valley Marathon, and shortly after, he climbed to the top of Mount Shasta. Nat’s love of the outdoors and being active is a gift he gave to his daughters.

Nat continued to honor his Italian culture by speaking the language, playing the accordion and enjoying a great prosciutto sandwich.

Experiencing the world through travel and history was important to Nat, and he and Sylvia took many trips. Some of his favorite places were Paris, Barcelona and Zurich. Closer to home, he liked camping in the Santa Cruz mountains, hiking on Mount Tamalpais and Mount Diablo, and swimming in the ocean in Hawaii.

In 2001, Nat and Sylvia moved to Sun City Lincoln Hills. Nat thrived in this retirement community with all of his favorite activities, as well as some new ones, including bocce ball, biking, playing pool and taking dance classes. But golf was always his top choice, and friends and neighbors often saw him driving by in his golf cart, heading to the course to hit some balls. Aside from these fun activities, Nat put to use his many tools and skills for any friend or neighbor who needed anything, anytime.

Grateful for his family, and a full and blessed life, Nat passed peacefully at home on July 16th 2025. He is survived by Sylvia, Carla (San Diego, CA), Donna (Mill Valley, CA), and his 3 grandchildren who called him “Papa”; Courtney (Corvallis, OR), Kyle (Jacksonville, FL) and Tyler (Mill Valley, CA).

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