Herman Armond De Nunzio (Herm)
Herman De Nunzio, 86, passed away peacefully at UCLA Medical Center on Saturday, September 23, 2023, after a brief battle with a cancerous tumor in his jaw, with his wife and many family members by his side.
Herman was preceded in death by his parents and his daughter, Tina, who died tragically at the age of 18.
Herman is survived by his wife Vivi of 63 years; his brother Joe; his five boys…Tony, Michael, Mark, Dino & AJ and six grandchildren… Tianna, Ava, Antonio, Brando, Nico & Maddox.
Herman was born January 7,1937 in Hawthorn, CA, to Herman, Sr. and Mary De Nunzio. He went to elementary school and high school there. After high school, he enrolled into El Camino Jr. College. He joined Sigma Phi Kappa Fraternity and became president of it. His major was Pre Engineering.
Herm was into cars and racing from the very start. He had a 40 Ford Convertible at 15, and by the time he was 16, he was drag racing it on side streets on the way to school. After high school, he built his first dragster…a 1931 Ford Business Coupe. After some major modifications, he turned 99.9 in 12.9 at San Fernando Drag Strip.
Then, one day he met the love of his life, Vivi, who happened to be a bridesmaid at his cousins wedding. “He followed me around like a puppy dog all night,” I once heard her say. They started dating right away and got married. They wanted to buy a house, so Herm had to sell the dragster. He got $750.00 for it, which was enough down payment for the house they wanted. He worked at National Cash Register and Auto Scan developing computers. Later, he accepted a job offer at Info-Mag in Goleta and moved the family here.
Three years later, he left that business completely, and became a general contractor, building spec houses. He also started up Goleta Speed & Marine and De Nunzio Racing Products, which sold off road racing parts.
Herm also spent some time drag racing boats, but ultimately, the off road racing really ended up being his passion. He spent much of his time building off road racing vehicles in his shop. Anyone was welcome to come and help, which many did and also worked on their own vehicles. His shop was an open door. If he wasn’t happy with a part, he would just go ahead and design a better one, machine it, and use it on the truck. That truck won 1st place in the first race. Herm went on to enjoy a long and fulfilling life with his wife, children and grandchildren. He was always ready with a joke. Herm loved life, family, being around people and making people laugh.
He will the greatly missed.
A rosary will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29th at Welch-Ryce-Haider in Goleta, 450 Ward Dr.
Funeral service will be held at 10;00 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at St. Raphael’s Church in Goleta, 5444 Hollister Ave.
Graveside service will be held at 11:30 a.m. at Calvary Cemetery In Santa Barbara, 199 N. Hope Ave.
A celebration of life will be held at 1:30 p.m. at Timbers Roadhouse in Goleta, 10 Winchester Canyon Rd.