Joseph Ambra

Obituary for Joseph Ambra from San Jose Mercury News

Published 1 Apr 1989

Joseph Ambra, 71, Mtn View home builder

A funeral Mass will be said at 10AM today at St. Athanasius Church for longtime home builder Joseph Ambra of Mountain View.

Mr. Ambra, who had been ill for some time with Parkinson's disease, died Monday. He was 71.

The son of a carpenter, Mr. Ambra was born in Sicily and came with his parents to the United States as a child. He was raised and educated in San Francisco, where he became the youngest member of the San Francisco Carpenters' Union when he entered the building trade as an 18-year-old.

The Ambra family moved to Mountain View five years later.

After working as a superintendent with a building firm, Mr. Ambra became a licensed contractor and formed his own business. He was responsible over the years for building numerous private homes and additions in the Mountain View area. One of his developments as an owner and builder was the Sara Jo Manor Apartments on Rengstorff Avenue.

"Much of his work is represented in the homes of many, many people of this area," said Mr. Ambra's daughter Saratina Riskie of Mountain View.

Besides his union affiliations, Mr. Ambra was a member of the Sons of Italy.

Mr. Ambra is survived by his wife, Sarah Ambra of Mountain View; another daughter Rose DeAngelo of Pennsylvania; a sister, Sarah Poechmann of Redwood City; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Services will begin this morning at the Cusimano Family Colonial Mortuary in Mountain View at 9:15AM. Burial will be in Santa Clara Mission Cemetery.