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Killen Reunion with family

Updated Mar 25, 2024
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Killen Reunion with family
Sometimes we invite our favorite landlubbers!
Date & Place: at Killen Reunion in San Francisco, California United States
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A gathering of Naval heroes from World War 2! Probably the final reunion for the majority. 😢
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Daniel J Pinna
I was born in San Jose, California and have lived in the Silicon Valley Bay Area my entire life. In fact, I'm 3rd generation San Jose which is a rarity these days. I was raised by my mother Kathleen Rae (Kroetch) Pinna with the help of my grandmother Marian Joyce (Benning) Kroetch. I spent my early years in the Cambrian area of San Jose, a few years in Palo Alto, and own homes in Cambrian and Willow Glen California. I attended St. Francis Cabrini k-8th grade, Bellarmine College Preparatory and Santa Clara University. My passion has always been building things since an early age. I worked at the Santa Clara Valley Contractors Association (SCVCA) for my mentor Larry Gates while attending high school and each weekend answered the phones (aka switchboard) for the Jesuit Priests on a work scholarship program. I continued to work at SCVCA while attending college where I began the Santa Clara Entrepreneur Organization (SCEO), was active in the Student Senate and Off Campus Student Association, and in my sophomore year began the first version of AncientFaces. Post graduation I went on to manage a sub-contracting kitchen & bath remodeling company for three years, then worked as VP of Business Development at an eDiscovery company in Palo Alto from 2006 until the end of 2010. In early 2011, I began working full time on AncientFaces and have been at it ever since. I am humbled that I get to help build the application and community that makes AncientFaces. I married Lisa Michelle Kinslow on June 14th, 2014 in Pebble Beach, and currently reside in Willow Glen California approximately 4 miles away from where both sets of my grandparents used to live around the 1950's.
Age in photo:
18
Frank Kroetch
Frank Kroetch was one of four siblings and was born to Dorothy Elaine (Ferguson) Kroetch and Hollis "Joe" Joseph Kroetch. As far as I know (grandson), Frank and his brother & two sisters had a bit of a rough childhood, having been separated into different groups living with various family members. He was one of the youngest to serve on the USS Killen for the U.S Navy in World War II. In fact, he lived his entire life thinking he was the youngest crew mate on the ship (he lied about his age to serve in WW2), but found out in the late 1990's at a Killen shipmates reunion in San Francisco that one lad had him beat by a handful of days. He married Marian "Joyce" Benning and had two children Kathy Pinna and Pamela Marks. He later married Carol (Antonsen) Kroetch and they raised John Kroetch. He was a very smart man (with an IQ that tested between 165 and 185) and good looking - charismatic! He was a life-long entrepreneur starting numerous businesses in various industries after attending the University of Washington and graduating from San Jose State University. He lived in both California (where his daughters were born) and Washington (where he was born and died). Frank was never baptized (as far as his child Kathy knows) and has no burial site. He was cremated and his ashes distributed between his wife and two daughters. He was quite a human being and we all miss him every day.
Age in photo:
72
Kathleen Rae (Kroetch) Pinna
Kathy has lived in San Jose California for the majority of her life, having spent a few years in various places in Washington State. She was married once to Leo Pinna and they had one child Daniel Joseph Pinna. Kathy worked on and off at the Valley Medical Center, as did her sister Pam Marks and mother Marian Joyce Benning, but has spent the majority of her career as a spiritual counselor and adviser for over 40 years having assisted thousands of individuals in their quest for realization. Kathy is cofounder and Content & Community Manager of AncientFaces.
Age in photo:
49
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Followers

Frank Kroetch
About me:I haven't shared any details about myself.
Kathy Pinna
I'm a Founder of AncientFaces and support the community answering questions & helping members make connections to the past (thus my official title of Founder & Content and Community Support ). For me, it's been a labor of love for over 20 years. I truly believe with all of my heart that everyone should be remembered for generations to come. I am 2nd generation San Jose and have seen a lot of changes in the area while growing up. We used to be known as the "Valley of Heart's Delight" (because the Valley was covered with orchards and there were many canneries to process the food grown here, which shipped all over the US) - now we have adopted the nickname "Capital of Silicon Valley" and Apple, Ebay, Adobe, Netflix, Facebook, and many more tech companies are within a few miles of my current home in San Jose (including AncientFaces). From a small town of 25,000, we have grown to 1 million plus. And when you add in all of the communities surrounding us (for instance, Saratoga, where I attended high school, living a block from our previous Mayor), we are truly one of the big cities in the US. I am so very proud of my hometown. For more information see Kathy - Founder & Content and Community Director
My family began AncientFaces because we believe that unique photos and stories that show who people are/were should be shared with the world.
Daniel Pinna
I want to build a place where my son can meet his great-grandparents. My grandmother Marian Joyce (Benning) Kroetch always wanted to meet her great-grandchildren, but she died just a handful of years before my son's birth. So while she didn't have the opportunity to meet him, at least he will be able to know her. For more information about what we're building see About AncientFaces. For information on the folks who build and support the community see Daniel - Founder & Creator.
My father's side is full blood Sicilian and my mother's side is a combination of Welsh, Scottish, German and a few other European cultures. One of my more colorful (ahem black sheep) family members came over on the Mayflower. He was among the first to be hanged in the New World for a criminal offense he made while onboard the ship.
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