Man Who May Be Last Golden Gate Bridge Worker Dies
May 6, 2012
Byline: Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jack Balestreri was 17 when he got a job helping build the Golden Gate Bridge. He had hoped to make it to the span’s 75th anniversary celebration later this year.
But Balestreri — believed to be the last surviving bridge worker — died of natural causes at his San Francisco home on April 21, his daughter, Gayle Balestreri, told the Associated Press. He was 95.
Starting in 1933, Balestreri did concrete work on the south tower of the bridge and the San Francisco anchorage for three years, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Balestreri was among a group of bridge workers honored at the span’s 50th anniversary in 1987.
Golden Gate Bridge District officials believe Balestreri was the last of the bridge workers to die, spokeswoman Mary Currie told the newspaper.
Edward Ashoff, another bridge worker, died on April 14 at his home after a long illness, the Chronicle reported.
