The Widows’ and Orphans’ Aid Association of the San Francisco Police Department held their monthly meeting on Tuesday March 11, 2025 at 1100 hours on Zoom technology,
Roll Call: President Leroy Lindo, Vice President Ray Kane, Secretary Mark McDonough, Treasurer Dean Taylor, Trustees Jim O’Meara, Maureen Leonard, Rob Forneris, Lou Barberini and Ryan Walsh, and Administrative Assistant Sally Foster were present.
Approval of the Minutes: Vice President Ray Kane made a motion to accept the minutes from our February 2025 meeting. Trustee Lou Barberini seconded the motion. The motion passed.
Receiving Applications; Suspensions and Reinstatements: There were no applications, suspensions, or reinstatements. There will be suspensions after April 1, 2025 for any unpaid members. We have more than 100 unpaid members at this time.
Report of Visiting Committee: Trustee Jim O’Meara reported that he attended the Memorial Service for Bob Geary. Trustee O’Meara stated the service was well attended and that it was an honorable tribute to Bob.
Report of Trustees: The WOAA Board received the sad news of the passing of Louis Edward Barberini. Our Trustee and Past President Louis Barberini is the son our deceased member, and wrote the following words as his tribute to his father:
Louis E. Barberini, age 93: Louis Edward Barberini #497 passed away on February 28, 2025. For the SF natives: Sacred Heart, class of 48. One of 12 children, Lou was born on March 14, 1931 to Louis Angelo and Margaret. It was depths of the Great Depression, which would influence Lou’s career choice, “get a government job because you will always have work when the Great Depression comes.” Lou and his siblings were raised in a pair of merged flats at Day and Sanchez Streets. He attended St. James High School until it closed. Lou then transferred to Sacred Heart High School. Lou’s pride was the annual Thanksgiving Day tough football game he created with his friends during his high school years. The game was christened the “A Bowl” with “A” synonymous to derriere. The descendants of the A Bowl founders, including retired SFPD Joe McFadden’s family, played their 78th annual game last November, in the same Noe Valley Schoolyard. Also, while at SH, Lou joined his friends (late SFPD John Ruggiero) for their most enjoyable employment working in the San Francisco Main Library reshelving books. The gave the crew amply time to conceive ways to out-prank each other. A springboard for the SFPD. In 1953 Lou took a government job by joining the San Francisco Police Department.
He married Kathleen in 1955. The had one son and three daughters., followed by 13 grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren. Triplet grandchildren would arrive on Lou’s 66th birthday. Lou worked much of his career on the 4-boys (Motorcycles). He prided himself on the option he frequently gave to drivers, “do you want the ticket, or the talk”. Also, for more than 20 years, Lou worked daily before his 3-11 motorcycle shift, for the Bank of America as an undercover teller. Lou was twice elected the president of the Police Credit Union’s Board of Directors. Lou lived withing his motorcycle beat in the Sunset District, specifically in the exclusive Parkside neighborhood (exaggerating). The location of Lou’s house created the never proven allegations that he took his dinner break every night at 5pm with his family. Television was never allowed at those dinners. Only KMA-438 and music, with Lou’s coaxing his children to name the song titles as he dripped out clues. Lou’s son would repeatedly plead to his father that those early dinners, with daylight still on the clock, were seriously restriction the huge athletic potential.
Lou received a Bronze Medal of Valor for an off-duty incident on February 15, 1970. A disruption of a midnight burglary to a commercial business within eyesight of his home. Eight years later, on the evening of February 9, 1978, Lou’s son recalls hearing KGO’s emergency broadcast that a motorcycle policeman had just been shot and killed in the Sunset District. A coin toss on whether it was Robert Hooper, or his father. Decades have faded, and the son has never forgotten nor lost appreciation for the extra 47 years he got to spend with his father because of Hooper’s and his family’s sacrifice. Not long after Officer Hooper’s murder, Lou was promoted to Sergeant at Taraval Station. Lou’s management role model was Mr. Roberts, from the play/movie by the same name. Lou believed that the Officers knew what to do, and they didn’t need micromanaging. Lou retired in 1983. His lengthy retirement speech follows: “No speech, thank you”. For Lou it was about the humor with the SFPD. He would miss the clowns but never the circus. In retirement, Lou worked various part-time jobs and eventually relocated with Kath to Danville. In time, Lou’s son Louis Charles Barberini would follow him into the SFPD and share father’s star number. Lou was a voracious reader and like talking politics. In his 40’s he took up jogging and completed on Marathon. Lou didn’t swear and rarely drank. Lou loved sports, but didn’t like the tule changes to baseball. He was devoted to watching Lawrence Welk with Keth. The most concise description of Lou was that he was family first-nothing beat spending time with his family. His son’s mind often drifts to the early 70’s, when cops were getting murdered by the dozens. The boy would lie awake in the dark, awaiting the reassuring sound the approaching Harley in the distance. Per the precautions of the time, as the motorcycle drew closer, his father would go silent-blackout stealth-only the rubber of the tires grasping the final two turns marked his proximity. The father would glide up his driveway and the Genie would seal the garage door behind. The father was safe, the boy would sleep. The son’s mind returns to the present, he misses his father, but knows he is at peace and now eternally safe. 10-7E.
Dad, thanks for everything.
=Louis Charles Barberini is on the SF Widows’ and Orphans’ Board of Directors.
Report of Special Committee: No report this month.
New Business: No report this month.
Old Business: No report this month.
Good of the Order: No report this month.
Adjournment: President Lindo adjourned the meeting after asking the board for a moment of silence for our fallen member Louis Barberini Sr., and for all our fallen WOAA members over time. President Lindo scheduled the next meeting for Tuesday April 8, 2025 at 2200 hours.
To All Members: Members have access to obtaining a new beneficiary form, if they need to make a change. Please use our website at sfwidowsandorphans.org. Click on Resources located on our face page. Print the form and complete all requested information. Send the form to WOAA, P.O. Box 4247, San Rafael, CA 94913-4247. I can be contacted at (415) 681-3660, and at email Widowsorphans825@gmail.com. Each month we recognize the efforts of the following people who assist our efforts to bring our members the best customer service possible: Retired San Francisco Police Department (S.F.P.D,) Captain and the Defense Administrator for the members of the San Francisco Police Officers Association (SFPOA), Paul Chignell; retired San Francisco Police Department Lieutenant and the host of the Gold Country Reaper email, Rene LaPrevotte; retired San Francisco Police Department Sergeant and the long-standing editor of the SFPOA Journal Newspaper, Ray Shine; Maggie Wang of the S.F.P.D. Personnel Office, and Kristine Singh of the San Francisco Police Commissioner’s Office. Thank you All.