Friends, Norwalk leaders pay tribute to Luigi Vernola

NORWALK – Former Norwalk mayor, City Council member, planning commissioner, businessman, philanthropist, family man, friend and neighbor, Luigi Vernola has sadly passed away. Luigi passed away on New Year’s Day at the age of 76 due to complications of Covid-19.

“Luigi was more than a colleague; he was a family friend and mentor, one who has taught me more than anyone can ever find in a book. He lived by his word, loved his family completely…” said Norwalk Mayor Jennifer Perez.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years Joan, his son Thomas J. Vernola, and his daughters Lisa M. Vernola-Salas and Kristina A. Vernola-Freesmeier, in addition to his 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Councilmember Tony Ayala remembers Luigi as a person who “… worked hard to make city government more responsive to the people and as such, he was a champion of community policing and maintaining a safety net for Norwalk’s residents in need.”

Luigi’s parents, Tomas and Marta Vernola, emigrated from Italy and eventually settled in Norwalk. They raised three sons and one daughter in the city and they instilled values in their children that Luigi always lived by: attaining an education, hard work, being a provider for your family, and always giving back to your community and church.

Luigi received his education in the Norwalk School District, graduating from Norwalk High School in 1964. While a student at Norwalk High, Luigi met his future wife, Joan Yacabowich. They married in 1965 and remained residents in Norwalk, where they raised their children.

At the age of 20, Luigi purchased his first service station, the first of many, including garages and a towing service.

“I’m saddened to hear of the loss of Mr. Vernola, who was a pillar of the Norwalk Community. He gave so much to the city of Norwalk with his charities and philanthropy” said Councilmember Rick Ramirez.

Luigi began his public service in the 1980’s when he was appointed to the Norwalk Planning Commission. Then, during a special election in 1987, Councilmember Cecil Green was elected to the California State Senate, leaving his council seat vacant.

Luigi was appointed by the remaining members of the council to fill the vacant seat until a new member could be elected. Luigi was proud to fill the temporary seat and eventually ran for, and won, the city council seat in the general election.

Luigi chose to run for City Council because he, like other Norwalk residents, believed Norwalk’s best days were ahead. He faithfully served the City from 1987-1994.

As a local businessman, he knew firsthand the responsibilities of running a successful company and city. He made fiscal accountability his top priority. As a councilmember, he was always committed to improving public safety and community engagement as crucial components to the health and success of Norwalk.

Luigi would later serve again on the Norwalk City Council from 2013-2020. He served as mayor several times throughout his public service tenure and most recently served as mayor from 2017-2018.

Time and again, Luigi demonstrated his dedication to the city he loved. He founded and co-founded several nonprofits to promote worthy causes, both in Norwalk and around Los Angeles County.

One such nonprofit is the Santa Sleigh Foundation, which was exceedingly special to Luigi. As part of this program, Luigi would host a breakfast event wherein children could eat breakfast and visit with Santa Claus and they would also receive a gift.

During the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, Luigi would give out over 600 turkeys and other food items to senior citizens and families throughout the community.

“One of the things that I’m going to miss about Luigi is how much he cared about young people and students. He always tried to make a difference in their lives,” stated Councilmember Margarita L. Rios. This was evident in the fact that Luigi would even sponsor students for their trips to visit Washington, D.C. with their schools. Councilmember Ana Valencia remembers Luigi as “… a generous and energetic man.” Councilmember Valencia stated that she “… had the privilege of witnessing countless times the sparkle in his eyes when he brought joy to the children of our community with Santa’s sleigh.”

Luigi also helped establish The Friends of the Norwalk Sheriff’s Station, an organization that helped the families of our law enforcement community, who had loved ones injured or killed in the line of duty.

Shortly after 9/11, Luigi had a monument erected and dedicated to the first responders of Norwalk’s area.

He placed life-size statues of a firefighter, deputy sheriff, California Highway Patrol officer and one of Norwalk’s own public safety officers.

He also placed a tableau that is located on the north/east corner of the City Hall lawn, with a bench facing the statue so that people can sit and show gratitude to Norwalk’s hometown heroes.

Luigi also helped establish the Hometown Heroes Banners that line Norwalk’s city streets to honor their local servicemen and women.

A Norwalk press release stated that “Over the years, Luigi strived to make Norwalk’s motto a reality and help make it ‘A Connected Community.’ Luigi Vernola was truly a man who loved his family, city, and country. He will be greatly missed.”