07/10/2021
This page was created in 2011 when Escondido participated in the America in Bloom Competition. This competition is a wonderful means of showcasing all the best in America's towns and cities. We were encouraged to compete by Evelyn Alemanni, who lived in Elfin Forest and believed we had a lot to be proud of and we did fairly well for our first time, winning some honorable mentions and getting included in the AIB publication, "Ten Years of Best Ideas." Sadly, Evelyn passed away on July 4 and what was shared on her page is a wonderful testimony to this amazing woman who believed in Escondido.
"Evelyn Alemanni passed away on 7/4/2021 as a result of complications from pancreatic cancer. The last months of her life were compromised by permanent vision loss caused by SBP101, a study drug administered to her in a clinical trial at Scripps-Anderson Cancer Center in La Jolla.
"Evelyn was a prolific technical writer, writing documentation that companies need but people rarely read. Her company, ALL.EA, provided marketing and technical communications consulting to companies ranging from startups to Fortune 100 firms, across industries that include high format inkjet printers, ATM machines, point of sale terminals, air quality monitoring instrumentation, medical devices, computer graphics software, and much more. She also created FDA GMP compliance programs for dental implants, heart valves, and medical instrumentation. She authored three books on computer graphics, and eight volumes and four coloring books of her Fleur du Jour series of books on flower arranging. She ghost-wrote books for several authors and also designed and edited books.
Evelyn was sought after for leadership roles locally, nationally, and internationally. She served on the board of the Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Town Council for six years, with another six years as chair. She also served on the board of Questhaven Retreat, the San Diego Botanic Garden, and America in Bloom. Internationally, she served on the board of Communities in Bloom in Canada.
"One of her main volunteer activities was to serve as a judge and community development consultant for America in Bloom, Communities in Bloom, and LivCom. With those programs she visited nearly 200 cities in 11 countries to help communities achieve their best quality of life. She also judged for the Philadelphia Flower Show for many years.
Evelyn’s passion and obsession were gardening and flowers and flower arranging. For 11 years she volunteered in the flower shop at the most well-known address on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC. Her garden was recognized twice as Garden of the Year by San Diego Home and Garden Lifestyles, and received an award for sustainability from Espoma Corp.; it was also one of five finalists for Best Garden in America from the Good Morning America TV show. The garden was often photographed for many flower catalogs and consumer publications.
Evelyn is survived by her loving and devoted husband of more than 35 years, Joe Alemanni. She is also survived by sister, Sylvia Elchinger, of Richmond, VA and her son George Szabo and his wife, Stacey and daughter Elizabeth of San Diego. She is predeceased by her parents George Walter and Marianne Luise (Of) Florl."
Rest in peace, Evelyn - Heaven's gardens will be even more beautiful in your care.
