Worker of Golden Gate Bridge, longtime Merced County resident dies

Gus Villalta, a builder of a California architectural icon, a World War II pilot and longtime Los Banos resident, has died.

He was 98.

Villalta suffered from poor health in recent years. Mary Villalta, his daughter, said he was airlifted to a San Jose facility after becoming ill over the Memorial Day weekend. He died Tuesday.

Gus Villalta was born in Pordenone, Italy. His parents came to America separately. His father had a sponsor in San Francisco, while Villalta and his mother entered the country through Ellis Island and settled in New York. The family later reunited on the West Coast.

While Villalta attended San Francisco’s Galileo High School, he and others were approached by a labor contractor and asked to help build the Golden Gate Bridge. In a 2012 interview with the Modesto Bee, Villalta recalled the experience:

“I remember they picked us all up in a group and told us to pull some wires – electrical cables – through conduit,” Villalta said. “It was cold. The fog was there all the time, from morning to midafternoon. And the tide would come in and cover where you were working.”

The wiring was used to light the bridge. Villalta worked at the base of a tower. The job lasted a few weeks. At a commemorative ceremony in San Francisco a few years ago, Villalta was honored as one of a few people alive who had worked on the bridge.

He also worked on solidifying Treasure Island in time for the 1939 World’s Fair. Mary Villalta said her father would often talk about the celebrities he met there.

He later served as a pilot in the China-Burma-India Theater during World War II.

“He wanted to serve in Italy, but since he had citizenship there, they sent him the farthest away they could,” Mary Villalta said.

Gus Villalta would repair the radar on Northrop P-61 Black Widow planes when he wasn’t flying them.

The military stationed Villalta in Los Banos. At first he thought he was headed to the Philippines, his daughter said. He was actually staying in California. The Los Banos Fairground was a monitoring post, a precursor to Castle Air Force Base.

Villalta made Los Banos his home. He married, raised his children – Mary and Mayor Mike Villalta – started an electronics repair shop and joined the Planning Commission.

Mary Villalta said her father’s favorite thing to do was to visit Los Banos Drug Co.

“It was his big joy in life. He had his own chair. If he came in and somebody was sitting in it, everybody would get up and move over,” she said.

She said her father was accepting and nonjudgmental. He would also teach his children and grandchildren to build things, even toys, rather than buy them.

“He taught you how to do everything from scratch,” Mary Villalta said.

Daniel Brook, Gus Villalta’s grandson, remembers his grandfather teaching him how to repair items.

“He definitely taught me the mentality you don’t buy something you can make or repair,” Brooks said.

Mary Villalta said what she will miss most about her father is his unwavering support.

“He was a friend,” she said. “He was always there for you.”

The Modesto Bee contributed to this article.

This story was originally published May 31, 2015 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Worker of Golden Gate Bridge, longtime Merced County resident dies."