Members of the Caglia family celebrate in January this year the announcement of Sally Caglia as the 2023 Leon S. Peters Award. Photo by Alex Scott

Fresno lost a pillar of the community on Dec. 10 with the death of Sally M Caglia, 78, part of a long established business family with an extensive philanthropic portfolio.

Caglia was the winner this year of the Fresno Chamber’s Leon S. Peters Award, given to business leaders who embody the spirit of service, community engagement and philanthropy of its namesake.

She was a model for servant leadership in the community, said her nephew Richard Caglia, head of corporate development for the Caglia family businesses.

The family business began with her father Frank S. Caglia, an Italian immigrant who began working at the Electric Motor Shop in Downtown Fresno at age 12, building himself up through drive and ambition. Sally served as executive administrator for Caglia Enterprises. 

She wasn’t just a prominent member of the Caglia family; she was an integral part of the fabric of Fresno, Richard Caglia said.

“She had a tireless dedication for numerous charitable organizations, she had a great passion for the arts, an unwavering commitment to various community groups, and she wasn’t just an active member, she was a guiding light that embodied the values and service and compassion that more or less defined my grandfather, Frank Caglia, her father,” said Richard Caglia.

Caglia attended San Joaquin Memorial High School and Fresno City College. She worked in her family’s businesses all her life, starting at a young age as a cashier at Orange Avenue Disposal and becoming executive assistant at the Electric Motor Shop. 

She worked to ensure the viability and success of the Caglia family’s commercial legacy and its philanthropic contributions to the Fresno community. 

She was involved in a long list of local and international organizations, charities, boards, and fundraisers, including the Cultural Arts Rotary Club, Cultural Arts District Association, Fresno/Clovis Convention and Visitors Bureau Research and Development Board, the Fresno Chamber of Commerce, the City of Fresno Historic Preservation Commission, the Warnors Center for the Performing Arts and much more.

Caglia also received numerous honors and awards for her philanthropic work. She was the third member of her family to receive the Leon S. Peters Award, following in the footsteps of her brother, Dick Caglia, and her father.

The beloved mother, grandmother, sister and aunt is survived by a large family including her four children, Noelle Iles, John Hester, Rebecca Darche Hester, and Andrea Olsen; her five grandchildren, India Iles, Ella Iles, Jack Hester, Jean Baptiste Hester-Dorbe and Sophia Hester-Dorbe; her siblings Dick Caglia, Vince Caglia, Mary Ann Caglia, Bernadette Boyle, and Rose Caglia, and many cousins, nieces and nephews. 

“She was very kind, she was generous, and she really touched countless lives. Her legacy will endure in the hearts and memories of anyone that she came across,” said Richard Caglia. “As far as me being one of her nephews, I was definitely privileged to know her. I would say one of the greatest takeaways was the fact that she embodied my grandfather, Frank Caglia.”

Caglia was a world traveler. Some of her trips were with the Rotary Club to Australia, India, and Tanzania, with the Catholic Church to Israel and Palestine, and with the National Geographic ship to Antarctica. She also traveled all over the world with her children and grandchildren. She has hosted numerous foreign exchange students and travelers and has supported the education of many local and international students.

A rosary for Sally Caglia will be held at Holy Spirit Church, 355 E. Champlain Dr., on Dec. 27 at 9:30 a.m. for the public. The family has asked that guests wear a touch of leopard print or turquoise jewelry to celebrate her life.