Giovanna Holbrook

Birth date: Mar 28, 1933 Death date: Jan 25, 2023

Giovanna Holbrook (née Giovanna Ravetti) was born on March 28, 1933 in Alessandria, Italy. She was the last but one of ten children. She grew up on a farm but from a young age she was curious about the world. She excelled in her s Read Obituary

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Williams - Thomas Downtown

404 N. Main St., Gainesville FL 32601

352-376-7556

Erin O'shea

64w ago

Giovanna touched my life indelibly back in 1996. She taught me to see possibilities for myself. She taught me also, how to make a beautiful risotto Milanese. I was just a kid, missing my mother, and I think she sensed that and gave me a helping hand.I only knew her for a short time but she had a hand in saving my life, no exaggeration. I know that she was helping people and connecting withpeople this way all the time, I saw it from my short stay in the guest cottage at SBI. My deepest condolences to her family, I saw how she was ever involved with you all too, having regular dinners and spending time with each other all the time. What a special family. What a special life.

Road Scholar

170w ago

Sent a Serene Retreat to the Holbrook family.

Lush green plants in a terracotta pot create a serene atmosphere in a cozy indoor space.

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Gary Noel Ross

170w ago

I became friends with Giovanna and Holbrook Travel back in the 1980s as a participant on one of the ecotours conducted by Dr. Thomas Emmel. Shortly thereafter, I joined her team of elite leaders by conducting ecotours to Mexico, Peru and Bolivia. I grieve for her loss, not only personally, but for all of humanity. Giovanna was a dedicated spokesperson for conservation as well as indigenous cultures. Her legacy at Selva Verde will surely live own. My condolences to the Holbrook family and relatives. Gary Noel Ross.

Nichele Williams

171w ago

Mrs. Holbrook continues to be a force in this universe!!! I met her in 1996 and she changed my life forever! As a science teacher, Mrs. Holbrook and I took a trip to Costa Rica. She encouraged me to see the world. I then took several student groups to the rain forest. I was able to change their lives as well. In 1997 before moving to South Florida, Mrs. Holbrook said "Nichele I am from Italy, but the blood in my veins bleed Africa! One day we will travel to Kenya together." After visiting Mrs. Holbrook in spring of 2022, she informed me that Holbrook travel was traveling to Africa in the summer of 2022! I was able to travel to Kenya this summer because of Mrs. Holbrook. I am honored to have her in my soul. I am honored that our paths crossed 26 years of my life.

THIS WOMAN WILL LIVE FOREVER IN MANY HEARTS AND MINDS. GIOVANNI HOLBROOK HAS CHANGED MY LIFE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. SHE WILL ALWAYS LIVE INSIDE OF ME.

Thank you God for giving us such a worrier, such a masterpiece, such an unwavering work of art, such a beloved spirit. Thank you God for sharing this powerful woman with us. The world is a better place because Mrs. Giovanna Holbrook!

Nichele Williams

Anonymous

172w ago

Sent a Sweetest Sunrise Bouquet to the Holbrook family.

A stunning floral arrangement featuring pink, white, and yellow roses along with delicate greenery.

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Anonymous

172w ago

Sent a Peaceful White Lilies Basket to the Holbrook family.

A beautiful arrangement features white lilies and carnations, perfect for celebrations or memorials.

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Anonymous

172w ago

Sent an Arrive in Style to the Holbrook family.

Elegant floral composition with pink roses and white lilies, perfect for enhancing any space.

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Thelma Yara Pinheiro

172w ago

Giovanna sempre será para mim um exemplo de força, coragem, determinação e muitas outras qualidades que só pessoas especiais têm.
Partiu deixando saudades eternas e um vazio impossível de ser preenchido.
À família, os meus sinceros sentimentos.

Michelle Reeves - Gioviti

172w ago

Such a force. Memories abound from my childhood as she and my mother had the first Italian “Club” in Gainesville; (aka, mainly talking in Italian and cooking together). To her love of restoration and relationship with my former husband Architect Jay Reeves. Like an Italian aunt she always asked about my life. The best memory, an afternoon just me and her learning her technique for making fresh ravioli in front of a roaring fire in the kitchen in her house in the Historic Duckpond. These ladies from Italy that form the backdrop to my memories will always be such forces of old world drive and love of life that it is hard to imagine life without their example.

Anna Brown

172w ago

It seems to me that Mrs. Holbrook left this world in much the same way as she lived her life– on her own terms. A passionate woman who didn’t suffer fools, she did everything with purpose and conviction. She knew the value of hard work and wasn’t afraid to step in and grab a shovel or a hammer and get busy–no job was too big or too small for her to do herself (except perhaps, working a smartphone). Those who were fortunate enough to travel with her on a Holbrook expedition know that the mythical stories of her commandeering a lodge’s kitchen to prepare dinner or saving a stranded group in the middle-of-nowhere-Ecuador were not myths at all. One moment she could be a tough businesswoman and in the next, wax poetic at the sight of a centuries-old tree. She could be impulsively generous towards strangers who were down on their luck and had the ability to see potential where most didn’t. Frank Richmond, who was a wonderful speaker in his own right, told me once that Mrs. Holbrook’s impromptu speeches were legendary and that she could turn the banal into the sublime (sometimes moving listeners to tears). The only thing greater than her wish to build a lasting legacy through Holbrook Travel and Selva Verde was the love she had for her family. I hope that the mythical stories live on through her children, grandchildren and beyond and that the process of retelling these anecdotes helps to bring some measure of comfort to those who loved her best. Godspeed, Mrs. H.

CARED FOR BY

Williams - Thomas Downtown

404 N. Main St., Gainesville FL 32601

352-376-7556

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