Carla Rene (Massa) Piver

It is with extreme sorrow that the family of Carla Rene Piver announces the passing of their beloved mother, daughter, and friend on Friday, September 30th, 2022. Carla passed away at the age of 60, in her home surrounded by her loved ones after fighting a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Carla was born on August 19th, 1962 in Sonoma to Gary Massa and Carmen Michaels. With her siblings born later in her life, Carla spent her childhood making friends with everyone she came in contact with, somewhere along the way picking up the nickname “lolly”. While attending high school, she was a member of the cheerleading squad and continued to show a deep appreciation and love for her friends. Just after turning 17, Carla was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma while going in for a routine physical and spent the greater part of a year undergoing treatment. She graduated from Sonoma Valley High in 1980 and in the August that followed graduation, celebrated her 18th birthday along with the news of her cancer’s remission status with, as the legend goes, the entire town of Sonoma.

Carla married in the spring of 1986 to Mike Piver from Petaluma and divorced in 1998. They welcomed two children into this world, Morgan and Layton Piver. Carla was actively involved in both her children's lives; she was the coach of multiple soccer and softball teams, hosted silent auctions for their school's charity events, took an Italian language class with her daughter in 2011, and attended every single baseball game her son played. In 2012, Carla and her long-time partner Mark Maffioli got engaged on her 50th birthday. 

Carla completed her degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix in 1998. She found a passion in the legal field and worked as a paralegal at law offices in the Sonoma Valley and North Bay Area. She was loved by every workplace she was at, and consistently found lifelong friendships with her coworkers. Recently celebrated her 7th year at Farmers Insurance, where she was a treasured member of their staff. 

In August of this year, Carla and her son Layton were able to complete their 20-year-goal of seeing every major league baseball stadium. They were joined by Morgan, and Layton’s wife Kelsie Piver. It was a joy to everyone who knew her that she was able to see the last stadium.

“Acquaintance” was a word Carla never understood as everyone to know her loved her.  She maintained an extensive list of family and friends from every walk of life, who she held extremely dear to her heart. Those close to her would commonly joke that she knows everyone in town, and her children dreaded trips to the grocery store with her since it was never a quick trip.

Carla was preceded in death by her mother, Carmen, and her fiance, Mark Maffioli. Her spirit is carried on by her two children, Morgan and Layton, her siblings Gary and Kira, her father Gary Senior, as well as many in-laws, nieces, nephews, friends, and family too numerous to list but not forgotten.

Friends are invited to attend a Memorial Funeral Mass, Friday, October 7, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Francis Solano Catholic Church, 469 Third Street West, Sonoma, CA 95476.

In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer contributions be made in her name to Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, https://pancan.org/

Private inurnment, Mountain Cemetery, Sonoma, CA

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