Rachel Piersall's Obituary
Rachel Canalejo Sabella Piersall, aged 88, of Tampa, Florida, died peacefully in her sleep February 3rd.
She was born October 19, 1937, in a close-knit neighborhood of Ybor City, Florida to Frank Canalejo and Jennie Brockway Canalejo. She graduated from Jefferson High School which she attended with myriad friends and family. She was a banker and financier by trade, and she served as the Executive Vice President of First National Bank of the South in Wesley Chapel. In 1989 she married the love of her life, Gerald W. Piersall.
Rachel grew up in Ybor City where members of her family worked in the cigar factories, and she walked to school and attended dances at the Centro. In 1956 she started working as a bank teller at International Bank of Tampa, but she quickly climbed the ranks due to her excellent people skills, keen sense of finance, and business acumen. She served in leadership capacities in the Cypress Banks Holding Company and the Dade City Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Tampa Quarterback Club, Tampa Halfbacks, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters. She established lasting friendships with businesspeople Eddie Debartolo, Wiregrass and Don Porter, and athletes all around the Tampa Bay Area. In 2024, she was honored by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a 50-year season ticket-holder from its inaugural season when she purchased 50 yard-line, first-row seats. The last game she attended was to watch Tom Brady at QB with her son, Frank.
She is preceded in death by her husband Gerry Piersall, her son Gilbert Sabella, her parents Frank and Jennie Canalejo, and her sister Annette Vallejo. She is survived by an adoring family for whom she served as matriarch, including her son Frank Sabella (Laura); stepsons Jeff Piersall (Judy), Keith Piersall (Marcia), Todd Piersall (Stella), and Glenn Piersall (Kristina); grandson Jonathan Jeerapaet (Amy); grandson Gabriel Sabella; numerous step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and extended family. The family thanks her close cousin Billy Vargas and Arline, her best and lifelong friend from infancy Diana Almeida, and her nephew Danny Vallejo, for their support and love.
A Celebration of Life service will be held from 12:00 – 3:00 at Boza Roel Funeral Home at 4730 N. Armenia Ave. in Tampa. The family will receive guests from 12:00 – 1:30 and will hold a memorial service from 1:30 – 2:30.
Donations to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay in her memory are appreciated.
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