Sal Hisola

Sal Hisola , a Lab retiree and resident of Livermore died unexpectedly Oct. 8. He was 64.

Born Nov. 2, 1945, in Miami, Fla., his family moved to Vallejo, Calif., where he spent most of his formative years. He graduated from Vallejo High School, and earned two degrees from the University of California, Berkeley.

He moved to Pleasanton, upon accepting a position with LLNL and later moved to Livermore.

Hisola retired from the Lab in 2003, following a 23-year career as a design engineering associate.

Before working at LLNL, he worked for 15 years at Mare Island Naval Shipyard as an apprentice, a journeyman pipefitter and pipe shop apprentice counselor. During this time, he also taught mathematics, physics, mechanical drawing and English at Solano Community College. Prior to that, he was a newspaper reporter for six years at the Vallejo Times Herald in Vallejo.

Hisola was an avid photographer, reader and movie buff. He also was a published author with the 2004 release of his latest fiction novel, “Essential Elements.”

He lived within walking distance of two Livermore theatres and saw several movies each week.

His weekly column entitled, "Sal at the Cinema" documented his movie reviews and was popular with his wide circle of friends and followers. He was a gentle soul with a rich sense of humor.

A celebration of life service will be held Friday, Dec. 10, at noon. Hisola's ashes will be spread at a later date.