John Curci Celebrates His 90th Birthday

All of us at The Busch Firm and the entire Southern California real estate community salute John Curci’s recent 90th birthday celebration at the Robert Mondavi Wine and Food Center in Costa Mesa, California.

Mr. Curci’s life can be described in many ways and categories. Certainly, his entrepreneurship, vision and philanthropy have filled his and his family’s life with much enrichment. The legacy created by Mr. Curci and his late wife, Lucy (married for 67 years), will benefit the entire Curci family and the community.

Mr. Curci was born in 1912, the fifth of nine children of his parents, Giovanni and Mary. John Curci’s father, Giovanni and Giovanni’s father, Leonardo, first arrived at Ellis Island in 1895. They immigrated from Troia, Italy in the Province of Foggia for a dream of starting a new way of life in America.

Entrepreneurship Commences

John Curci's father drove a pickup truck from Chickasaw, Pennsylvania to California with his family in 1914 and grew up on Avenue 18th and North Broadway in Los Angeles. During John Curci’s youth, he attended Albion Street School through the 6th Grade and then attended 7th and 8th Grade at Avenue Twenty-One School. As a youth, John Curci enjoyed softball, handball and swimming in the L.A. City pool. During the 9th Grade, it was necessary for John to leave school and help support the family. John Curci supported his family by renting a horse and a wagon for $1.50 per day, which resulted in John Curci peddling produce in Highland Park. At a later date John Curci bought a truck to start wholesaling lemons to retailers. This started a path of entrepreneurship which to this day still is vibrant.

Lucy Curci

It was during John’s youth that he met Lucia Laura Bertone (“Lucy”) when John, as a thirteen year old, casually remarked to his friend, Johnny Flocco, “See that girl with the curls, I’m going to dance with her.” That dance led to a lifetime of enjoyment, happiness and enrichment which included the birth of John’s and Lucy’s two children, John L. Curci and Janet Curci Walsh, who provided John and Lucy with seven grandchildren and six great grand-children.

John and Lucy Curci were married on October 11, 1931 on John’s 19th birthday. Lucy was just eighteen. John Curci always followed his motto, “You eat together, you sleep together, you pray together, and you stay together.”

Partnership with Lou Turner

In 1936 John met Lou Turner, which resulted in a partnership that lasted almost 50 years. Their friendship was filled with a lifetime of respect, admiration, consider-ation and cooperation. John Curci and Lou Turner remained in the citrus business until the late 1950s when they elected to develop their full-time efforts to the real estate business.

Lido Peninsula and Real Estate Investments-Vision

In 1946, John Curci and Lou Turner acquired the Lido Peninsula property located in Newport Beach, which is comprised of 22 acres and is a mixed residential and commercial property along Newport Beach Harbor, arguably some of the best real estate of all of California. The purchase price for the Lido property was $325,000 and was acquired through a creative sealed bid process. In retrospect, the purchase of this unique property was not only an astute investment but it was John Curci’s and Lou Turner's vision of holding the property over the past six decades. This strategy of long-term investment was the theme of the Curci-Turner partnership, which successfully acquired and held numerous properties throughout the Southland.

Mr. Curci is the quintessential real estate deal maker and has participated in real estate investments with many of the major real estate players of Southern California. Mr. Curci and the entire Curci family are revered with the highest esteem in Orange County.

Mr. Curci’s formula of success has been his ability to have long-term staying power, which has enabled him to ride out the inevitable downturns in the real estate cycles. This patience is an example to all of us of the virtue of holding firm to our investments during difficult times. Today, John Curci and his son John L. Curci, age 67, are actively managing their real estate investments.

Philanthropy

John Curci and his entire family have given back to the community in many ways. This includes supporting many charities through their commitment to programs with their time and monetary contributions. Recently John Curci made a substantial contribution to create the Lucy Curci Cancer Center at the world renowned Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. John Curci has served for over 33 years on the Board of Directors of the Eisenhower Medical Center.

The Curci Foundation will be a long lasting legacy to John and Lucy Curci, who have already given so much to their family and community. The Busch Firm has appreciated its long-term relationship with Mr. Curci and expects to continue to advise Mr. Curci and his Foundation for many more years. The Busch Firm is proud to have served John and Lucy Curci and their Foundation and is truly honored to be associated with the entire Curci Family.

Tim Busch stated, “John is my mentor. If I can live life with the fullness of John Curci, in every aspect, I will be a happy man. I see so many of us who contemplate our mortality at 50 and 60 years of age, yet a lifetime of labor may lie ahead of us if we live the 90 strong years of life like John Curci. When the Lord takes us, he will; until then we have so much to do and so much to contribute. Our continued life experiences provide us wisdom for which no university education can substitute.”