Life on
Hacienda
Written By Sam Bozzo
I
David and Mary Ann Peoples
Hacienda
Street is just
a regular
street, but
it has an
abundance
of stories,
memories
and history.
Marv and Roxie Thomas
Patty and Mark Spencer
90
G M H T O D A Y M A G A Z I N E
MAY / JUNE 2015
recall in the ’70s when my wife. Judy
and I were looking to buy a house
in Gilroy. We liked a development
built by Pyramid Homes on Third
Street between Wren and Westwood.
The problem was a long waiting list and
we didn’t want to wait. It was our good
fortune to find a home we love on 5th
Street, and we’ve lived happily there ever
since. There’s something wonderful about
having a strong sense of place that you get
when you put down roots and build your
life in a neighborhood. This story is about
three families who share a sense of place
as long-time neighbors on Gilroy’s
Hacienda Street
Gilroy was still a small and quiet
town in the ’70s when Dave and Mary
Ann Peoples, Marv and Roxie Thomas,
and Patty and Mark Spencer moved to
Hacienda Street, a block north of Third.
They became Hacienda Street homeowners
within months of each other!
DAVE AND MARY ANN
PEOPLES were born and raised here.
They married in 1965 and this year marks
their golden anniversary. When the couple
moved to Hacienda Street, Dave opened
a fabric store known as the Nimble
Thimble that is now owned by Linda
Williams and located next to the new
Paseo between Fifth and Sixth Streets in
Gilroy. The Nimble Thimble gave rise to
another Gilroy business, the Garlic City
Mercantile and Dave has become known
for his wonderful selection of sauces, rubs
and oils. Food has always been a central
theme for the Peoples. In their home
kitchen, Mary Ann made jams, jellies and
breads to share with fellow members of
craft groups including the Bobbin Babes
and the Rippers (quilters).
The Peoples raised their daughter
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