Norman Salvatore La Barbera Former Resident of Oakland Passed away Sunday May 30th in Napa, CA with family by his side. He was born in Oakland, CA in 1924. He grew up in the East Bay and attended Oakland High School. Upon graduation he was drafted to the U.S. Army/Air Corps and served as a gunner on a B29 Bomber during WWII. He was shot down over Germany in September of 1944, parachuted to safety, was captured by the German Army and served as a POW until May of 1945. After WWII, Norman attended UC Berkely, but his primary love was music. He was an accomplished pianist and could often be found playing in any Boogie Woogie nightclub in the Bay Area. His primary career was sales, but music was his first love. He was also known for his sense of humor and he always had a joke at the ready. He is survived by his sons, Norman La Barbera of Martinez, James La Barbera of Castro Valley, Dennis La Barbera of San Jose and Lisa La Barbera Wandzilak of Novato. Norman is also survived by three grandchildren and one great-grandchild. A private celebration of Norman's life will be held in San Jose on Saturday June 12th.