SURPRISE—Longtime church volunteer Marie Guardino checks out the cake made for her by her daughter Annette Leeds (not pictured) Nov. 19 during her final night of volunteer work at St. Peter Claver Church. WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspaper For the past decade, Marie Guardino has been in charge of the kitchen at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church at the intersection of Cochran and Stow streets.

Whether whipping up 150 tritip meals for the Thursday night bingo crowd or just cooking for a small gathering of the congregation, the ardent church volunteer has always added one key ingredient: love.

Now the 78-year-old Simi Valley resident is ready to take off her apron.

“Marie has done a fabulous job and should be very proud of all the work she’s done,” said Monsignor Gary Bauler, pastor at the church. “She remains very much a part of our community. She is ever faithful.”

Last Thursday Guardino made her last bingo night meal, going out in style by serving Thanksgiving dinner to 150 attendees.

Her daughters, Annette Leeds, 45, and Kathie Savre, 53, both local residents, surprised their mother with a 3-foot-tall cake. The presentation included a poster-size picture of their mom in a bathing suit at age 17.

“It was such a surprise,” Guardino said about the tribute. “People signed the poster and thanked me for helping all these years.”

Her husband, James, also helps in the kitchen during the church’s weekly bingo sessions, which generally attract between 125 and 150 people.

“(When) my wife’s in charge of the kitchen, she wants everything just right,” he said. “She treats the people at the bingo like she’s feeding her family. She’s a very good cook.”

Guardino puts in many hours not only on cooking, but shopping for groceries as well, said Leeds.

“It’s a four-day-a-week job with all the shopping and prep and organizing the staff. Thursdays are a 16-hour day,” Leeds said. “My mother’s always been active in church. She’s one of these women who just keeps going. At 78 years old, she’s still going strong.”

Years ago, when the family lived in the San Fernando Valley, Guardino volunteered for Italian Catholic Federation events in North Hollywood and Canoga Park. After the family moved to Simi Valley, Guardino found an outlet for her culinary skills at St. Peter Claver.

“She gives of her time and talent to help the church,” said Bob Swoish, a longtime bingo night volunteer and local resident. “She’s excellent to work with, very personable and cooperative.”

Guardino was raised in a small town near South Bend, Ind. She met her husband when he was a student at the University of Notre Dame.

“We met by accident riding on a bus. He was with a buddy and I was with my girlfriend. We started talking and one thing led to another,” she said.

After 57 years of marriage, six children and 12 grandchildren, Marie admits that was some bus ride.

James Guardino, also 78, is retired as a manager in the aerospace field. During his working years, he and Marie lived in many different states due to the demands of his job and his service in the United States Air Force.

They finally settled in California in 1963. Marie Guardino kept busy raising a family and volunteering at her place of worship. In addition to Leeds and Savre, the couples’ adult children are Gus Guardino, Beth Cox and Teresa Guardino, all of Simi Valley, and Mary Notaro, who lives in Rancho Cucamonga.

Now Guardino feels it’s time to ease up on her hectic schedule. Her husband will soon undergo back surgery and she wants to stay close to home as he recovers.

“I thought it was time for me to retire,” she said. “My husband has some physical problems, and so do I.”

Guardino gives herself about a year in “volunteer” retirement before taking on more duties.

“I’ve had a lot of satisfaction in what I did,” she said. “I really enjoyed it. I’ll get involved again, I’m sure.”