William Del Biaggio Jr., a beloved member of the San Jose Rotary Club and one of the founders of Heritage Bank of Commerce, died on May 2 at the age of 79.

Details of his passing have not been made available to the press.

Del Biaggio joined the Rotary Club of San Jose in 1983 and served as a member on the Board of Directors and as a foundation trustee.

According to Rotary Executive Director Leslee Hamilton, Del Biaggio and his late wife Helen donated to dozens of local non-profit organizations.

Among his many list of accomplishments, Del Biaggio served as president of the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy Board in 2005, the year of the park’s grand opening.

“He happened to be the Chair of the Board of the park when the grand opening took place,” said Hamilton, who knew Del Biaggio for close to two decades.

“He had that attitude of being a rare citizen servant, community-minded and humble though he had every right not to be. I can think of a number of his counterparts who didn’t have that same demeanor, so it was refreshing to find someone so accomplished and yet so humble.”

Del Biaggio founded Heritage Bank of Commerce in 1994, serving a variety of roles, including executive vice president.

“Heritage Bank wouldn’t exist without the entrepreneurial spirit and leadership of Bill Del Biaggio Jr.,” Matthew Mahood, CEO of the Silicon Valley Organization, told the Silicon Valley Business Journal.

In 2017, Del Biaggio became the California Bank of Commerce’s managing director of the San Jose region. He and his wife were a constant presence in the non-profit, philanthropic community, making a tangible difference.

“He was on various boards throughout the Valley, and brought a business sensibility and knowledge to non-profits to help build their capacity,” Hamilton said. “[For example], our club is unusual for its size, as it is one of the 10 largest rotary clubs in the world. It was people like Bill who was generous, helped make it successful and grow so we could have an impact on the local community.”