The couple relocated to South Lake Tahoe, California, in the mid 1960s, probably after her last report in the Billings Papers. At a time when the region was rapidly transforming into one of the West's most dynamic tourist destinations. Ski resorts, casino development, and booming year-round visitation were redefining the local economy. Once again, Angelina's instincts for hospitality, organization, and business allowed her to adapt quickly. In California, Angie completely reinvented herself emerging not as a controversial figure, but as a legitimate, respected hospitality professional, known for her discipline, warmth, and sharp management skills.
Angelina's Tahoe career would ultimately span several notable establishments:
- Tarantino's Restaurant (1970s)
- Tahoe Inn, 4110 Lake Tahoe Boulevard (late 1970s)
- Timber Cove Lodge, on the shores of Lake Tahoe (early–mid 1980s)
At each of these locations, Angie developed a reputation for impeccable operations, fiercely loyal staff, and intensely personal customer hospitality—the same hands-on management style that had once defined her Sheridan years, now refined into respectable business leadership.
John worked as a high-voltage lineman for Sierra Pacific Power, and later assisted Angie with operations at Tarantino's, making the business a true family enterprise.
In September 2020, I reached out to the El Dorado County Library in Placerville, California, at 345 Fair Lane, hoping to uncover more about Angelina and Jack Alexander's later years in South Lake Tahoe. Librarian Bonnie Battaglia responded with extraordinary generosity, sending me two obituaries that I had never seen before—documents that finally illuminated the closing chapter of their lives. She also connected me with the Tahoe Branch of the El Dorado County Libraries, where the research gained new momentum.
At the South Lake Tahoe Library, Library Assistant II Gavin Furman took an active role in tracking down visual and historical references tied to Angie's life there. Through his assistance, I learned that the Timber Cove Lodge—one of the key properties associated with Angelina—was sold in 2012 and is now known as the Beach Retreat & Lodge. However, the surrounding shoreline still carries its historic name: Timber Cove Beach. I located and purchased a postcard of the Timber Cove Lodge from around 1990, taken just a few years after Angelina's passing. The postcard, now a collector's item sold on eBay, provides a rare visual anchor for the period shortly after her tenure.
Gavin also uncovered an undated and likely outdated listing of the Timber Cove Lodge that included interior photographs of its dining areas. While it remains impossible to confirm how closely these reflect the lodge during Angelina's management, they nonetheless provide a visual impression of the environment in which she likely worked during her later years.
In the course of the same search, Gavin discovered an image of a Tarantino's matchbook posted by a collector on Flickr. Though it cannot be definitively tied to Angie and John's ownership period, the matchbook lists an area code—95705—which remained in use until at least 1985, confirming that it pre-dates or coincides with their time in Tahoe. The Takela area connected to the matchbook lies roughly a block and a half from the modern library. While no surviving buildings clearly trace to the restaurant today, Gavin offered to contact longtime residents who might still recall Tarantino's.
He also noted that John's obituary listed surviving members of the Cefalu family, who remain active in the Tahoe community today. Chris Cefalu currently (2020) serves on the board of directors for the local Public Utility District. Gavin suggested they may possess photographs or personal memories connected to Angie and Jack's years in Tahoe—an invaluable lead still being pursued.
The following week, Gavin sent another update. By then, it had become clear that the Tahoe Inn no longer exists. However, a 1978 advertisement linked the Tahoe Inn to other establishments Angelina had managed, strongly suggesting she likely operated this property as well. The original address, 4110 Lake Tahoe Boulevard, no longer exists, having been absorbed into redevelopment that created today's Heavenly Village. Using an outdated MapQuest image, Gavin was able to pinpoint where the building once stood.
Over the years, at least three buildings occupied the site, all bearing the name Tahoe Inn at different stages. Thanks to a Swedish tourist's blog, Gavin even located a photograph showing what the Tahoe Inn likely looked like, complete with its distinctive yellow roadside sign.
To further establish the setting, an aerial photograph from the 1980 Harvey's bombing shows the former Tahoe Inn site clearly positioned between Harrah's Lake Tahoe and what is now the Raley's shopping center. In a small coincidence, Gavin noted that his ex-wife worked in a small gift shop in that same area around 1999, though by then the building no longer housed dining facilities.
As for Tarantino's, documentation proved more elusive. The only definitive reference came from an obituary for the son of a previous owner, which identified the restaurant as "Joe Tarantino's of Tahoe." Gavin forwarded the obituary and contacted both the local historical society and longtime residents in hopes of uncovering additional memories, photographs, or documentation.
Every step of this research reinforced the quiet persistence of Angelina's story. Even decades after the Ideal Hotel faded from Sheridan's memory, traces of her life continued to surface, on postcards, in business listings, through matchbooks, and in the recollections of community members. The Tahoe chapter of Angie and Jack Alexander's life remains incomplete, but thanks to the dedication of archivists, librarians, and historians, it is no longer lost to time.
Tarantino's Restaurant (1970s): Angelina initially managed this Italian eatery near Takela. Later, she and John purchased it, with John gaining local renown for his empanadas and ravioli. The restaurant was a popular gathering place for locals and tourists alike.
Tahoe Inn (Late 1970s – Early 1980s): Located at 4110 Lake Tahoe Blvd, now part of Heavenly Village. Managing the Tahoe Inn required overseeing hotel operations and dining services, a role Angelina handled with professionalism and warmth.
Timber Cove Lodge (Early–Mid 1980s): This lakeside lodge allowed Angelina to manage both dining and event operations. Timber Cove became known for weddings, holiday dinners, and community gatherings, reflecting her skill in creating welcoming and memorable experiences.
Throughout her time in Tahoe, Angelina was recognized not only for her professional acumen but also for her ability to create warmth and community in every establishment she managed.
Angelina passed away on December 28, 1986, in South Lake Tahoe, California, and was laid to rest at Happy Homestead Cemetery, Lake Tahoe.
Angelina's two obituaries. The first is from the Martinez News-Gazette, Martinez, California, December 30, 1986, Page 2, and the second is from the Tahoe Daily Tribune, South Lake Tahoe, California, January 2, 1987, Page 2.
Three photos of Angie's grave. The flowers were sent by Michael Dykhorst in 2024 for the 38th anniversary of Angie's death. The card was signed, "Your two friends, Judy Armstrong and Michael Dykhorst." This next year on December 28, 2026 Angie will have been gone 40 years.
Angie's husband, John "Jack" Cameron Alexander died on April 20, 2003 in South Lake Tahoe, California.
Angelina "Angie" Calicura Alexander's legacy extends beyond hospitality. As the niece of Sam Rodia, she was connected to California's iconic Watts Towers. The 2006 documentary I Build the Tower highlights Rodia's vision, a creative spirit that echoed in Angelina's own life. Angie is given special thanks in the documentary by her nephew Brad Byer (Mary Lou Calicura Byer's son), and filmmaker Edward Landler.
Today, Timber Cove Beach retains the name of one of the lodges she managed, and long-time residents still recall her warmth, entrepreneurial drive, and complex life, from beauty shop owner to hotel manager and proprietor of the legendary "Angie's Place."
Angie's life spanned independent business ownership in Depression-era Los Angeles, Wyoming's underground economy at its peak, documented FBI scrutiny, Mob-adjacent financial pipelines, and finally, peaceful legitimacy in South Lake Tahoe's hospitality industry.
Few women in Wyoming or California lived such a complete arc of survival, power, scandal, reinvention, and respectability.
Angelina "Angie" Calicura Alexander did.
Also in 2020, while I was pursuing this Tahoe chapter of Angie's life with the help of Judy Armstrong, whose research uncovered an unexpected modern reference: Angelina's name appeared in the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) connected to a small independent film project about her uncle Sam Rodia. Through the IMDb credits and linked profiles, I was able to trace two men associated with the production, Brad Byer, Angie's nephew, and Edward Landler. Byer had passed away in 2012, closing one possible line of inquiry. Edward Landler, however, was still living, and after I made contact with him, he generously sent me a courtesy copy of the film, offering a rare and unexpected contemporary artifact tied indirectly to Angie's family.
During this same period, at Edward's encouragement, I attempted to contact Angie's two living sisters in hopes of learning more about her later life in California. While I was never able to speak with them directly, I did make contact with Tim Sullivan, the son of Virginia, one of Angie's sisters who had famously cared for Simon "Sam" Rodia, the creator of the Watts Towers. Tim wanted to understand why I was researching Angelina, why she mattered to Sheridan's history, and what prompted such focused interest in her life. Out of respect for the family—and uncertainty over what they may or may not have known about her past—I avoided directly stating that Angie had once operated a house of prostitution. Yet I sensed that he already understood more than he was saying. Ultimately, Tim declined to share any family information, and that avenue of living memory came to a quiet end.
In 2025, I made one final attempt to trace living connections when I spoke with Donna Dyer, a woman mentioned in John "Jack" Alexander's obituary. Unfortunately, she had never known Angelina and was unable to provide any insight into their life together in Tahoe. With that, the remaining personal history of Angie and Jack's California years once again slipped beyond reach.
Today, despite extensive archival research, library assistance, and direct outreach to surviving connections, the full story of Angie and Jack Alexander's life in South Lake Tahoe remains largely hidden—known only through fragments of business records, newspaper notices, postcards, matchbooks, and the dedication of those who helped search for her. What survives is a silhouette rather than a full portrait: a woman who repeatedly reinvented herself, built and lost businesses, and then vanished quietly from public record, leaving behind only the faint impressions of a once-formidable presence.
Through the life of Angelina "Angie" Calicura Alexander, we are offered a rare, deeply human window into an underground economy that shaped neighborhoods, politics, law enforcement, and social boundaries in ways both visible and obscured. Angie's story is not presented as an isolated curiosity, but as one thread in a much wider historical fabric, one that challenges easy judgments and reveals the complexity of survival, power, and identity in mid-twentieth-century Sheridan and the world.
Thanks to: Judy Armstrong
the Wyoming Room
The El Dorado County Library
The South Lake Tahoe Library
Edward Landler and Brad Byer
Andrew Calicura
The Cefalu Family
Donna Dryer
and many other sources.