Nugget Markets patriarch Gene Stille dies at 89, Northern California grocery chain says

Gene Stille, the patriarch of the capital region’s Nugget Markets grocery chain, died this month, the family-owned company said this week on social media. He was 89.

The Nugget Markets in Twitter replies to local news outlets confirmed that Stille died peacefully in his sleep Jan. 16.

Nugget’s history in the region dates back almost a century, with Mack and William Stille opening the first Nugget Market in Woodland in 1926.

Mack’s son, Gene, became president of the company in 1960 and helped expand the chain to the greater Sacramento area.

Nugget remains operated by the Stille family, with Gene’s son Eric having served as president since 1990.

Gene is survived by his four children – Eric, Greg, Gene Noel and Anne – and his 16 grandchildren.

In the Sacramento area, Nugget is known as a boutique upscale grocery market offering locally grown produce.

Nugget Markets has nine locations in the Sacramento metro area, including a store in south Sacramento, Elk Grove, West Sacramento and two in Davis, as well as a three newer locations in the Bay Area.

This story was originally published January 25, 2019 at 1:06 PM.