Velo was born in 1902 in Sacile, Italy, in the province of Portenonne. She came to the United States in 1920 and settled in San Mateo. On Dec. 25, 1925, she married Emilio Velo and moved to Southern California. In the early 1930s, the couple moved to San Francisco; she worked as a seamstress and he worked on the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge.

On April 1, 1937, the Velos moved to Los Gatos, where they purchased Villa Arquata, a quaint restaurant on Central Avenue. In 1942, the couple purchased La Hacienda Inn and Restaurant on Highway 9 from the Lewis family. The Velos lived and worked there until—in keeping with their habit of making major decisions on major holidays—Memorial Day of 1963, when they retired. The Velos' son Frank, together with his mother, continued to run the inn on the La Hacienda property for a short time afterwards.

Along with her son and daughter-in-law Frank and Joan Velo of Lake Tahoe, Velo also celebrated with her grandchildren and their spouses: Steve and Dana Velo, Scott and Linda Velo and Dina and Stanley Weir; her great-grandchildren Nick, Kyle, Travis, Frank, Vincent, Stanley and Trevor; her brother Mitch Michelin; and her niece and nephew-in-law Barbara and Ray Geisick.