Los Angeles County, California Obituary and Death Notice Collection
(Obits and death notices from Various Funeral Homes in the Downey and surrounding towns.)
Many of these obituaries do not have the year of death included. Use the Social Security Death Index to determine this information.
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Downey, Los Angeles County, California Obituary Collection
GenealogyBuff.com - Downey, Los Angeles Co., California Obituary Collection - 5
Posted By: GenealogyBuff.com Date: Tuesday, 30 July 2024, at 6:29 p.m.
Kevin Francis McDonald
DOWNEY - A Memorial Mass was heard Thursday, July 24 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church for Kevin Francis McDonald, 42, a Downey resident and self-employed commercial truck painter, who died July 20.
He was born in Lynwood July 23, 1954.
Survivors include daughter, Kelly of Whittier; his son, Kristopher of Fullerton; parents Mervyn and Dorothy McDonald of Downey; brothers Terence McDonald of Whittier, Dr. Gregor McDonald of Davenport, Iowa; sisters Laura Escobedo of South Pasadena, Molly Lynch of Mason Neck, Virginia, and Regina Hazell of Whittier.
Private cremation was followed by interment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery.
Arrangements were by the Downey Zrelak Family Mortuary.
Sofia DiCorpo
26 Mar 1900 - 20 Jul 1997
DOWNEY - Services were held Thursday, July 24, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church for Sofia DiCorpo, a homemaker and resident of Downey for 24 years, who died July 20 in Downey Community Hospital.
Born in Italy, she was 97, and was a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church.
Survivors include three daughters, Chris Sharton, Nalea Stobbe and Lucy Aria; a son Anthony; 11 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.
Father Peter officiated.
Burial followed at Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Arrangements were by the Miller-Mies Mortuary of Downey.
Florencio de la Vega
7 Oct 1947 - 27 Jun 1998
DOWNEY - Memorial services will be held at 1 p.m. today (Friday, July 3), at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church for Florencio de la Vega, who died at his Downey home June 27.
He was 50, born in Douglas, Arizona, and lived in Downey for 15 years.
He was employed by Stuart Goldberg.
Survivors include his son, Florencio de la Vega, Jr. of Downey; his father, Florencio de la Vega, Sr., of Stockton; his mother, Hortensia Frisby of Tucson, Arizona; and a sister, Mary de la Vega of Amicsville, Virginia.
Father Peter Coffey will officiate.
Burial is private.
Arrangements are by the Miller-Mies Mortuary of Downey.
Mary Ann Buckles
SOUTH GATE - South Gate mourns the death of its Mayor, Mary Ann Buckles, who was found dead of natural causes in her South Gate home Monday.
Age 59, she is the second city leader to die unexpectedly in this area in recent weeks.
Norwalk Councilwoman Eleanor Zimmerman, age 77, died of a heart attack June 15, 1998.
Buckles had been seeing a doctor for emphysema and arterial sclerosis.
She is survived by her mother and stepfather, Ann and Cecil Sparks; and by her son, Sammy Buckles of Sacramento.
Funeral services will be today (Friday, July 3) at 11 a.m. at the Redeemer Lutheran Church, 2626 Liberty Blvd., South Gate.
(From the Los Angeles Times, July 1, 1998)
Mayor Mary Ann Buckles was discovered dead in her home Monday when police went to check on her after receiving calls from City Hall employees anxious that she had not arrived for work, city officials announced. Buckles, 59, apparently died of natural causes, officials said. Her death came as a shock to city workers, who repeatedly left telephone and pager messages for her Monday morning, city spokeswoman Nancy Blaine said. When Buckles did not respond, they called police. "We were concerned because she's always been a true professional, and we weren't able to get hold of her on Monday morning," she said. Blaine said Buckles will be remembered for her strong support of the city's Police Department. "She was like Barbara Stanwyck," Blaine said, referring to the glamorous actress famous for her movie roles from the 1920s to the 1960s. "She was salty and wry and tremendously popular." Buckles was selected mayor by her City Council colleagues in March and was serving her second four-year term as councilwoman. She is survived by a son, Sammy Buckles of Sacramento, and her mother and stepfather, Ann and Cecil Sparks of South Gate. Funeral services are scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m. at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 2626 Liberty Blvd. in South Gate. The council will meet July 14 to elect a new mayor and discuss how to fill Buckles' seat on the council, Blaine said. In the interim, Vice Mayor Henry Gonzalez will act as mayor."
Donald Lester Kerr
MEDFORD, Oregon - Funeral services for Donald Lester Kerr, will be held today (Friday, Sept. 4) at 11 a.m. at the Phoenix Church of Christ in Medford, Oregon.
He was 73, born in Twisp, Washington, July 30, 1925, and died in Medford Aug. 31, 1998.
He was a warehouseman for southwest Plywood and Lumber in Rancho Dominguez until his retirement in 1988. He was a member of the Phoenix Church of Christ, was a Boy Scout leader from 1968-1974, and was a volunteer for his church and access/community action agency.
He enjoyed woodworking, gardening and camping.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Marilyn; a brother, Charlie Kerr; and an infant brother.
Survivors include his daughter, Jody Jaime of Downey; two sons, Paul Kerr of La Habra, Richard Kerr of Ontario, CA; three grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; two sisters, Roberta Kolos (his twin sister) of Susanville, and Bertha Thomas of Lynwood.
Burial will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Medford.
Contributions are suggested to the Phoenix Church of Christ, 411c W. 1st St., Phoenix, OR 97535, or Access/Community Action Agency, 3630 Aviation Way, Medford, OR 97504.
Arrangements were by Hillcrest Memorial Park and Mortuary in Medford.
James Maurice Orndoff
SOUTH GATE - Funeral services will be held at 9:30 a.m. today (Friday, Sept 4) at the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside for James Maurice (Jim) Orndoff, a South Gate resident and an engine lathe machinist with Veric Industries for 30 years.
He was born Oct. 25, 1925 in Metz, West Virgina, and died Aug. 31, 1998 at his South Gate home.
He was a veteran of World War II and received many meritorious citations while serving with the U.S. Marines in the Pacific.
Survivors include his children, John D., James S., Michael W., Steven M., and Linda K.; and eight grandchildren.
He will be buried next to his wife, Betty Jo, who died in 1985.
Arrangements are by the Downey Zrelak Family Mortuary.
Sarah Elizabeth Alcock, 101
12 Dec 1896 - 26 Aug 1998
SOUTH GATE - Funeral services were held Aug. 31 at the Miller-Mies Mortuary Chapel in Downey for Elizabeth Alcock, a resident of South Gate, who died Aug. 26, 1998 at the age of 101.
Survivors include her daughter-in-law, Edith Pedersen; granddaughters, Janet Beck and Terry Parks; great-grandchildren, Jennifer, Rick, Sean, and Wendy; and great-great-grandson Tyler.
The Rev. Mel Moore officiated.
Burial followed at Rose Hills Memorial Park.
Arrangements are by the Miller-Mies Mortuary of Downey.
Edna Cornell Cavette
LYNWOOD - Graveside services were held Aug. 30 at Olive Lawn Memorial Park for Edna Cornell Cavette, a resident of Lynwood, and a former employee for 13 years of the Downey Unified School District.
She was 65, born in California, Sept. 21, 1933, and died at her home Aug. 25, 1999.
Survivors include her beloved cat, "Betsy Ann,"; her son, Greg; a daughter-in-law, Lillian; grandson, Scott; and many loving friends.
Pastor Harold Pierce officiated.
Arrangements were by the Miller-Mies Mortuary of Downey.
