Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Ruth Samson Hodge
Services were held in Alexandria Bay, N.Y., earlier this month for former St. Helena resident Ruth Samson Hodge, who died March 24. She was 96.
A graduate of Alexandria Bay High School and from French Hospital School of Nursing in New York, Mrs. Hodge worked as an operating room supervisor in New York through the early years of World War II. She later worked in San Francisco.
She marriage John C. Hodge in Yonkers and the couple moved to Northern California where they lived from 1942 until 1989.
Mrs. Hodge is survived by a nephew, Dr. Robert Tague of Alexandria Bay. She was preceded in death by her husband and a brother.
Nell MacVeagh
A memorial service will be held Friday, May 3, at 11 a.m. at Grace Episcopal Church, 1314 Spring Street, St. Helena, for Ellen Warder “Nell” MacVeagh, who died Sept. 3, 2001. She was 92.
Mrs. MacVeagh and her husband, Francis, moved to a ranch in Conn Valley in 1955 after their ranch in Colorado was taken by the United States Air Force Academy. Her husband died in 1959 and she remained in Conn Valley until 1996 when she moved to a retirement community in Peterborough, N.H., to be near her family.
She leaves a daughter, Ellen Margaretta MacVeagh Rublee; four grandchildren, Ellen Gallagher Hungerford and Arthur Connell MacVeagh Gallagher, both of St. Helena, Margaretta Gallagher Archie of St. Louis, Mo., and Francis Hopkinson Gilbert of Evanston, Ill.; and five great-grandchildren: Alexander Cameron Hungerford and Ewen MacVeagh Hungerford of St. Helena; Ellen Margaretta Archie, Samuel Gray Ward Archie, and James Andrew Byrne Archie, all of St. Louis.
Neta Hilker Cole
Neta Hilker Cole died Wednesday, April 18, at Kalispell Regional Medical Center. She was 77.
Mrs. Cole, a longtime resident of St. Helena, was born Jan. 22, 1924, in Cotopaxi, Colo., to John and Bertha Ong.
Most recently Mrs. Cole lived in Roseburg, Ore., then moved to the Flathead Valley in Montana to be closer to her daughter, Deborah Morine.
In addition to her daughter, Mrs. Cole is survived by five sons; James Holland of Florida; Gene Holland of Oregon; Raymond Moss of California; Michael Moss of Utah; and Larry Moss of Wyoming; one sister, three brothers, 12 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, two sisters and three brothers.
Interment will be at a later date in St. Helena.
Eleanor M. Maliani
Private services were held April 23 for longtime St. Helena resident Eleanor Martha Maliani, who died April 17 in Citrus Heights. She was 86.
Pastor Harvey Goldstein of the First Baptist Church of St. Helena officiated. Interment followed at the St. Helena Cemetery.
The eldest of three girls, she was born Eleanor Schneider in Rutherford Nov. 9, 1914, to Carl and Martha Schneider. Before graduating from St. Helena High School in 1932, Mrs. Maliani began working part-time as a bookkeeper for Knipschild Dehydrator and Manufacturing Company of St. Helena - a move that turned into a full-time, 50- year career with the company.
In April 1937 she marriage Theodore Maliani and they moved into the house they built on Hunt Avenue. She continued to live there for more than 61 years until moving to Citrus Heights in 1998.
She is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Diane Mills and Dr. Robert Mills, of Carmel; a daughter, Nancy Maliani, of Carmichael; and a sister, Edna Cox, of St. Helena.
Her husband of 52 years, Ted, predeceased her in 1989.
Donations may be made to The Eleanor Maliani Scholarship Fund, c/o Mr. Craig Bond, chairman; St. Helena High School Music Department, 1401 Grayson Ave., St. Helena, CA 94574.
Arrangements by Morrison Funeral Chapel, St. Helena.
Pioneer of Monticello
Letha Adams Samuels
Rutherford
Letha Evadna (Adams) Samuels “Gram,” 100, passed away Friday, March 14, 2003 with some of her family by her side. The oldest of five children, Letha was born Aug. 28, 1902, in Monticello, Ca. to Wilson Hampton Adams and Mary Elizabeth “Minnie” McGinnis.
Letha marriage her husband Henry Edwards Samuels on July 20, 1920 in Napa and honeymooned in San Francisco by way of ferry. They had two daughters, Florence Lucille (Samuels) Mathison and Barbara Evadna (Samuels) White.
Letha’s family, of Scottish descent, settled in the Napa Valley in the 1850s. The family, she recalled, were considered “blue bloods” with several United States Presidents in the line. Her great grandfather, the Rev. Thomas McConnell Johnston preached in the St. Helena Presbyterian Church in the 1850s. Family members had large holdings in the County and devoted their efforts to farming and raising livestock and planting vineyards. Letha and Henry raised their family in Monticello, Ca. until Lake Berryessa was formed in 1955. They then settled in Rutherford, Ca. where Letha lived until her death.
Letha was predeceased by her husband, Henry Samuels, in 1983 as well as her sister, Velma Adams Taylor, and brother, Floyd Adams.
She is survived by two daughters, Florence Lucille (Samuels) Mathison and Barbara Evadna (Samuels) White; two sisters, Edna Valentine of Lake County and Lucille Gallagher of Austin, Nevada. Letha had 8 grandchildren, Billy White, John White, Larry Gardner, Buddy Gardner, Debbie (Gardner) McIntosh, Gary Mathison, Tim Mathison, Terry Mathison. 25 great grandchildren and 13great great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
Letha was laid to rest on Wednesday, March 19, 2003 in the Historical Monticello Cemetery at Spanish Flat Berryessa, surrounded by family and friends who celebrated her life, with the Rev. Jack Isbell officiating, her great grandson, Zane McIntosh reading her favorite poems and bagpipes echoing through the hills of Monticello Cemetery.
“Gram” will be missed by all.
Memorial contributions may be sent to: (Founded by Letha’s great grandfather), The Pioneer Presbyterian Church, Memorial Fund, 205 Russell St., Winters, CA 95694.
Chula Jill Mori
Family and friends of Chula Jill Mori would like to let you know that on March 28th she passed away to a better place after a long battle with cancer. She passed quietly and comfortably in the presence of friends and family on a beautiful day in Angwin, CA at St. Helena Adventist Hospital.
She is survived by her two sons, Jason and Benjamin Mori, her sisters Holly Hurt and Terri Harper, brothers Albert Jr. and Charles McDowell, father Albert Jessee McDowell and wife, Olive, the love of her life Michael Kazar, friend and partner in crime Kathy Merritt, and grandchildren Haylie Mori, Jenica Mori and Justin Stanley. She is also survived by her stepbrothers Wallace Clenending of Napa, and Peter Hudler of Clovis, New Mexico, and step sisters Sonia Leland of Napa, and Carol Wilkins of Oakland, Oregon.
Chula was born in El Paso, Texas to Albert Jessee McDowell and Dorthy Nichols McDowell on September 20th, 1947. Moving with her family to Napa County in 1949, Chula attended elementary school in Calistoga, two years at RLS in St. Helena, and graduated from St. Helena High in 1965. Chula attended Napa Valley College, San Jose State, and Sonoma State.
As a child she was active in the Rutherford 4H club, and worked at Queen of the Valley Hospital, and Mervyns before becoming a teacher for the Napa County office of Education where she taught for 26 years.
Chula dedicated her life to her children. Not just her two sons, but every child she touched while working in the Napa County Child Development Program. A dedicated mother and teacher, Chula was remembered by her family, friends, and coworkers at Morrison Funeral Chapel on Tueday, April 1st at 11am.
Anyone wishing to send condolences to the family may do so by supporting the children that Chula loved so much. Donations, instead of flowers, can be sent to the Napa Child Development Center, NCOE, 2121 Imola Avenue Napa, CA 94559. Its these children that will miss Chula the most, and her family knows that without her its important to not let them be forgotten.
Arrangements are being cared for by Morrison Funeral Chapel, St. Helena, CA, 707 963-3536.
Francesco Pelligrini
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Friday, April 5, at St. Helena Catholic Church for Francesco Pellegrini who died March 30. He was 54.
Visitation will be Thursday, April 4, from 4 to 9 p.m. at Morrison Funeral Chapel, 990 Vintage Ave. in St. Helena. The Rosary will be recited at 7:30 p.m.
Mr. Pellegrini was born in Italy to Antonio and Zelinda Pellegrini, and came to San Francisco when he was 18. He worked at Vanessi’s restaurant for many years and more recently at The Gold Mirror.
He is survived by a brother, Innocenso Pellegrini and a sister, Elisetta Casci, both of Italy; an aunt and uncle, Guiseppina and Giuseppe Pellegrini of St. Helena; and nieces, nephews and cousins.
Interment will be in Holy Cross Cemetery.
Arrangements by Morrison Funeral Chapel.
Norma Andrews
Private services were held at St. Helena Cemetery for Norma Andrews, who died in her Calistoga home March 27. She was 70.
Mrs. Andrews graduated from Oregon State University and was a member of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority. She and her husband lived in Calistoga for 17 years after retiring and moving from Minden, Nev. Locally, she was a member of the P.E.O. St. Helena Chapter and attended Grace Episcopal Church in St. Helena for over 10 years.
She is survived by her husband of more than 50 years, Tom; two sons, Richard and Scott; a sister, Carol Dillon; three grandchildren, Erika, Megan and Gillian; and many nieces and nephews.
Arrangements by Morrison Funeral Chapel.
Claudia Brand
Memorial services will be held Saturday, April 7, at 4 p.m. at the Pacific Union College Seventh-day Adventist Youth Chapel, for Claudia Clara Neiderer Brand, who died March 8 at Woodside Senior Residence in Angwin. She was 99.
Mrs. Brand was born in Marbach, Switzerland. In l9l8 she emigrated to New York City, where she became governor to the children of the High Society.
She marriage Fred Brand in 1926 and continued to live in New York and Atlantic City, N.J., until 1942, when the family relocated to California, settling in Angwin, where she was a member of the Pacific Union College Seventh-day Adventist Church.
She is survived by a daughter, Claudia Benson of Angwin; grandchildren Robert and Fred Benson and Claudia Flaiz; and seven great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Morrison Funeral Chapel.
Rocco Buccellato
Funeral services were held April 2 at the Chapel of Richard Pierce Funeral Service for Rocco (Roy) Phillip Buccellato, who died March 28 at Queen of the Valley Hospital. He was 83.
Mr. Buccellato was born in Detroit, Mich., and came to California when he was 12. He was educated in Pittsburg and was a World War II veteran, with active duty in the Navy on board the U.S.S. Idaho. During this time he was a Golden Gloves boxer.
Most of his life was spent working as a truck driver, and he owned and operated RPB Trucking for several years. Upon retiring, he and his wife, Melba, moved to Magalia, Calif. On returning to Napa, he became an avid bocce ball enthusiast and was a member of Small Vineyards Bocce Ball team. He was also affiliated with the Teamsters Union and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Survivors include his wife of 35 years; a daughter, Catherine Buccellato; son and daughter-in-law, Earl and Joanne Taylor; a step-daughter and son-in-law, Patricia and Edward Ruiz; brothers Leo Buccellato, Sam Buccellato and Vincent J. Buccellato; a sister, Frances Trezza; 11 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Mr. Buccellato was preceded in death by his parents and by his brothers Frank, Nick, Joe and Bill; sisters Josephine Capeto and Mary Cardinale. Interment will be at the Tulocay Cemetery.
Norma M. Nicholas
Memorial services were held Saturday, March 31 for Norma Marie Nicholas of Napa, who died Monday, March 26, at Queen of the Valley Hospital. She was 97.
Mrs. Nicholas is survived by a daughter, Rebecca Rochona; a sister, Adelia Walker; and grandchildren, Venita Bush, Nathan Hale, Michael Johnson, Lt.Matthew Rochon and Dr. Yvonne Rochon.
Private inurnment will be at a later date. Arrangements by Morrison Funeral Chapel.
