Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Robert M. Johnson
Retired safety engineer
Vigil services will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 25, at the Menlo Park chapel of Spangler Mortuaries for Robert M. Johnson, who died May 22. He was 71.
A native of San Mateo who grew up in Redwood City, Mr. Johnson lived in Menlo Park for many years. He was a retired principal safety engineer with the Department of Industrial Relations who attended Mt. Carmel parochial school and graduated from Sequoia High School in Redwood City in 1945.
He obtained his commission from the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point in 1950 and served as an engineering officer during the Korean War until 1953. He was a member of both California Boilers Inspectors Association and the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors.
He is survived by his wife Betty Johnson of Menlo Park; children Kevin Johnson of Palo Alto, Gary Johnson of Menlo Park, Karen Groppe of Modesto, and Robin Johnson of Burney, California; sisters Jean Harrison and Carol McAdams, both of Redwood City; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Visitation begins at 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 25, at the Menlo Park chapel of Spangler Mortuaries at 650 Live Oak Avenue, followed by vigil services at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Wednesday, May 26, at 10:30 a.m. at the Church of the Nativity, 210 Oak Grove Avenue, in Menlo Park.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 1 Almaden Blvd., Suite #500, San Jose, CA 95113-2214.
Steven Holtzman
Author, tech executive
Steven R. Holtzman, an author, composer, and technology industry executive, died March 4 at his Woodside home after a 15-month struggle with cancer. He was 43.
His research on digital content was published in "Digital Mantras," published by MIT University Press, and in "Digital Mosaics: the Aesthetics of Cyberspace," published by Simon and Schuster. He frequently commented on digital media on radio and in printed media.
Mr. Hotzman held several executive positions in high-tech firms over the past 19 years. He founded Perspecta in San Francisco and was a founder and director of Liquid Audio of Redwood City, founder of Optimal Networks in Mountain View, and on the board of advisers for the Motion Factory. He held executive positions with Radius, Farallon, and Wyse Technologies.
Born in Great Neck, New York, he received a doctorate in music and computer science in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he directed the first Electronic Music Festival at the annual Edinburgh Festival. He composed musical scores using digital technology and exploratory media, and his CD, "Guitar Travels," was released in 1992, while other recordings such as "Digital Mantras" were released with his published books.
He is survived by his wife Trudy Edelson of Woodside; and sisters Diane Feirman of Portola Valley and Harriet Parcells of Cabin John, Maryland.
Services have been held.
Esther Carter
Volunteer
Esther Carter, a 27-year resident of Menlo Park, died March 8. She was 86.
Born in Warren, Pennsylvania, Mrs. Carter volunteered at the V.A. Health Care Center in Menlo Park for 35 years. Family members said she was an avid folk dancer, swimmer, and golfer.
She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Clint Carter of Menlo Park; sons Bruce Carter of Berkeley and Keith Carter of Camarillo; a sister Zelda Levin of San Mateo; five grandchildren; and two great grandchildren.
Graveside services were performed March 12.
Henrietta Hill
Longtime resident of Menlo Park
Henrietta Hill, a resident of Menlo Park for 29 years, died March 9. She was 85.
A native of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, Mrs. Hill is survived by her son Gerald C. Mlodnosky of Palo Alto; her brother Sigmund Nestor of Florida; sister Helen Levine of Pennsylvania; two grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Her husband Alfred Hill and son Robert F. Mlodnosky preceded her in death.
Funeral services have been held. Arrangements were made by Spangler Mortuaries in Menlo Park.
Alice O'Hair Findlay
Menlo Park volunteer
Alice O'Hair Findlay, an active Menlo Park volunteer, died March 13 at the age of 92.
Ms. Findlay lived in Palo Alto for many years with her late husband, Gilbert. The two retired to Menlo Park, where Ms. Findlay became active in Menertons, a civic organization supporting the Peninsula Children's Center.
She is survived by her daughter, Virginia Findlay Kruger; granddaughters Erika Rae White and Paula Allison Henson; and great-grandchildren Emma Katharine White, Alexander Arthur White and Dylan Asa Henson.
William Raitt
History buff
William Paul Raitt, an American history buff from Menlo Park, died March 12. He was 97.
Mr. Raitt was born in Dietz, Wyoming, in 1901. He received a degree from the Creighton University School of Pharmacy and operated his own drug store in Nebraska for many years.
He moved to Menlo Park in 1973. During his retirement years, Mr. Raitt enjoyed dry fly-fishing for trout and studying American history, especially the Civil War.
Mr. Raitt is survived by his son Dr. James Raitt of Portola Valley; three grandchildren, Merritt Raitt, Nelson Raitt and Heather Raitt; and two great-grandchildren.
Private services were held at Our Lady of the Wayside Church in Portola Valley. Arrangements were handled by John O'Connor's Menlo Colonial Chapel in Menlo Park. Contributions may be sent to the American Heart Association.
Robert J. White
Menlo Park
Roberta J. White, one-time Menlo Park resident, died recently in Ukiah, California.
Mrs. White was a graduate of Miss Harkers School for Girls in Palo Alto, where she lived much of her life. She also lived in Los Altos and Menlo Park, where she was an ardent horseback rider and an early member of the San Mateo County Horsemen's Association.
She is survived by sons John R. Bradley, James C. Bradley, and Robert Decker; daughters Jeannette B. Rettig and Star R. Decker; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
There were no funeral services. Mrs. White's ashes will be spread on the family ranch near Laytonville and off the Kona coast of Hawaii. Memorials may be made to a favorite animal welfare charity.
Fausto Zelaya
Economist
Fausto Zelaya, a native of Nicaragua who lived in Atherton for 22 years, died April 10. He was 70 years old.
Mr. Zelaya was a consultant fron 1950 to 1978 in the fields of economic planning, public finance, and law. He was the founder El Banco de la Vivienda de Nicaragua and was its CEO until 1978. He was a member of the founding committee of the Nicaraguan Social Security System and the Nicaraguan Central Bank Board.
For the past 22 years, Mr. Zelaya was a real estate investor in California and an attorney. He published several works on economics, including "Accounting as a Tool of Administration" and "Financial Statements of Countries with High Inflation."
Affiliated with the Franciscan Order, he belonged to the Knights of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Gertrude Pineda de Zelaya; children Father Fausto, Concepcion, Gertrude, Noel, and Maria; seven grandchildren; and sisters Luisa, Carmelita, and Angelita.
Services have been held.
Peter Arnstein
Accountant
Peter Arnstein, an Atherton resident and accountant, died April 7. He was 80.
Mr. Arnstein was born in San Francisco and graduated with an engineering degree from Stanford University. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Aleutians and the Philippines, leaving the service with the rank of major.
He was a partner in the former John Forbes & Co., a public accounting firm now part of KPMG. He retired from the firm in 1986.
He was an officer in many professional organizations in accounting and was president of the San Francisco chapter of the California Society of CPAs in 1967-68.
He also served on the Jewish Welfare Federation of the West Bay and in other community groups.
He is survived by his wife, Marianne; and sons John of Encino, Peter of Charlotte, North Carolina, and James of Alameda.
Services have been held. Donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, Greater San Francisco Bay Area, 330 Distel Circle, Suite A, Los Altos, CA 94022.
Keith Wickham Cox
Marine biologist
Keith Wickham Cox, a resident of Woodside for 50 years, died March 4. He was 89.
Born in Piedmont, California, he attended Piedmont High School and the University of California, where he met his wife of 60 years, LaVerne.
He worked for 20 years at the State Department of Fish and Game as a marine biologist, traveling to Japan to study oyster farming. His specialty was albalone, and he authored and illustrated many scientific papers on abalone and other shellfish, otters, and studies of the environment of the California coast. Family members said he was an experienced scuba diver and helped develop the first underwater camera.
After retiring from the Fish and Game Department he lived in Djibouti, Nigeria, Mauritius, and the Sultanate of Oman as a senior fisheries scientist, where he developed techniques of marine and freshwater fisheries and aquaculture.
He was a member of the American Fisheries Society, World Aquaculture Society, Conchologists of America, Friends of Woodside Glens, Alfa Romeo Car Club, and the Volvo Car Club. He was an avid member of the Morgan Sports Car Club, where he co-planned "Morgans over America," a caravan across North America of international Morgan drivers.
He is survived by daughters Carolyn McNamara of Novato, Kathleen Barcos of Menlo Park, Christine Galea of South San Francisco, and Constance Ghigleri of Flagstaff, Arizona. He is also survived by six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. His wife LaVerne preceded him in death.
A memorial is planned for June 5 for 1 p.m. at the Woodside Town Hall in Woodside. Donations may be made to the Peninsula Open Space Trust, 3000 Sand Hill Road 4-135, Menlo Park, CA, 94025.
Mary Gamble
Gardener
Avid gardener and longtime Peninsula resident Mary Gamble died at her home in Woodside April 6. She was 92.
Mrs. Gamble was a lifelong member and supporter of the Woodside-Atherton Garden Club.
She is survived by her sons, Launce E. Gamble of San Francisco and George F. Gamble of Lake Berryessa; her grandchildren, George T. Gamble of Napa Valley, James A. Gamble of St. Helena, Aimee G. Price of Mill Valley, Launce L. Gamble of San Francisco, Mark D. Gamble of Ross, and Sydney Gamble of San Francisco; and four great-grandchildren. Her husband, rancher Launcelot J. Gamble, preceded her in death.
The family said contributions may be made in her memory to the League to Save Lake Tahoe, 955 Emerald Bay Road, South Lake Tahoe, CA 95610.
Elizabeth McCann Lawry
Volunteer
Services will be held Saturday, March 20, at 1 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Menlo Park for Elizabeth McCann Lawry, who died March 11. She was 86 years old.
Born in San Francisco in 1912 to Mark McCann and Gertrude Vandre McCann, she moved with her family to Menlo Park in the early 1920s. She attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Castilleja School and San Mateo College.
She was a charter member of the Menlo Circus Club, a member of the San Francisco Spinsters, and a society photographer for the Examiner and Town and Country Magazine.
She marriage Dr. Edwin Lawry in 1942, and raised her family primarily in Atherton. Mrs. Lawry was a member of the Junior League of Palo Alto, the Century Club of California, the Atherton Dames, Little House, the Friends of Filoli, and the board of the Menlo Park Historical Association. Family members said she was skilled at interior decorating, needle point, cooking, and gardening, and that she loved taking walks with her friends.
Mrs. Lawry is survived by her daughter, Donna; two sons, Mark and Vance; granddaughter Barbara Hutchinson; and great granddaughter Sarah Hutchinson. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1981.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute, 300 Homer Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94301. In addition, the Menlo Park Historical Association is accepting donations for a memorial to be built on the former grounds of Mrs. Lawry's childhood home, now the rectory of Saint Raymond's Catholic Church.
Marcy Seifert Aylward Oliver
Writer
A funeral service will be held at the Menlo Presbyterian Church Saturday, March 20, at 2 p.m. for Marcy Seifert Aylward Oliver, who died March 11 after a long illness. Before moving to Los Altos, she was a longtime resident of Sharon Heights in Menlo Park. Born in West Virginia, Mrs. Oliver lived in New York, Honolulu, and Boston before moving to the Bay Area in 1970. Family members said she was active in the early days of Honolulu radio, broadcasting as the "Dorothy Dix of the Air" in the 1930s. In recent years she wrote a number of privately published books, including one written with her husband, Roy Oliver. Mrs. Oliver was also a member of the Atherlons and Little House in Menlo Park.
She is survived by her husband Roy B. Oliver of Los Altos; daughter Marcy Aylward Harris Conley; grandchildren Mark Aylward Harris of Providence, Rhode Island, Jill Harris Benshoof of La Canada, Stuart Theodore Aylward Harris of Berkeley, and Marcy Lynn Harris of Sunnyvale. She is also survived by three great grandchildren. She was marriage previously to Theodore Aylward of Haverford, Pennsylvania, and George W. Anderson of Boston, both now deceased. Donations may be made to Peninsula Volunteers in Menlo Park.
June Sidells
Ohioan
Services will be held Friday, March 19, at 2 p.m. at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, for June Sidells, who died March 13. She was 90 years old.
An Ohio native, Mrs. Sidells was the wife of Arthur F. Sidells for 64 years. She assisted him in his architectural practice and was a community volunteer in Warren, Ohio, before moving to California 10 years ago.
She is survived by her two sons, Stephen of Menlo Park and Stuart of Berkeley; two granddaughters, Elisabeth of San Francisco and Margaret of Berkeley. She was preceded in death by her husband Arthur and grandson John Sidells.
The cremains of Mrs. Sidell will be interred with those of her husband in the Columbarium at the First Presbyterian Church of Warren, Ohio.
Kathryn A. Ogborn
Menlo Park
Services were held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for Kathryn A. Ogborn, who died in her Menlo Park home March 3. She was 82.
Born in South Dakota in 1917, Mrs. Ogborn moved to Menlo Park in 1987.
She is survived by her children and in-laws, Mary (Larry) Anderson and Mark (Daine) Ogborn of Menlo Park; Murry (Connie) Ogborn and Mike (Jill) Ogborn of Denver; brother Tim Murry of Sioux City; and sister Madonna Larsen of Dubuque, Iowa.
Contributions may be made to the American Lung Association. Arrangements were made by John O'Connor's Menlo Colonial Chapel in Menlo Park.
Virginia Koblick
Menlo Park
Virginia Margaret Koblick, a Menlo Park homemaker, died March 10 in her home. She was 73.
Ms. Koblick was originally from Salt Lake City, Utah. She is survived by her husband, Allan; children Stephen Koblick, Jamie Koblick and Anne McQuillen; siblings Glenn Christensen, Ernie Christensen and Evie Lindsey; and two grandchildren.
Private family services and Burial will be held at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto. Arrangements will be handled by the Menlo Park Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries, 650 Live Oak Ave., Menlo Park.
Linda S. Burns
Former Menlo Park resident
Memorial services for Linda S. Burns, a former Menlo Park resident, will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 20, in the home of her parents, William and Patricia Robertson, 16 Maple Ave., Atherton.
Mrs. Burns died February 3 after a short illness in Fresno where she had lived after moving from Menlo Park. She was 53.
She was widely recognized in the field of care providers for show quality Persian cats that won many awards and accolades, said her mother.
Born in Palo Alto, Mrs. Burns attended Encinal School in Atherton, graduated from Menlo-Atherton High School, and attended California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. She is survived by her daughter, Jackie Burns Kapuniai of Pacifica; five grandchildren; her parents; and two brothers, Scott and Brad Robertson.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to a charity of the donor's choice.
