Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Roy A. Giannotti
Former resident of Atherton, Woodside
Roy A. Giannotti, a native of San Francisco and resident of Atherton and Woodside, died May 1 in Reno, Nevada. He was 75.
Mr. Giannotti attended Balboa High School in San Francisco and graduated from Sequoia High School in Redwood City. He attended the College of San Mateo and the University of San Francisco. A World War II veteran, he served in the Pacific Theater in the 147th Infantry, attached to the 3rd Marine Division.
Mr. Giannotti was a retired executive of the Seagram Company and Paul Masson Vineyards. He was a member of the California Wine Institute, The French Nous, the Grand-Maitre De L'Ordre De Bontemps, the board of directors of the San Mateo County Mounted Patrol, and the Shack Riders of Woodside. Mr. Giannotti and his wife resided in South Lake Tahoe for the past 10 years.
He is survived by his wife, Joanne; daughters, Pam Giannotti of Danville, Sheri Tucci of Bellvue (Colorado), Robin Sweetman of Pleasanton, Sandy Kamburis of San Jose, and Jamie Dominikus of Dublin; sons, Scott Giannotti of Penn Valley and Jason Giannotti of Woodside; and 12 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his brother, Philip.
A funeral Mass was celebrated on May 5 at Our Lady of the Wayside Church in Portola Valley.
Bill Nahmens
Water service manager
Bill Nahmens, a native of Portola Valley, died March 1 at the age of 80.
Mr. Nahmens, who worked for the Bear Gulch District of the California Water Service Company for 43 years, retired as general manager in 1984.
Mr. Nahmens was a true native of this area. His grandfather came to Portola Valley in 1860 to raise strawberries. His father was the first caretaker at the Bear Gulch Reservoir, before Cora Flood gave it to the University of California. Mr. Nahmens grew up in the upper Alpine area of Portola Valley, in the shadow of Coal Mine Ridge, and attended the historic (little red) schoolhouse in Portola Valley.
He served as a platoon sergeant in Company K, 311th Infantry, U.S. Army, in Europe during World War II. He was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds suffered in the line of duty.
In his years as manager of the Bear Gulch District, Mr. Nahmens and his wife, Elsie, lived on the Bear Gulch Reservoir's 100-acre property in Atherton. Bear Gulch Canyon Watershed, which covers more than 1,200 acres from Woodside Road to Skyline Boulevard, flows down the hills into a 28-acre lake on the Atherton property. The district provides water for parts of Menlo Park, Atherton, Woodside and Portola Valley.
Mr. Nahmens loved the outdoors and spent much of his time at the family ranch near Laytonville in Mendocino County. His son, Jim Nahmens, recalls his father's favorite hobbies were hunting, fishing, story-telling, gardening, and cutting firewood by hand. "Even in his later years he could hike, hunt, and chop wood better than young men. He will be remembered as the world's best deer hunter," he says.
"He was the kindest gentleman I ever knew," says Chief Mike Fuge of the Woodside Fire Protection District, who had known Mr. Nahmens for 36 years." Mr. Fuge said he and his children enjoyed hearing Mr. Nahmens' stories about growing up in Portola Valley when it was real country. "I used to go hunting with him up at the ranch, and it was hard to keep up with him," he added.
Mr. Nahmens is survived by his wife of 60 years, Elsie; a sister, Gertrude of Grass Valley; three sons, Bill of Portola Valley, Bob and Jim of Redwood City, and their wives; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Bill is caretaker at the Pony Tracks Ranch for Jacques Littlefield. (At one time his father worked at the Pony Tracks as a ranch hand, and that is where he met his wife, Elsie, who was working for the Rolph family.) Bob is a battalion chief at Woodside Fire Department, and Jim is a wildlife photographer, specializing in whales, dolpins and marine mammals.
There will be an informal memorial gathering from 2 to 5 p.m., Saturday, March 11, at the Mounted Patrol Grounds, 521 Kings Mountain Road, Woodside. Contact the Woodside fire district, 851-1594, for further information.
The family prefers memorial donations to the Mule Deer Foundation, 1005 Terminal Way, Suite 170, Reno, Nevada, 89502, or to a favorite charity.
Rosalie Sawyer
Menlo Park Realtor
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, March 13, at St. Denis Catholic Church, 2250 Avy Ave., Menlo Park, for Rosalie B. Sawyer, who died in Redwood City on February 21. She was 80.
Mrs. Sawyer was an administrative assistant and licensed Realtor for 28 years at Menlo Management Company in Menlo Park. A longtime Menlo Park resident, she was a charter member of the Children's Health Council in Palo Alto, and worked actively on Summer Symphony, the council's annual fund-raiser.
She was also secretary to Monsignor Edwin Kennedy for many years when he served as pastor of St. Raymond's Catholic Church, Menlo Park.
Mrs. Sawyer is survived by daughters Janet Welch of Oakland and Jinx Wattles of Clearwater, Florida; eight grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Willard G. (Gib) Sawyer, and daughter, Martha Woodd.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Children's Health Council, 700 Sand Hill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303.
Joseph Gibb
Native of England
A memorial Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 8, at Church of the Nativity, Menlo Park, for Joseph Gibb, who died March 1 in Redwood City. He was 74. Mr. Gibb, a native of Liverpool, England, came to the United States in 1956 with his wife, Margaret, to work in the engineering department of Lytton Industries, San Carlos. He was then employed in the engineering department of Watkins-Johnson Company for 35 years, retiring 10 years ago. Mr. Gibb had lived in Menlo Park for 45 years.
An avid golfer, Mr. Gibb took part in many company golf tournaments when he worked for Watkins-Johnson. He was also a handyman who enjoyed working around his house and helping neighbors with projects.
He is survived by his wife, Margaret Gibb; son Peter and his wife, Elizabeth, of San Carlos; one grandson; and a brother, John Gibb, and sister, Ann Smith, both of England.
A vigil and rosary are scheduled for 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 7, at Church of the Nativity, 210 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park. Memorial contributions may be made to the Nativity School Endowment Fund, 1250 Laurel St., Menlo Park, 94025.
Barbara Neuman England
Former Woodside resident
Barbara "Bobbie" Neuman England, who spent her early years in Woodside, died April 7 in Sonora. She was 81.
In the 1930s and 1940s, she and her sister, Marion, were well known in the Woodside community as the Neuman twins. Their family owned the Neuman Brothers General Store. Robert's of Woodside now occupies that building.
After working at Neuman Brothers, Mrs. England pursued a career in the travel industry in San Francisco and Seattle. She led trips through France and other European countries. She and her husband, the late William Robert England, presented travel updates on Seattle television.
Mrs. England moved to Jamestown in 1976. She served as a "candy striper" at Sonora Community Hospital and organized teenagers into a "Junior Patrol," working to keep their neighborhood clean. Her family recalls she strongly believed in civic responsibility and was always ready to help others, "But most of all she loved to have fun and make life fun for others," says her niece Kathy Neuman of Menlo Park.
Mrs. England is survived by her twin sister, Marion J. Neuman of Lincoln, California; sister-in-law Mary Neuman of Sonora; brother-in-law Negley England of Jackson, Mississippi; several nieces and nephews, including Kathy Neuman of Menlo Park; step-daughter Susan England Ernley of Olympia, Washington; and step-son Rob England of Seattle.
Mary Jeanette Browne
51-year Menlo resident
A funeral Mass for Mary Jeanette "Jeanne" Browne will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 19, at St. Denis Church, 2250 Avy Ave. in Menlo Park. A vigil is planned for 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, at the Cusimano Family Colonial Mortuary, located at 96 El Camino Real in Mountain View.
Mrs. Brown died suddenly of apparent heart failure at her home in Menlo Park on April 15. She was 82.
Mrs. Browne, a native of Wallingford, Connecticut, moved to Southern California in 1930, where she met Edward C. Browne, whom she marriage in 1935. In 1939, the couple moved to the Peninsula and to her current home in Menlo Park in 1949. Mrs. Browne worked for more than 30 years at Saks Fifth Avenue in Palo Alto, and was a member of St. Denis Catholic Church. Family members said she had suffered from Alzheimer's disease for the past two years.
Mrs. Browne was preceded in death by her husband of 46 years, Edward. She is survived by eight of her 10 children: Shirley Browne of Menlo Park, Virginia Hauck of New Jersey, Sister Mary Bernadette of Corpus Christi Monastery in Menlo Park, Mary Kathleen Hunnicutt of Sunnyvale, Edward C. Browne Jr. of Menlo Park, John Browne of Chico, Joseph Browne of Half Moon Bay, and Mark Browne of Redwood City; 21 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
The family prefers memorial contributions be sent to Queen of Peace Monastery, 3690 152nd St., Surrey, B.C. V4P2J9.
Phyllis Argall
Menlo Park resident
Phyllis Lockwood Carter Argall, a resident of Menlo Park for 30 years, died April 3. She was 80.
Mrs. Lockwood was a native of Mt. Kisco, New York. With her first husband, Mike Lockwood, she owned jewelry stores in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and Susanville, California, and lived for a time in Walnut Creek. She marriage George O. Argall in 1986.
Mrs. Argall is survived by her husband, George; sons, Ted Lockwood of Macon, Georgia, and Ellis Lockwood of San Ramon; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Interment services were held April 7 at White Plains Rural Cemetery, White Plains, New York. Memorials may be made to Midpeninsula Hospice, 201 San Antonio Circle, #135, Mountain View, 94040.
Samuel Van Ness
Printing company owner
Samuel David Van Ness, who was scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 109 in Menlo Park, died April 2 at his Atherton home after a brief battle with cancer. He was 57.
A native of Texas City, Texas, and 1964 gradute of the University of Notre Dame, Mr. Van Ness was a Golden Gloves boxer and participant in the 1964 Olympic boxing trials. He was a captain in the United States Marine Corps and was awarded numerous decorations, including a Bronze Star with valor, for service in Vietnam.
Mr. Van Ness owned and operated Van Ness Printing in Burlingame for 20 years. An Eagle Scout, he had a lifelong involvement with the Boy Scouts of America, and also served as a Cub Scout den leader. An avid fly fisherman, he fished streams around the world. He was also president emeritus of the Owatassa Club.
Mr. Van Ness is survived by his wife of 30 years, Suzanne McCarthy Van Ness of Atherton; son, Jeffrey of Washington, D.C.; two daughters, Kristin and Carolyn of Palo Alto; brother Thomas Van Ness of Newark; and two sisters, Vernell Evenson of Newark and Cheryll Anzelc of Fremont.
A memorial service was held April 7 at the Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park. Memorials may be made to Midpeninsula Hospice, 201 San Antonio Circle, #135, Mountain View, California, 94040.
John Henry Tilton III
Former Atherton resident
John Henry Tilton III died April 7 while vacationing on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. He was 66.
Mr. Tilton resided in Atherton and recently moved to Roseville, California, following his retirement from Lockheed in Sunnyvale, where he had worked for 40 years.
He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Carolyn Sue Tilton; his sons, John Tilton IV and Mark Tilton; his daughter, Sarah Tilton; his sister, Margaret Smith; and five grandsons.
Services were held at Roller, Hapgood and Tinney in Palo Alto, with private Burial at Alta Mesa Memorial Park.
Lois Weinmann Hawley
Community volunteer
Lois Weinmann Hawley died at her Atherton home April 7 following a long illness. She was 85.
Born in Alameda, she moved with her family to Atherton in 1957. She attended U.C. Berkeley and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.
Her family was her prime interest in life, according to family members, but she was also an active community volunteer. She served as Cub Scouts leader for her three sons, was president of the East Bay Junior League, and was president of the Children's Theater of the East Bay. She was also a board member of the San Francisco Opera Guild.
Mrs. Hawley was preceded in death by her husband Stuart Meek Hawley. She is survived by her children, Wendy LeRoy, Wallace Hawley, Stuart Hawley and Stephen Hawley; her brother Teller Weinmann; six grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
No memorial services will be held, at Mrs. Weinmann's request. Memorial donations may be sent to the Humane Society of Santa Clara, 2530 Lafayette St., Santa Clara, CA 95050; or to Pets in Need, 873 Fifth Ave., Redwood City, CA 94063.
Joseph Benjamin Weeden
Longtime resident of Menlo Park
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held June 9 for Joseph Benjamin Weeden, who died June 1 at the age of 96.
Dr. Weeden, who was born in Menlo Park on January 25, 1904, and resided there for 70 years, was in private dental practice in Palo Alto for 50 years. A 1927 graduate of the University of California College of Dentistry, he served as a lieutenant in the Dental Corps USNR from 1933 to 1941.
Dr. Weeden was a past president of the California State Dental Association and a member of the State Board of Dental Examiners. Other memberships included the Menlo Park Historical Association, the Palo Alto Historical Association and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
Dr. Weeden is survived by his wife, Patricia; and his nieces, Catherine Ann Weeden-Moccia and Linda Marie Weeden-Nelson.
The service will be held at 11 a.m. at St. Raymond's Church, 1100 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park. A Rosary will be held June 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the same location.
Frank Bastasini
Former sheriff's lieutenant
A memorial service for Frank A. Bastasini, a former Woodside resident and lieutenant with the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, is scheduled for Saturday, June 10, at the Woodside Village Church.
Mr. Bastasini died June 2 at the age of 63 after a short illness. He and his wife, Kay, were living in La Quinta, California.
A native of San Francisco, Mr. Bastasini graduated from Sequoia High School, the College of San Mateo, and San Jose State University. He was an officer in the Sheriff's Office for 29 years, retiring as a lieutenant in 1987.
In 1976, Lt. Bastasini set up office in Woodside Town Hall, giving that town a higher degree of access to the Sheriff's Office, and the benefit of having one of its own residents available to give advise and provide information about law enforcement matters.
Mr. Bastasini was a member of the Sons of Italy, the Italian Catholic Federation, the Retired Police Officers Association, and the La Quinta Resort and Golf Club. After moving to the Palm Springs area, Mr. Bastasini developed a passion for golf and ran his own security company.
In addition to Kay, his wife of 34 years, Mr. Bastasini is survived by five children, Dave Evenson of Florida, Lynn Cox of the Dominican Republic, Dena McKelvey of New York City, Jeff Bastasini of La Quinta, and Steve Bastasini of Half Moon Bay; two sisters, Jean Tomatis of Redwood City and Helen Kuhn of Washington; a brother, Jerry of Reno, Nevada; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
The memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, with a reception to follow. The family suggests that memorial donations be made to a local hospice.
Patricia Barrett Clark
Menlo Park resident
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held June 7 for Patricia Barrett Clark, who died June 2 at the age of 78.
Mrs. Clark, a native of San Francisco, resided in Menlo Park for the past 29 years. Born November 15, 1921, she was a graduate of Notre Dame-Belmont High School and Scripps College.
During the mid-1940s, Mrs. Clark worked for NBC radio in San Francisco. From 1947-1948, she lived and worked in Honolulu.
Active in local community and charity organizations, Mrs. Clark was a member of the Serra Club of Palo Alto, the Oakwood Auxiliary, the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, the Valley Auxiliary Family Service Agency of San Mateo County, and the Peninsula Volunteers.
Mrs. Clark is survived by her son, Peter Clark of Atherton; her daughter, Betsy Van Alstyne of San Carlos; her sister, Rosemary LaPointe of Roseville; her brother, Larry Barrett Jr. of Palm Springs; and five grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, William Clark; her brothers, Robert and Jack Barrett; and her sister, Peggy Hubbard.
The service will be held at 10 a.m. at the Church of the Nativity, 210 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park. The Rosary was scheduled for Tuesday, June 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of the Nativity.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Oakwood Auxiliary, 140 Valparaiso Ave., Atherton, CA 94027, or Midpeninsula Hospice Foundation, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025.
Barbara A. Fuller
Sharon Heights resident
Barbara A. Fuller, a longtime Menlo Park resident, died May 27. She was 61.
Born in Santa Cruz, Ms. Fuller was a resident of Menlo Park's Sharon Heights neighborhood for 40 years.
She is survived by her mother, Jacquelyn P. Fuller of Menlo Park; her sister Kristi L. Sullivan of Redwood City; her nephews Brad and Bryan Sullivan; her niece Kelli Kellerman; and a great-niece and great-nephew.
Private services were held. The family prefers that memorial donations be made to the American Cancer Society.
Joseph Quilter dies; he was Portola Valley pioneer, trail builder
Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 16, in Stanford Memorial Church for Rear Admiral Joseph F. Quilter (U.S. Navy, Retired), one of the giants of Portola Valley and guardian of its trails, who suffered a stroke at his Portola Valley home early June 7 and died later that morning at Stanford Hospital. He was 93.
Ever since he moved to Portola Valley in 1955, Admiral Quilter was a commanding presence and an active participant in shaping the community.
"We always referred to him as the Admiral," recalls Bill Lane, another town leader and pioneer, who worked closely with him through incorporation of Portola Valley and afterward. "He was one of the heroes of our town. He'll be remembered for his integrity and convictions -- strong convictions."
Admiral Quilter's greatest legacy in Portola Valley has been his commitment to building a system of trails that allow residents to get around town on foot or horseback. "Trails are a real asset to the community," he told the Almanac in an interview last year. "In the old parts of town, they're a way of getting around without being on the pavement. In the newer areas, which have open space, they're a way to see open spaces."
Up until the very end, Admiral Quilter would go out regularly to check trails and culverts. The morning before he died, he taught a computer class at Little House and came to Town Hall to check an agenda for a meeting, says Mary Hufty, Trail Committee chair.
He also had an amazing memory for trails. "He knew every detail about every culvert and every easement on every trail. He knew the house numbers along every trail in the entire valley," says Dr. Hufty. "Win or lose, he kept his sense of humor and never got bitter."
The retired rear admiral who used to tool around Portola Valley in his 1960 Morris Minor convertible was forged by 30 years in the Navy.
Joe Quilter was born on Good Friday, 1907, in Binghamton, New York, the oldest of eight children.
As a youth, he developed a passion for airplanes, and entered the Naval Academy in 1924. After earning his wings in 1930, "Slim" Quilter flew open cockpit Vought biplanes, the kind that were catapulted from a ship and had to land in the water.
For five years, he served on the cruiser Augusta, often used by President Roosevelt. From 1933 to 1936, his ship served "on the China Station," cruising the Pacific and Orient, showing the flag.
Another Quilter legend was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1934. He flew under the newly built bridge across Sydney harbor, not once, but twice, before being chewed out by the captain, who was Chester Nimitz.
Mr. Lane learned of the episode when he went to Australia as ambassador. "People are still talking about it," he says.
In 1936, Lt. Quilter marriage Adrienne Balch of Hawaii in Manila. They had two children. He spent most of World War II in Washington helping design and supervise construction of aircraft carriers.
In 1945, Commander Quilter commissioned the new aircraft carrier Shangri-La, and subsequently ran the ship as executive officer. Then he saw his only action in the bitter Okinawa campaign against suicide kamikaze attackers. He was awarded the Bronze Star. In a later assignment, he was a senior naval observer of the atomic bomb tests at Bikini.
For his final post before retiring and moving to Portola Valley, Captain Quilter commanded the seaplane tender Salisbury Sound, which was home ship to the Navy's flying boat patrol bomber operations along the Korean coast.
Retiring in 1954, Admiral Quilter received an MBA from Stanford and worked at Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. until 1968. His first wife, Adrienne, died in 1974. He later marriage Phyllis Blum, widow of the late Frank Blum. They became officers in the Computer Club at Little House in Menlo Park, active environmentalists and world travelers.
Admiral Quilter is survived by his wife, Phyllis Blum Quilter; a brother, Brendan Quilter of Ann Arbor, Michigan; sisters Patricia Quilter of Binghamton, New York, and Frances Quilter Donovan of Montrose, Pennsylvania; a son, John F. Quilter of Brisbane; a daughter, Jane Quilter Kennedy of San Francisco; a granddaughter, Susannah Kennedy Poppensieker of Hamburg, Germany; and two great-grandsons.
The family suggests donations to the Portola Valley Open Space Acquisition Fund (PVOSAF) at Portola Valley Town Hall, 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley, CA 94028; Youth and Family Assistance, 609 Price Ave., Redwood City, CA 94063; or a favorite charity.
