Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Benjamin Tipton
County employee
Benjamin P. Tipton, who lived in Menlo Park for 47 years, died April 20. He was 80.
A native of Visalia, he served in the U.S. Army in World War II and was a retired employee of San Mateo County, where he worked as a vocational and housing specialist.
Mr. Tipton is survived by his wife of 53 years, Mary Whittle Tipton; son Steven and his wife Kristin; daughter Ann and her husband Michael; daughter Louise and her husband Mark; daughter Elaine and her husband George; son Mark and his wife Suzanne; and eight grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held April 24 at St. Raymond's Catholic Church in Menlo Park. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Vincent de Paul Conference, in care of St. Raymond's Church.
Virginia N. Conway
Longtime Atherton resident
A funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, May 5 at 10 a.m. at the Church of the Nativity, 210 Oak Grove Ave., in Menlo Park for Virginia N. Conway, who died on May 2. She was 84.
A longtime Atherton resident, Mrs. Conway was the wife of the late John F. Conway Jr. She is survived by her children: Virginia Anne Curran, Janet Noel Willbanks, Diane Marie Caselli, Cherie Terese Cattaneo, Ruth Marie Galea, Mary Teresa Conway, John F. Conway, Robert A. Conway, Ronald C. Conway, Richard P. Conway, Michael J. Conway, Stephen G. Conway; and 28 grandchildren.
Contributions may be made to the Nativity Building Fund, 210 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park 94025, or to the Convent of the Sacred Heart, 2222 Broadway, San Francisco, CA. Arrangements were made by the John O'Connor Menlo Colonial Chapel in Menlo Park.
Kristian Rogne
Machinist
and dyemaker
Former Menlo Park resident Kristian Rogne, a machinist and dyemaker working in government research, died at his Los Altos home on April 30. He was 94.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, May 6, at 1 p.m. at the Chapel of Roller, Hapgood & Tinney, 980 Middlefield Road, in Palo Alto.
A native of Lillehammer, Norway, Mr. Rogne moved to Chicago in 1926 where he met his wife Olga, who preceded him in death after 54 years of marriage. He came to California in 1963 and stayed briefly in Santa Barbara before moving to Menlo Park, where he spent the next three decades.
Mr. Rogne was a longtime member of Peninsula Volunteers' Little House before moving to Seven Oaks Retirement Home in Los Altos in 1994.
He is survived by two brothers, Gudbrand and Jens, and many nieces and nephews.
Jack Sherman McDowell, Pulitzer prize winner
Jack Sherman McDowell, a 51-year resident of Atherton, died on May 9. He was 84.
Born in Alameda to Myra and J. Sherman McDowell, the editor and publisher of the Alameda Times-Starr, Mr. McDowell began his newspaper training at his father's paper while he was still in high school. He attended San Jose State College before joining his brother, Cliff, as managing editor and co-owner of the Eugene (Ore.) Daily News and the Turlock Daily Journal.
He became a staff writer at the San Francisco Call-Bulletin in 1942. After winning the Pulitzer Prize in journalism in 1945, he wrote a daily column, "Memo From Mac," until 1950, when he became city editor. From 1956 to 1969 he was the political editor for the Call-Bulletin and its successors, the News-Call Bulletin and The Examiner.
During World War II, Mr. McDowell also wrote a book, "And Pass the Ammunition," in collaboration with Navy Chaplain Howell M. Forgy.
In 1971 he founded a political consulting firm, Woodward & McDowell, with Richard S. and Mary H. Woodward. The Burlingame-based firm specialized in campaign management including the 1976 election of U.S. Sen. S.I. Hayakawa, and the 1970 re-election of Gov. Ronald Reagan, in collaboration with Spencer-Roberts & Associates.
Mr. McDowell is survived by his wife of 59 years, Jeannette; his daughters, Nancy Swanson of Fresno, Judy McDowell of Los Altos, and Peggy McDowell-Cramer of Santa Monica; his brother, Clifford McDowell of Alameda; four grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Graveside services were held on May 15 at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto. Arrangements were made by Crippen & Flynn Chapel of Redwood City.
Donations may be made to the Midpeninsula Hospice Foundation, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025.
Fred Matting
Aerospace engineer, outdoorsman
A memorial service will be held Tuesday, June 9, for longtime Menlo Park resident Fred W. Matting, who died May 20.
Mr. Matting, 82, had suffered from cancer.
Born in San Francisco, Mr. Matting received a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley in 1937. He became a teaching fellow at Yale University, and later taught at Kansas State University.
His teaching career was interrupted by military service during World War II. After the war, he settled in Menlo Park and went to work for NASA as an aerospace engineer. He was instrumental in the research of heat shields for rocket nose cones, his family said.
While doing research at NASA, Mr. Matting earned his master's degree and doctor of philosophy degree at Stanford.
Mr. Matting was an avid tennis player, and enjoyed camping, hiking and mountain climbing. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, UC Berkeley and Stanford alumni associations, Reserve Officers Association and the Sierra Club.
Mr. Matting is survived by his sister, Corinne Matting Bradt of Walnut Creek, a nephew, two nieces, and two grand-nieces. He was preceded in death some years ago by his wife, Charlotte.
The memorial service is set for 3 p.m. June 9 at Stanford Memorial Church, west transept side chapel, at the end of Palm Drive on the university campus. The family prefers that memorial contributions be made to the charity of the donor's choice.
Arrangements were made by John O'Connor's Menlo Colonial Chapel.
Edna Wheeler Audiffred
50-year Woodside resident
Edna Wheeler Audiffred, a Woodside resident for 50 years, died on May 17.
A native of American Falls, Idaho, she relocated to California, where she lived for 56 years. Mrs. Audiffred was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star Chapter 551 in San Carlos for 42 years, and was Past Matron of the chapter during 1993 and 1998. She was also the Past Mother Advisor for the John Lewis McDonald Order of the Rainbow for Girls in Redwood City.
She is survived by her husband of 51 years, A. Jacques Audiffred; her children, Dean J. Audiffred of Lafayette, Beatrice Trask of Newark, and Charmaine Radtke of San Carlos; and grandchildren Victoria and Kimberly Trask of Newark.
A memorial service was held at White Oaks Chapel in San Carlos on May 31. Contributions may be made to the Sequoia Hospital Foundation, Attn. Department of Radiation Oncology, Redwood City, CA, 94061, or to a charity of the donor's choice.
Gordon C. Jennings
Systems engineer
Gordon C. Jennings, longtime resident of Woodside, died May 23 in Virginia, where he had retired. He was 60 years old.
He attended Princeton University and graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in mechanical engineering.
He began his career with Kodak as a systems engineer, retiring in 1993 from Lockheed Missles and Space Corp.
Professionally he was highly regarded in the field of optics, photometry, statistics and digital imaging, said family members, who noted that he made major contributions to defense programs of national importance.
Mr. Jennings was an accomplished sailor, an avid horseman, a serious photographer, and a longtime supporter of environmental issues and animal rights.
Survivors include his wife Ellen W.; his mother, Evis T.; brothers Peter H. and Gregory T.; three stepchildren, Andrew A. Greene, Laurie G. Wolinski, and Allyson G. Harrison; 12 grandchildren and three nieces.
Memorial services will be held Sunday, May 31, in Delaware. There will be a memorial service in Woodside at a future time. The family requests donations to the Peninsula Open Space Trust, 3000 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA. 94304.
Jay Morton Finley
25-year resident of Menlo Park
Jay Morton Finley, a Menlo Park resident for 25 years, died May 16. He was 74 years old.
A native of San Francisco, he enlisted in the Navy and was a fighter pilot during World War II. During the war he was rescued after surviving in the ocean for five days when his plane was shot down.
From 1947 to 1948 he attended Menlo College in Atherton before founding Elsie M. Finley and Son Realtors, a joint business venture with his mother. After living in Menlo Park, he lived in Diamond Springs for 17 years.
A member of the Stanford Area Lions Club until 1981, he was also a life member of the Palo Alto Masonic Lodge #346 and a member of the Cold Springs Golf and Country Club. He enjoyed hunting and fishing in the Siskoyan Mountains particularly, and enjoyed golfing anywhere, family members said.
He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Honey; his sister, Barbara McGarr; three sons, Jay M. Finley Jr., Scott T. Finley, and Lee T. Finley; and five grandchildren.
Private services will be held in San Francisco. A luncheon celebrating Jay's life will be held on Monday, June 1, at Cold Springs Country Club, 6500 Clubhouse Drive, in Placerville, CA; friends are invited to call the club at (530) 622-4567 for more information.
Joan Fischer Targ
Organic farmer
Joan Fischer Targ, a longtime resident of Portola Valley who was in the news in recent years in a dispute with neighbors over an organic farm, died suddenly and unexpectedly of a cerebral hemorrhage June 2. She was 60 years old.
Her death occurred just weeks after the settlement of a five-year battle with neighbors, Planning Commissioners, and the Portola Valley Town Council over her plans to start a small organic garden and truck farm on a parcel of land in the Hayfields division. In April a San Mateo County Superior Judge awarded her the right to establish her farm.
While she gained local notoriety for the garden dispute, her life was remarkable both for the depth of her achievements and the breadth of her far-ranging interests, family members said.
Born in Moscow, she was the daughter of Dr. Regina Pustan and German biophysicist Hans-Gerhardt Fischer. It was Joan who first taught her younger brother, chess prodigy Bobby Fischer, to play the game. He went on to beat Russian title-holder Boris Spassky for the world chess championship in 1972.
Ms. Targ attended high school in New York, where she was a Regent's Scholar before attending Brooklyn College. Her many degrees include a master's in education from the College of Notre Dame and certification as a master gardener from the University of California's Extension School. A registered nurse as well, she achieved the highest nursing board score east of the Mississippi, family members said.
In New York she also did extensive research at the Museum of Natural History and in Santiago, Chile, where she worked on a project that involved classification of pre-Columbian artifacts.
After moving to Palo Alto she taught at Jordan Middle School, where she began pioneering a peer tutoring program. Her interest in peer tutoring and experiential learning led her to the Stanford Project at the School of Education, where she developed an innovative computer-tutoring program. Widely admired, the program was subsequently adopted by -- among other institutions -- the McNair School in East Palo Alto, which teamed NASA scientists with students in learning about the Internet.
Family members said that, to Ms. Targ, the farm was as much about building community as growing vegetables and was an outgrowth of her convictions about the value of learning by experience and the importance of engaging life completely.
She is survived by her husband, Russell Targ; her children, Alex, Nicholas, and Elizabeth; her brother, Bobby Fischer; and three grandchildren.
A celebration of her life was held at the Targ home in Portola Valley on Sunday, June 7. About 100 people turned out in a gentle drizzle to say kaddish, followed by a drum-led march to the garden which her children said had been such a central theme of her life.
Joline Archer
Longtime Portola Valley resident
Joline Archer, a longtime resident of Portola Valley, died on May 20. She was 73.
She is survived by her husband, Robert, of Portola Valley; daughter Mary Jo Kloezeman of Portola Valley; and a grandson.
Services have been held.
Agostino Ascani
Member of Italian-
American Social Club
Agostino Ascani, an East Palo Alto carpenter and member of Menlo Park's Italian-American Social Club, died in Redwood City on May 31. He was 83.
A native of Frontone, Italy, Mr. Ascani is survived by his wife, Adalgisa; sons Otello and Dominic, both of Redwood City; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Ivo, who lives in San Carlos, and three sisters, Linda Passetti of Millbrae, Lisa Cavallini of San Francisco and Marina Giombini of Pergola, Italy.
A memorial service was held June 3 at the Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park.
Franklin Milton "Bud" Warden
Former Woodside resident
Former Woodside resident Bud Warden died on April 28 in Orlando, Florida, where he had lived for the past 12 years. He was 80 years old.
Born and raised in Chicago, Mr. Warden attended Colgate University, where he lettered in track and field. He returned to Chicago and marriage Wynee Martin in 1943, and remained marriage until his death.
During World War II he served as a second lieutenant and fighter pilot instructor in the Army Air Corps.
An avid golfer, Mr. Warden was past president of Palo Alto Hills Country Club. As the owner of Artline Packaging in Burlingame, he was also involved in many aspects of the packaging industry, family members said.
After relocating to Florida, Mr. Warden was a member of the Bay Hill Club in Orlando and was also involved with various community and charitable organizations including the Arnold Palmer Hospital and Rollins College.
Mr. Warden is survived by his wife of 55 years, Wynee; his three sons, Bert of Redwood City, Chandler of Tucson, Arizona, and Andrew of Orlando, Florida; and seven grandchildren.
The family asks that any donations be directed to the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Women and Children, 92 West Knorr Rd., Orlando, FL 32803.
John "Jack" James Willis
40-year resident of Menlo Park
Jack Willis of Menlo Park died June 1. He was 84.
Born in Sherman Oaks, Mr. Willis moved to Menlo Park in 1958. He retired in 1976 after working for 42 years on railroads.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Neva May Willis; children Donna Rife and Jack Willis; seven grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
Contributions may be made to the MidPeninsula Hospice Foundation, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, 94025.
John "Jack" James Willis
40-year resident of Menlo Park
Jack Willis of Menlo Park died June 1. He was 84.
Born in Sherman Oaks, Mr. Willis moved to Menlo Park in 1958. He retired in 1976 after working for 42 years on railroads.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Neva May Willis; children Donna Rife and Jack Willis; seven grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
Contributions may be made to the MidPeninsula Hospice Foundation, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, 94025.
Yvonne D. Carey
40-year resident of Atherton
Yvonne D. Carey, a 40-year resident of Atherton, died June 9. She was 93 years old.
A native of San Francisco, in 1928 she marriage Herbert J. Cornish, who founded the real estate firm of Cornish & Carey in 1935. After Mr. Cornish's death in 1953, she was marriage to psychologist George Stevens for 28 years. Her third marriage, to Dr. Clarence Carey, ended in divorce in 1991.
Mrs. Carey was a member of the Menlo Country Club.
She is survived by her children, Jim Cornish and Cynthia Nowlan; and nine grandchildren.
Private services were held, followed by Interment at Alta Mesa Cemetery in Palo Alto. Funeral arrangements were made by Roller, Hapgood, & Tinney Funeral Directors.
