Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!John E. Hawkins
Oil executive; flew WWII combat missions
John Edwin Hawkins, a retired petroleum executive and a resident of Atherton and Carmel, died of heart failure October 8 at the Community Hospital on the Monterey Peninsula. He was 86.
Mr. Hawkins was born September 10, 1914, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and moved with his parents to California in the midst of the Depression in the early 1930s. He attended Bakersfield Junior College, then later went on to Fresno State, where he excelled in academics as well as basketball and as a starting quarterback for the Bulldogs, family members say.
Shortly before World War II, Mr. Hawkins joined the RCAF in Canada to learn how to fly and, after graduation in 1941, he was transferred to the RAF in England where he was assigned to the Spitfire Squadron.
In early 1942, Mr. Hawkins was transferred to the U.S. Army Air Corps in North Africa where he was awarded the Distinguished Fying Cross for flying combat missions against Rommel's Afrika Corps. While stationed in North Africa, Mr. Hawkins escorted England's Prime Minister Winston Churchill to various parts of the Mediterranean.
After the war, Mr. Hawkins became involved in Kern County's oil industry. He eventually became chairman of the Berry Petroleum Company in California. He moved in 1949 to Atherton's Lindenwood neighborhood, where he lived for 30 years before moving to Carmel.
Mr. Hawkins is survived by his wife Lenore; stepchildren Tim Duane and Leeann Duane, both from Florida; a son Owen Hawkins and his wife Connie of Atherton; and five grandchildren, Greg, Kim, Chris, Colin and Cory.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that tax-deductible donations be sent to the West Kern Oil Museum, Attn: Dorothy Gardner, P.O. Box 491, Taft, CA 93268.
Lauren Neale-May
14-year-old dies in soccer accident
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Friday, October 13, at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church for Lauren Neale-May, 14, of Portola Valley, who died October 4 after colliding with another player during a school soccer match at a private school in Bethel, Maine.
Lauren was a freshman at the New Hampton School in New Hampton, New Hampshire, playing in a junior varsity soccer match against Gould Academy in Bethel. She collapsed after a collision with another player, the Associated Press reported.
Lauren was the daughter of Candace (Burley) Neale-May of Portola Valley and Donovan A. Neale-May of Los Altos. She was born in Palo Alto and attended St. Joseph's School in Atherton. Family members say she enjoyed sports, including soccer, basketball, softball, skiing, golf and volleyball, and loved cooking and art.
Lauren is also survived by her brother Gregory of Portola Valley; sister Kimberly Neale-May of Los Angeles; maternal grandparents Gertrude and Richard Burley of Hernado, Florida; aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins, both in the United States and South Africa. She was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Phyllis and John Neale-May.
A memorial service, to be announced, will be held in California. Memorials may be made to World Servants, 7130 Portland Ave., South, Minneapolis, MN 55423.
Myron D. Alexander
Attorney and Portola Valley leader
Myron D. "Mike" Alexander, a prominent lawyer and a key player in the founding and growth of Portola Valley, died suddenly September 26 at The Sequoias senior residential community in Portola Valley. He was 91.
Mr. Alexander and his wife, "Bunny," who died less than two months before, moved to Portola Valley in 1959, and were community pillars ever since. "They were a great team," said longtime community leader Bill Lane. "They were always there to help in any way."
A lawyer and detail man, Mr. Alexander worked for incorporation of Portola Valley in the early 1960s and served on the first Planning Commission from 1966 to 1976, including several terms as chairman.
Later he was active in town efforts to preserve open space, worked diligently with the Historic Resources Committee, and compiled a 70-page history of the town. "Mike was a very good resource," said Mr. Lane. "He had a good memory bank for details and dates and names."
In his long career as an attorney, Mr. Alexander also built a reputation for meticulous research and independent thinking. "Mike was my mentor," said Menlo Park attorney Bill Esselstein, who joined his law firm more than 30 years ago. "He was truly a wonderful lawyer, a very, very imaginative man, and an original thinker."
Mr. Alexander, together with his law partner Jack Robertson and other county attorneys, banded together to found the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County in 1958. He was a regular volunteer there, and received the society's Guardian of Justice Award in 1999.
"He would come into the office regularly almost until the day he died," said Executive Director Peter Reid.
A native of Chicago, Mr. Alexander graduated from Northwestern University in 1933 and received his law degree there in 1935. After practicing law in Chicago, he joined the Air Force during World War II and was a special agent in military intelligence.
Mr. Alexander marriage Berenice Lapin in 1943. They moved Menlo Park in 1946 with the first two of their three children.
After working for several years as a trial attorney for the U.S. Office of Price Administration and the U.S. Attorney General in San Francisco, Mr. Alexander started private practice in Menlo Park in 1953. He continued to practice, mostly in real estate law, until his retirement in 1990. He also taught real estate law part-time at Stanford in the former School of Architecture.
Mr. Alexander was a notable athlete who enjoyed swimming, skiing, hiking and tennis -- which he played until he was 82. He also was a world traveler, and avid reader. "We used to go on family outings," daughter Eden Alexander recalls. "He left us a legacy of loving the outdoors."
His son Jonathan died in 1996, and his wife Berenice died last August. He is survived by daughters Katie Hunter of Tallahassee, Florida, and Eden Alexander of Bellingham, Washington; and two grandchildren.
The family will hold an informal reception Saturday, October 21, from 2 to 4 p.m. at The Sequoias, 501 Portola Road, in Portola Valley.
The family suggests donations to the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), 3000 Sand Hill Road, 4-135, Menlo Park, CA 94025; or the Legal Aid Society Fund, Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, 521 E. 5th Ave., San Mateo, CA 94402.
David Vasquez
Outdoorsman and war veteran
David "Bud" Vasquez of Menlo Park died October 6 at his home after a battle with cancer.
Mr. Vasquez was born in Monterey in 1925. He was a graduate of Burlingame High School and served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II and the Korean War. He was employed in the masonry business; his last employer was Person Western in Burlingame.
Mr. Vasquez was an avid fisherman and frequently hunted on his ranch in Carmel Valley. He was a past commodore of the Peninsula Boating Association and head wagonmaster of the Palo Alto Elks Wheelers R.V. group.
Survivors include his wife of 49 years, Marion; son David; daughter Laurie Wyant; sisters, Maryjane Vales, Ynes Warren, Peggy Renton and Carole Clark; brother George; and three grandchildren.
Funeral services were conducted October 9 at Roller Hapgood and Tinney Funeral Home, Palo Alto, with Burial at Alta Mesa Memorial Park, Palo Alto. The family prefers donations to a favorite charity.
Jack McCowan
Insurance executive
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, October 16, at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, 950 Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park, for Jack Bramwell McCowan. Mr. McCowan died at The Sequoias retirement community October 8 after a brief illness. He was 87.
Mr. McCowan was a resident of Menlo Park for 32 years. He was a graduate of the Stanford University School of Business in 1936 and a vice president of the Firemen's Fund Insurance Company.
He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Minna; sons Robert of Palo Alto, Philip of Los Gatos, and Jack, Jr. of Lafayette; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Mr. McCowan's name to The Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula, P.O. Box 1029, Menlo Park, 94026. Arrangements were under the direction of Roller Hapgood & Tinney, Palo Alto.
Joan Boyce
Portola Valley volunteer
Joan Elizabeth Boyce, who served as president of the Portola Valley Ranch Homeowners Association, died October 3. She was 72.
Born in Blythe, California, Mrs. Boyce grew up in Riverside, graduating from Pomona College in 1949. She later earned master's degrees in public relations and library sciences.
Mrs. Boyce and her husband, Jim, retired to Portola Valley from Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1986. She quickly immersed herself in activities at Portola Valley Ranch, where she organized community events, such as the Chuckwagon Breakfast, pot-lucks, and educational lectures, according to the family. She was chair of the ranch's landscape committee, where she helped educate residents about native plants and the care of heritage oaks. She will be remembered for her project to revive the Western bluebird population, say family members. She crafted kits from recycled wood and helped residents construct and place dozens of bluebird houses around the ranch.
Said one Portola Valley resident, "Joan was always there to pitch in and see that the nitty gritty got done." Said another, "Joan was so full of ideas (for) getting people involved and making them feel needed - and she always brought her famous chocolate chip cookies."
After moving to Portola Valley, Mrs. Boyce acted as a volunteer office manager in several of Congressman Tom Campbell's early political campaigns, beginning in 1988. Her commitment to public service dated back to Allentown where she performed volunteer work for 27 years, including creating scholarships for women through AAUW book sales, and promoting adult and youth literacy programs. She also organized nutrition workshops for families in public housing.
An avid outdoors person, she took part in many backpacking hikes with the Sierra Club, and set aside early morning hours for tennis with friends.
In addition to her husband, Jim of Portola Valley, she is survived by her her children, Dick of Portola Valley; Jan Boyce of Boxboro, Massachusetts; Lori Harvey of Acton, Massachusetts; and three grandchildren.
Private services are being planned by the family. Contributions may be made in Mrs. Boyce's memory to the Portola Valley Open Space Acquisition Fund, Town Hall, 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley, 94028.
R. Stanley Lord
Branch chief for USGS
A service will he held at noon Saturday, September 30, celebrating the life of R. Stanley Lord, a longtime resident of Menlo Park and a U.S. Geological Survey employee, who died August 26 in Cupertino.
The service will be held at the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Lord was born in Samoa (Humboldt County), California, later moving with his family to Pasadena. He graduated from Cal Tech with a degree in civil engineering.
Mr. Lord went to work for the federal government in the Department of the Interior's Geological Survey as a junior engineer in the Ground Water Division, and was assigned to the San Francisco Branch.
Over his 42 years with the Survey, he served in several locations, finally in Menlo Park, where he retired in 1972. He rose to become branch area chief covering seven western states before completing his final assignment as the district engineer for the state of California in the several years before his retirement.
In 1971 he received the Department of the Interior's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award.
Always an active church member, Mr. Lord was a leader in the Christian Endeavor movement in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1950 he served as president of the Christian Endeavor movement for the state. He was treasurer for Menlo Park Presbyterian Church for some 20 years. He also was a member of the Menlo Park Rotary Club and helped with fiscal responsibilities at the Armstrong School.
Mr. Lord is survived by his wife of 69 years, Ruth; sons James Myron of Porterville and Roy Stanley Jr. of Cupertino; sister Meta Francis of Whittier; seven grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.
Final arrangements have been made through the Neptune Society. Donations may be made in the name of the R. Stanley Lord Memorial Fund, c/o The Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, 950 Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025.
Donn Robbins
Former SLAC engineer
Donn B. Robbins, 77, died of thyroid cancer in his sleep September 8. A member of the original engineering team of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Mr. Robbins worked with scientists from around the world in their pioneering work exploring particle physics.
Born in Norton, Kansas, in 1922, Mr. Robbins served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, flying aerial resupply and aircraft ferrying missions in the South Pacific.
After the war, he earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo.
In 1950, he joined the Bechtel Corporation, where he worked on designs for oil refineries and power production facilities throughout the United States and Saudi Arabia.
In 1962, Mr. Robbins began work at Stanford University on the design of the two-mile long linear accelerator under the leadership of Wolfgang Panofsky and later Nobel Prize winner Burton Richter. As mechanical engineer, he contributed to the development of the accelerator from initial design stages to completion at its site on Sand Hill Road. He retired in 1987.
Mr. Robbins was an active member of the Woodside Village Church. In addition, he held memberships in the Redwood City Elks Lodge #1991 and the Sons in Retirement (SlRs), El Camino Branch No.16.
An avid Stanford football fan, Mr. Robbins and his wife held season tickets to Cardinal games for more than 30 years. He also was a devoted golfer, playing several times a week when not travelling extensively with his wife, Connie.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Corinne (Connie) of Redwood City, and four children and their spouses, Terri and Joe Tiffany of Menlo Park, Carol and Gary Manley of Redwood City, David and Cyndi Robbins of Concord, and Douglas and Dawn Robbins of Fair Oaks, five grandchildren, Jamie and Melinda Manley, Jordan and Forrest Tiffany and Drew Robbins, and his brother, Dale Robbins of Modesto and sister, Jeanne Hailey of Tracy.
Private memorial services have been held.
Edward Silva
Retired grocery store owner
Edward Silva died September 4 at his home in Menlo Park. He was 84.
A native of Redwood City, Mr. Silva owned a retail grocery store for 40 years. He was a member of the Redwood City Elks Lodge.
He is survived by his wife, Marjorie Silva of Menlo Park; his son Edward P. Silva and his wife Tracy of Los Altos; his brothers George Silva of Aptos and William Silva of Redwood City; and his granddaughter Kayla Mary Silva of Los Altos.
A graveside service was held at Holy Cross Cemetery in Menlo Park, with arrangements by Spangler Mortuaries.
Alfred Gfroerer
Real estate investor
Alfred Emile Gfroerer of Menlo Park, who was trained as a pastry chef in his native France and later became a real estate investor, died September 12. He was 98.
Mr. Gfroerer was trained as a pastry chef prior to serving in the French army in World War I. He immigrated to the United States in 1924 and became the youngest head pastry chef at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. In the late 1920s he worked for the Matson Navigation Company as a pastry chef before settling in Honolulu where he met his wife, Cecilia.
Mr. Gfroerer opened a bakery in Honolulu and began investing in real estate. In 1950 he moved his family to Atherton where he continued to manage his real estate investments. He moved to Menlo Park in 1979 after the death of Cecilia Gfroerer. In 1980 he marriage Dorothy Petrich. They were marriage until her death in 1995.
Mr. Gfroerer was a lifelong member of the Honolulu Elks Lodge and was active for many years in the Menlo Park Lions Club and SIRS.
He is survived by his sons, Alfred and Kenneth of Menlo Park; Robert of Sunnyvale; and two granddaughters.
Graveside services were held September 18 at Alta Mesa Memorial Park. Arrangements were under the direction of the Menlo Park Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries.
Jesse A. Henriques
Atherton resident and dentist
A memorial Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday, September 23, at Church of the Nativity, 210 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park, with a reception to follow for Jesse A. Henriques, who died September 1 at his Atherton home, where he has lived with his family for 37 years. He was 78.
Dr. Henriques served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He graduated in 1950 from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, now known as the University of the Pacific, and for the next 50 years practiced general dentistry in South San Francisco.
Throughout his career, Dr. Henriques contributed his time and expertise to the San Mateo Dental Society, the California Dental Association, the American Dental Association, the South San Francisco Lions Club and the South San Francisco Duffers.
He also was an assistant professor at the College of Physicians and Surgeons before it was known as UOP.
Dr. Henriques is survived by his wife of 50 years, Mary Ann; his children Jesse Henriques, Jeffrey Henriques, Carrie Fregosi, Cate McWilliams, Chris Bianchina; 13 grandchildren; and 25 great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in the name of Dr. Henriques to Stanford Hospice, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA, 94305, and the University of the Pacific, 2155 Webster St., San Francisco, CA, 94115-2399.
Elizabeth 'Betsy' Crowder
Environmental leader
In an eerie replay of history, Elizabeth "Betsy" Swann Crowder of Portola Valley was killed September 29 in an automobile accident on Portola Road, less than a mile from where her husband, Dwight, was killed by a speeding car 30 years ago. She was 74.
Friends reacted with shock and disbelief at the sudden loss of one of the Peninsula's most active and influential conservationists. "Who says that lightning doesn't strike twice?" asked former Portola Valley Mayor and Councilman Bob Brown.
"Both Dwight and Betsy were involved in the founding of the town of Portola Valley," Mr. Brown continued. "She has been involved in every conservation struggle, movement, battle, for the last 40 years."
"The world is not as good a place," said Craig Britton, general manager of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Mrs. Crowder represented southern San Mateo County on the district board since 1989, and was president twice. During her tenure, the district increased its holdings of open space on the Peninsula from 29,000 to 43,000 acres.
"She was the most involved board member," Mr. Britton added. "She volunteered for projects, hiked the trails, and scouted lands to be bought. We will sorely miss her."
There will be a memorial service Sunday, October 8, at 4 p.m. at Valley Presbyterian Church, 945 Portola Road in Portola Valley.
Born in Boston, the oldest of four daughters, Betsy Swann gained her love of the outdoors and wilderness at the family camp in New Brunswick, Canada, where they summered during her girlhood. She graduated from Radcliffe College with a major in English, and went on to Stanford for a master's degree in anthropology.
As an active member of the Stanford Alpine Club, she met Dwight Crowder, an enthusiastic mountaineer and geology student, in the late 1940s. They were marriage in 1950 and began a life of adventure together.
Starting in 1952, the newlyweds lived in Spokane, Washington, where Dwight worked for the U.S. Geological Survey. They spent rugged summers in geological camps mapping the Northern Cascade mountains. Soon daughters Wendy and Anne joined their summer adventures.
From 1956 to 1958, the family lived in Norway while Dwight obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Oslo, while Betsy learned to speak Norwegian and love the mountains.
Back in the United States, the Crowders built their home in Portola Valley and became very much involved in conservation causes, both locally and nationally. They campaigned actively for incorporation of Portola Valley to stem encroaching development. They also worked hard to establish North Cascades National Park, and the 1964 Wilderness Act. And Betsy became active in the League of Women Voters.
After Dwight Crowder was killed on Portola Road in 1970, Mrs. Crowder began focusing more and more on local conservation efforts. She chaired the Portola Valley Conservation Committee, and later served on the Planning Commission from 1972 to 1977.
At the same time, Mrs. Crowder went back to school and earned a master's degree in city planning from Stanford. She worked as an environmental planner for Palo Alto from 1972 to 1980, often commuting by bicycle the eight miles from Portola Valley.
Mrs. Crowder was a member of many conservation and trail organizations: the California Native Plant Society; the San Mateo County Trails Advisory Committee; the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council; the Bay Area Open Space Council; and Committee for Green Foothills. She also served as a docent at Filoli and Jasper Ridge.
Mrs. Crowder also stayed active in Portola Valley, attending meetings and speaking out for affordable housing. "She was a great lady," said Phyllis Quilter, who shared those efforts. "She valued trails and keeping Portola Valley rural, but she also supported affordable housing."
Mrs. Crowder was also an independent and intrepid world traveler to remote places around the world, including Africa, Nepal, China, and Uzbekistan and the Pamir mountains in Central Asia. She had just returned from Tibet, and, at the time of her death, was returning from an Explorers Club meeting in San Francisco.
With her friend, Jean Rusmore of Ladera, Mrs. Crowder co-authored the third edition of the guidebook, "Peninsula Trails," and was hard at work on the third edition of "South Bay Trails."
Mrs. Crowder is survived by her daughters Wendy Crowder of Palo Alto, and Anne Crowder of Willits; two grandchildren; her sisters Barbara Mouffe and Ellen Leupold of Boulder, Colorado, and Mary Anderson of Barrington, Rhode Island; and 15 nephews and nieces.
The family suggests contributions to the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), 3000 Sand Hill Road, 4-135, Menlo Park, CA 94025.
