Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!George Norton
Family law attorney
George Hillman Norton, who lived in and around Menlo Park for 40 years, died November 29 at his home in Palm Springs.
Mr. Norton was born in Marietta, Ohio, in 1930. He attended high school in Oak Park, Illinois, and graduated from Brown University. He served as a Naval officer in the Korean War.
Mr. Norton graduated from Stanford School of Law in 1957 and practiced law in the Bay Area until 1998. A specialist in family law, he was instrumental in formulating child support schedules in California and won the 2000 Hall of Fame award from the Academy of Certified Family Law.
An avid fly fisherman, Mr. Norton was active in environmental causes. He was a past president of the Committee for Green Foothills and was a longtime Sierra Club member.
Mr. Norton is survived by his wife of 45 years, Adele Woods Norton of Palm Springs; son Neil of Decatur, Georgia; and daughter Carol Norton of Placitas, New Mexico.
A memorial service is planned later in Palo Alto.
Memorials may be made to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML); or the Alliance for Lung Cancer, P.O. Box 84, Vancouver, Washington 98666. The AAML has set up a scholarship fund for those interested in the field of family law: George Norton Scholarship fund, AAML, 5th floor, 285 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto, 94301.
Jean Ross Peterson
Personal finance author
Jean Ross Peterson, a resident of Portola Valley and Borrego Springs, died November 26. She was 70.
Born in Portland, Oregon, Mrs. Peterson was a graduate of the Branson School in Ross and Stanford University. She taught elementary school in Seattle.
Mrs. Peterson was the author of three books on personal finance and taught her personal finance management system to audiences throughout the United States.
Mrs. Peterson is survived by her daughter Lee Peterson Baker of Afton, Minnesota, and husband Barlett J. Baker Jr.; cousins Robert J. Stewart of Atherton and Donald J. Stewart of Merced; and two grandchildren.
A private family service is scheduled. Memorials may be made to Christ Church Episcopal, 815 Portola Road, Portola Valley, or the Jean Ross Peterson Memorial Library at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 691, Borrego Springs, California 92004.
Hugh Kennedy, electronics engineer
Friends are invited to an open house at The Sequoias, in the lounge, from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, December 2, to remember Hugh David Kennedy, a longtime resident of Portola Valley. Mr. Kennedy, who died of complications from Parkinson's disease November 20, and his wife, Dorothy, had lived at The Sequoias for the past four years.
Mr. Kennedy was born in Highland Park, Michigan, in 1926. He graduated from the University of Michigan, where he served as president of his senior class in the school of engineering. He was a radar technician in the U.S. Navy from 1944 to 1946.
Mr. Kennedy returned to California in 1951 after accepting a job offer from Hewlett-Packard. The couple built their first home in Portola Valley in 1952.
Mr. Kennedy worked in production and marketing of electronic instruments, primarily with Granger Associates (GA) and its off-shoot, Technology for Communications International (TCI). He started Granger Associates European subsidiary in England and traveled extensively, establishing a worldwide sales network for the company.
Mr. Kennedy's family recalls that he was a fine craftsman and a talented amateur winemaker. He was a backpacker and skier, and loved hiking local trails.
Survivors include Mr. Kennedy's wife, Dorothy; daughter Lynn Kennedy of Los Gatos; a brother, Paul Kennedy of Troy, Michigan; and nephews John and David Kennedy.
Memorials may be made to: Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), 3000 Sand Hill Road, Building 4, Suite 135, Menlo Park, 94025; The Parkinson's Institute, 1170 Morse Ave., Sunnyvale, 94089-1605; or Mid Peninsula Hospice Foundation, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, 94025.
Olive Caletti, Bargain Box volunteer
Olive Mary Caletti, a resident of Menlo Park for 62 years, died November 19 at Stanford Medical Center. She was 89.
Mrs. Caletti had many interests and hobbies, including gardening, travel, and collecting antiques. She worked as a volunteer at the Bargain Box in Palo Alto for 25 years.
Mrs. Caletti is survived by her children: Shirley Leick of Half Moon Bay; Ruth Mosunic of Palo Alto; Robert and Paul Caletti, both of Menlo Park; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Family members say they are grateful to Claire Sunga and Lavenia Tuitoga for the care given by those two women to their mother.
Private services were held. Memorials may be made to the Children's Health Council, 650 Clark Way, Palo Alto 94304, or to a favorite charity.
Sara Kathryn Dunn
Menlo Park volunteer
A memorial service for Sara Kathryn Dunn, who lived in Menlo Park for 48 years, will be held Wednesday, December 27, at 1 p.m. in the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church.
Mrs. Dunn, 84, died December 5 of heart failure at St. Dominic's Hospital in Manteca. She moved from Menlo Park last September to Jackson in Amador County, where the family had owned property since the early 1960s.
Born in Richmond, Missouri, on January 14, 1916, she completed nurses training in 1935 in Kansas City. She marriage Harold Dunn in 1938. They were relocated in San Francisco by the U.S. Navy in 1942. Mrs. Dunn continued working in San Francisco until her husband returned from the war.
In 1952, the Dunns bought a home in Menlo Park, where she lived for 48 years. Mrs. Dunn's nursing background taught her how to "give completely," said her family. She served as a Pink Lady for more than 20 years as a member of the Stanford University Hospital Auxiliary. For 15 years, she volunteered at the Menlo Park Library. She was an active and dedicated member of the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church and United Presbyterian Women since 1954, family members say.
Mrs. Dunn was described by her family as being gifted with a "green thumb," bringing new meaning to the beauty of roses and orchids. Her passion for plants was equaled only by her love of animals. She also was an avid reader and accomplished cross-stitcher and quilter. Her nightly routine was surfing the Internet, answering e-mail and solving a crossword puzzle.
Mrs. Dunn is survived by her son Robert Dunn, his wife, Elizabeth Dunn, and granddaughter, Emily, all of Merced; and daugher Debbie Dunn of Pine Grove. Her husband, Harold, died in 1989.
A private gathering will take place sometime in January at the Sunset View Cemetery in Jackson.
Arrangements have been under the direction of Daneri's Mortuary in Jackson.
Michael Labo
Retired Woodside High teacher
A memorial service will be held at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 19, for Michael Labo, a Woodside resident for more than 40 years, who died December 13. He was 78.
Mr. Labo was born in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, in 1922 and grew up in a family of eight children. He served as an officer and pilot in the U.S. Navy Air Force during World War II and was a graduate of State Teachers College in Pennsylvania, with a master's degree from San Francisco State University.
He taught industrial arts at Woodside High School for 35 years and enjoyed sharing his knowledge of metal and woodworking with his students, says his family. He retired 11 years ago.
Mr. Labo is survived by his wife, Gladys Pennington-Labo; children Michael Jr. of Redding, Virginia of San Jose, Sydney of La Honda, Jonathan (Jay) of Redding, and Peter of San Jose; step-children Will and Nancy Pennington of Woodside; 10 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; brother Chas Labo of Redwood City; sisters Sue Tidwell of Los Angeles and Isabelle George of Half Moon Bay; and the mother of his children, Virginia Walker.
Earl F. Parsons
Office products company owner
Earl F. Parsons, who lived the last 51 years of his life in Palo Alto and Menlo Park, died December 9 after a lengthy illness. He was 76.
Mr. Parsons was born in San Francisco. He was a decorated veteran of World War II and an executive in the office products industry for 48 years as owner of Kielty & Dayton Inc. office products company.
Mr. Parsons is survived by his wife of 57 years, Gloria G. Parsons of Menlo Park; daughter Marilyn Henderson of San Diego; son Dana Parsons of Portola Valley; and five grandchildren.
Private services have been held. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 2065 West El Camino Real, Suite C, Mountain View CA 94040.
Eva A Mitchell
Menlo Park centenarian
Eva A. Mitchell of Menlo Park, who celebrated her 100th birthday recently, died December 9 at Stanford Hospital.
Friends are invited to a memorial service at 4 p.m. Tuesday, December 12, at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 330 Ravenswood Ave., Menlo Park.
Mrs. Mitchell, the wife of the late Harry B. Mitchell, is the mother of Jacqueline Child of Menlo Park and Barbara Kirtley of Ridgefield, Connecticut; grandmother of eight and great grandmother of 19; and the aunt of Janet Hamlin of Menlo Park.
A native of San Jose, Mrs. Mitchell was an escrow officer with the Leonard Edwards firm and a past matron and 75-year member of the Order of the Eastern Star in San Jose.
Memorial contributions may be sent to the Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children, 2425 Stockton Blvd., Sacratmento, CA 95817 or Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 330 Ravenswood Ave., Menlo Park.
Antonio 'Tony' Affrunti
45-year resident of Menlo Park
A Mass of Christian Burial for Antonio "Tony" Affrunti, a Menlo Park resident for 45 years, will be held on Wednesday, December 13, at 11 a.m. in St. Denis Church, 2250 Avy Ave., Menlo Park. Burial will be at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto.
Friends may call from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 12, at the Menlo Park Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries, 650 Live Oak Ave., Menlo Park.
Mr. Affrunti, a cement mason with the Union Local 25, died December 8 at Stanford Hospital after complications from heart surgery.
Born 80 years ago in LaSalle, Illinois, he was raised in Sicily from the age of 5. After serving in the Italian Army, Mr. Affrunti came to California in 1949 to join his two cousins in Mountain View. He met his future wife, Anna, at the Sunnyview Italian Social Club in Sunnyvale. They were marriage in 1955 and settled in Menlo Park.
Mr. Affrunti enjoyed many events at the Italian American Social Club of Menlo Park and the Italian Catholic Federation, also in Menlo Park, such as dinner dances, picnics, holiday parties and bocce ball. He played bocce ball every day in Redwood City with a group of friends during the past few years. His trademark in his Valparaiso Avenue neighborhood was his tan Chevy truck. Family members said they can still hear him singing his favorite Italian songs.
Mr. Affrunti is survived by his wife, Anna T. Affrunti of Menlo Park; daughters Christine Stahler of Menlo Park and Tina Real of San Carlos; a sister, Rosalia Anzalone of New York; and four granddaughters Amanda and Kathleen Stahler and Jessica and Lauren Real.
The family requests that memorial contributions be made to the donor's favorite charity.
Jayne Westbrook
Kings Mountain preschool founder
Jayne Westbrook, who founded the Little People's Learning Place on Kings Mountain in Woodside, died November 20 at St. John's Living Center in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She was 77.
Ms. Westbrook was born Mary Jane Duley in Memphis, Tennessee, and grew up in Kansas City. She was a graduate of Northwestern University. After college, she took the stage name of Jayne Westbrook and pursued a career in modeling and acting in New York City where she worked with show business celebrities such as Bob Hope, Joey Bishop and Rita Hayworth.
Leaving New York, she came to California where she taught for a time at Jordan Junior High School in Palo Alto. After her marriage to Tom Bengtsson, she settled in Kings Mountain where they raised their three daughters.
After her divorce, she opened the Little People's Learning Place in Kings Mountain. She also helped raise foster children. While working full-time, she earned a master's degree in psychology and counseling from the University of California at Berkeley.
Six years ago she moved to Driggs, Idaho, to be closer to her daughters, opening another Little People's Learning Place.
Ms. Westbrook is survived by her daughters Jeanette Beard and Amanda Letham of Driggs, Idaho; Wendy Figone of Sunnyvale; brother Dr. Norman Duley; and four grandchildren.
George Francis Beardsley
Vice admiral in Navy
Vice Admiral George Francis Beardsley, a one-time Menlo Park resident, died in Palo Alto on November 22. He was 93.
Born in Illinois, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1925, and became a naval aviator in 1931. During most of World War II, he served on the staff of the commander of the Pacific Fleet. At the war's end, he became director of the Fiscal Division in the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics.
He attained his vice admiral's rank in 1960, and became chief of Naval Material, where he was responsible for formulating the Navy's procurement, contracting, production and inspection policies. He retired in 1963, and lived in Menlo Park from 1963 to 1976.
In 1933, he marriage Grace Cruce Willmott, who died in 1991. They had three children, Irene, George and Robert. He is survived by Irene, Robert, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Margaret Bowley
Menlo Park resident
Margaret Wood Bowley of Menlo Park and Indian Wells, California, died November 23 in Menlo Park. She was 71.
Mrs. Bowley was born in Tast, California, and attended the University of California at Santa Barbara. At one time she was assistant to Jesse Unruh, former speaker of the California Assembly. Mrs. Bowley raised her family in Southern California, moving to Menlo Park 12 years ago.
She was an avid golfer and enjoyed traveling with her late husband Jack Bowley. She was a member of the Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club and El Dorado Country Club.
Survivors include her children, Gayle Hart of Stockton, Keith Davenport of Dana Point and Anne Hampton of Santa Rosa; stepchildren Janet Landauer of Atherton and John Bowley of Menlo Park; brother Robert E. Wood of Bass Lake, California; and seven grandchildren.
Funeral services were held December 9 at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Palm Desert. Memorials may be made to The Living Desert, 47900 Portola Ave., Palm Desert 92260; Stanford Hospice, 300 Pasteur Drive MC5520, Stanford, CA 94305; or a favorite charity.
J. Emott Caldwell
Owned Caldwell's store in Woodside
A memorial service will be held Saturday, December 30, for J. Emott Caldwell, a longtime Woodside resident and owner of the former Caldwell's General Store, who died at his Woodside home December 21 after complications from a stroke. He was 84.
The service will begin at 10 a.m. at Christ Church in Portola Valley.
Mr. Caldwell was born in 1916 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, but lived in Woodside for almost 50 years.
He attended Williams College, and went to work in the advertising business in New York City, while keeping a keen interest in the family's Philadelphia jewelry business, founded by his great-great-grandfather, J.E. Caldwell.
He joined the U.S. Navy in World War II, and after earning his wings at Pensacola, became a flight instructor, and later served as pilot to Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.
After the war, he stayed involved in aviation, flying across the country numerous times in his Beechcraft Bonanza, and becoming an avid glider pilot.
Mr. Caldwell moved his family to Atherton in 1950, and acquired Neuman's General Store in Woodside. Renaming it Caldwell's General Store, he sold everything from fine wines and rib roasts to bulk nails and horse feed. He sold the store, now Roberts market, in 1960.
He served several terms on the Woodside School Board and was a longtime member of the Palo Alto Fellowship Forum. In his later years, he became involved in child development, and became a major benefactor for both the Rudolf Steiner Institute and Jane Goodall Foundation.
Mr. Caldwell sang in a barbershop quartet and in the choir at Christ Church in Portola Valley. Later, he was a supporter of the musical group Chanticleer.
He read to the blind weekly for many years, giving more than 1,000 hours to the program.
Mr. Caldwell is survived by his six children, Hannah (Haydi) Sowerwine of Kathmandu, Nepal; James E. Caldwell Jr. of Woodside; Julie C. Tave of Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Anne Caldwell of Seattle; Johnathan Anthony Caldwell of Stratham, New Hampshire; and Sarah Caldwell of Sacramento. Other survivors are 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
The family prefers contributions to Recordings for the Blind.
Doris M Bonora
48-year Atherton resident
Doris M. Bonora, an Atherton resident for the past 48 years, died December 15 in a Menlo Park convalescent home.
Mrs. Bonora, 88, a native San Franciscan, was interested in politics and worked as a volunteer for the League of Women Voters for many years. She also served as a hostess for international students attending Stanford University. She enjoyed gardening and was a member of the Menlo Park Garden Club. While her children were growing up, she volunteered at Encinal School, then a K-8 grade school, in Atherton.
Mrs. Bonora is survived by her children Janice Bonoro of Annapolis, California; Tonoy Bonora of Woodside; and Beth Bonora of Menlo Park; her sister, Bess Hagan of Yuba City; and three grandchildren, Owen Bonora Laine, Alyssa Marie Bonora and Cameron Daniel Bonora.
Memorial contributions in Mrs. Bonora's name may be made to the League of Women Voters Educational Fund, 1730 M St. NW, Suite 1000, Washington, D.C. 20036-4568.
A family service is being planned.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of John O'Connor's Menlo Colonial Chapel.
