Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!John William Sugg
Naval commander in World War II
John William Sugg (Bill Sugg), who was awarded the Silver Star for heroism during World War II, died at his Menlo Park home December 9. He was 84.
Born in Morganfield, Kentucky, Mr. Sugg attended Western Kentucky University until he joined the U.S. Navy, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant commander.
Family members say he saw action in nearly all the major battles of the Pacific, including having the harbor patrol watch in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
While his ship was under repair at Mare Island, he met Mary Jane Dennis, his bride to be, at a party in San Francisco and they were marriage in 1945.
Early in his business career, Mr. Sugg was a partner in a San Francisco advertising firm and later was a founder of a technology company that made ion vacuum pumps and sold them to SLAC.
He was a member of the Bohemian Club of San Francisco, Cypress Point Golf Club, The Guardsman and the Menlo Country Club.
He is survived by his two children, John W. Sugg Jr. of Menlo Park, and Raini Sugg of Sebastopol; two sisters, Barbara Stephens and Betty Orendorf of Bowling Green Kentucky; his brother Matt Sugg of Morganfield, Kentucky; and five granddaughters.
At his request, there will be no services. His family suggests that any contributions in his memory be made to the Mid-Peninsula Pathways Hospice Foundation, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025.
Johan 'John' Blokker
Engineer, CEO
Johan Frederik "John" Blokker died December 7 at his Woodside home. He would have been 71 on Christmas.
A native of the Netherlands, Mr. Blokker joined the Dutch merchant marines in 1953. He later immigrated to the United States, and graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Berkeley, with an electrical engineering degree. He earned a master's degree in engineering from Stanford University while he worked at Hewlett-Packard.
Mr. Blokker served as engineering manager, then general manager for the HP New Jersey division. He retired from that company in 1984, when he was senior vice president.
In pursuing his interest in venture capital, Mr. Blokker then joined Hambrecht & Quist Venture Capitalists. From 1991 until his death, he was chief executive officer of Luxcom Inc., manufacturers of optic cable technology.
Mr. Blokker served as a director on many boards, including the Whittier Trust Co., MidPeninsula Bank, and Zircon. In the nonprofit world, he served as a director of HOPE and the Cato and Hoover institutes, and was involved with the Institute for Justice and the jazz program at Stanford.
Mr. Blokker is survived by his wife of 47 years, Joanne, three children and five grandchildren.
The family prefers that memorial donations be made to the Cato Institute or the Institute for Justice, both in Washington, D.C.; or the the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.
Douglas Charles Gravelle
Longtime Atherton resident
Douglas Charles Gravelle, who lived in Atherton from 1962 until the mid-1970s, died of a heart attack December 16 at his home in Mountain View. He was 50.
Mr. Gravelle was born in Minnesota, where he developed his great love for the outdoors, including boating, water skiing and fishing, family members said.
This love for all things out-of-doors led him to spend his high school summer vacations as a camp counselor at White Fish Lake in Minnesota, where he taught educate young people boating, sailing, swimming, and other water sports.
After moving to California, he attended St. Joseph's School and Bellarmine Academy, and later, the University of Arizona.
When not in school, he spent much of his time playing guitar, which fed his love for music. He also worked at Sports Accessories and Memorabilia in Redwood City.
Mr. Gravelle is survived by his parents, Charles and Dorothy Gravelle of Atherton, sister Cindra Nicholson, brother-in-law John Nicholson, and nieces Kelly and Stephanie of Atherton. He was preceded in death by his brother, Stephen.
Private services were held at Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park.
The family prefers contributions in memory of Douglas Gravelle to: George Mark Children's House, 2201 Broadway, Suite 308, Oakland CA, 94612. The House is a pediatric hospice providing pain and symptom management, and respite care services.
Inge-Lise Parker
Community volunteer
Private memorial services were held for Inge-Lise Parker, a community volunteer and longtime resident of Atherton and Menlo Park, who died November 19.
Born 54 years ago in Copenhagen, Denmark, she marriage Everett "Ted" Humphreys Parker Jr. in Denmark in 1971 and moved to California. She is survived by her husband, daughter Nina and son Christian, all of Menlo Park; her mother Aase Nielsen and brother Jorgen, both of Denmark.
Educated in Denmark, Belgium, France and at Stanford University, Mrs. Parker spoke seven languages: Danish, French, English, Spanish, German, Swedish and Norwegian.
She taught French in Denmark from 1966 to 1971 after receiving her university degree in French from Hellerup Seminarian in Copenhagen. She earned a master's degree in French from the University of Copenhagen and received additional training at the Alliance Francaise in Paris and later at Stanford University.
Mrs. Parker was a founding member of the National Charity League, Stanford Hills Chapter, serving on the organization's first board of directors as the first treasurer and membership drive chairman.
She was a former president and board member of "I CARE," auxiliary to the Northern California Society for the Prevention of Blindness. For eight years, she was involved with the Community Committee for International Students at Stanford (CCIS).
In 1974, Mrs. Parker became a member of the Junior League of Palo Alto/Midpeninsula, serving on numerous committees over the years. She was a member of the league's board of directors and its executive committee as corresponding secretary and editor of the Piper, the newsletter.
Using her knowledge of graphics, art and painting, Mrs. Parker later founded Inge-Lise Parker Designs, creating personalized Christmas cards, invitations, catalogs and stationery. She also taught calligraphy in the Menlo Park Lyceum, which offers enrichment classes for school children.
Donations in her memory may be sent to the Sjorgren's Syndrome Foundation, Inc., 366 North Broadway, Site PH-W2, Jericho, New York 11753.
John Eastling
Lawyer, consultant
John Eastling, a longtime Atherton resident, died of a heart attack on December 29 while cross-country skiing in Tahoe. He was 63.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, January 12, at 3:30 p.m. at Jennings Pavilion in Holbrook-Palmer Park, located at 150 Watkins Ave. in Atherton.
Mr. Eastling graduated from Harvard College in 1959, where he was a Harvard National Scholar and a member of the varsity wrestling team. He earned his MBA at Harvard Business School in 1961, beginning his career in the early days of the computer industry.
He earned a law degree in 1980 from the University of Minnesota Law School, where he was a member of the law review and focused on technology and the law.
He was an avid tennis player who enjoyed skiing, bird-watching and traveling, according to family members. He gave generously of his time and expertise, and his lifelong quest for knowledge was evidenced by his love of reading, discussion and storytelling, they said.
Mr. Eastling is survived by his four children, Michael Eastling, Marit McDonald, Molly Eastling and Matthew Eastling; his former wife Karla Eastling; his companion Lida Urbanek; and four grandchildren.
The family prefers that memorial donations be made to the Harvard College Fund, for the John R. Eastling Memorial Scholarship Fund, 124 Mount Auburn, Cambridge, MA 02138, attention: David Dearborn.
