Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Karin Nelson
Landscape designer
A memorial service for Karin Nelson of Menlo Park, 55, who died February 21, will be held Friday, March 2, in Jennings Pavilion, Holbrook-Palmer Park, 150 Watkins Ave., Atherton, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friends are asked to bring food, a non-alcoholic beverage, and/or a memory to share.
Clotilde Gibson
Longtime PV resident
Flags flew at half-mast over the University of Victoria recently to honor the passing of Clotilde (Coco) Lindeman Southgate Gibson, 84, a resident of Portola Valley for 52 years, who died of Parkinson's disease at her home on February 4. Her husband, William Gibson, is a former chancellor of the University of Victoria, British Columbia.
Mrs. Gibson spent her early childhood on a vast ranch near Colima, Mexico, founded in 1879 by her grandfather, a German diplomat. At one time the hacienda had its own currency and a 100-man militia to protect it against bandits. The family moved to San Jose during the Mexican Revolution.
Mrs. Gibson earned a master's degree in education from Stanford University. At age 50 she earned a second master's degree in Mexican-American studies from San Jose State University.
As a young woman, she entertained at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite for more than 10 years, singing Mexican folk songs with her two sisters. Two weeks after her 1942 marriage to Harry W. Edwards, his unit of the Marines was sent to the Pacific, where he was killed in 1944 during the invasion of Saipan.
In 1949 she marriage Hugh Southgate, who bought a tract of the Willowbrook Farm on the north side of Alpine Road in Portola Valley, built a house and roads there, and subdivided much of the property. The couple traveled widely due to Mr. Southgate's business interests, which included building the Hotel Bora Bora in the South Pacific. Mr. Southgate died in 1982.
In 1989 "Coco" marriage William Gibson. They divided their time between his home in Victoria and hers in Portola Valley.
For many years she was an active member of the Woodside-Atherton Garden Club and the Auxiliary of the Society for Crippled Children.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Gibson is survived by her daughter Maria Cristina Southgate Campbell and son-in-law James Campbell of Portola Valley and Vancouver, Washington; and sister Emilia Rathbun of Palo Alto. At Mrs. Gibson's request, no services were held.
Arden Kennedy Jones
Poet and environmentalist
Arden Kennedy Jones, a lifelong Atherton resident until 1999, died February 14 in Novato at the age of 57.
Mr. Jones, son of Ardath and architect Kingsford Jones, grew up in Atherton and spent summers in Nova Scotia with his family. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Stanford University, and became a Stegner Fellow in poetry at the university.
In 1965 he marriage his high school sweetheart, Sally Sjostrom. The couple raised their four children in Atherton. Although he worked for a time as business manager in his father's Menlo Park office, raising his children became the primary focus of Mr. Jones' life, says his family. For more than 10 years, he was active in the Las Lomitas PTA, coaching soccer and volunteering in his children's classrooms.
He was an advocate for the environment as a founder of Ecology Action, and worked as a consultant for San Mateo County's Commission on Aging and other nonprofit social service organizations.
"Arden Jones had an infectious love of nature, especially remote environments and small creatures. His was a life spent relishing the beauty of the natural world and sharing his understanding of this world through his poetry and through conversation with those who had the great fortune to know him," says his family.
Mr. Jones is survived by his children, Kirsten of Novato, Megan of Oakland, Kingsford of Palo Alto, and Justin of Ohio; his former wife, Sally Sjostrom Jones of Palo Alto; brothers Douglas and Bevan Jones of Menlo Park; and two granddaughters.
A memorial service will be held in March. Memorials may be made in Mr. Jones' name to The Greenbelt Alliance, 530 Bush St., Suite 303, San Francisco 94108.
Nancy K. Goodell
Community activist
A memorial service will be held at 3:30 p.m. March 10 for Nancy K. Goodell of Menlo Park. Mrs. Goodell, an active member of her church and community, died February 27 in her home at the age of 81.
The memorial service will be at First Baptist Church, 625 Magdelena Ave., Los Altos.
Mrs. Goodell graduated from Longwood College and marriage in 1943. Her first husband died in the invasion of Normandy in 1944; she marriage again to Howard Goodell in 1946.
Mrs. Goodell led her life in a spirit of service and leadership, and she was noted for her love of people, her strong Christian faith, and her organizational skills, family members said.
She held many positions in churches in Virginia and California. She also served as an officer in the Red Cross and the Republican Women's Club, and as a reader to the blind.
Mrs. Goodell and her husband founded the Anthony Schools of S.F. Peninsula in Menlo Park in 1965; she was responsible for personnel and public relations there for 15 years. In recent years, she served in executive positions with the Menlo-Atherton Christian Women's Club and the Menlo-Atherton chapter of the American Association of University Women.
Mrs. Goodell is survived by her children, Howard Jr. of Salem, New Hampshire, James McLain of Menlo Park, and Katherine Langhorne of Foster City; her sisters, Katherine Buck of Richmond, Virginia, Julia Thomas of Merry Point, Virginia, and Jane Bell Sommers of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and two grandsons. Her husband Howard died in 1998 after 51 years of marriage.
Contributions may be sent to Massanetta Springs Conference Center, 712 Massanetta Springs Road, Harrisonburg, VA 22801; or to Insight for Living, P.O. Box 69000, Anaheim, CA 92817.
Roy. S. Kitamura
Executive and golfer
Roy S. Kitamura, a native of Hawaii and longtime member of the Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club, died February 22 at his home in Menlo Park. He was 62.
Mr. Kitamura earned a degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University in 1961 and returned to Hawaii to work. He became president of HC&D Freight Forwarders International in 1975 and relocated to the Peninsula with his family.
Mr. Kitamura was an avid golfer and domino player. He liked to fish and garden and take photographs, and was often seen walking his two Labrador dogs. Family members said that Mr. Kitamura made friends easily and that he will be remembered for his irrepressible sense of humor and genuine love of life.
Mr. Kitamura is survived by his wife Ellen; sons Jon of Menlo Park and Sam of Los Angeles; his father Sumiko of Honolulu; sisters Lillian and Helen of Honolulu; and his brother Earl of San Jose.
Inurnment services were held at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto. Donations may be made to the Department of Radiation Oncology at Stanford University.
Giovanni Della Morte
Stanford University gardener
Giovanni Della Morte, a native of Italy, died February 26 at his Menlo Park home. He was 91.
Mr. Della Morte was a gardener at Stanford University for 14 years, and a resident of Menlo Park for 38 years.
In his free time, he enjoyed gardening at home, making wine, and playing bocce ball, according to family members. Mr. Della Morte was also a past member of the Italian American Social Club and I.C.F. #351, both of Menlo Park.
Mr. Della Morte is survived by his wife of 69 years, Giovanna; daughter Alderina Magagnini of Menlo Park; son Antonio of Menlo Park; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at St. Raymond's Catholic Church in Menlo Park, with Interment at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto.
Donations may be made to the Mid-Peninsula Hospice Foundation, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025; or to the American Heart Association, 1 Almaden Blvd., Suite 500, San Jose, CA 95113-2214.
@mug:Nelson
Karin Nelson
Landscape designer
Karin Nelson, a landscape designer and Menlo Park resident, died of cancer February 21 in her home. She was 55.
Ms. Nelson, a native of Germany, received a teaching certificate from Canada College in 1976 and a landscape design certificate from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1995.
Ms. Nelson's work spanned several areas of interest, relatives said. She worked at Houghton-Mifflin Publishing Company, the Peninsula School, and SRI International, and was the co-owner of the Allergrains bakery.
Later in her career, she established and operated Four Seasons Landscape Design.
She served on the Menlo Park Environmental Beautification Commission for many years and won the city's Good Design Award for both her home and the Pope Street Island.
Ms. Nelson is survived by her daughter Kristie of Menlo Park; son Eric of Redwood City; a sister, Ute Hemminghaus of Germany; and her good friend, Jeffrey Hook of Menlo Park.
A memorial service was held at Holbrook-Palmer Park in Atherton.
Donations may be made to Healing Journeys, P.O. Box 250, Aptos, CA 95001; or to Vajrapani, P.O. Box 2130, Boulder Creek, CA 95006. Healing Journeys provides a Web site donation form at www.healingjourneys.com.
Eugene Gheleta
Native of Russia
Eugene Artemi Gheleta, who escaped from Russia and immigrated with his family to China, died February 14 at his Menlo Park home. He was 72.
After leaving Russia, Mr. Gheleta's family settled in Harbin, China. His father died 1932 when Eugene was 4, and he was raised in an orphanage in Shanghai where he later attended the Russian Gymnasia.
The family fled China with the Communist revolution, spending two years in a refugee camp in the Philippines before immigrating to the United States in 1950. At the camp Mr. Gheleta met his future wife, Elizabeth Kohnert, whose family had also come from Shanghai.
After arriving in the United States, Mr. Gheleta went overseas as an electrician during the Korean War, stringing power lines in the battle zone.
After the war he worked as an electrician and mechanic for Pan American Airlines, eventually becoming supervising foreman. He worked for Pan Am for more than 30 years and spent 10 years at Lockheed, performing military aircraft modifications.
When the family moved from San Francisco to Menlo Park in 1960, Mr. Gheleta helped build their Menlo Oaks home.
Mr. Gheleta is survived by his wife Elizabeth; daughter, Kathy Crane of Woodside; son John Gheleta of La Honda; son Michael Gheleta of Louisville, Colorado; and one granddaughter.
Funeral services have been held. Memorial gifts may be made to the Nativity of the Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Church, 1220 Crane St., Menlo Park 94025, where Mr. Gheleta was a choir member for many years.
Julia Murphy
Former Atherton resident
Julia H. Murphy, formerly of Atherton, died February 17 in Scottsdale, Arizona. She was 97.
A longtime member of Church of the Nativity, Menlo Park, Mrs. Murphy is survived by her children: Arlene Nuckton of Scottsdale, Patricia Azzarello of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and John Murphy of Pensacola, Florida. Memorials may be made to Nativity School, 1250 Laurel St., Menlo Park 94025.
Edith Doyle
Menlo Park native
Edith Simonini Doyle, who was born in Menlo Park, died February 20 in at her home in Gilroy. She was 75.
Mrs. Doyle, who was a homemaker, is survived by sons Ralph Jackson, Dan Jackson and Tom Caldwell, all of San Jose; daughter Beverly Keim of Gilroy; brothers Larry Simonini of Palo Alto and Joseph Simonini of Torre Del Lago, Italy; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Services were held February 23 at the Menlo Park chapel of Spangler Mortuaries, with Interment in Holy Cross Cemetery, Menlo Park.
Jane Weil
Registered nurse
A memorial service has been held for Jane Weil of Portola Valley, who died March 1 at Stanford Medical Center at the age of 66.
Mrs. Weil was a registered nurse who earned her nursing degree at Columbia University in New York. She came to California to run the nursery for premature infants at Stanford Medical Center, her husband Fred said.
Mrs. Weil also worked as a nurse for Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco.
Fred and Jane Weil were marriage for 40 years, and lived in Portola Valley for about that long. They lived in England for six years and traveled frequently.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Weil is survived by a daughter, Susan Anne Weil; two sons, John and Paul Weil; her granddaughter, Emily Brown; two brothers, John and Tom Gaffney; and two sisters, Mary Martin and Ann Rouchard. She was preceded in death by her brother Jim Gaffney.
A service was held March 3 at Our Lady of the Wayside Church in Portola Valley. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Roller, Hapgood & Tinney of Palo Alto.
Allan Tate
Investment analyst, author
A Mass of Christian Burial for Allan Glencoe Tate will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 17, at St. Denis Catholic Church, 2250 Avy Ave., Menlo Park. Mr. Tate died March 9 at Stanford Medical Center. He was 72.
A rosary for Mr. Tate will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 16, at Menlo Colonial Chapel, 657 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park.
A native of Boston, Mr. Tate was the son of a vaudeville performer, and retained a lifelong interest in music. He attended the New England Conservatory of Music and also studied piano with Felix Mendelssohn's great-granddaughter in Germany. Ragtime and George Gershwin were two favorites in his repertoire. He even wrote a play about ragtime music.
During the Korean War, Mr. Tate was a code interpreter in Germany for the U.S. Army. After the war, he served as a captain in the Army Reserves.
A graduate of MIT, Mr. Tate came West in 1955 to attend the Stanford Graduate School of Business. For more than 45 years he was an investment analyst and consultant to leading mutual fund companies, banks and insurance companies, most recently as an investment consultant and broker with Portsmouth Financial Services in San Francisco. He was also president of his own investment firm, Allan Tate & Co., in Menlo Park.
Mr. Tate wrote a book regarding his business experiences, "Trading with the Titans," published in 1997, which was filled with anecdotes about his dealings with the "big boys," such as Warren Buffet.
A gregarious man, Mr. Tate had many friends and enjoyed entertaining in his home. He loved animals, especially cats, says his family. He and his wife, Jan, were members of Ladera Oaks Swim and Tennis Club for more than 25 years. They were also longtime active members of St. Denis Church in Sharon Heights, where they had lived for 36 years.
Mr. Tate is survived by his wife of 43 years, Jan; daughters, Mary Tate of Belmont, Karen Tate of Portola Valley, Laurie Bateman of El Dorado Hills, and Gigi Tate-Kidd of Ben Lomond; a son, Allan Tate of Belmont; a sister, Jesalyn Ferguson of Wilton, Connecticut; and two granddaughters.
Private Burial will be held in Holy Cross Cemetery, Menlo Park. Memorials in Mr. Tate's name may be made the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Department, Sequoia Hospital, 170 Alameda de las Pulgas, Redwood City; or to Palo Alto Animal Services, 3201 E. Bayshore Road, Palo Alto.
Thomas Rapp
Longtime Menlo resident
Thomas Hilton Rapp, who lived in Menlo Park for more than 40 years, died March 9. He was 75.
Mr. Rapp was born in San Francisco and grew up in Burlingame. He served in the U.S. Army in World War II and was employed as a salesman for plumbing companies on the Peninsula. Before his retirement, his territory included Northern California, Hawaii, and Salt Lake City.
Mr. Rapp and his wife, Mary, were enthusiastic tennis players and, at one time, managed the tennis courts at Sacred Heart Preparatory.
Mr. Rapp is survived by his wife of 52 years, Mary; son James of Portland, Oregon; daughters Donna Rapp of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and Kathleen Hoffman of Salem, Oregon; a brother, Albert Joseph Rapp of Boonton, New Jersey; and three grandchildren. His son, Bruce, preceded him in death.
A memorial Mass was held March 11 at St. Denis Catholic Church. Memorials to Mr. Rapp may be made to St. Denis Church, 2250 Avy Avenue, Menlo Park.
Robert Brunner
International marketing manager
A memorial service for Robert Harvey Brunner of Atherton will be held at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15, at Stanford Memorial Church. Mr. Brunner died at Stanford Medical Center March 7 of complications from a heart attack. He was 79.
Mr. Brunner, a 34-year employee of Hewlett-Packard, was involved in international marketing management for the instruments division into the mid-1980s. International travel took Mr. Brunner and his wife, Virginia, to all the continents. Many of their experiences were captured in their photographs and in Mrs. Brunner's travel books and articles. The couple gave talks on their travels to groups throughout the Midpeninsula.
Mr. Brunner also enjoyed woodworking and crafting unusual items. He fashioned a pair of oak roll-top desks for his granddaughters from wood harvested from a 150-year-old tree on family land in North Carolina. In his later years, Mr. Brunner became very interested in environmental causes, especially in western North Carolina, his wife's birthplace.
Mr. Brunner is survived by his wife of 52 years, Virginia; daughter Nancy Grove of Palo Alto; sisters Dee Campbell of San Diego and Marjorie Gootee of Albany, Oregon; and two granddaughters.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Hoover Institution, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, or The Land Trust of the Little Tennessee, P.O. Box 1148, Frankling, North Carolina 28744-1148.
James W. Mace
Boxing champion, war veteran
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 22, for James W. "Jimmy" Mace, a former boxing champion and a 34-year resident of Menlo Park, who died at his home on March 11. He was 86.
The service will be held at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, 950 Santa Cruz Ave. in Menlo Park.
Mr. Mace grew up in a family of eight children in the South-of-Market area of San Francisco. He took up boxing in the 1930s and attended the University of San Francisco on a boxing scholarship, graduating with a degree in political science.
While in college, Mr. Mace was a champion boxer in the Golden Gloves, Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Championship, and the Pan American Games. He was later inducted into the USF Athletic Hall of Fame.
Mr. Mace served in Europe during World War II as an army corporal.
After the war, he worked as a veterans' representative in state and federal positions, retiring in 1979 as the Northern California claims manager for the California Department of Veterans Affairs.
Mr. Mace was a member of the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church when he lived in Menlo Park. He was a member of the Novato Presbyterian Church for the two years he lived in Novato.
Mr. Mace is survived by his wife, Vera, of Novato; a daughter, Alice Mace Nakanishi of Pleasant Hill; a son, Patrick, of Novato; sisters Marian Garcia of San Mateo and Lucille of South San Francisco; brothers Stanley of San Francisco, Larry of Sonora, and George of Bellview, Washington; and three grandchildren.
Donations may be made to Senior Access, 1905 Novato Blvd., Novato, California 94947.
