Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Joe Nicolaison
A good friend to Portola Valley students
A memorial service for Joe Nicolaison, a friend to students, teachers and families during his 30 years as a custodian in the Portola Valley School District, will be held on Thursday, June 7, at 3 p.m. in Christ Episcopal Church in Portola Valley.
Mr. Nicolaison died March 23 at his cottage on the former Morshead Ranch in Portola Valley after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 57.
Joe, as he was called by students and adults at Ormondale School, fought in Vietnam. As he was fond of saying, he "beat the odds in 'Nam," and he was determined to do the same against the lung cancer that invaded and slowly destroyed his body, said Principal Eva Gal in her letter to Ormondale families.
"He fought a valiant battle, and he stayed with us way beyond his doctors expectations," she said. "Through all the chemotherapy, he continued to work at our school, and take care of us. When work became too difficult, he came to lunch regularly and participated as much as possible. He was a presence in our school to the end, and our children loved to see him around."
Ormondale celebrated Joe's friendship, service and contributions to the school during "Joe's Day" April 4 with all classes participating by singing, reading their poems and short skits. The large play structure at Ormondale was dedicated to him and the area named "Joe's Place." In lieu of flowers, his family requests that contributions in his memory be made to the Portola Valley PTA.
Eleanor S. Hengehold
Architectural assistant and hospital volunteer
Eleanor S. Hengehold, a resident of Menlo Park, died May 23 at the Stanford Medical Center at the age of 88.
Ms. Hengehold worked for 12 years as an assistant to the president at Dietrich Post, Architects. She also volunteered regularly at Stanford Hospital and was a member of the Bellarmine Prep Mothers Club.
Ms. Hengehold is survived by her sons David of Los Altos, James of Menlo Park and Richard of Minnesota; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Private family services have been held. Ms. Hengehold was interred at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Los Altos. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers contributions to the Ecumenical Hunger Program, 1836 Bay Road, East Palo Alto, CA 94303.
Weldon Gibson
A founder of SRI
Weldon "Hoot" Gibson, 84, a founder of the Stanford Research Institute (SRI), died May 6 of heart failure.
A native of Eldorado, Texas, he was a 1938 graduate of Washington State University. He received his master's degree in business administration in 1940 and his doctorate in 1950 from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
He was one of the founders of SRI (then the Stanford Research Institute), joining as chairman of business and economics and becoming chairman of international programs in 1947.
He remained at SRI for more than 40 years, building it into a worldwide research and technology development operation, and organizing and directing more than 80 major international conferences for senior business executives in 25 countries.
Dr. Gibson was named associate director of SRI in 1956, vice president in 1959, executive vice president in 1960, senior director in 1982, and senior director emeritus in 1988.
Before joining SRI, Dr. Gibson served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as director of material requirements, retiring as a colonel, and was assistant director of the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology in Dayton, Ohio.
He was awarded the Medal of the Legion of Merit in 1946 and the order of Commander of the British Empire in 1947. In recognition of his lifetime of achievements, SRI established the Weldon B. Gibson Achievement Award in 1999.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Helen Gibson; a son, David Gibson; and one grandchild.
Funeral services are private. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Tuesday, July 10 in Memorial Church, at Stanford University. Donations in his memory may be made to the Dr. Weldon B. Gibson Memorial Fund, Peninsula Community Foundation, 1700 South El Camino Real, Suite 300, San Mateo, 94402-3049.
Harold Lakin
Artist and inventor
Harold Lakin, an inventor, artist and resident of Portola Valley for 35 years, died May 13 in his home. He was 75.
Mr. Lakin served as an infantryman in the U.S. Army during World War II and participated in liberating prisoners from Nazi concentration camps, relatives said.
After the war, he attended Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in New York and graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering.
Following graduation, Mr. Lakin moved to California, where he worked in the optics field and led a distinguished career as a designer, engineer and inventor, relatives said.
Throughout his life, he wrote poems and stories for his children and grandchildren. During the last 15 years, he also gave them sculptures in wood and stone that he created, they said.
Mr. Lakin is survived by his wife, Bernice; his daughters, Jan of New York City and Lynn Dorman of Kona, Hawaii; and three grandchildren.
Donations in his memory may be made to the MidPeninsula Pathways Hospice Foundation.
Charles Thomas Black
Wine maker and longtime resident of Woodside
Charles Thomas Black, a resident of Woodside for 44 years whose avocation was wine making, died May 23 at the Canyon House Care Home in Atherton. He was 75.
Mr. Black grew up in La Salle, Illinois, and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. After the war, he attended the University of Illinois and graduated with a degree in business administration, relatives said.
After moving to the Bay Area, he pursued a career in sales and advertising and enjoyed a long interest in viticulture, relatives said. Mr. Black was a member of the San Francisco Vintners Club. He also loved reading and the symphony.
Mr. Black is survived by his wife of 51 years, Corinne; his sons Gregson and Brian, both of Redwood City; his daughter Cara Black-Ishimuro of San Francisco; and three grandchildren.
Private memorial services have been held. The family prefers that memorial contributions be made to MidPeninsula Pathways Hospice Foundation, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Woodside Chapel of Crippen & Flynn in Redwood City.
Margaret Hagan Brown
Longtime resident of Portola Valley
Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 30, at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto for Margaret Hagan Brown, who died May 20.
Ms. Brown, who has lived in Saratoga, Atherton and the Sequoias in Portola Valley, was 96 and just five days short of her 97th birthday, relatives said.
Ms. Brown is survived by four sons: Theodore, William and Charles of Los Altos, and David of Southern California; eight grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.
Arrangements were by Roller Hapgood & Tinney in Palo Alto.
Joe Nicolaison
Service on June 7
Joe Nicolaison, bus driver, custodian, gardener and friend to students for 30 years in the Portola Valley School District, will be remembered at a memorial service on Thursday, June 7, at 3 p.m. in Christ Episcopal Church, Portola Valley.
Friends and family will gather at Portola Valley Town Center immediately after the service in celebration of his life.
Mr. Nicolaison died May 23 after a long battle with lung cancer at his cottage on El Mirador Ranch, known as the Morshead ranch, where he was foreman for many years. He had lived in Portola Valley for 20 years.
Born 57 years ago in Palo Alto, he grew up in the surrounding area where his father ran a large ranch in the area that became part of present-day Silicon Valley.
He is survived by his daughter, Gina Ortiz, of Redwood Estates; his grandson, Joey Ortiz; a sister, Kathy Maldonado, of Lathrop; and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
In lieu of flowers, his family requests donations be made in Joe's name to the Portola Valley PTA.
Stanley Makay
Lawyer and former Woodside councilman
Stanley P. Makay, a retired international law expert and longtime Portola Valley and Woodside resident, died at his home on May 15, shortly after his 92nd birthday.
Born Stelianos Pavlos Mamalakis in the village of Rodakinon, on the island of Crete in Greece, he graduated from the law school of the University of Athens magna cum laude before immigrating to the United States.
He later changed his name to Stanley Makay, something American judges would be less likely to mispronounce, recalls his wife Patricia Makay of Portola Valley.
Mr. Makay graduated from Loyola University's law school in 1941 and passed the California bar exam in 1945. He was very active in war relief, and his expertise in Greek law and the Napoleonic code made him a sought-after consultant in international law, said Mrs. Makay.
In 1957, he was admitted to the Supreme Court, which he considered a great honor, even though he never had a chance to try a case before the court, she said.
Over the course of his long legal career, he served as the consul general and then as vice consul of Greece for several years, and in 1996 was honored by the California State Bar Association for his 50 years of service as a member.
He was an active member of many organizations, including the Pan Cretan Association of America, the American Bar Association, the San Francisco Bar Association, the Loyola Alumni Association, the World Affairs Council, the Commonwealth Club and the Democratic Party.
He served as a member of Woodside's Town Council from 1968 to 1972 and at one time had his law offices in the Pioneer Building, said Mrs. Makay.
In his later years, he took great pleasure in writing, gardening and traveling, according to his family.
Besides Patricia Makay, his wife of 47 years, Mr. Makay is survived by their three children, Dianna of Santa Fe, Allyn of Jacksonville, Florida, and James of Portola Valley; three sons from his previous marriage, John of Minneapolis, George of Santa Barbara, and Paul of Novato; two sisters, Iphigenia Georgiades and Maria Zeris, both of San Francisco; and eight grandchildren.
Private services were held at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Belmont. Memorial donations may be sent to the church or to MidPeninsula Hospice Foundation, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 9425.
Katherine Simpson Penfield
Community volunteer and longtime Menlo Park resident
Katherine Simpson Penfield, a resident of Carmel and former 50-year resident of San Francisco and Menlo Park, died May 24 at home. She was 88.
Ms. Penfield was a native of Stamford, Texas, and attended McMurray College in Abeline, where she graduated with two bachelor's degrees. Ms. Penfield went on to become an assistant professor in secretarial studies and business English at McMurray and later served on the National Labor Relations Board, relatives said.
She also held positions at the school of education and the Bechtel International Center at Stanford University, and was a member of the Menlo Park and Menlo-Atherton High School PTAs.
As an active community volunteer, Ms. Penfield supported international students, her church, the environment and the arts, family members said. She enjoyed classical music, traveling, reading and collecting antiques, and she participated in oral history projects.
Ms. Penfield is survived by her grandchildren, Victoria Penfield of London, England, and Michael Penfield Ero of Alameda. Her husband, Louis Snow Penfield, died in 1991, and her daughter Jane Penfield Ero died in 1996.
Memorial services were held June 3 in Carmel. Funeral services were arranged by the Paul Mortuary. Donations may be made to the Carmel Bach Festival, P.O. Box 575, Carmel, CA 93921 or to the American Cancer Society, 220 Country Club Gate, #22, Pacific Grove, CA 93950.
Stanley Makay
Lawyer and former Woodside councilman
Stanley P. Makay, a retired international law expert and longtime Portola Valley and Woodside resident, died at his home on May 15, shortly after his 92nd birthday.
Born Stelianos Pavlos Mamalakis in the village of Rodakinon, on the island of Crete in Greece, he graduated from the law school of the University of Athens magna cum laude before immigrating to the United States.
He later changed his name to Stanley Makay, something American judges would be less likely to mispronounce, recalls his wife Patricia Makay of Portola Valley.
Mr. Makay graduated from Loyola University's law school in 1941 and passed the California bar exam in 1945. He was very active in war relief, and his expertise in Greek law and the Napoleonic code made him a sought-after consultant in international law, said Mrs. Makay.
In 1957, he was admitted to the Supreme Court, which he considered a great honor, even though he never had a chance to try a case before the court, she said.
Over the course of his long legal career, he served as the consul general and then as vice consul of Greece for several years, and in 1996 was honored by the California State Bar Association for his 50 years of service as a member.
He was an active member of many organizations, including the Pan Cretan Association of America, the American Bar Association, the San Francisco Bar Association, the Loyola Alumni Association, the World Affairs Council, the Commonwealth Club and the Democratic Party.
He served as a member of Woodside's Town Council from 1968 to 1972 and at one time had his law offices in the Pioneer Building, said Mrs. Makay.
In his later years, he took great pleasure in writing, gardening and traveling, according to his family.
Besides Patricia Makay, his wife of 47 years, Mr. Makay is survived by their three children, Dianna of Santa Fe, Allyn of Jacksonville, Florida, and James of Portola Valley; three sons from his previous marriage, John of Minneapolis, George of Santa Barbara, and Paul of Novato; two sisters, Iphigenia Georgiades and Maria Zeris, both of San Francisco; and eight grandchildren.
Private services were held at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Belmont. Memorial donations may be sent to the church or to MidPeninsula Hospice Foundation, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 9425.
Mary Beck
Resident of The Sequoias
Mary L. Beck, who lived at The Sequoias for more than 20 years, died June 4. She was 91.
Mrs. Beck was born in St. Paul Minnesota. Her father, J.A.A. Burnquist, was governor of Minnesota during World War I.
Mrs. Beck followed family tradition and graduated from Carleton College, which both her parents and two siblings attended. After college she taught English in Alexandria, Minnesota, and in Appleton, Wisconsin. She retired when she marriage Joseph C. Beck in 1937.
Mr. And Mrs. Beck were longtime residents of Atherton before moving to the Sequoias. During their 50-year marriage they traveled all over the world, as well as to annual fishing trips on the McKenzie River in Oregon.
Mrs. Beck is survived by her daughter Kathryn Creighton of Oakhurst; two granddaughters; sister Ruth of Santa Clara; brother Rowland of Maryland; and many nieces and nephews. Her husband Joseph, and son Steve died before her. Arrangements were under the direction of Roller Hapgood and Tinney.
Victor Emile Musy
Lawyer, Menlo resident
Victor Emile Musy, 53, a longtime resident of Menlo Park, died May 27 at his home in Pebble Beach from complications caused by diabetes.
He attended Oak Knoll School in Menlo Park and Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton. Throughout his youth he participated in baseball and football, and played quarterback at both Woodside and Menlo-Atherton high schools.
He graduated from the University of the Pacific in Stockton and then McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, earning a doctorate in law.
He first practiced law in Sacramento, then relocated to Monterey County, where he continued his law practice in both Salinas and Monterey. Most recently he owned and operated the Cornucopia Specialty Bakery in Pacific Grove.
His hobbies included hunting and golf, and he had an avid interest in history.
He is survived by his father, Maurice V. Musy of Pebble Beach; and a sister, Michele Musy, of Menlo Park. A private memorial service will held at his sister's home this summer.
Donations may be made to a charity of your choice or to the American Diabetes Association.
Louis R. Brokling
Longtime resident of Menlo Park
Louis R. Brokling, a native of the Netherlands and a longtime resident of Menlo Park, died May 28 at his home. He was 74.
Mr. Brokling worked for the Electro Glass Company and retired as a supervisor, relatives said.
He is survived by his wife, Leny J.; son Arnold; daughter Louise Smit; brother Aly Plooy of the Netherlands; and six grandchildren.
Private services and Interment have been held. Services were conducted by Roller, Hapgood and Tinney.
Katherine B. Zimmerman
High-school teacher and world traveler
Katherine B. Zimmerman, a resident of Menlo Park and a teacher at Palo Alto schools for 25 years, died May 18 in Menlo Park at the age of 89.
Ms. Zimmerman was a native of Colorado Springs, Colorado. She graduated from the University of Southern California and went on to study education and counseling at San Francisco State University and Stanford University. During her teaching career, she taught and counseled students at Jordan Junior High School and Cubberley High School in Palo Alto from 1952 to 1977.
She marriage Clyde Swift Cook in 1934 and was known as Kay Cook during the 43 years of their marriage. Mr. Cook died in 1977. In 1981, she marriage Dr. Kent A. Zimmerman of Berkeley, who died in 1998.
Ms. Zimmerman was a member of the Palo Alto Unitarian Church, the League of Women Voters, and academic organizations. She also was involved in teaching English to non-native speakers, regularly volunteering at Stanford University's English-in-Action program and the writing program at the Palo Alto Adult School.
She traveled extensively, including two trips around the world.
Ms. Zimmerman is survived by her son, Timothy D. Cook of Flower Mound, Texas; daughter Verity K. Powell of Atherton; sister Janice Lockard of Flagstaff, Arizona; brother Roland Breitwieser of Puerta Vallarta, Mexico; six grandchildren; and four step-children.
Private services will be held. Donations may be made to Mid-Peninsula Hospice or to Stanford University.
