Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Chester H. Brandon
Retired attorney, World War II vet
Chester H. Brandon died November 10 at The Sequoias in Portola Valley of congestive heart failure. He was 80.
Mr. Brandon lived in Woodside for 43 years before moving to The Sequoias retirement community in 1996.
Born in Pennsylvania, Mr. Brandon grew up in Falls Church, Virginia. During World War II, he enlisted and trained as a pilot, flying missions over the Pacific and Japan toward the end of the war. The friends he made during the war remained his closest for the rest of his life, family members said.
Following the war, he attended the University of North Carolina and law school at the University of Virginia.
He marriage Margaret Carter of Ohio in 1948, and after he finished law school, the couple moved to San Francisco, where Mr. Brandon taught for a year at Boalt Hall at UC Berkeley. He then joined the firm of Thelen, Marrin, Johnson and Bridges in San Francisco, where he worked until his retirement. He was known for his expertise in international contract law.
Mr. Brandon enjoyed his extensive travels to the Middle East, Australia and Europe during the 1960s through the early 1980s, family members said, and he traveled for fun as well as for business.
He was a member of the Cogers, the University Rotary Club and the Menlo Country Club, and he enjoyed golf, tennis, dominoes and parties.
He is survived by Margaret, his wife of 53 years; his children, Nancy Petersen of Reno and Carter Brandon of College Park, Maryland; his brother, Gilbert Brandon of Ocean City, Maryland; and five grandchildren.
Private services were held. The family prefers memorial contributions be made to the Family Services Agency of San Mateo County.
Lyle Alton Shipley
Menlo Park carpenter:
Lyle Alton Shipley, a longtime Menlo Park resident, died at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Palo Alto on October 25, at the age of 87.
"Skipper" Shipley was raised in Archie, Missouri, and joined the U.S. Marines in 1937. He moved to the Bay Area in 1939.
Mr. Shipley was a carpenter by trade, and was a member of Carpenters Union #617.
His family said Mr. Shipley had an outgoing nature and was known for his willingness to help others.
Mr. Shipley is survived by his wife of 63 years, Edna Mae Shipley, three brothers and four sisters.
The family requests that memorial donations be made to the Palo Alto V.A. Hospice, V.A. Hospital, 3801 Miranda Ave., Palo Alto, 94304.
Anne Rose Hoskins
Allied Arts Guild volunteer
Anne Rose Hoskins died in her Menlo Park home on November 5. She was 81.
A native of Mountain View, she worked in the Allied Arts Guild kitchen shop for 10 years, and volunteered as a "pink lady" at Stanford Hospital.
Mrs. Hoskins loved gardening and spending time with her family and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband, retired U.S Navy Lt. Cmdr. Dalton Hoskins. Mrs. Hoskins is survived by her nieces, Patty Zanzow of San Luis Obispo, and Lin Hansen Corniea of Westlake Village; and a nephew, Ron Freitas of Los Gatos.
Services have been held. Arrangements were under the direction of Spangler Mortuaries, Menlo Park.
The family prefers that donations in her memory be made to the MidPeninsula Hospice Foundation, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, 94025.
Carlton James
NASA scientist, arts patron
Carlton Starbuck James of Woodside, a retired aeronautical research scientist with NASA, died November 4. He was 81.
Mr. James was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and moved to California with his family in 1925. As a youth he was active in the Boy Scouts, an avid camper, hiker and lover of the mountains. As a teenager he began construction of a mountain cabin he completed in his 20s.
Mr. James graduated from Stanford University and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II. As a second lieutenant during the war, he flew four-engine aircraft, commanded the crew and was active in training other pilots. After the war he worked as an aeronautical research scientist with NASA at the Ames Laboratory at Moffet Field until his retirement.
Mr. James sang with West Bay Opera in his early years, was an active member of the Woodside Hills Garden Club and homeowner's association, a member of the American Society for the Advancement of Chinese Art, and attended performances of the San Francisco Opera, Ballet and Symphony.
Mr. James is survived by his wife of seven years, Vera of Woodside; daughter C. Lynne Douglas of Walnut Creek; and two granddaughters. His wife Nataline Aquino died in 1993.
Arrangements were under the direction of the Neptune Society, San Jose.
Russell C. Andrews
Lockheed aeronautics engineer
Russell C. Andrews, a Menlo Park resident for 46 years, died November 12 at the age of 89.
Mr. Andrews worked for Lockheed for 42 years as an aerospace engineer. Off hours, he enjoyed repairing and selling cars and motorcycles, his family said.
He is survived by his wife, Edna F. Andrews; a daughter and her husband, Frances and Pete Holbrook of Boulder Creek; a son and his wife, Robert and Frankie Andrews of Reno, Nevada; daughter-in-law Tess Andrews of Nevada City; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Services were held November 14 under the arrangement of Menlo Park Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries. The family prefers that memorial donations be made to the charity of the donor's choice.
Beryl Lucas
Longtime Woodside resident
Beryl "Syd" Lucas, who lived in Woodside for more than 50 years, died at home November 8. She was 96.
Mrs. Lucas was born in San Jose. She was a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and did graduate work at Boston University.
She worked at the Woodside Enterprises gift shop in Woodside and was a volunteer at Filoli for many years.
Mrs. Lucas is survived by her daughter Tinker Stolich of Monterey, and two grandchildren.
At her request no services were held. Contributions may be made to a charity of choice.
James Hiatt
Developer
James A. Hiatt, who lived in Menlo Park and Atherton for more than 30 years, died November 13 at Arden Wood Inc., a care facility for Christian Scientists in San Francisco.
Mr. Hiatt was born and raised in San Jose. He graduated from the University of California at Davis, and served as an officer in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War.
Mr. Hiatt designed and built several housing developments, including the Country Manor townhouses on Valparaiso Avenue in Menlo Park. A lifelong Christian Scientist, Mr. Hiatt served the First Church of Christ Scientist, Menlo Park, in many capacities including a term on the executive board and as superintendent of the Sunday School.
Mr. Hiatt is survived by his wife, Laurel Ann of Menlo Park; four daughters, Emily Hiatt Vesely of Redwood City; Chelsea Hiatt of Red Bank, New Jersey; Mindy and Jamie Hiatt of Menlo Park; mother Beatrice Hiatt of Redwood City; brothers Charles and Douglas Hiatt of Los Angeles; sister Sally Paulson of Bellevue, Washington; and two grandchildren.
Private services were held. Memorials may be sent to Principia College, Elsah, Illinois 62028; Arden Wood Inc., 445 Wawona St., San Francisco, 94116; The Christian Science Peninsula Visiting Nurse Service, P.O. Box 7141, Menlo Park 94026; or First Church of Christ Scientist, 201 Ravenswood Ave., Menlo Park 94025.
Alberta Siegel
Expert in child development
A memorial service for Alberta Engvall Siegel, professor emerita of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, will be held at 3 p.m. Tuesday, November 27, at Stanford Memorial Church. Mrs. Siegel died November 3 of cancer in her Menlo Park home. She was 70.
Professor Siegel was known for her early research on the effect of televised violence on children. From 1969 to 1971 she was a member of the U.S. Surgeon General's Scientific Advisory Committee on Television and Social Behavior.
She was a past president of a division of the American Psychology Association, an honorary life member of the Society for Research on Child Development, and former editor of its quarterly journal. She served as a consultant to Head Start, the child development program for low-income children, when it was launched in 1965.
Professor Siegel "was a national resource on child development issues," according to Yale University professor of child psychiatry Fred Volkmar, an expert on autism who was a former student of Siegel's.
Mrs. Siegel was born and raised in Pasadena. She earned her bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in psychology from Stanford University in the early 1950s. She joined the university's medical school faculty in 1963, becoming its first tenured female professor in 1969.
At Stanford Mrs. Siegel served on dozens of committees. She was chairman of the director's advisory committee at Bing Nursery School, former president of the Stanford Historical Society and the Faculty Club, and a longtime member of Stanford Associates.
Outside Stanford she served on the board of directors of Great Western Financial Corp., now part of Washington Mutual, and on the board of the Menninger Clinic, a psychiatric treatment center in Topeka, Kansas.
Mrs. Siegel is survived by her son, Jay of Menlo Park; sisters Betty Newcomb of Irvine, Ruth Anne Barton of Santa Monica, and Portia Oldmen of Newport Beach; and a granddaughter. Her husband, Sidney, died in 1961.
Two scholarships for graduate psychology students have been established in the names of Mr. and Mrs. Siegel. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the American Friends Service Committee or Planned Parenthood.
Henry Cartan
Well-known Atherton resident
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, December 6, at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, 950 Santa Cruz Ave., for Henry Cartan III, who died November 17. He was 72.
Mr. Cartan was born in San Francisco and lived in Atherton for 40 years. He attended the University of California at Berkeley, served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the Korean war, and was a Coldwell Banker real estate broker in San Francisco. He later had a 25-year career in agriculture and asset management with the Porter Estate Company in San Francisco. He held many positions, including company president.
Mr. Cartan was active in local politics and a longtime supporter of Holbrook-Palmer Park in Atherton, the Charles Armstrong School in San Mateo, San Mateo County Historical Association, the 4-H Club, and many other organizations. He was a member of Menlo Circus Club for 34 years and the Bohemian Club for 35 years.
A collector of Asian and Native American art, Mr. Cartan enjoyed traveling, gardening and spending time at the beach in Aptos.
Survivors include his wife of 32 years, Dorothy; children Henry Cartan IV of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, James Osborne Cartan of Santa Rosa, Ian Sesnon Cartan of Oakland, Leslie Shackelford of Seattle, Linda Philpin of Atherton, and Lisa Dunton of Sonoma; and two grandchildren.
Arrangements were under the direction of the Neptune Society of Belmont. Memorials may be made to the Charles Armstrong School, San Mateo, or to the San Mateo County Historical Association.
Charles V. Stanley
WWII officer
A memorial service will be held on December 1 at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Menlo Park for Charles V. Stanley, who died on November 9 in Palo Alto. He was 86.
Mr. Stanley was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He and his wife Ellen settled in Menlo Park in 1950.
He served in World War II as chief petty officer aboard the U.S.S. Capable in the South Pacific, and participated in the invasion of Saipan.
Mr. Stanley worked from the Borden Dairy Co. from 1945 to 1970, then for Knudsen Dairy until his retirement.
A former member of the Palo Alto Elks Lodge and the Menlo Park Rotary Club, he also served as a Cub scoutmaster for Pack 204.
As a lifetime photographer, Mr. Stanley won several awards, his family said. He enjoyed traveling to the Sierra for fishing, camping and hiking.
"Charley" will be remembered for his cheerful, outgoing personality, sense of humor, and ever-present pipe, his family said.
He is survived by his sons Dennis and Ron, and many relatives.
The December 1 memorial service is set for 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers that memorial donations be made to Guide Dogs for the Blind, Box 151200, San Rafael, CA 94915-1200; Mid-Peninsula Hospice, 201 San Antonio Circle, Suite 135, Mountain View, 94040; VA Hospice Care Center, 3801 Miranda Ave., Palo Alto, 94304; or a charity of the donor's choice.
Charles Coates Horton Jr.
Former Rotary Club president, resident of Atherton
Charles Coates Horton died at his home in Atherton on November 18. He was 85.
Mr. Horton was born in San Francisco and graduated from Stanford University in 1937.
He worked for over 50 years as a stock and bond broker on Wall Street, in San Francisco and on the Peninsula.
Mr. Horton was past president of the Rotary Club of Menlo Park, and at one time active in the Boys Club of Menlo Park, Guide Dogs for the Blind and American Red Cross.
He was a devoted husband and family man, and had a great sense of humor, his family said. He enjoyed athletics and had a life-long passion for tennis.
Mr. Horton is survived by his wife of 63 years, Rosamond Ballentine Horton; his children, Charles C. Horton III of Cincinnati, Stephen J. Horton of Seattle, Laurie Kinsey of Camas, Washington, and Dana Saxten of San Diego; nine grandchildren; and a sister, Kathleen Kaiser of Menlo Park.
A memorial service has been held. Arrangements were under the direction of the Menlo Park Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries.
The family prefers that memorial contributions be made to the donor's favorite charity.
Margarett Nygaard Collins
38-year Lockheed employee
Margarett Nygaard Collins died on November 15 of complications from multiple myeloma. She was 74.
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, she received her bachelor's degree from Syracuse University, where she met and fell in love with her economics teacher, James E. Collins. The couple marriage in California in 1948, and raised their family in Palo Alto and Menlo Park.
Mrs. Collins was manager of technical publications at Lockheed's Palo Alto Research Center until 1996, when she retired after 38 years with the center.
She was a lifelong supporter of the arts, and loved to visit Carmel, her family said.
Mrs. Collins is survived by her children Catie O'Leary, Tim Collins, Rowan Andrews, and Maura Collins; and four grandchildren. Her husband, James, who taught at Canada College, died in 1997.
The family prefers that donations in Mrs. Collins' memory be made to the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, 2325 Bear Gulch Road, Woodside, 94062.
Dene W. Zahn Jr.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, November 30, at White Oak Chapel, 1696 El Camino Real, San Carlos, for Dene Walter Zahn Jr., who died November 20 at his home in Atherton. He was 86. Entombment will follow at the Italian Cemetery in Colma.
A reception and celebration of Mr. Zahn's life will be held at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, December 2, at Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club.
Susan May Pitt
A memorial service for Susan May Pitt, the owner of S.P. McClenahan Company in Portola Valley for 40 years, will be held Wednesday, November 28, at 2 p.m. at Valley Presbyterian Church, located at 945 Portola Road in Portola Valley.
Mrs. Pitt died at her home in Mountain View on November 24 at the age of 58.
Georgia Fitchjian
Former actress and model
Georgia Ewert Fitchjian of Menlo Park died July 28 after a battle with lung cancer. She was 72.
Mrs. Fitchjian was born in Joplin, Missouri. The family moved to Hollywood in 1941 where she was discovered by a talent agent, say family members. She was hired as a Goldwyn Girl and appeared in a number of Samuel Goldwyn films such as "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," "The Kid from Brooklyn," and "Wonderman."
As part of the Goldwyn Girls Tour of 1946, she visited cities across the United States. She also appeared on magazine covers and was featured in Ivory Soap advertisements.
She marriage James Ewert in 1953 in San Francisco. They moved to Marin County where they raised three children. After their divorce in 1974, she moved to Menlo Park and marriage Stephan Fitchjian in 1984.
Mrs. Fitchjian was officer manager for Dr. William Dworsky in Palo Alto from 1978 until her retirement in 1999.
Mrs. Fitchjian enjoyed playing tennis, duplicate bridge, and solving crossword puzzles. She was an avid reader, liked to entertain and was a San Francisco 49ers fan, say family members.
Mrs. Fitchjian is survived by her daughter Joan Reynolds of Coverdale; sons Ted Ewert of Mill Valley and Rob Ewert of Honolulu; sisters Mary Lou Sparkman of Newberry Park; Rhae Dean Robuck of Cameron Park; and Roberta Flowers of Taos, New Mexico; stepsons Mark Fitchjian of San Jose and Gary Fitchjian of San Diego; stepdaughter Julie Brunetto of San Diego; eight grandchildren; and three step-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Stephen Fitchjian.
Donations in Mrs. Fitchjian's memory may be sent to the World Wildlife Fund, 1250 Twenty-Fourth Street, N.W., P.O. Box 97180, Washington, DC 20090-7180.
