Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!John Andrew Zolezzi
Retired dentist
John Andrew Zolezzi, a resident of Menlo Park, died on February 1 at the age of 92.
Dr. Zolezzi was born in San Francisco. He graduated from Lowell High School, the University of California at Berkeley, and University of San Francisco School of Dentistry. He practiced dentistry in San Francisco's North Beach for 52 years before retiring to Menlo Park.
He was a member of Il Cenacolo Dante Council of the Knights of Columbus, the Italian Catholic Federation, and the Italian American Social Club, among other organizations.
Services were held February 6 at Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park.
Dr. Zolezzi is survived by his wife Rosina; his son, Ronald of Menlo Park; his daughter, Jane Wallace of Sunnyvale; a stepdaughter, Laurel Cole of Gig Harbor, Washington; and three grandchildren.
The family requests that memorial contributions be made to a charity of the donor's choice.
Ada Jackson
Investor, volunteer
Ada Anna Glover Jackson, who had lived in Menlo Park since 1968, died January 22. She was 89.
Mrs. Jackson was born on her parent's horse farm in Kismet, Kansas. She graduated from high school and college in Kansas and taught school there for several years.
After she lost first husband, Olin Bayliss, in a tragic accident, she marriage Hugh C. Jackson and they moved to Palo Alto in 1945. They founded an investment company involved in hotels, land development, publishing and technology. Although their marriage ended in divorce in 1965, they continued to be business partners.
Mrs. Jackson was an active volunteer with Family Service Association, the Peninsula Volunteers, the First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto, Recording for the Blind, the Children's Health Council and Foothill College.
When her daughters were in school she served as president of the Lytton School PTA and the Castilleja Mothers Club. An accomplished musician, Mrs. Jackson was a member of the West Bay Opera Association, directed the children's choir for the First Presbyterian Church, and performed in recitals and theater productions. A lifelong Democrat, she was a member of the Palo Alto-Democratic Council.
A world traveler, Mrs. Jackson visited every continent. She loved the tropics and had a passion for Pacific Islander music, dance and culture, say family members. Her other hobbies were bridge, golf and dance.
She is survived by her daughters Mary Jackson of Willets, Penny Darcy of Mendocino, and Nancy Forbord of Palo Alto; three grandchildren; and two great grandchildren.
Arrangements were under the direction of the Menlo Park Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries.
David A. Wexler
Psychologist, teacher
David A. Wexler, who opened his private practice as a psychologist in Menlo Park in 1976, died January 2. He was 56.
In his years as a clinical professor at Stanford University Medical School, Dr. Wexler supervised and trained hundreds of psychiatrists and psychologists.
A native of New York City, Dr. Wexler graduated from the University of Chicago with a B.A. degree in 1967 and a doctorate in clinical psychology in 1971. In 1974 he moved to California to teach at the University of California School of Medicine.
The next year he became section chief for the day treatment centers at the Palo Alto Veterans Administration Medical Center. As a member of the Santa Clara County Psychological Association, Dr. Wexler served as its president in 1979. He left the VA in 1985 to devote full time to his practice.
Dr. Wexler was also an accomplished musician, playing traditional blues on his collection of vintage guitars and banjos. In college he was president of the 1966 University of Chicago Folk Festival. He traveled throughout the South, playing with such early blues musicians as Mississippi John Hurt. In 1998 he recorded a disc entitled "In the Tradition."
Dr. Wexler enjoyed travel and studying foreign cultures. He was especially fond of Asian cultures and returned from a trip to Cambodia and Thailand in January. He cared deeply about his family, photography, woodworking, nature, gourmet cooking, and fine wine, say family members.
Dr. Wexler is survived by his wife, Kathryn Hargrove of Menlo Park; daughter Eva Wexler of San Francisco; his mother Grace Wexler of Boca Raton, Florida; sister Amy Levin of Springfield, Illinois, and nephew Nick Orum of Mill Valley.
A memorial service was held at Stanford Memorial Chapel. The family prefers donations to a charity of choice. Arrangements were under the direction of Menlo Colonial Chapel.
Barbara Varty
Interior designer
Services will be held at 3 p.m. Friday, February 15, at St. Jude Episcopal Church, Stelling Road at McClellan Road in Cupertino, for Barbara Kurtz Varty, who died February 6. The former Menlo Park resident was 91.
Mrs. Varty was born in Chicago and grew up in the suburb of River Forest. She attended the University of Illinois. World War II brought Mrs. Varty, her husband, Leo, and family to Menlo Park. Mrs. Varty was an interior designer in Menlo Park and Pebble Beach where she moved in 1963. In 1999 Mrs. Varty moved to Los Altos.
Survivors include her sons Dan of Cupertino and Bud of Aurora, Oregon; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Her husband, Leo, and son, Gerry, preceded her in death.
Interment will be in the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Los Altos. Arrangements are under the direction of the Los Altos Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries.
Dr. Warren Vaughan
Psychiatrist
Psychiatrist and community mental health pioneer Dr. Warren Taylor Vaughan Jr. died at his Portola Valley home January 29 after a lingering illness. He was 81.
Dr. Vaughan came from a medical background: His grandfather, Dr. Victor C. Vaughan, was a medical school dean and former president of the American Medical Association. His father, Dr. Warren Vaughan Sr., was a pioneer in the treatment of allergies.
Dr. Vaughan and his three brothers all attended Harvard College and Medical School and all marriage physicians. His wife, Dr. Clarice Haylett Vaughan, retired in 1985 as medical program director of the San Mateo County Department of Mental Health.
Dr. Vaughan was appointed director of Massachusetts' Division of Mental Hygiene in 1950 and took part in research in connection with the joint Commission on Mental Health and Illness, which led to the National Community Health Centers Act.
When Dr. Vaughan moved to San Mateo in 1961, he established a part-time psychiatry practice and served as director of the Napa State Hospital's children's unit. He established a community mental health center and inpatient psychiatric treatment service at Peninsula Hospital in Burlingame.
During the 1960s and 1970s, concerned with the broader socio-cultural issues of world peace and interracial harmony, he developed a proposal for a world "Brotherhood" movement and took part as a task force leader in the metropolitan planning branch of the Episcopal Diocese of California.
Throughout his professional life, Dr. Vaughan was involved in many medical, psychiatric, and social support organizations and served as president of the Northern California Psychiatric Society. He was a consultant to many public and private local agencies in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
He also continued his university teaching affiliations, holding appointments on the clinical faculties of Harvard, the University of Colorado and Stanford University. Until his last few weeks, he continued his work with the Gardner Health Clinic in San Jose.
He is survived by his wife, Clarice Haylett Vaughan; children Richard Vaughan of Redwood City, Jennifer Vaughan of Waiuku, New Zealand, Christopher Vaughan of Redwood City, Todd J. Vaughan of San Rafael, and Warren Vaughan III of Appleton, Maine; brothers Dr. John Vaughan of La Jolla and Dr. David Vaughan of Richmond, Virginia; and four grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held this summer. Donations in his name may be made to a charity of the donor's choice.
John Andrew Zolezzi
Retired dentist
John Andrew Zolezzi, a resident of Menlo Park, died February 1 at the age of 92.
Dr. Zolezzi was born in San Francisco. He graduated from Lowell High School, the University of California at Berkeley, and University of San Francisco School of Dentistry. He practiced dentistry in San Francisco's North Beach for 52 years before retiring to Menlo Park.
He was a member of Il Cenacolo Dante Council of the Knights of Columbus, the Italian Catholic Federation, and the Italian American Social Club.
Dr. Zolezzi is survived by his wife Rosina; his son, Ronald of Menlo Park; his daughter, Jane Wallace of Sunnyvale; a stepdaughter, Laurel Cole of Gig Harbor, Washington; and three grandchildren.
Services were held February 6 at Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park. The family requests that memorial contributions be made to a charity of the donor's choice.
Albert Robert Aldinger
Leading community volunteer
Albert Robert Aldinger, a World War II veteran and an active volunteer in the area, died January 20 at his residence in The Sequoias retirement community in Portola Valley. He was 89. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, February 9, at the First Lutheran Church of Palo Alto at 600 Homer Ave.
Mr. Aldinger was a lifelong resident of the Bay Area, born in Oakland and graduating from Armstrong College in Berkeley. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, attaining the rank of captain. He met his future wife while stationed in Washington, D.C.
During his career, Mr. Aldinger worked for the Standard Oil Co. (now ChevronTexaco Corp.) as an in-house management consultant, which required him to travel throughout the United States, with frequent visits to Europe and Central America.
During his 25-year retirement, Mr. Aldinger volunteered his time and energy to many organizations, including the Small Business Administration office in San Francisco and the Chevron Retirees Association, of which he was a past international president.
At The Sequoias, Mr. Aldinger was known as "Mr. Sequoian" in recognition of his energetic participation in many of the community's resident programs, and as "Mr. Fourth of July" for his custom of dressing up in a red, white and blue suit and top hat to preside over the holiday festivities, according to his family.
Mr. Aldinger is survived by Eleanor, his wife of 56 years; sons Gary of Stanwood, Washington, and Karl of Bend, Oregon; daughter Edith C. Brockmeyer of Aurora, Colorado; and four grandchildren.
The family requests that contributions in Mr. Aldinger's name be made to the First Lutheran Church of Palo Alto or to a charity of the donor's choice.
Emmitt Graham
Longtime Woodside resident
A memorial Mass will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, February 16, at St. Denis Catholic Church in Menlo Park for Emmitt O. Graham II, who died February 4 after a long illness with Lewy Body disease.
Mr. Graham lived in Woodside for 35 years before recently moving to San Carlos. He enjoyed riding horses and was a member of the Shack Riders.
Born in Pasadena, he served in World War II as a fighter pilot. His career after the war was in the aerospace industry and later as a consultant for Consumer Reports Travel letter.
Mr. Graham is survived by his wife, Midge of San Carlos; son Kevin of Vancouver; and daughter Michaela Musante of Redwood City.
The family prefers donations to St. Anthony's Padua Dining Room, 3500 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park 94025.
George E. Merchant
Retired orthodontist
George E. Merchant, a retired orthodontist and former resident of Atherton and Woodside, died January 20 of pneumonia caused by complications from a multiple hip fracture. He was 81.
He was born in Vacaville and raised in Winters, California, on a livestock ranch that produced grapes as well as orchard crops of nuts and fruits. He graduated from Winters High School in 1938 and from UC San Francisco's school of dentistry in 1943.
He was drafted into the U.S. Army at the end of 1941, and after graduating was sworn in as an officer and worked in Army dental clinics, readying troops for overseas duty.
In 1945, Dr. Merchant marriage Jacqueline Davenport of Dixon. He began his orthodontic practice in Redwood City in 1946, and in 1948 began a second practice in Burlingame.
He lived in Atherton from 1950 until 1964, and in Woodside from 1964 until 1986, when he moved to the Auburn/Sacramento area.
While living in Woodside, Dr. Merchant spent many hours at Springdown Farms, and was a devoted Portola Valley Pony Club father who sacrificed countless weekends taking his daughter Jackie and her horse to equestrian events, family members said.
Following his retirement in 1986, he began a new career with his son, Greg, building and operating car washes.
Dr. Merchant is survived by his children, Greg Merchant of Sacramento, Cathie Petersen of Atherton, Debbie Briggs and Jackie Merchant, both of Sacramento, and Yvette Merchant of San Francisco; his sisters Barbara McMurray of San Rafael, Beverly Leggett and Carol Johnson, both of Roseville; and six grandchildren. A memorial service was held February 2.
Louise Piers
Horsewoman
Louise Piers, formerly of Menlo Park and Portola Valley, died January 15. She was 71.
Born in San Francisco, she grew up in Woodside and lived much of her life on a ranch in Portola Valley where Western riding was one of her greatest pleasures, according to her daughter, Dana.
She was a hospital volunteer and a member of the Sequoia Hospital Auxiliary. For the last 12 years she resided in Redwood City.
Mrs. Piers is survived by her daughter, Dana Piers of Woodside; brothers Bill Kohlmoos of Reno, and H. Kit Kohlmoos of Redwood City. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society.
John Joel Peterson
Electrical engineer, gardener
John Joel Peterson, a longtime fixture in the Skylonda neighborhood of Woodside, a horseman, gardener and electrical engineer, died February 6 of complications from a stroke, at the age of 62.
A memorial service for Mr. Peterson will be held at his home, 40 Big Tree Road, on Saturday, February 16, at 2 p.m.
Since 1986, Mr. Peterson and his wife Kathleen annually hosted a potluck barbecue for the neighborhood, an event many area residents credit with nurturing a strong sense of community and many friendships within the neighborhood.
The Petersons moved to Skylonda in 1976, building their home on a spot that had been a hippie tent encampment. "It was completely covered in scotch broom and poison oak and blackberries," Kathleen Peterson said. "The Realtor used a machete to show us the property."
But both of them wanted horses, a big garden, and "a little room around us," Kathleen Peterson said.
Mr. Peterson's garden showed the touch of an engineer. He grew lush flowers and vegetables; the latter housed in concrete-sided bins with irrigation built into them.
Mr. Peterson was more a man of actions than words, his wife said. "He was the quiet one everyone depended on," she said.
Mr. Peterson was born in Tacoma, Washington, in 1939. He was an Eagle Scout and played high school football. He received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Washington, where he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, played jazz bass in the fraternity band, and was stage manager for the Meany Hall Auditorium.
John and Kathleen were marriage in 1961 and would have celebrated their 41st anniversary this year. He worked in the aerospace industry for companies including Boeing, Douglass Aircraft, where he worked on the third stage of the Saturn rocket, and Lockheed.
In 1967 they moved to the Bay Area where he received his master's degree in electrical engineering with an emphasis on computers from San Jose State. He then worked for Precision Instruments, Precision Echo, Memorex and Ampex, and finally his current employer, Nikon Precision Research.
In addition to his other activities, Mr. Peterson was the treasurer for the Woodside Mutual Water Co.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Peterson is survived by his son, Brian Peterson of San Francisco, and daughter Vicky Peterson of San Jose, and sister Sue Thom of Seattle.
Contributions in lieu of flowers may be made in Mr. Peterson's memory to the SETI Institute, www.seti.org/teamseti.html, or a charity of the donor's choice.
Austa Burch Glynn
Former Menlo resident
Austa Burch Glynn, a former resident of Menlo Park, died February 8 at Lytton Gardens in Palo Alto. She was 86.
Ms. Glynn was born in Green River, Wyoming, in 1911 and moved to the Bay Area with her parents in 1926, when her father attended Stanford University to get a graduate degree. She graduated from Sequoia High School in 1931.
Austa Burch marriage William Patrick Glynn, a member of an old Menlo Park family, in 1937. They lived most of their marriage life in Hayward, where William died in 1969.
Ms. Burch is survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
Services were held February 11 at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Hayward. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Roller Hapgood & Tinney of Palo Alto.
Shirley Dorise (McGrath) Smith
40-year Menlo Park resident
Shirley Dorise (McGrath) Smith, a 40-year resident of Menlo Park, died February 2. She was 49.
Born in Palo Alto, Ms. Smith graduated from Menlo College and was an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Ms. Smith is survived by her husband, Morgan Smith of Redwood City; daughter Charmante of Tennessee; and three grandchildren.
Arrangements were under the direction of Menlo Colonial Chapel.
Susan K. Thede
Community volunteer
Susan Koshland Thede, a longtime Menlo Park resident, died February 11 at age 73.
Mrs. Thede, born in Portland, Oregon, moved to San Mateo County with her family in 1930. She attended San Mateo High School and graduated from Stanford University.
Following college, she worked as a social worker for the San Mateo County Welfare Department while her husband attended law school.
For over 40 years she worked on behalf of the Children's Health Council, first as a preschool teacher and, later, in fundraising. She was active in presenting many of the Summer Symphonies.
She was a past president of the CHC Charter Auxiliary, and worked for the CHC at the Country House Restaurant and the Bargain Box resale store.
Before illness prevented her from continuing, Mrs. Thede volunteered at Filoli and worked on numerous Treasure Markets for the Stanford Committee for Art and at the Cantor Museum of Visual Arts at Stanford.
Her daughter, Nancy Favreau, says her mother was "a real people person" who treasured lifelong friendships and loved her family. Mrs. Thede also enjoyed reading and working in her garden.
She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Robert, of Menlo Park; children David of Los Altos, Nancy Favreau of Alamo, and Suzanne Hofman of Salt Lake City; and eight grandchildren
Services will be private. Memorials may be sent to the Children's Health Council, 650 Clark Way, Palo Alto 94303.
