Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!William E. Lindfors
50-plus years in Menlo Park
William E. Lindfors, who lived in Menlo Park 51 years, died July 7. He was 94.
A native of Astoria, Oregon, Mr. Lindfors worked at Westinghouse Corp. in Sunnyvale for 25 years.
He and his wife, Helen, who preceded him in death, were members of the Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park. Mr. Lindfors was also a member of the Orpheon Male Chorus in San Mateo.
Mr. Lindfors is survived by his children, Marilyn Lindfors of Menlo Park, Suzanne Hart of Florida, William Lindfors Jr. of Germany, and Mary Frances Lindfors of Sonoma; a sister, Helen Rowlands of Birch Bay, Washington; five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Services were held July 11 at Gate of Heaven Catholic Cemetery in Los Altos.
Kathleen Veronica Whelan
Longtime Menlo resident
Kathleen Veronica Whelan, a 50-year resident of Menlo Park, died July 11. She was 88. A Mass was held July 15 at the Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park.
Ms. Whelan was a talented piano and organ player who worked as a bookkeeper for more than 55 years. She enjoyed classical music, geography, and travel, and was an aficionado of all things Irish.
Ms. Whelan is survived by her sister, Teresa Whelan Storm, and many nieces and nephews.
Burial was at Holy Cross Cemetery in Menlo Park. Memorials to Church of the Nativity are preferred. Arrangements were by John O'Connor's Menlo Colonial Chapel.
Anthony Bobier
Civil engineer
A celebration of the life of Anthony E. Bobier of Portola Valley will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, July 21, at the Unitarian-Universalist Church, 505 E. Charleston Road, Palo Alto. Mr. Bobier died unexpectedly at home June 3 at the age of 84.
Mr. Bobier's career began in his family's construction business in Twin Falls, Idaho. His grandfather, father and he were responsible for constructing many landmark buildings, including schools, churches, courthouses and libraries. They also built bridges, grain storage silos, and electrical power stations along the large rivers in the area.
He attended the University of Chicago, as well as colleges in Idaho and California.
During World War II, he was assigned to projects that involved building submarines, personnel carriers and landing docks for the military. In 1948 he joined Morrison and Knutson international builders of dams, bridges, airfields, penitentiaries, university dormitories and field houses. For 13 years Mr. Bobier was a vice president of Marshall Hale Hospital in San Francisco.
Mr. Bobier was also a leader in the field of professional construction inspection and was inspector of record in the construction of Stanford Hospital. He helped found the American Construction Inspectors Association and was a mentor to many young men in that field, say family members.
Mr. Bobier was a 50-year member of a number of branches of the Masonic Order, and a member of several Boy Scouts of America councils.
Mr. Bobier is survived by his wife of 16 years, Jeanne Le Brun Bobier of Portola Valley, eight children, 26 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and two stepsons.
Elsie M. Quirin
Civil service employee
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 27, in the library of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, 950 Santa Cruz Ave., for Elsie M. Quirin, who died June 27 at Kaiser Hospital in Redwood City. She was 86.
Born in Petaluma, Mrs. Quirin was a lifetime civil service employee, working in Burlingame and Redwood City. After retiring, she moved to Menlo Park 21 years ago. Her husband, Jack Quirin, died in 1969.
Mrs. Quirin is survived by her daughter Susie Lenthe and husband, Drew, of Dallas, Texas; stepdaughter Marilyn Silva of Campbell; and "adopted sister" Helen Mann of Menlo Park.
Following Mrs. Quirin's memorial service, a reception will be held at Menlo Commons, 2140 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park. Memorials in her name may be made to cancer or heart research.
Elmer Dohrmann
Community leader
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 31, at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church for football great Elmer Dohrmann of Atherton, who died July 25. He was 87.
Mr. Dohrmann, a former IBM executive, served on the board of trustees of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and its predecessor, the Palo Alto Medical Research Foundation, since 1966.
He became involved in the foundation because of his acquaintance with Dr. Robert W. Jamplis, who like Mr. Dohrmann, was named to Sports Illustrated Magazine's Silver Anniversary All-American football team. Mr. Dohrmann received the honor in 1962. "He was very proud of that," recalls his daughter-in-law, Diana Dohrmann.
Born in Staplehurst, Nebraska, Mr. Dohrmann attended the University of Nebraska, where he earned 11 letters in football, basketball, baseball and track: more than any other athlete in the school's history. In the 1938 East-West Shrine football game at San Francisco's Kezar Stadium, he was named outstanding lineman of the game for catching seven passes. It was a record that wasn't broken until 1962.
After graduating Mr. Dohrmann was drafted by the Washington Redskins, but a knee injury ended his chances at a pro career. He then went to work for IBM where he worked in various marketing and executive capacities for 35 years. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy. He and his wife, Betty, moved to Atherton 35 years ago.
In 1987 Mr. Dohrmann served as chairman of the West selection committee for the East-West Shrine game.
Mr. Dohrmann is survived by his wife, Betty; children Stephen of Atherton, Susan Moore of San Raphael, and Richard of Deerfield, Massachusetts; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Carol Penney Guyer
Daughter of JC Penney founder
A memorial service celebrating the life of Carol Marie Penney Guyer of Woodside will be held at 4 p.m. Monday, August 26, at Stanford Memorial Church. Mrs. Guyer, an international social activist, died at home July 7 of complications from cancer. She was 72.
Mrs. Guyer was the daughter of retail magnate James Cash Penney, who opened his first Golden Rule store in 1902. The department store chain, JC Penney, now operates 1,075 stores in the United States, Puerto Rico and Mexico.
Mrs. Guyer graduated from Stanford University magna cum laude with a degree in international affairs. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After graduation, she moved to Pakistan and worked at several United Nations refugee camps. In Karachi, Pakistan, she marriage fellow Stanford graduate David Leigh Guyer in 1952.
She continued her social advocacy work in India, where she worked to promote cultural exchanges between the United States and India, including bringing renowned sitar player Ravi Shankar and other artists to the United States.
After returning to the United States, Mrs. Guyer spent more than 30 years promoting various social programs and political projects. She later served as president of the James C. Penney Foundation and, most recently, the Penney Family Fund. She served on the advisory board of the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University. Recent recognition for her work included the Shining Star Award from the Children's Council of San Francisco in October 2001.
Mrs. Guyer was an accomplished photographer. She had a lifelong interest in the arts, regularly attending and supporting the theater and ballet. An excellent equestrian, she loved to swim and was an avid gardener, say family members.
She is survived by six children: Shelly Guyer, Marion Guyer and Leigh Guyer, all of the San Francisco Bay Area; Cynthia Guyer, Grant Guyer and Alissa Keny-Guyer, all of Portland, Oregon; sister Mary Frances Penney Wagley of Baltimore, Maryland; and 11 grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, David Leigh Guyer, longtime president of Save the Children.
The family requests donations be made to either Mercy Corps (www.mercycorps.org) or to a nonprofit organization of the donor's choice.
Courtney Catron
Business executive, World War II veteran
Courtney James Catron of Woodside died July 21. He was 88.
A native of Denver and a graduate of Dartmouth College, Mr. Catron attended Harvard Graduate School of Business. During World War II, he spent three years in the Pacific as an officer with U.S. Navy Fleet Air Wing Two.
After the war, he settled in Reno, where he purchased a perlite plant. He is credited with developing the first commercial process to expand perlite glass into a commercial lightweight aggregate.
Family members said he later joined two San Francisco associates to establish the first publicly traded venture capital company, Continental Capital Corp., which made more than 125 loans to start-up companies located in what was to become "Silicon Valley."
During the 1950s Mr. Catron became president of Grey Reid's in Reno, the only department store in the state. He was also an early developer of industrial property behind the University of Nevada.
In 1968 Mr. Catron moved to Woodside with his wife, Harriet June Catron, and two children. Harriet Catron died in 1978. In 1980 Mr. Catron marriage Margaret Blunt Robertson. They divorced in 1999.
For many years Mr. Catron served as chairman of the Luke B. Hancock Foundation, through which he became involved with helping the Paiute Indians in Nevada improve their standard of living, family members said. They named him an honorary "Chief White Arrowhead."
An avid duck hunter and golfer, Mr. Catron was a member of Menlo Country Club, St. Francis Yacht Club, Canvas Back Duck Club, Wild Goose Club, Palo Alto Club and Peninsula Investors.
He is survived by his daughter, Linda Catron of San Francisco; sister Joan Fearing and her husband John of Atherton; sister-in-law Susan Masi; and several nieces and nephews. His son Courtney James Catron Jr. died in 1992.
Services were held July 26 at Christ Church in Portola Valley.
Catherine Schleicher-Dietz
Student, 22 years old
A visitation is scheduled for Thursday, August 1, from 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. for Catherine (Kitty) Schleicher-Dietz, who died July 20 at the age of 22. The visitation will be held at the Menlo Park Chapel of Spangler Mortuary, 650 Live Oak Ave.
Ms. Schleicher-Dietz was attending school in Riverside County, and had hoped to provide social services to children after completing her educational training, according to her family.
She is survived by her mother, Harriet Schleicher-Dietz of Menlo Park; two step-brothers, Jason and Chris Willowby of Idaho; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
Burial services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, August 2, at Alta Mesa Memorial Park, and a memorial service is set for 1 p.m. Friday at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, 950 Santa Cruz Ave.
Sgt. Carl Christopher Miller
Menlo Park police officer
Sgt. Carl Christopher Miller, a 14-year veteran of the Menlo Park police department who organized many youth and community outreach activities, died August 20 in Fremont of a self-inflected gunshot wound following a domestic dispute. He was 41. Born in San Mateo, he was the sixth of seven children. He attended school in Menlo Park, graduated from Menlo-Atherton High School in 1978 and attended Chico State and San Jose State universities. While working for Stanford University, Mr. Miller decided to pursue a career in law enforcement under the mentorship of police Chief Marvin Moore. He joined the Oakland Police Department in 1987, and was hired by the Menlo Park Police Department in 1988, where he was promoted to sergeant in 1997. As a Menlo Park police officer, Sgt. Miller served as one of the original community police officers, assigned to the Belle Haven neighborhood. He was also a member of the department's SWAT team and the Red Team, a special county narcotics task force, in 1992. Sgt. Miller was known for his community involvement, organizing a voluntary gun buy-back program after the shooting death of a teenager and a fundraising drive to pay for the funeral of a child killed in a car accident. A member of the police Menlo Five basketball team, he organized most of the department's sporting events with local schools. At a memorial service at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church August 30, friends and colleagues from the Menlo Park Police Department remembered Sgt. Miller as a confident and dedicated public servant, and as a devoted friend with a big heart. His three brothers spoke about his sense of humor, his strong competitive streak and his youthful troublemaking. His good friend Mitch Collins, a former Menlo Park police officer, said he didn't know what happened to drive Sgt. Miller to commit suicide. "I don't think I'll ever know, but it really doesn't matter," he said. "I love him and I'd have forgiven him anyway." Sgt. Miller was preceded in death by his brother Clovis Miller, his father Kemp Miller Sr., and his grandfather Clovis Duhon. He is survived by Madison Miller, his son with first wife Lisa Bristol; Melanie Miller, his daughter with second wife Lisa Ayers; his mother Delores King and stepfather Frank King Sr. of Sacramento; his brothers Kemp Kaboga-Miller of Palo Alto, Frank Miller of Walnut Creek and Glenn Miller of Sacramento; his sisters Francis Taylor of Sacramento and Cynthia Duhon of Lake Oswego, Ore.; step-siblings Frank King Jr. and Donna Cummings, both of San Jose; and his grandmother Roseanne Duhon of Port Arthur, Texas. Funeral arrangements were by Jones Mortuary of East Palo Alto.
Julia "Judy" Hart Davis
Longtime local resident
Julia "Judy" Hart Davis died August 25 in Menlo Park. She was 83. Born in Raymond, Washington, she graduated in 1941 with a degree in art from Stanford University, where she was a member of the Delta Gamma Sorority. After graduation, she and her husband, Ferrien "Dave" Davis, lived in Menlo Park and Atherton, where they raised their children. Dave Davis died last year. Mrs. Davis was active in the Junior Auxiliary of the Stanford Convalescent Home, the Menlo Circus Club, Stanford University and Stanford Hospital. Both Mrs. Davis and her husband were original members of the Sharon Heights Country Club. She supported the Stanford Museum and its Treasure Markets. She played golf regularly with her nine-hole group at the Stanford University Golf Club and was a loyal member of St. Bede's Church, family members said. She is survived by her children, Alan of Madison, Alabama; Scott of Bothell, Arizona; Linda Davis of Vista, California; and Catherine Giurlani of Menlo Park; a sister, Barbara Hart of Portland, Oregon; and nine grandchildren. A memorial service was to be held September 2 at St. Bede's Episcopal Church in Menlo Park. Donations may be made to Pathways Hospice Foundation of Mountain View. Roller and Hapgood of Palo Alto provided funeral arrangements.
Mae-Jeanne McGanney
Former Sacred Heart trustee chairman
A memorial Mass was to be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday, September 10, in the chapel of Sacred Heart Preparatory School, 150 Valparaiso Ave., Atherton, for Mae-Jeanne McGanney of Atherton, who died September 5 at Stanford Medical Center. She was 72.
Mrs. McGanney had a long association with Sacred Heart Schools, where she was a past chairman of the board of trustees. The McGanney gymnasium on the school campus is named for Mrs. McGanney and her late husband, Daniel J. McGanney Jr., who were benefactors.
Mrs. McGanney was a native San Franciscan and fourth-generation Californian. She attended both Finch College and Stanford University.
She served as regional vice president of the Junior League of America and was a past president of the Junior League of Palo Alto, now the Junior League of Palo Alto/Mid Peninsula. She was a member of the Woodside-Atherton Garden Club and Menlo Country Club.
Mrs. McGanney is survived by her children, Daniel J. McGanney III of Menlo Park, Karen A. McGanney of Menlo Park and Baltzer P. McGanney of Seattle; and four grandchildren. Her husband of 45 years, Daniel J. McGanney Jr., died in 1995.
Private Interment was to be in Holy Cross Cemetery in Menlo Park. The family prefers memorials be made to Sacred Heart Schools, 150 Atherton Ave., Atherton, 94027.
Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Roller Hapgood & Tinney, Palo Alto.
Karl L. Brown
Stanford professor
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, September 27, at Valley Presbyterian Church, 945 Portola Road, Portola Valley, for Karl L. Brown of Menlo Park, who died August 29 at Stanford Medical Center after a brief illness. He was 76.
Mr. Brown was born in Coalville, Utah, and earned his bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in physics from Stanford University. He joined the faculty in 1974 and remained at the university throughout his career, except for the several years during which he took part in particle accelerator projects around the world.
Mr. Brown was a member of the core team of young scientists who, under the direction of W.K.H. Panofsky, designed and built the 2-mile-long Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC). During his career he became known as an expert in beam optics for particle accelerators. Research with such machines is largely responsible for what is known today about sub-atomic constituents of matter and the laws that govern them.
Mr. Brown's greatest satisfaction came from his contributions to cancer radiation therapy, say family members. As a graduate student, he was part of a small research team at Stanford that, in close collaboration with Dr. Henry S. Kaplan of the Stanford Medical School, built the first linear accelerator to be used for cancer treatment.
Almost 20 years later, Mr. Brown initiated and led the development of the first commercially successful line of such devices, known as CLINAC, by Varian Associates. Today CLINACs treat more than 100,000 patients a day throughout the world, according to family members.
Mr. Brown is survived by his wife of 25 years, Vera Luth, and five children from his earlier marriage to Anadel Smith-Law: David Brown of Danville; Dennistoun Brown of Billings, Montana; Adriana Cassani of Lindon, Utah; Jerry Brown of Los Altos; and Andrew Brown of Mountain View. He also is survived by 14 grandchildren.
For his memorial service the family would appreciate written recollections of favorite memories of Mr. Brown. Memorials may be made to the Karl L. Brown Memorial Young Scholars Funds. For more information, log on at www.karlbrown.info.
Irwin G. Kasle
Psychiatrist
A memorial service for Dr. Irwin G. "Irny" Kasle, who died September 5, will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, September 15, in the chapel of Roller Hapgood & Tinney funeral home, 980 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. A former resident of Woodside, he was 78.
Born in Toledo, Dr Kasle was a graduate of Yale University and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Trained as both a pediatrician and a psychiatrist, he practiced psychoanalysis in Palo Alto for more than 30 years. He was also a member of the clinical faculty at Stanford and trained many psychiatrists.
Dr. Kasle was previously marriage to Edna Sott, with whom he raised three children, Julia, Shelley and David. In 1966 he marriage Sue Lewis and helped raise her four children, Todd, Shaun, Garth and Scott, at their home in Woodside. Mrs. Kasle died in 1986.
During the 1980s, Dr. Kasle began a second career in real estate investments with his partner, Sam Webster. Together they operated Webster Financial Corporation, a firm specializing in real estate and agribusiness. The Garden Court Hotel in Palo Alto was among their many projects.
In 1990 Dr. Kasle marriage Ruth Strang, mother of Peter and Steen. They moved from Woodside to Palo Alto and spent much of their time in Mexico, where Dr. Kasle co-founded the Hotel Santa Fe in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca.
Dr. Kasle served on the board of Older Adults Care Management for many years and at the time of his death was a member of the board of the Goldman Institute on Aging in San Francisco. He is survived by his wife, Ruth, nine children, and 13 grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the Jonathan Kasle Neuroblastoma Reseach Fund, University of California at San Francisco Foundation Office, Box 0248, San Francisco, CA 94143; or to a charity of the donor's choice.
Nazih Bolous
Systems engineer
A Mass of Christian Burial was to be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, September 10, at Church of the Nativity, 210 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park, for Nazih Bolous of Redwood City, who died September 4. He was 45.
For the past four years, Mr. Bolous was employed as a systems engineer with Network Appliances.
He is survived by his wife of 12 years, Julia Bolous and children, Rita and Joseph; mother Shahraban, sister Daisy, and brothers David, Nahil and Victor.
The family prefers donations be sent to the Nativity Parish Activity Center, 1250 Laurel St., Menlo Park 94025.
Interment was to be at Holy Cross Cemetery in Menlo Park. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Roller Hapgood & Tinney, Menlo Park.
Eleanor Matteson
Carlisle School founder
Eleanor Eckart Matteson, a resident of Sharon Heights since 1969, died at her home September 2 after a lengthy illness. She was 92.
Mrs. Matteson was born in San Francisco, attended the Katherine Delmar Burke School, and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.
She marriage Jay Folger Matteson in 1934. They lived for many years in Palo Alto, where Mrs. Matteson founded the Carlisle School in the 1950s to equip young college graduates with business and administrative skills.
Mrs. Matteson was a member of the Menlo Country Club, where she was an avid golfer who celebrated more than a few holes in one, say family members. She enjoyed traveling to many parts of the world. According to her daughters, being close to family meant the most to their mother and she enjoyed having her children live in the area.
Mrs. Matteson is survived by her children, Edward F. Matteson of Sacramento, Sally Matteson Loudy of Menlo Park, and Rebecca Matteson Nelson of Redwood City; five grandchildren; and three great-granddaughters. Her husband, Jay Folger Matteson, died in 1997.
Private services have been held. The family prefers memorials to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, 795 El Camino Real, Palo Alto; the American Heart Association; or a charity of the donor's choice.
