Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Laura C. Ferrari
Loved gardening, traveling
Laura C. Ferrari died on October 11. She was 73.
Born in Italy, Mrs. Ferrari lived in Menlo Park for 50 years. She was a member of St. Raymond's Catholic Church, and is remembered by family as a lover of gardening, painting, traveling, and the rose garden at St. Raymond's.
She is survived by her husband, Loris Ferrari of Menlo Park; a son, Don Ferrari of Menlo Park; a daughter, Anna Raber of El Macero; a brother, Duilio Spediacci of San Francisco; and seven grandchildren.
A funeral Mass was held at St. Raymond's in Menlo Park. Arrangements were under the direction of the Menlo Park Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries.
The family prefers that donations be made to the American Cancer Society of San Mateo County for Ovarian Cancer Research, 1720 South Amphlett Blvd., Suite 120, San Mateo, 94306; or to the St. Raymond's Rose Garden Fund.
Warren Hall
Physician, volunteer priest
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, October 18, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Redwood City for Dr. Warren Hall of Menlo Park, who died October 6 at age 99.
Born in St. David, Pennsylvania, on December 23, 1902, he lived to within three months of his 100th birthday.
Dr. Hall was also an ordained volunteer Episcopal priest at St. Bede's in Menlo Park and St. Peter's in Redwood City. Although he had retired from medicine he was a regular on grand rounds at Stanford University School of Medicine well into his 90s.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Natalye Colfelt, and his second wife, Ruth Chaban. He is survived by his niece, Joan Wise, and his nephews, Gordon and Barry O'Brien, and Tom and Doug Hall.
Funeral arrangements were by Roller, Hapgood and Tinney Funeral Directors of Palo Alto.
Berniece Hales
Pre-school owner
Berniece "Necy" Hales, who owned and taught at Moppets Pre-school in Menlo Park for 33 years, has died. She was 84.
After retiring, Mrs. Hales moved to Aptos, where she had a boutique in her home specializing in decorated eggs. After her husband, Nat E. Hales, died in 1994, she moved to San Jose to be near her children. She was a member of Friends of Hospice.
She is survived by her son Nat "Ned" Hales of San Jose, and daughter Eva Rode of Santa Clara; sisters Eva Murray and Katheryn Martin of Dinuba, California; five grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
Other survivors are step-daughters Sherry Oppenheim of Menlo Park and Marlene Ross of San Carlos; and granddaughters Leah and Caroline.
Services were held October 14 in Santa Cruz with private burial.
Irene S. Sabin
Former teachers' aide
A memorial service for Irene S. Sabin will be held on Wednesday, October 16, at 1 p.m. in the Menlo Park Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries, 650 Live Oak Ave. Mrs. Sabin died October 10 at the age of 75.
Born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, Mrs. Sabin lived in Menlo Park for 43 years. She worked as a teachers' aide for 23 years, retiring in 1985. She is remembered as a homemaker and an avid seamstress.
Mrs. Sabin is survived by her husband of 53 years, Richard D. Sabin; daughters Carla Sabin of Sacramento and Teresa Sabin of Oakland; a brother, Carl Heikkila of Arkansas; sister-in-law Mary Sabin of San Ramon; and many nieces and nephews.
The family asks that donations be made to the American Heart Association or to the American Arthritis Foundation in lieu of flowers.
William Sherman Godfrey III
Naval lieutenant, architect
William Sherman Godfrey III of Menlo Park died October 9 after a long illness October 9. He was 84.
A native San Franciscan, Mr. Godfrey attended Menlo Junior College and Stanford University.
In World War II he was a Navy lieutenant serving in the Pacific. After the war he worked as an engineer and Naval architect at Hunters Point shipyard in San Francisco.
He held a fifth degree black belt in judo, and was a member of the St. Francis Yacht Club and the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church.
Survivors include his wife Lorraine Lunt Godfrey; sons Patrick, Christopher, Gary and William Jr.; and six grandchildren.
Private service was held. The family prefers donations to a charity of the donor's choice. Arrangements were by Spangler Mortuaries of Mountain View.
Mary Elizabeth Reid
Community volunteer
Mary Elizabeth (Mizi) Reid, former Menlo Park and Portola Valley resident, died October 17 at the Forum in Cupertino. She was 83.
Mrs. Reid was born in Pasadena, the daughter of movie actor Samuel S. Hinds. Through her father, she became acquainted with the leading actors of the day, including Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. She attended the Westlake School in Los Angeles and Stanford University, graduating with a degree in art and drama in 1940.
While at Stanford she was a member of Delta Gamma sorority and was active in campus theatrical productions. She met her future husband, George L. Reid, at the university. In 1995 Mrs. Reid was awarded a Block S from Stanford in recognition of her athletic accomplishments in archery. At that time the university honored women who had not received their athletic letters while in college.
While living in Menlo Park and Portola Valley, Mrs. Reid was a community volunteer with the Stanford Convalescent Home Auxiliary and local theater groups. She was a member of the Christian Science Church of Los Altos, and an enthusiastic golfer and member of Menlo Country Club. The Reids lived in Portola Valley for 30 years before moving to the Forum in 1995.
Mrs. Reid is survived by her husband, George; sons Alan Reid of Morgan Hill and Scot Reid of Redwood City; and four grandsons. Her daughter, Sylvia Reid, preceded her in death. Memorial services will be private.
Gladys Swedenborg
103-year-old Menlo resident
Gladys Swedenborg died September 18 at her Menlo Park home at age 103. Mrs. Swedenborg's husband, the late Ed Swedenborg, died in February at age 106. The couple had been marriage 74 years.
Mrs. Swedenborg was born in Baird, Texas. She graduated from college in Abilene, Texas, and taught school for seven years in Oklahoma and Wyoming. After her marriage to Mr. Swedenborg in 1928, they lived in Wyoming until moving to Menlo Park in 1959.
Mrs. Swedenborg was an active member of the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, the Eastern Star and Little House senior center.
She is survived by her sons Murray of Morgan Hill and Donald of San Jose; seven grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
Arrangements were under the direction of Roller Hapgood & Tinney, Palo Alto.
Mitchell Webber
A memorial service for Mitchell Edward Webber of Redwood City will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, September 26, at Crippen and Flynn Mortuary, 400 Woodside Road, Redwood City.
Mr. Webber, who lived in Menlo Park as a child, died September 21 at age 82. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Beverly; son Joel of Sacramento; daughter Pamela Hamilton of Reno; and four grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the Red Cross.
Joanne Whelan
Peninsula Ball chairman
A funeral Mass was held September 17 at St. Raymond's Catholic Church in Menlo Park for longtime Menlo Park resident Joanne (Jodie) Whelan, who died September 11 of cancer.
Mrs. Whelan was born in Wichita, Kansas, and graduated from Mundelein College in Chicago. She was a 50-year member of the Junior League and active member of the Valley Auxiliary to Family Service Agency of San Mateo County.
She was chairman of the Peninsula Ball committee in 1976 and honorary chairman of the ball, which benefits Family and Children Services of Santa Clara County, this year. She was a member of the Menlo Circus Club and Menlo Country Club.
A world traveler, Mrs. Whelan was an avid bridge player and teacher, loved tending her roses and playing golf, say family members.
She is survived by her husband of 54 years, Dr. Harry G. Whelan, and seven children: Gabe Whelan, Anne Englert, Pat McDonnell, Mary O'Neill, Sally Whelan, Robert Whelan and Sophie Kirk; and 13 grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother Robert Roberts of Woodland Park, Colorado; and sisters Terry Malone of Denver, and Mary Lou Tinker of Wichita, Kansas.
Memorials in Mrs. Whelan's name may be made to Family Services Agency of San Mateo County, 1870 El Camino Real, Burlingame, CA 94010.
Michael J. Garner
Bike shop owner
Michael (Mike) J. Garner of Redwood City died of a heart attack September 18 while riding his bike on Woodside Road. He was 48.
Owner of Garner's Pro Bike Shop in Redwood City, Mr. Garner was a longtime resident of Menlo Park and moved recently to Redwood City.
Survivors are his wife Katie; their children Andrew, James, Sara, and Rebecca; his brothers Richard, Thomas and Terrance; and his parents Bill and Beverly Garner.
The family prefers donations to the Garner Family Trust, c/o Menlo Park Presbyterian Church; or to the American Heart Association of San Jose.
Private Interment arrangements were made under the direction of Spangler Mortuaries of Menlo Park.
Ben Eastman
Former Woodside councilman, Olympic medalist
Ben Eastman, a former Woodside resident and member of its first Town Council, died in October in Hotchkiss, Colorado. He was 91.
Born in San Francisco in 1911, Mr. Eastman attended Burlingame High School and graduated from Stanford University in 1933.
He competed in track during college, and at one time held eight world records in middle distance races and relays, family members said. His record of 46.4 in the 440-yard went unbroken for more than 40 years, according to the Associated Press.
He competed in the 1932 Olympic Games, held in Los Angeles, and won a silver medal in the 400-meter race.
A Woodside resident from the mid-1940s until 1959, Mr. Eastman was involved in the incorporation of Woodside in 1956 and was a member of its first Town Council.
He moved with his family to Hotchkiss, Colorado, in 1959 and planted a fruit orchard, which he operated for the rest of his life.
Mr. Eastman is survived by his wife Edwina of Hotchkiss; his sons Ben Eastman Jr. of Denver, Gary Eastman of Fort Collins, Colorado, and Peter Eastman of Hotchkiss; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Barbara Albertson Wildman
Community volunteer
A memorial service for Barbara Albertson Wildman, a longtime Menlo Park resident, is set for 1 p.m. Monday, December 2, at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, 950 Santa Cruz Ave.
Ms. Wildman died November 15 of cancer at age 76.
Born in Toledo, Ohio, she began her career in the production department of leading news magazines in New York. A job offer from Sunset magazine brought her to the Peninsula, where she marriage Jack Savage Wildman and became a devoted wife and mother, family members said. She later returned to work at SRI in Menlo Park.
She served as the president of the Encinal School PTA, taught Sunday school at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, and staffed the church's information booth. She also worked with Project Read at the local library. She was an enthusiastic tennis player and a member of the over 50, low-impact aerobics class at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church for many years.
She is survived by her husband Jack; and their sons Matthew Wildman of Redwood City and Douglas Wildman of San Francisco.
John Burleigh Fearing
Atherton resident, Air Force veteran
John Burleigh Fearing, a longtime Atherton resident, died November 11. He was 74.
Born in Ticonderoga, New York, he attended Kent School in Connecticut and graduated from the University of Virginia. Mr. Fearing also served in the U.S. Air Force in Korea. He moved to Menlo Park in 1962, and to Atherton six years later.
Mr. Fearing is survived by his wife of 51 years, Joan Catron Fearing; his daughter Judy Fearing Zierick of Malibu; and his 101-year-old mother Fitzallen Kendall Fearing of Macon, Georgia.
A memorial service was held at Valley Presbyterian Church in Portola Valley, with arrangements by Roller, Hapgood & Tinney. His family prefers memorial donations be sent to Cardiac Therapy Foundation, 4546 El Camino Real, Suite 218, Los Altos, CA 94022.
Ruth Bach
Needlework expert
Ruth Jacqueline Bach died November 2 at the Sequoias health center in Portola Valley. She was 88.
Born in Jackson, Michigan, she received a bachelor's degree in library science from Grinnell College, where she met and marriage George Leland Bach, who went on to become Frank E. Buck professor of economics and public policy at Stanford's Graduate School of Business.
Mrs. Bach excelled in needlework. Many of her embroidered, quilted and needlepoint projects won awards. She pursued her love of music by supporting the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and other classical music organizations. She was a member of the Music Club of Stanford, the Stanford Business School Wives and the Stanford Women's Sewing Group.
She is survived by her children, Christopher Bach of Springfield, Virginia, Barbara McCardle of Pebble Beach, Susan Nolan of Palo Alto, and Timothy Bach of San Francisco; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lee Bach.
Gertrude Roller
Organist
Gertrude C. Roller, a self-taught musician, died November 12 of congestive heart failure at her home in Menlo Park. She was 87.
Born in 1915 in Palo Alto, she played the organ and piano as a young woman at the First Lutheran Church in Palo Alto. She also played the piano and accompanied the men's chorus and choir at the Peninsula Bible Church.
Mrs. Roller was an organist at Roller & Hapgood Funeral Home in Palo Alto for 42 years.
She is survived by her daughter Linda Christine Crockett and one grandson.
Services were held November 18 at Roller Hapgood & Tinney Funeral Chapel.
Memorials in her name may be made to the Humane Society of the United States and the Santa Clara County Humane Society.
Evelyn Cebula
Registered nurse
Evelyn Cebula, a 43-year resident of Woodside, died November 8. She was 77.
A native of New Bedford, Massachusetts, Mrs. Cebula was a registered nurse at Sequoia Hospital for 20 years. She and her late husband, Henry, organized and directed the bingo games for Sequoia Hospital Foundation at the American Legion Hall in Redwood City. She was a member of St. Mathias Catholic Church in Redwood City, and the California Nurses Association.
Mrs. Cebula enjoyed reading mystery novels, playing bingo, and spending time with her grandchildren.
She is survived by her daughters Susan Garnsey of Antioch, Janet, Carol and Wanda Cebula of Woodside, and Victoria Brignetti of San Francisco; four grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. Her husband Henry died in January.
A funeral Mass was held November 13 at St. Matthias Catholic Church. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or Mission Hospice. Arrangements were under the direction of Redwood Chapel in Redwood City.
Evelyn Reif
Menlo Park resident
A memorial service for Evelyn Reif is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, November 19, at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, 950 Santa Cruz Avenue.
Mrs. Reif, a Menlo Park resident, died November 13 following an illness resulting from a stroke she suffered five years ago. She was 89.
She was preceded in death by her only child, Richard A. Reif, in 1995.
She is survived by her husband of 66 years, Michael L. Reif; her daughter-in-law Debra Reif; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
