Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Ella Martha Nelson
Longtime Woodside resident
Ella Martha Nelson, a 67-year resident of Woodside and Menlo Park, died November 18 at Sharon Heights Care and Rehab Center in Menlo Park. She was 91.
A native of Utah, Mrs. Nelson was a member of the Redwood City Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
She is survived by her son Harold of Menlo Park; daughter Elaine Markham of Michigan; sister Fern and brother Will of Utah; nine grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. Her husband, Oral Nelson, preceded her in death.
Services were held November 22 at Redwood Chapel, Redwood City; Burial was at Alta Mesa Memorial Park. The family prefers memorials to a charity of choice.
James M. Waggoner Jr.
Retired airline pilot
James M. Waggoner Jr. died at his Menlo Park home November 18. He was 82.
A native of Salisbury, North Carolina, Mr. Waggoner was a pilot with Pan Am Airlines.
He is survived by his wife, Jane S. Waggoner of Menlo Park; his children, James Waggoner III of Oregon, Thomas C. Waggoner of Santa Cruz, William S. Waggoner of La Selva Beach, and Sally J. Brenton of Palo Alto; his siblings, Helen Michael, William J. Waggoner and Julius D. Waggoner, all of North Carolina, and O. Charles Waggoner of Connecticut; and six grandchildren.
A private service was held, with arrangements by the Menlo Park Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries.
Thomas Marinkovich Sr.
X-ray technologist
Thomas J. Marinkovich Sr. of Menlo Park died November 14. He was 81.
A native of Tacoma, Washington, Mr. Marinkovich retired after serving as the chief X-ray technologist at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation for 38 years. He was also one of the few medical photographers on the Peninsula and worked nights doing photography for doctors in the area.
During World War II, he was part of the original staff of 25 at Dibble Army Hospital in Menlo Park, which opened in 1943.
Mr. Marinkovich is survived by his wife of 57 years, Alvina Marinkovich of Menlo Park; daughter Margaret Kupps of Soquel; son Thomas J. Marinkovich Jr. of Newark; and many nieces and nephews.
Private services have been held.
Cedric Richards
Civil engineer
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, November 9, at Ladera Community Church for Cedric William (Ricky) Richards, who died October 22. He was 89.
Mr. Richards was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. During his youth, he tuned organs with his father. During World War II he served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. After the war, he and his wife, Mary Ellen, moved to California.
Mr. Richards was offered a job as an acting instructor while attending graduate school at Stanford University. He obtained his Ph.D. in civil engineering and taught at Stanford until he retired in 1978.
In 1954 the couple built a home in Portola Valley, where they lived with their four children. As a family, the Richards traveled together, cooked together, ate together, had adventures together, a tradition that is carried on by his children to this day, say family members.
Mr. Richards is survived by his children Trudi Espinet of Portola Valley, John Richards of Portola Valley, Suzanne (Zanny) Schrift of Albany, and Robin Quinteros of Massachusetts; and seven grandchildren. His wife, Mary Ellen, died four years ago.
Memorials may be made to the Richards Institute of Education through Music by calling Randy McChesney at 661-225-1863 or by visiting the ETM Web site: www.educationthroughmusic.com.
Ken Hunt
Real estate manager
Ken Hunt, a longtime resident of Atherton and Woodside, died October 23 after a long illness. He was 73.
Mr. Hunt was born in Coos Bay, Oregon, and attended the University of Oregon. He was captain of the 1951 university basketball team and was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity.
Mr. Hunt was a well-known Realtor on the Peninsula for more than 35 years. At one time, he had his own real estate firm, Finn & Hunt. He began his career with Wright & Company and, at the time of his retirement, he was manager of Fox & Carskadon in downtown Menlo Park.
"Ken was a real gentleman and dedicated to real estate. I worked for him when I started out in 1976 and he taught me a lot. I had the utmost respect for him," said Realtor Tom Dallas of Coldwell Banker. At one time or another, almost all the top-producing agents on the South Peninsula were influenced by Mr. Hunt, said Mr. Dallas.
Mr. Hunt was an avid golf and tennis player and a member of the Menlo Country Club and Menlo Circus Club.
He is survived by his wife, Joan, of Woodside; children Ron of Atlanta, Vickie of San Mateo, Terry of San Francisco, and Rob of Chico; and five grandchildren.
Services were held October 29 at the Chapel of Light at Skylawn Cemetery, San Mateo. Arrangements were under the direction of Woodside Chapel of Crippen and Flynn in Redwood City. The family prefers memorials in his name be made to Stanford University Hospital and clinics or Pathways Hospice Foundation, 201 San Antonio Circle, Suite 104, Mountain View, CA 94040.
Robert Foley
Former Portola Valley educator
A memorial service for Robert Foley, a Menlo Park resident and former administrator in the Portola Valley School District, will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, December 8, at the Lucie Stern Community Center in Palo Alto. Mr. Foley died after emergency heart surgery at Stanford Hospital on October 18. He was 67.
Mr. Foley grew up in Nevada City, near Sacramento, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California at Berkeley, and earned two masters degrees from Stanford University, relatives said.
Mr. Foley was with the Portola Valley School District for 10 years, starting in 1965 as a German teacher and later becoming principal of Corte Madera School, said his colleague and friend Roger De Dera. "He was passionate with kids. Kids loved him," Mr. De Dera said.
His father was a gold-mining engineer and his mother a teacher and historian and the namesake of the Doris Foley Library for Historical Research in Nevada City. His father died when he was 2 years old.
At the time of Mr. Foley's death, he was principal of Lincoln Elementary School in Newark. A memorial held for Mr. Foley at Lincoln school was packed, friends said.
"Everyone loved Bob for his warmth, sense of humor and for the help and inspiration he gave," relatives said.
Mr. Foley is survived by his wife Barbara of Menlo Park; his daughter, Dr. Paula Rubio; his son, David Mayer of New Hampshire; and three grandchildren.
The Lucie Stern Community Center is located at 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. Donations may be made to the Robert Foley Scholarship Fund at Lincoln School, 3611 Bettencourt St., Newark, CA 94560.
Kenneth McCarthy
Educator, reading specialist
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, December 4, at St. Denis Catholic Church, 2250 Avy Ave., Menlo Park, for Kenneth Edward McCarthy of Menlo Park, who died November 29.
Harlan K. Veal
Retired Superior Court judge
Harlan Kenneth Veal, a Woodside resident and retired San Mateo County Superior Court Judge, died November 25 after a battle with cancer. He was 79.
Born in Berkeley, he received his bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley and earned his law degree from Stanford University's law school in 1951.
He practiced law for 32 years in San Carlos with the firm Truce, Veal, Jackson, Taylor, Bolgard and Mittlestead, and was appointed to the Superior Court by Gov. George Deukmejian, where he served until his retirement in 1997.
After he was retired, he continued to take assignments for the judicial council, as well as arbitration and mediation services.
Judge Veal was a member of the American Bar Association, the California State Bar and the California Judge's Association. He served as president of the San Mateo County Bar Association and the San Carlos Kiwanis Club.
He also served on the board of visitors at the Stanford law school and was an instructor in the intensive advocacy programs at Stanford and the University of San Francisco.
He was a big fan of Stanford football, said the family, and could often be seen driving his bright red 1957 Thunderbird around Redwood City. A believer in the law as a noble profession, he was often called a "lawyer's lawyer" and a "judge's judge," family members said.
Judge Veal is survived by Anne, his wife of 37 years; his children, Chris Veal, Rory Veal, Victoria George and Candyce Veal; his stepchildren Kevin O'Meara, Megan O'Meara and Ellen O'Meara; and four grandchildren.
The family said it plans to hold services in January.
Memorial donations may be made to Pathways Hospice, 2001 San Antonio Circle, Suite 135, Mountain View, CA 94040; Filoli, 86 Canada Road, Woodside CA 94062; or a cancer society or charity of the donor's choice. Arrangements were by Redwood Chapel.
Donald E.White
USGS geologist
Donald E. White, a geologist who lived in Portola Valley, died November 20. He was 88.
A native Californian, Dr. White earned his bachelor's degree from Stanford University and completed his doctorate in geology at Princeton University.
He began his 54-year career at the U.S. Geological Survey in 1939. He was well-known for research about the origin of ore-forming metals. Another major focus was geothermal processes, particularly the hot springs system at Yellowstone National Park.
Because of his research and theoretical contributions to geology, Dr. White was named to the National Academy of Science in 1973. He also earned two of the most distinguished awards in geology: the Geological Society of America's Penrose Medal in 1984 and the Society of Economic Geologists' Penrose Medal in 1992.
He is survived by his wife, Helen (Jo) White; three daughters, Margaret Matlin, Eleanor Cannan and Catherine White; and three grandchildren.
A memorial service was held November 23 at The Sequoias in Portola Valley. Memorials may be made to a charity of choice. Arrangements were under the direction of Crosby-Gray & Co. Funeral Directors of Burlingame.
Colleen Batistina Bellomi
53-year Menlo resident
Colleen Batistina Bellomi, who lived in Menlo Park for 53 years, died November 23 in Mountain View after a long illness. She was 75.
Mrs. Bellomi was born in Oakland and graduated from Technical High School there. She moved to Menlo Park in 1949 with her husband, Louis V. Bellomi, a fire captain with 33 years of service in the Menlo Park Fire Protection District.
Primarily a homemaker, Mrs. Bellomi also worked as a retail specialist for J.C. Penney for about 10 years. "Her family was her whole life -- her children and her grandchildren," said her daughter, Janelle A. Armstrong of Santa Clara.
Mrs. Bellomi is survived by her husband, Louis of Menlo Park; a brother, Eugene Proietti of Mariposa, California; her daughter, Janelle Armstrong; a son, Victor L. Bellomi of Cupertino; and four grandchildren.
Services have been held at St. Raymond's Catholic Church, and Interment was at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Menlo Park.
The family suggests donations to the American Diabetes Association, 4040 Moorpark Ave., Suite 105, San Jose, CA 96117; www.diabetes.org.
Hussain Ali Abuel-Saud
Computer consultant
Hussain Ali Abuel-Saud, a Menlo Park resident, died November 26. He was 44.
A native of Qatif, Saudi Arabia, Mr. Abuel-Saud move to the Bay Area 26 years ago in pursuit of an American education. He attended the College of San Mateo and the University of California at Riverside, then transferred to San Francisco State University, where he earned a degree in international relations.
He was an active participant in Stanford University's continuing studies program, and at the time of his death was preparing to begin the MBA program at Santa Clara University.
Mr. Abuel-Saud worked as a senior computer consultant at Object Focus in Cupertino.
He was a member of the World Affairs Council of Northern California, belonged to the Ladera Oaks Swim and Tennis Club, and volunteered as a soccer referee for AYSO for seven years. He enjoyed playing soccer with his children and was an incredible cook, said family members, who added that he was cherished for his generous nature and goodness of heart.
Mr. Abuel-Saud is survived by Gay, his wife of 13 years; their four children, Sarah, Sophia, Sonia and Zachary; his mother Fatimah Nasrullah; and six sisters and two brothers.
A memorial service was planned for December 3 at the Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to an educational fund for his children through Washington Mutual bank in Menlo Park. Funeral arrangements were by the Woodside Chapel of Crippen and Flynn.
L. Jane Dengler
Longtime Portola Valley resident
A memorial service for L. Jane Dengler, a longtime resident of Portola Valley, will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, December 13, at the Dengler family residence, 219 Wyndham Drive in Portola Valley.
Mrs. Dengler died November 15 at age 87 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, after a long illness. For 52 years she was marriage to Portola Valley's beloved naturalist, Herbert J. Dengler, who died September 15.
Born in Renton, Washington, she moved to Portola Valley in 1950. Aside from being a loving mother, family members say she worked with her husband in his art and framing shop, H.J. Dengler Old Prints, at the Town and Country Village shopping center in Palo Alto.
She is survived by her daughters Sallye J. Murphy of Santa Fe and Jonanne Tonnesen of Mokelumne Hill, California; step-son Ronald Dengler of Toronto, Canada; five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
The family prefers memorial contributions be made to Rosener House, Alzheimer's associations, and the First Baptist Church of Los Altos.
David Beugen
Entrepreneur
David Beugen, a 30-year resident of Woodside, died December 5. He was 70.
Mr. Beugen was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He worked as a real-estate appraiser and an entrepreneur for more than 45 years. Family members remember him as an eternal optimist.
He is survived by his wife, Susan Beugen; four daughters, Sally Peck, Sherri Horve, Suzy Bishop and Stacy Burkons; a son, Andy Beugen; and five grandchildren.
Private services for Mr. Beugen will be held at the family home in Palm Desert on Saturday, December 14.
The family suggests that in lieu of flowers memorials be made to Desert Pet Adoptions of Palm Desert, or to the Minneapolis Jewish Federation Fund.
Floyd Langsev
Varian Associates executive
A celebration of the life of Floyd Langsev will be held at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, December 12, at Ladera Community Church, 3300 Alpine Road in Portola Valley. Mr. Langsev died at his Menlo Park home December 1. He was 78.
Growing up on the family farm during the Depression, Mr. Langsev's lifelong love of sports began when he was captain of his one-room school's baseball team in Silverton, Oregon. He played in high school and in college, and on championship baseball squads in the Marines and several semi-pro teams.
He was student body president at Eastern Oregon College and served as a Marine in World War II, stationed in Okinawa.
Shortly after his marriage to Helen Ambler, he began a 45-year residence in Menlo Park, where he raised his family, played golf and began his 34-year career at Varian Associates, where he was director of personnel policy and employee benefits.
A superb golfer, Mr. Langsev taught himself the game from a book while living in Venezuela, where he taught school and trained Gulf Oil employees for six years.
He was a charter member of the Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club.
His love of adventure led him to travel across Siberia by train, exploring the tributaries of the Amazon, and ballooning at dawn over the wildebeest migration of the Serengeti plain in Africa, say family members.
Mr. Langsev is survived by his daughters, Christine Gross and Terilynn Langsev; one grandson; one great-grandson; sisters Berniece Langsev and Wilma Langsev; and brother Clayton Langsev. His second wife, Carol Fuller Langsev, died in 1993.
Donations may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Office of Donor Services, 1311 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, N.Y. 10605; or the Cheetah Conservation Fund, P.O. Box 1380, Ojai, CA 93024.
Henriette F. Hunt
Ohio native
Henriette F. Hunt died November 24 in Menlo Park. She was 93.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Mrs. Hunt lived in Palo Alto for 60 years before moving to Menlo Park this year.
She is survived by three children, Joan Hunt Burdick, Sandra Hunt Lewis, and James L. Hunt; eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Lloyd E. Hunt, as well as one grandson and one great-grandson.
Services were held November 27 at the St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Palo Alto, followed by Burial at the Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto. Arrangements were by Roller Hapgood & Tinney in Palo Alto.
