Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Mary Cavier
Community volunteer
Mary M. Cavier of Portola Valley died November 16 at age 91. Born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, she had been a resident of the Bay Area for more than 75 years.
In her younger years, Mrs. Cavier was an active community volunteer and avid golfer.
She enjoyed spending time with her family and, later, watching her grandchildren grow, family members said.
Mrs. Cavier is survived by her sisters, a niece, a nephew, three grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. Her husband, Frank Cavier, died in June.
A private service was held November 22 at Alta Mesa Cemetery. The family prefers donations to a favorite charity.
Kenneth E. McCarthy
Reading specialist, educator
Kenneth Edward McCarthy, a public school teacher and principal who after retiring devoted himself to teaching children and adults with reading difficulties, died on November 29. A resident of Menlo Park, he was 80 years old.
A native of San Francisco, Mr. McCarthy attended Fresno State and Rice universities, and received his master's degree in education from Stanford University. He served in the Navy during World War II.
Mr. McCarthy worked for 33 years as a teacher and school principal in the Redwood City School District. After he left his public school career, he began to research the question of literacy, trying to learn what methods were most effective in teaching children to read. His research led him to believe that teaching phonics -- then a widely disparaged method -- was critical to reading success for many children.
In a 1996 interview with the Almanac, Mr. McCarthy acknowledged that some phonics-based methods are flawed, which is why he developed a new system based on a centuries-old concept. He used this approach with his many clients after founding the Center for Learning Improvement in Menlo Park, teaching both children and adults who had difficulty learning to read.
In that interview, Mr. McCarthy called the failure of schools to teach all children to read, and the significant percentage of adults in America who are functionally illiterate, "a national scandal." About two years ago, he published "Why Thomas Can't Read," which includes a tutorial using methods that he developed.
In his earlier years, Mr. McCarthy was an accomplished athlete in track, tennis and golf, according to his family. He was a champion tennis player, playing in all the major United States tournaments, including the U.S. Open at Forest Hills. He was a member of the Olympic Club in San Francisco, and a former member of the Foothill Tennis and Swim Club and the Stanford Golf Club.
He is survived by his wife, Miriam; son and daughter-in-law Brian and Mary Jo; and two grandchildren. Services have been held.
The family prefers that memorial donations be made to Villa Siena Foundation, 1855 Miramonte, Mountain View, CA 94040.
Louis Jahnke
Metallurgical engineer
A memorial service will be held Saturday, December 14, for Louis Prehn Jahnke of Menlo Park, who died November 27. He was 80.
The service starts at 2 p.m. at Roller Hapgood & Tinney Funeral Home, 980 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto.
Born in Beloit, Wisconsin, he attended Oberlin College, the University of Michigan, and the Stanford University Graduate School of Business Sloan Program. He was a member of Theta Delta Chi fraternity.
During World War II, Mr. Jahnke worked on the Manhattan Project, helping develop the porous barrier for the gaseous diffusion separation of uranium isotopes, according to his family.
From 1947 to 1950, he traveled extensively, working in Pearl Harbor, Shanghai, Taiwan, the Middle East and Europe.
Mr. Jahnke retired in 1975 after 27 years with General Electric Corp. in Cincinnati, where he served as manager of the Material and Processes Laboratory. He was responsible for research and development for high-temperature and high-strength materials in GE's Aircraft Engine Group.
Mr. Jahnke was a fellow of the American Society for Metals, and a member of the American Institute of Metallurgical Engineers and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
In 1985 he was given the Ross Award for those who volunteer their services for the betterment of the town of Atherton, where he lived before moving to Menlo Park, and was inducted into the Propulsion Hall of Fame the same year.
Mr. Jahnke is survived by his wife of 36 years, Bernice Jahnke of Menlo Park; children Pamela Jahnke of Menlo Park, Kim Franz of Carmichael, Dr. Lynn Jahnke of Santa Barbara, and Jeff Jahnke of Menlo Park; stepchildren Bradley Bauman of St. Louis, Bryan Bauman of Cincinnati, and Beth Thurston of Menlo Park; and eight grandchildren. Mr. Jahnke's first wife and the mother of his children, Patricia Ward Jahnke, died in 1963.
The family prefers donations be made to a charity of the donor's choice.
Joy McCully
Real estate agent
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, December 15, at Woodside Village Church for Joy McCully of Woodside, who died November 24 following a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 59.
Mrs. McCully grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and marriage John McCully as a freshman at the University of Texas in 1962. They moved to Los Angeles, where both graduated from UCLA.
After 15 years as a manager for software companies, Mrs. McCully launched a second career as a real estate agent in the Woodside and Portola Valley area.
She joined Alain Pinel Realtors in late 1997; prior to that she with Cornish and Carey for 11 years, where she ranked in the top 1 percent of the company in terms of sales.
An avid reader, Mrs. McCully also enjoyed attending the theater and movies, playing the piano and riding Arabian horses. She will be remembered for her generosity, sense of humor and keen insight into others, say family members.
She is survived by her husband, John of Woodside, and daughter, Allisen.
Memorials of either flowers or a donation to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network would be appreciated by the family.
Paul Monnot
Artist
Paul Monnot, a longtime Menlo Park resident and former member of the Menlo Art League, died November 29. He was 96.
Born in Biarritz, France, Mr. Monnot lived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Yokohama and Tokyo, Japan; and Shanghai, China. It was in Shanghai that he met and marriage his wife, Fernande.
As a resident of the French Concession in Shanghai, he was an avid tennis player and followed international tennis matches throughout his life.
The Monnots remained in China during World War II and were repatriated to France in 1946. During the post-war years, Mr. Monnot was a liaison officer on behalf of the French and American armies in Bordeaux, where the family lived until they immigrated to the United States.
Mr. Monnot was a member of the Menlo Art League. His paintings have been displayed and collected locally.
He is survived by his wife, Fernande of Menlo Park; a daughter, Claude Anyos of Atherton; and numerous nieces and nephews in Europe.
At his request, no service was held. The family prefers memorial donations to St. Anthony's Padua Dining Room, 3500 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park 94025.
Gerritt Van Maanen III
Partners International representative
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, December 16, at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church for Gerritt (Gary) Van Maanen III of Menlo Park, who died November 26 at Menlo Park Place from Parkinson's dementia. He was 81.
Mr. Van Maanen was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan. During World War II he served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army from 1942-1946. He was in the building business in Kalamazoo with his father for 16 years.
At 16 he served as president of Christian Endeavor youth group and later became president of the local First Reformed Church in Kalamazoo, where he also served as a Sunday school teacher, deacon and elder.
After moving to California in 1962, he became active in the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, where he taught Sunday school, was an elder and a leader of the Men's Group, and helped on the Mission Task Force.
He and his wife, Connie, became staff members for Campus Crusade for Christ for seven years. He graduated from the Institute of Biblical Studies and was named director of the Northern California lay division.
He continued Christian mission work for Partners International for 17 years. His work took him around the world, including eight Southeast Asian countries and China. He was ordained a reverend by the Evangelical Church Alliance.
After retiring at age 70, he returned to the remodeling business until he was struck with Parkinson's disease.
Mr. Van Maanen is survived by his wife of 60 years, Connie of Menlo Park; sons Gary of South San Francisco, James of Friday Harbor, Washington, and Paul of Concord; five grandchildren; and sisters Catherine Doty of Holland, Michigan, and Sue Coffey of Kalamazoo. A daughter, Nancy Lou, preceded him in death.
Arrangements were under the direction of Spangler Mortuaries, with Burial at Mt. Everest Memorial Cemetery in Kalamazoo.
Gertrude McLaren
Real estate broker
Gertrude Keyston McLaren died December 3 at her home in Menlo Park. She was 76.
Born in San Francisco, Mrs. McLaren moved to Atherton as a teenager. Her mother, Berenice Mitchell Keyston, was one of the founders of the Woodside-Atherton Garden Club.
Mrs. McLaren was a graduate of Sacred Heart in Atherton and Stanford University with a degree in education. She was a real estate broker in the Menlo Park-Atherton area for more than 30 years. She also helped seniors at Little House with their income tax returns for many years.
Mrs. McLaren was a docent at Filoli and a member of the Golden Gate Pembroke Corgi Association. She enjoyed gardening and traveling in Europe, Hawaii and Mexico.
She is survived by her children, Bob McLaren of Carmel Valley, Linda Cristo of Redwood City, and Bill McLaren of Hayward; and two granddaughters.
A memorial Mass was held December 16 at Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park. Arrangements were under the direction of Roller Hapgood & Tinney.
Memorials may be made to St. Anthony's Padua Dining Room, 3500 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025.
Don Hirsch
Building contractor
Don Hirsch, who built many homes on the Peninsula including his own homes in Atherton and Menlo Park, died December 12 at Sharon Heights Care and Rehabilitation Center. He was 85.
Mr. Hirsch was born in Oakland and moved to Redwood City as a young child. He attended San Jose State University and graduated from San Mateo Community College.
He was a general contractor for more than 20 years. Before going into the building business, he worked as a chemical analyst at the Pacific Portland Cement Co. at the Port of Redwood City.
He built his last house in Sharon Heights where he lived in retirement, spending his time traveling with his wife, Ann, and taking care of his extensive garden.
Mr. Hirsch is survived by his wife, Ann; son James D. Hirsch of South San Francisco; sister Mardell Graham of Santa Rosa; and three grandchildren.
Private family services were held. Memorials may be made to Pathways Hospice Foundation, 201 San Antonio Circle, Suite 104, Mountain view; or to a charity of the donor's choice.
Mary Greco
Menlo Park resident
Mary Catania Greco died December 7 at her Menlo Park home at age 99. Mrs. Greco is a former longtime resident of Hillsborough, moving to Menlo Park three years ago to live with her daughter, Joan Briggson.
Mrs. Greco was born in Sicily and moved to Omaha, Nebraska, with her family as an infant.
She is survived by her daughter, Joan Briggson of Menlo Park; a son, Richard Greco of San Jose; sisters Nancy Altieri of Santa Clara and Nellie Catania of Burlingame; brother Frank Catania of Omaha, Nebraska; and four grandchildren. Her husband, Dr. Sebastian J. Greco, died in 1975.
A funeral Mass was held December 12 at St. Raymond Catholic Church in Menlo Park; entombment was at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma.
Donations in Mrs. Greco's memory may be made to the Stanford University Department of Cancer Research, 770 Welch Road, Suite 400, Palo Alto 94303.
Rosemarie Machado
Antique shop owner
A funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, December 18, at St. Pius Catholic Church, 1100 Woodside Road, Redwood City, for Rosemarie Machado, 68, of Woodside, who died December 13.
Friends are invited to visit after 4 p.m., with a vigil at 7 p.m. Tuesday, December 17, at Redwood Chapel, 847 Woodside Road in Redwood City.
A native of Kaiserslautern, Germany, Mrs. Machado was the owner of Palace Market Antiques and a member of the Woodside-Atherton Auxiliary to Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.
She is survived by her husband, H.F. (Ken) Machado; daughters Jeri Sprague of Fresno and Jill Gisi of Santa Clara; son Christopher Machado of San Diego; six grandchildren and many nieces and nephews in Germany.
Memorials may be made in her name to Pathways Hospice, 201 San Antonio Circle, Suite 135, Mountain View, CA 94040.
Mary Augusta Grant Hodgson
Homemaker
Mary Augusta Grant Hodgson, a longtime resident of Woodside, died peacefully at her home December 16 after a long illness. She was 71.
Born March 22, 1931, in San Francisco, Mrs. Hodgson graduated from Mercy High School in Burlingame and Lone Mountain College in San Francisco.
She met her husband Pete in 1957 and they were marriage at Fort Benning, Georgia. Soon after, they returned to California to raise their family.
Mrs. Hodgson helped her husband build his contracting firm and worked with him until her retirement in 1993. Family members said she enjoyed gardening, and the company of her dog and cats, but most of all she enjoyed her family.
Mrs. Hodgson is survived by her husband Pete Hodgson of Woodside; her children Carol Ebner of Portola Valley, Ann Greth of Minden, Nevada, C.R. Hodgson of Santa Clara, and William Hodgson of Mountain View; and 10 grandchildren.
A funeral Mass was held December 21 at Our Lady of the Wayside Catholic Church in Portola Valley. Arrangements were under the direction of the Woodside Chapel of Crippen & Flynn in Redwood City.
Donations in Mrs. Hodgson's memory may be made to Sequoia Hospital Foundation, 170 Alameda de las Pulgas, Redwood City, CA 94062.
Louis Giurlani
Former president of Star Fine Foods
Louis Giurlani of Atherton, former president of his family's Star Fine Foods wholesale grocery company, died December 11. He was 86.
A memorial Mass is set for January 11.
Mr. Giurlani was the son of Angelo Giurlani, who founded Star Fine Foods in San Francisco in 1898. Angelo Giurlani's family operated one of Italy's largest olive oil production businesses, Star Olive Oil, in Tuscany.
Mr. Giurlani grew up in San Francisco and attended Armstrong Business School in Berkeley. In 1939 he marriage Beverly Rosenberg, and the couple raised four children in San Francisco, later moving to Atherton. Beverly Giurlani died in 1972.
Mr. Giurlani and his brother, Gaetano, took over Star Fine Foods after their father's death in 1950.
In the mid-1970s, the company was purchased by Carbonnel, a Spanish olive oil firm. The Giurlani brothers then turned to real estate investments, including an industrial park in Silicon Valley that was later bought by Hewlett-Packard.
Mr. Giurlani was a longtime member of the Olympic Club, University of San Francisco Presidents' and Ambassadors' Club, and Il Cenacolo Club; he was also a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre. He loved to travel and cook, say family members.
He is survived by his wife of 28 years, Yolanda Ciutto Giurlani of Atherton; brother Gaetano Giurlani of Los Altos; daughters Carol Chiantelli of San Francisco and Shirley Alberts of Santa Fe; sons Louis "Buff' Giurlani of Menlo Park and Steven Giurlani of Portland; stepdaughters Susan Tonjum of San Francisco and Jacqueline McCall of Novato; and 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
A memorial Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday, January 11, at St. Ignatius Church, 650 Parker Ave., San Francisco.
The family prefers donations in Mr. Giurlani's memory be made to the Little Sisters of the Poor, 300 Lake Ave., San Francisco, CA 94118; or to the Michael Basso Foundation, P.O. Box 6112, San Rafael, CA 94903. Arrangements are under the direction of Roller Hapgood & Tinney, Palo Alto.
Don Hirsch
Building contractor
Don Hirsch, who built many homes on the Peninsula including his own homes in Atherton and Menlo Park, died December 12 at Sharon Heights Care and Rehabilitation Center. He was 85.
Mr. Hirsch was born in Oakland and moved to Redwood City as a young child. He attended San Jose State University and graduated from San Mateo Community College.
For more than 20 years, he was a general contractor. Before going into the building business, he worked as a chemical analyst at the Pacific Portland Cement Co. at the Port of Redwood City.
He built his last house in Sharon Heights, where he lived in retirement, spending his time traveling with his wife, Ann, and taking care of his extensive garden.
Mr. Hirsch is survived by his wife Ann; sons James D. Hirsch of South San Francisco and Robert N. Hirsch of Los Altos; sister Mardell Graham of Santa Rosa; and three grandchildren.
Private family services were held. Memorials may be made to Pathways Hospice Foundation, 201 San Antonio Circle, Suite 104, Mountain View, or to a charity of choice.
