Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Barbara Ann Rasmussen
Ballet and equine enthusiast
Barbara Ann Rasmussen, a former resident of Woodside and local ballet volunteer, died unexpectedly January 3 at her sister's home in Jupiter, Florida. She was 62.
In the early 1980s, Mrs. Rasmussen and her husband Paul moved from Chicago to Woodside. She enjoyed traveling the trails in Woodside and Portola Valley with her horse, Peggy. Following her divorce, Mrs. Rasmussen moved to Florida before returning briefly to California. At the time of her death, she lived in San Diego, where Peggy has found a new home on a large farm.
While living in the Bay Area, Mrs. Rasmussen volunteered with the Joffrey Ballet Auxiliary and the Smuin Ballet. She also worked in the television industry.
She is survived by her twin sons Erik and Ian; her sister, Betty; and three grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at a later date at the Kenilworth Union Church in Illinois.
Robert Ackerman
Horseman and polo player
Robert Clifton Ackerman, who lived in Menlo Park for more than 30 years, died in his sleep in Merced on February 4. Mr. Ackerman, who had moved to Merced only a short time earlier, was 88.
A native of Saddle River, New Jersey, Mr. Ackerman was a professional polo player and often played at the Menlo Circus Club. He was the manager of the Wunderlich Ranch boarding stables in Woodside, now part of Wunderlich County Park, and, later, the Brandywine Farms facility in Portola Valley.
Mr. Ackerman is survived by his four children: David of Menlo Park, Timothy of Merced, Virginia Halvy of Scarsdale, New York, and Clifton of Menlo Park.
Private family services will be held in Saddle River, New Jersey.Memorials in Mr. Ackerman's name may be made to Rosener House, c/o Peninsula Volunteers Inc., 800 Middle Ave., Menlo Park 94025.
May G. Bellamy
Registered nurse, Menlo Park resident
May G. Bellamy, a longtime Menlo Park resident and retired registered nurse, died February 18 in Palo Alto. She was 91.
A native of Ireland, Mrs. Bellamy was an active member of the Little House senior center in Menlo Park.
A graveside service was held February 22 at Holy Cross Cemetery in Menlo Park.
Widow of the late Clifford Bellamy, she is survived by daughters Suzanne Bellamy and Patricia Goss, and two grandchildren.
Eleanor North
Community volunteer
Services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 6, at Christ Episcopal Church, 815 Portola Road, Portola Valley, for Eleanor Wolfe (Bunny) North of Atherton, who died February 23. She was 97.
Mrs. North, a native of New York City, had lived in California since 1948. Active in community affairs, she was especially interested in the English in Action program at Stanford University.
She served on the board of the directors of the San Francisco Symphony Foundation, was a former president of the Woodside-Atherton Auxiliary to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, and a past president of the Valley Auxiliary of the Family Service Agency of San Mateo County.
Mrs. North is survived by her daughter Penny North Dye of Santa Cruz, two grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Jan Triska
Stanford professor
Jan Francis Triska of Menlo Park, a political science and international relations professor at Stanford University since 1960, died February 20 at the age of 81.
Professor Triska was born January 26, 1922, in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Shortly after he had begun his studies at Charles University Law School, the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia closed the universities.
Professor Triska was deported to a forced labor camp in Eisenach, Germany, where he remained until liberation by Patton's Third Army in 1945.
Upon returning to Prague, he barely had time to complete his law studies before the communist coup d'etat in 1948. A student leader on the enemies list, he was sentenced to hard labor while awaiting trial.
Professor Triska escaped to American-occupied Germany, and was granted a Sterling Fellowship at Yale Law School as a displaced person. There he earned his master of laws degree and his doctorate of the science of law. He went on to Harvard and earned the Summer Prize for the best Ph.D. dissertation in 1958.
While studying the Soviet Union at the Hoover Institution, he taught at the University of California and Cornell University. He then began his professorship at Stanford.
The author of over 60 articles, Professor Triska's last book, "The Great War's Forgotten Front," is based on his father's battlefield diary while a conscripted soldier in World War I. At the time of his death, the professor was writing his memoirs.
Twice serving as president of the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences, he assisted in the restructuring of Czech legal institutions after the Velvet Revolution.
Among the many honors he received, Professor Triska's latest honor was the Medal of Merit, First Grade, for meritorious services to the Czech Republic, personally presented by Czech President Vaclav Havel.
Professor Triska is survived by his wife of 51 years, Carmel; sister Bozena Rehakova of the Czech Republic; sons Mark and John Triska; and four granddaughters.
Family funeral services have been held. The family requests that donations designated "In Memory of Professor Jan F. Triska" for a scholarship fund be sent to: Memorial Gifts, 326 Galvez St., Stanford, CA 94305-6105. A memorial service will be held at a later date.
David Harris
Retired Navy captain
David L. Harris, a 40-year resident of Menlo Park and retired Navy captain, died February 22. He was 89.
Born in New York City in 1914, Capt. Harris graduated from the Naval Academy in 1938. He served on the USS Flusser in the Naval campaign in the Pacific during World War II.
The Flusser is credited with shooting down four Kamikaze planes and assisting in downing a heavy bomber during action around the Philippine Islands and Borneo.
After retiring from the Navy in 1964, Capt. Harris worked as a stock broker with Dean Witter.
An active member of Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club, he was also an avid sailor, keeping his sailboat moored at Coyote Point for voyages to destinations as far away as Mexico.
Capt. Harris was preceded in death by his wife, Jane Harris. He is survived by daughters Deborah Harris of Annapolis, Maryland, and Elizabeth Henderson of Washington, D.C.; and one granddaughter.
A memorial service took place March 2 at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Sunnyvale, with funeral arrangements under the direction of Roller, Hapgood and Tinney Funeral Home in Palo Alto.
Donald Thackery
Menlo Park resident
Donald K. Thackery of Menlo Park died February 28 of complications due to Alzheimer's disease. He was 81.
A native of Illinois, Mr. Thackery was a Navy pilot in World War II. He was a Woodside and Menlo Park resident for 20 years, and lived in Carmel for 15 years. He was an avid golfer who loved life, say family members.
Mr. Thackery is survived by his wife, Lorraine M. Thackery of Menlo Park; daughters Carolyn Jereczek of Belmont and Holly Carlin of Monterey; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Memorial services will be held at a later date. The family prefers donations to the Alzheimer's Association, 2065 West El Camino Real, Suite C, Mountain View, CA 94040; or to a charity of choice. Arrangements were under the direction of the Menlo Park Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries.
John Phillips
Menlo Park resident, Rotarian
John Woodley Phillips, a member of Rotary for more than 47 years, died February 14 after a decade-long battle with cancer. He was 79.
Born in San Diego, Mr. Phillips spent his early adulthood in Tulsa, Oklahoma, near his family's oil business.
After he graduated from Tulsa High School in 1940, Mr. Phillips attended the University of California, Berkeley, before enlisting in the Navy in 1942.
He continued his studies after World War II at the University of Oklahoma and later Tulsa University, where he received a bachelor's degree in accounting.
Mr. Phillips marriage Marjorie King in 1951 and managed his family's mineral investments in Oklahoma before moving back to San Diego in 1969.
He was active in Rotary while living in San Diego, and continued his involvement when he and his wife moved to Menlo Park in 1987. His family said Mr. Phillips was a football fan and an avid collector of jazz recordings.
Mr. Phillips is survived by his wife of 51 years, Marjorie King Phillips; daughter Carol Hankins of Cincinnati, Ohio; son Joel Woodley Phillips of Portola Valley; and three grandchildren.
Graveside services at Skylawn Cemetery took place February 18. Memorials may be made through the Rotary Foundation of the Menlo Park Rotary Club, P.O. Box 876, Menlo Park, CA 94026.
Iris Vaden
Longtime Menlo resident
Iris Vaden, who had lived in Menlo Park since 1953, died February 13 at Kaiser Hospital in Redwood City after a short illness. She was 92.
Mrs. Vaden was born in Athens, Ohio, the youngest of four children. She attended Ohio University in Athens, where she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. After graduation she taught in a rural school near Athens.
A sorority sister persuaded her to move to the Washington, D.C., area, where she became executive secretary to Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. A drama and English major in college, she became active in little theater groups.
While in Washington she met and marriage Jim Vaden. After living in Nashville, Tennessee, the family moved to Menlo Park in 1953. The next year they moved into their new Menlo Park home where Mrs. Vaden lived until her death. Mr. Vaden died in 1957.
Mrs. Vaden worked as a secretary at SRI, Palo Alto Medical Foundation and the Veterans Administration in Palo Alto. She retired in 1975.
She enjoyed her activities at Little House, working crossword puzzles, the television program "Jeopardy," and being with her family, say family members.
Mrs. Vaden is survived by her daughter, Jane Vaden of Los Altos, and two granddaughters. Her son, James Vaden III, died in 1986.
Memorials may be made to Peninsula Volunteers Inc., Meals on Wheels program, Little House Senior Center, 800 Middle Ave., Menlo Park 94025.
Charles Hutchison Jr.
Atherton resident
Charles Milton Hutchison Jr., a Stanford graduate and Navy veteran, died last week after a lengthy illness. He was 82.
Born in Los Angeles, he received his degree from Stanford in aeronautical engineering and played on the men's tennis team for three years, earning a varsity letter in 1941.
During World War II Mr. Hutchison served on the USS Makin Island, the flagship of the escort carrier fleet that saw action in Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He retired from the Navy with a rank of lieutenant commander.
Mr. Hutchison was president of Kortick Manufacturing Co. and a member of the Bohemian Club, Merchants Exchange Club, Villa Taverna and the Menlo Circus Club.
He is survived by his wife, Rosemary, sons James and Easton, daughter Sara Fleischer, stepchildren Frederick and Alex Stamey, and Charline Quist Magrin.
Private funeral services under the direction of the Woodside Chapel of Crippen & Flynn will be held at a later date.
Robert W. Durkin
Local dentist
Services have been held for Robert W. Durkin, a 36-year resident of Woodside and longtime San Mateo County dentist. He died March 7 at the age of 77.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Dr. Durkin served as a first lieutenant in Japan during World War II. He graduated from Marquette Dental School, then served on the faculty.
Dr. Durkin was a dentist first in San Carlos, and then in Redwood City for 34 years. He began a second career with the Dental Board of California, where he worked full time until shortly before his death. During his career, he provided free services for many low-income members of the community, and also worked with Amigos De Las Americas in South America.
Dr. Durkin was a member of the Sequoia Yacht Club, the Redwood City Rotary Club, the San Mateo Elks, and many dental organizations. He was also active in the St. Vincent de Paul Society and at St. Pius Church in Redwood City as a lector and eucharistic minister. In addition, he was an avid sailor and instrument-rated pilot.
He is survived by Glennis, his wife of 54 years; seven children, Dennis Durkin, Susan Frantal, Timothy Durkin, Nancy Cone, Mary Porfido, Patricia Durkin-Stepp, and Robert Durkin; and 17 grandchildren.
A Mass and celebration of Dr. Durkin's life was held at St. Pius Church on March 11, with an Irish wake following.
Memorial contributions may be made to the St. Vincent De Paul Society at St. Pius Church; Pathways Hospice at 201 San Antonio Circle #135, Mountain View, CA 94040; or to a charity of your choice.
William Veazie
Menlo Park resident
William G. Veazie, a resident of Menlo Park for five years, died March 9 at the age 74.
Born in Portland, Oregon, in 1928, Mr. Veazie is remembered by his family as a man who donated a great deal of his time to environmental causes.
While living in Menlo Park, Mr. Veazie cared for his wife and was active in the Rosener House Alzheimer's program.
Mr. Veazie is survived by his daughter, Laura Ulrich Russ of Post Falls, Idaho; his son, Michael Veazie of Los Gatos; two grandchildren; and his lifelong friend, Jeanie Holden.
Private family services have been held. The family prefers that donations in his memory be made to the charity of the donor's choice.
Richard Fruin
Pearl Harbor survivor, physician
Dr. Richard Lawrence Fruin, a 28-year resident of Menlo Park and retired U.S. Navy captain, died at home surrounded by family on March 23. He was 87.
The youngest of six children, Dr. Fruin was born in Gridley, Illinois, in 1915. He graduated from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois Medical School in Chicago.
To pay his way through school, Dr. Fruin joined the Navy, serving on bases in the United States and sailing around the world before World War II.
On the morning of December 7, 1941, he was aboard the USS Tangier when it was moored in Pearl Harbor. The ship escaped the Japanese bombers despite three waves of attacks, and shot down at least three planes, as reported by its commanding officer.
Dr. Fruin served throughout the naval campaign in the Pacific, seeing action at the battles of the Coral Sea and Midway. He later served in the Korean War and retired from the Navy in 1964 after 26 years of service.
Upon his return to civilian life, Dr. Fruin retrained as an anesthesiologist at UCSF and worked for another 16 years throughout Northern California.
He was a member of the American Medical Association, the Marine Corps Aviation Association, and the Pearl Harbor Survivor Association.
Dr. Fruin is survived by his wife of 65 years, Gertrude; sons Richard Jr. of Los Angeles and Mark of Palo Alto; daughters Mariellen of Mountain View and Kathy of Fairfield, Connecticut; 10 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
A memorial Mass was held at St. Raymond's Catholic Church on March 26. Dr. Fruin will be buried
with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the Research Hospital for Children in Memphis, Tennessee, or the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Robert Engelmore
Stanford computer scientist
Robert (Bob) Engelmore, a longtime computer scientist at Stanford University known for his work in applying artificial intelligence (AI) approaches to medical and defense fields, died March 25 while vacationing in Hawaii with his family.
Dr. Engelmore, 68, a resident of Menlo Park, died of an apparent heart attack after large waves inundated a popular natural shoreline pool in Princeville, Kaua'i, after he helped lift his grandson, Jack, 5, to safety from the surging froth.
Dr. Engelmore had been playing with family members and about 10 other persons in the Queen's Bath adjacent to the ocean when several extra-large waves entered the rock-rimmed pool, terrifying the occupants. After Jack was pulled from the water, Dr. Engelmore seemed to relax and was swept out to sea by the receding wave, said his eldest daughter, Alice Engelmore, of Half Moon Bay, who had jumped back into the pond to help rescue Jack.
Dr. Engelmore swam to a plastic pool toy that had washed out with him and waved back at them, she said. But by the time lifeguards on jet skis reached him his heart had stopped beating -- there was no sign of injuries, she said.
"I had just gotten out of the water when a huge wave came in, and another on top of it," Alice Engelmore said. "People were screaming, and the waves were pushing people into the rocks. Jack was screaming and scared, and my father was trying to hold him up so he could breathe. I went back in -- there were such heroic people there, working to make sure Jack was safe.
"Once we got Jack up on the rocks, my father relaxed and was washed out. Most of us received numerous cuts and bruises. There may have been one woman who was more seriously hurt."
Alice Engelmore's husband, Shawn Mindus, and 3-year-old daughter, Jaye, were a short distance from the pond and unhurt.
"We are hoping his last vision was looking up and seeing the four of us, and seeing we were OK, with the mountains behind us and sea turtles swimming around him," Alice said.
Dr. Engelmore and his wife, Ellie, who was not present at the Queen's Bath, were on a 10-day trip to Kaua'i, where their second daughter, Kathryn, lives with her husband, Jeff, and their two young children. A third daughter, Rebecca Lipski of San Francisco, traveled to Hawaii with her husband, Kevin, following the death.
The family plans to scatter his ashes along the Na Pali Coast on the north side of Kaua'i, and a memorial service will be scheduled in April in the Palo Alto/Stanford area, where he was widely known due to his scientific work and baritone singing with the Stanford Chorus and Masterworks Chorale.
Dr. Engelmore received his Ph.D. in physics from Carnegie Mellon University in 1962, and began his scientific career in the San Diego area.
He moved to Stanford in the early 1970s and joined a team of scientists that included Joshua Lederberg, Ed Feigenbaum, Tom Rindfleisch, and others applying artificial intelligence techniques to medical areas under a program called SUMEX-AIM, which became the first non-Defense Department member of the ARPANet computer communications system -- the genesis of today's Internet.
The group did watershed research in building an early molecular biology database and developing algorithms for analyzing molecular and DNA structures. Dr. Engelmore also worked on a project, Chrysalis, to interpret X-ray diffraction patterns of organic crystals, and on a software architecture, known as "Blackboard System," that would enable collaboration from multiple sources of expertise.
"Bob played a key role, as a scientist, as a mentor for graduate students and as a manager of programs," Mr. Rindfleisch, a longtime colleague, said.
From 1985 to 1998, when he retired from full-time research, Dr. Engelmore was senior research scientist and executive director of the Heuristic Programming Project in Stanford's Computer Science Department.
He also served as editor of AI Magazine, a quarterly publication of the American Association of Artificial Intelligence, from 1981 to 1991. He was co-editor of a book on blackboard systems in 1988, and was author of more than 25 technical articles. He helped organize several key international conferences on AI during its most explosive years of expanding knowledge.
In 1979 through 1981, he took a leave from Stanford to serve as program manager for agency-sponsored research on intelligent systems for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, residing in Arlington, Va.
He and other colleagues co-founded Teknowledge Inc. in 1982 and he headed its Knowledge Systems Division until 1985. He also consulted with industry and government agencies on the applications of knowledge-systems technology in various areas.
