Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Edith Bracco
Menlo Park resident, grocer
Edith Bracco, Menlo Park resident and former co-owner of a grocery store in San Francisco, died July 14 in Menlo Park. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 20, at Our Lady of the Wayside Church at 930 Portola Road in Portola Valley. Ms. Bracco was 95.
With her late husband Archie, Ms. Bracco owned and operated the Sutro Market in San Francisco for 46 years, relatives said.
Ms. Bracco is survived by her son Robert of Woodside.
Following the memorial Mass, Ms. Bracco will be interred at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Los Altos, with arrangements by Redwood Chapel.
William E. Moore
Kelly-Moore Paint founder
William E. Moore, who founded Kelly-Moore Paint in 1946 and made it one of the country's largest privately owned paint companies, died November 21 at his home in Woodside. He was 87.
Mr. Moore was born in Porteau, Oklahoma. He and his family moved to Hartford, Arkansas, where he grew up, attended high school, and became a star tennis player. He attended Georgia Tech on a tennis scholarship and graduated in 1938 with a degree in industrial management and chemical engineering.
The university is now home to the Bill Moore Tennis Center and the Bill Moore Student Success Center. Mr. Moore also established an endowed scholarship for the tennis program he once was part of. He also donated to many other charities, say family members.
After graduation, he worked under William Kelly with the Glidden Paint Company in San Francisco.
During World War II, Mr. Moore served two years in the South Pacific as an officer on a destroyer. In 1946 he marriage Desiree Buchanan, whom he met during World War II in Hawaii, where she was working with the Red Cross.
Returning from the service, intent on starting his own company, he convinced his former boss, William Kelly, to come out of retirement and go into business with him. The company prospered from the post-war California building boom, becoming the leading paint company in the Western states, with 2,300 employees, four manufacturing plants and more than 150 stores.
Although Mr. Kelly retired from the business in 1952, the name Kelly-Moore remained. Mr. Moore retired as Kelly-Moore president in 1984, but remained chairman of the board.
Mr. Moore also owned the California Insurance Company of Monterey and the Broken O Ranch in Montana
He is survived by his wife, Desiree, of Woodside; and his children, William E. Moore II of Plano, Texas, and Christine McCall of Missoula, Montana.
The family prefers memorials be made to the Bay Area Gardeners Foundation, 193 Arch, Suite A, Redwood City, 94062; or to Georgia Tech-Alexander Thorpe Fund, Inc., 150 Bobby Dodd Way NW, Atlanta, GA. 30332. Arrangements were under the direction of Redwood Chapel, Redwood City.
Janet Goodman
Pre-school teacher
A memorial Mass will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, December 2, at the Church of the Nativity, 310 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park, for Janet Goodman. Ms. Goodman died November 22 in Redwood City. She was 68.
Ms. Goodman was a pre-school teacher at Hansel & Gretel Nursery School in Menlo Park for 30 years. She enjoyed the outdoors, going camping and fishing, and loved to cook and crochet, say family members.
She is survived by her husband, Jack B. Goodman of Redwood City; children, Janet Goodman and Jack B. Goodman Jr. of Redwood City, Doreen Ford of Tuolumne City and Dewell Goodman of Atherton; siblings, Douglas, Billy and Pat Munoz of Sonora, Shirley Bramlett of Pleasant Hill, Robin Munoz of West Point, California, and Bonnie Munoz of Rocklin; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Arrangments were under the direction of Woodside Chapel of Crippen & Flynn.
William Jankord
Barbershop owner
William M. Jankord, known to generations as "Bill the Barber," died in Menlo Park on November 22. He was 86.
Mr. Jankord was born in South Dakota and came to California when he was 17. He was a local barber from 1948 until his retirement in 1980. His shop was located in West Menlo Park on the Alameda de las Pulgas. At that time, the area was known as University Heights and his building was located next to McQuarrie's Pharmacy.
After retiring, Mr. Jankord enjoyed traveling, bowling, bridge and golf. He and his wife, Edith, were founding members of St. Denis Catholic Church. Ms. Jankord died in 1989.
Mr. Jankord is survived by his daughter, Judy Vaughn of San Carlos; a son, Bill Jankord Jr. of Sunnyvale; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. One of 11 children, he is also survived by four brothers and one sister.
A memorial Mass was held November 29 at St. Denis Church. The family prefers that donations be made to the Sisters of Notre Dame, 1540 Ralston Ave., Belmont, 94002, or to a charity of the donor's choice. Arrangements were under the direction of John O'Connor's Menlo Colonial Chapel.
Elvera Guy
Guy's Plumbing co-founder
Elvera Guy, a resident of Menlo Park since 1939, died at her home on November 20. She was 90.
Ms. Guy was born in Park Rapid, Minnesota. Her father was a native of Sweden. In 1937 she marriage David Guy and, shortly after, the couple moved from Stockton to Menlo Park. She and her husband founded Guy Plumbing & Heating Inc. in 1948. The business is now operated by her sons, Roger and Alan Guy, and grandson, David Guy.
She enjoyed cooking, reading, sewing, and spending time with her children and grandchildren, say family members.
She is survived by her children, Roger Guy of Menlo Park, Diane Reid of Portland, Oregon, Janet Lukas of Fortuna, California, Alan Guy of Redwood City, Patricia Hayes of Mountain View, and Michael Guy of Hanford; 11 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Private services have been held. Arrangements were under the direction of Menlo Park Spangler Mortuaries.
Mary Althea Truitt
Former Woodside High teacher
Mary Althea Truitt, who taught at Sequoia and Woodside high schools, died November 7 at The Sequoias retirement community in Portola Valley. She was 96.
Ms. Truitt was born in Millersburg, Missouri. She graduated from the University of Missouri with both bachelor's and master's degrees. She also did graduate work at University of Chicago, Stanford University and San Francisco State University.
After teaching in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ms. Truitt moved to Menlo Park in 1941 and began teaching in the Sequoia Union High School District. She was a teacher, counselor, department chair and curriculum assistant for the district before retiring in 1970.
Ms. Truitt was one of the original homeowners in Ladera. She was also a founding member of Christ Church in Portola Valley and a longtime member of the church's Altar Guild. She moved to The Sequoias in 1984.
She was a member of the Palo Alto Auxiliary to Children's Hospital and worked as a volunteer cook at the Allied Arts Guild restaurant. An avid reader, she also belonged to numerous book clubs.
She is survived by three nephews in the Washington, D.C., area and by many devoted friends. Memorials in her name may be made to Christ Church, 815 Portola Road, Portola Valley, 94028, or Northern California Presbyterian Homes and Services Foundation, 1525 Post St., San Francisco 94109.
Marjorie Nystrom
Menlo Park resident
Marjorie A. "Marge" Nystrom, who lived in Sharon Heights for 22 years, died November 22 after suffering a major stroke. She was 83.
Ms. Nystrom was born in the San Jose area and attended San Jose State University. After college she was employed at San Francisco State University.
After her first husband, George Jensen, died in a hunting accident, she marriage Don Nystrom, who built many of the homes in the Sharon Heights development. Their marriage later ended in divorce.
Ms. Nystrom was an active volunteer during the years her children attended Las Lomitas district schools. She also enjoyed playing tennis, swimming, photography and spending time with family and friends, say family members. She was active with Urban Ministry of Palo Alto and, as a photographer, began doing portraits of the homeless. Her work was shown in several exhibits, according to her daughter, Karen Nystrom.
After the children were grown, she worked at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Menlo Park. At the time of her death, she was a resident of Glenwood Inn in Menlo Park.
She is survived by her children, Karen Nystrom of Menlo Park, Sandy Nystrom of San Carlos, and Mark Nystrom of Stockton; a sister, Audrey Milholland of Pleasant Hill; and four grandchildren.
A memorial service is pending. Arrangements were under the direction of Crippen & Flynn Woodside Chapel, Redwood City.
Virgilia Witzel
Community volunteer
Virgilia Short Witzel, who with her husband resided in many countries, died at her Menlo Park home on November 20. She was 94.
A fourth-generation Californian, Ms. Witzel was born in San Francisco. She attended Girls' High School and majored in English at the University of California at Berkeley.
Spending summers on the Russian River, she met her future husband, Frederick deBoom Witzel, a fellow Berkeley student. They were marriage in 1931 and embarked on a life in the United States and abroad with the U.S. Navy.
In those days, say family members, wives could travel to new duty stations on Navy ships. Ms. Witzel sailed on a destroyer through the Panama Canal to the East Coast in 1932.
Over the next 20 years, she accompanied her husband to assignments in Washington, D.C., Harvard Business School, two years in Shanghai and Nanking at the end of World War II, and two years in London in the early 1950s.
In the late 1950s, the family returned to the Bay Area when Mr. Witzel joined Stanford Research Institute (now SRI). Ms. Witzel became a volunteer with the Children's Health Council Auxiliary, the Castilleja parents organization, and Friends of the Menlo Park Library. As a member of the Committee for Art, she was an early docent at the Museum of Art at Stanford University.
Ms. Witzel is survived by her daughters, Joanna Martin of Menlo Park and Christine Witzel of Palo Alto; and a sister, Edith Green of Santa Rosa.
At her request, no services were held. The family prefers memorials in her name to Friends of the Menlo Park Library or the Alzheimer's Association of the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. Arrangements were under the direction of Roller Hapgood & Tinney, Palo Alto.
Mark Marquez
Atherton Library assistant
Mark Marquez, who retired in February as senior library assistant at the Atherton Library, died unexpectedly November 17 at his home in Hayward.
Mr. Marquez had been ill with a cold, and a friend, concerned when he was not answering his phone, called the police. When the police arrived, they found that he had died, according to Atherton Library manager Thom Ball.
Mr. Marquez, 62, was born in Kansas and grew up in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. He attended St. John's Seminary and Scottsbluff Community College. After serving in the U.S. Army for two years, he moved to California.
He worked for the San Mateo County library system for 31 years. The most recent 15 were at the Atherton Library.
His first position was at "Central," the county's main office in Belmont. Mr. Marquez worked there six years, then in the East Palo Alto Library for 11.
One of his favorite projects at the Atherton Library was creating the colorful murals in the children's section, with themes such as summer reading or "Finding Nemo."
When he retired last February, one of his co-workers created a mural in the library lobby adorned with a huge image of Mr. Marquez's face and the words "Happy Trails." There was also a farewell barbecue.
Mr. Marquez is survived by his father, Threnee Marquez of Scottsbluff, Nebraska; and siblings Sam and Michael Marquez, Kathy Dixon and Teresa Mast.
Services were held in Scottsbluff on November 30 and he was buried
with full military honors.
For library patrons who would like to send condolences, Mr. Marquez' father's address is: Threnee Marquez, 2014 Avenue F, Scottsbluff, Nebraska, 69361-4012.
David Lussier
Former Menlo Park resident
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, December 16, at St. Raymond Church, 1100 Santa Cruz Ave. in Menlo Park, for David Rae Lussier. Mr. Lussier died on December 8 at his home in Cathedral City, California. He was 50.
Mr. Lussier, a member of a well-known Menlo Park family, was born in Palo Alto. He graduated from St. Raymond School and Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose. He attended San Diego State University.
He owned several businesses, including Headshapes hair salon in Cupertino and The Sidewinders in Palm Springs. He enjoyed gardening, water skiing and snow skiing, say family members.
Mr. Lussier is survived by his mother, Alice, of Menlo Park; brothers, Stephen of Cloverdale, Oregon, Michael of Brookdale, Norman of Gross Pointe, Michigan, and Mark of Deer Park, California; a sister, Christine Dyer of Menlo Park; many nieces and nephews; and longtime friend Ron Robinson. His father, Dr. Cedric Lussier, died in 2003.
Friends may call at Roller Hapgood & Tinney Funeral Home, 980 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, after 4 p.m. Wednesday, December 15. A rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. Interment will be in Holy Cross Cemetery in Menlo Park.
Arthur B. Chandler
Longtime Portola Valley resident
Arthur B. "A.B." Chandler, who had lived in Portola Valley since the late 1950s, died November 19 at the age of 85.
Mr. Chandler was born in Philadelphia and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He graduated from Stanford University and maintained close ties with the university. He attended many Stanford Cardinal games and was a member of the Stanford Buck Club. He was also a faithful 49er football fan.
Mr. Chandler was employed in sales and marketing with the Canteen Corp. in San Francisco.
After retiring, he became a world traveler and especially enjoyed traveling on cruise ships, say family members. He played tennis at Alpine Hills Swimming and Tennis Club and rode horseback. An avid reader, he was a frequent patron of the Portola Valley Library, according to his daughter, Helene Williams. He was a member of St. Bede's Episcopal Church in Menlo Park.
Mr. Chandler is survived by his children, Helene Williams of San Carlos, Chris Chandler of Redwood City, Geoff Chandler of San Francisco, and Victoria Lillie of Sunnyvale; and five grandchildren. His wife, Marne Chandler, died in 1997.
Private services have been held; Burial was in Philadelphia.
Hazel Anderson
Former music professor
Hazel S. Anderson, a resident of Menlo Park and Rancho Mirage, died December 2 at her Rancho Mirage home. She was 96.
Ms. Anderson was born in Pontiac, Illinois, and moved to California to teach at Humboldt State College, where she became chairman of the music department. She was a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University and received her master of fine arts degree from Columbia University.
She was a member of the Town and Country Club, the Century Club of San Francisco, Menlo Circus Club, the World Affairs Council of the Desert, College of the Desert Foundation, and the Springs Club of Rancho Mirage.
She is survived by her son, Jerry Anderson of Capistrano Beach, and daughter, Shirley Anderson of Philadelphia. She was preceded in death by her husband, Donald C. Anderson.
Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the Palm Springs Mortuary, Cathedral City, California, with inurnment at Alta Mesa Memorial Park, Palo Alto. The family suggest memorials to the Alzheimer's Association.
Mary Aghabalian
Teacher of the deaf
Mary A. Aghabalian, who lived in Menlo Park for 51 years, died December 14 at Stanford Medical Center. She was 85.
Ms. Aghabalian was born in Long Beach and attended the California School for the Deaf in Berkeley and Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.
She taught at North Dakota and New Mexico schools for the deaf for nine years. She also worked as an assembler at Varian Inc.
Ms. Aghabalian was marriage to Vasken Aghabalian for 44 years. She is survived by her son, Gary of Menlo Park; daughter Karen of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina; one granddaughter; and a brother, Frank Sladek of Tucson, Arizona.
At her request, no services were held. Memorials may be made in her name to the Deaf Senior Housing Project, P.O. Box 1923, Fremont, CA 94538.
Arrangements were under the direction of John O'Connor's Menlo Colonial Chapel.
Barbara Oswald
Woodside, Menlo Park resident
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, January 22, 2005, at St. Denis Church in Menlo Park for Barbara Oswald, who was active in her family's restaurant businesses for many years.
Ms. Oswald died November 10, 2004 at her Menlo Park home after a two-year battle against cancer.
Ms. Oswald was born in San Francisco, the daughter of Angela and William Puccinelli. Her father opened San Francisco's famed Blue Fox restaurant.
In 1953 she marriage Ralph Oswald and the young couple moved to Woodside where they operated the Skywood Lodge. "She did everything: planned the menus, made the salads, waited on tables," said her husband.
In 1958 the Oswalds opened the Village Pub, which became a favorite haunt for Woodside residents. In 1965 they opened Carousel du Soleil restaurant at the Circle Star Theater in San Carlos, which ran for five years. They also owned the Lobster Trap in Foster City. In 1999 they sold the Village Pub to Tim Stannard.
During her children's school years, Ms. Oswald was active in the Portola Valley PTA, and helped found parents' clubs at the Woodside Priory and at Sacred Heart Prep, according to Mr. Oswald.
After the children were grown, she worked at Neiman-Marcus at Stanford Shopping Center for 10 years.
Ms. Oswald is survived by her husband of 52 years, Ralph Oswald of Menlo Park; sons Bill of Santa Rosa and Chris of Redwood City; daughters Gina Landy of Jamestown, New York, and Vicki Hall of San Francisco; and seven grandchildren.
The family prefers contributions to St. Vincent's School for Boys, #1 St. Vincent Drive, San Rafael, CA 94903.
Winona Waites
Native of Canada
Winona Waites, a resident of Menlo Park for 44 years, died at her home in Palo Alto on December 26, 2004. She was 97.
Ms. Waites was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. She graduated from the University of British Columbia when she was 19. During World War II, she and her husband, G. Frank Waites, moved to California and became U.S. citizens.
Ms. Waites was active in the Stanford Mothers' Club and the Menlo-Atherton branch of the American Association of University Women. She lived in Menlo Park from 1955 until 1999.
She is survived by daughter Margaret Bergeson of Lompoc and son Robert Waites of Menlo Park; brother Byron Straight and sister Norma Straight of Vancouver, British Columbia; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
At her request, no services were held.
