Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Hal Hudson
Hal Hudson, an executive director for the Senior Coordinating Council and former president of the Palo Alto Housing Corp., died
Feb. 1. He was 91.
Hudson came to Palo Alto from Los Angeles in 1967, where he had written for radio and television, including episodes of the shows "I Love Lucy," "Gunsmoke," and the "Zane Gray Theater." He served as a vice president for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which presents the Emmy Awards for Television Excellence. Locally, he hosted a weekly radio program for KPEN radio and volunteered in several organizations. In addition to leading the Senior Coordinating Council and housing corporation, he served as vice president of the California Avenue Area Development Association board.
He is survived by his son, Corey Hudson of Santa Rosa; his daughter, Jill Weston of Oregon; and three grandchildren. A private memorial was held. No donations are requested.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 3, 1999
Linda S. Burns (1 of 2)
Linda S. Burns, 53, died
in Fresno Feb. 3. Born at Palo Alto Hospital, she grew up in Menlo Park and went to Encinal School in Atherton and Menlo-Atherton High School. As a young girl, she loved swimming and going to activities with Job's Daughters, a women's group sponsored by the Society of Masons. She attended college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, then returned to Menlo Park for many years. In 1987, she moved to Fresno. For over 25 years, she raised award-winning Persian cats for show. She is survived by her daughter, Jackie Burns Kapuniai of Pacifica; her parents, William and Patricia Robertson of Atherton; two brothers, Scott Robertson of San Carlos and Brad Robertson of Montara; and five grandchildren. Services have been held. Contributions may be made to a charity of the donor's choice.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 24, 1999
Linda S. Burns (2 of 2)
Linda S. Burns, 53, died
in Fresno Feb. 3. Born at Palo Alto Hospital, she grew up in Menlo Park and went to Encinal School and Menlo-Atherton High School. As a young girl she loved swimming and going to activities with Job's Daughters, a women's group sponsored bu the Society of Masons. She went to college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, then returned to Menlo Park for many years. In 1987, she moved to Fresno. For over 25 years, she developed her fondness for animals by raising award-winning Persian cats for show. She is survived by her daughter, Jackie Burns Kapuniai of Pacifica; her parents, William and Patricia Burns of Atherton; her brothers, Scott Burns of San Carlos and Brad Burns of Montara; and five grandchildren. Services will be held at her parents' home at 16 Maple Drive in Atherton this Saturday at 4 p.m. Contributions may be made to a charity of the donor's choice.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 17, 1999
Marietta Elizabeth Ferreira
Marietta Elizabeth Ferreira, 71, a Palo Alto resident for more than 30 years and substitute teacher in the Ravenswood City School District, died
March 12. Ferreira was born
in Greeley, Colo., and graduated from the University of Colorado in 1949 with a degree in business administration. Inspired by a love of travel, she worked for United Airlines as a flight attendant based in San Francisco and in clerical positions. Ferreira then became an elementary school teacher in the Ravenswood district and then in Missouri and Hawaii before returning to Palo Alto in 1967. She worked as a substitute teacher in elementary schools in the Ravenswood district from 1985 until this year. Ferreira is survived by a son, Christopher Ferreira of Palo Alto; a daughter, Lisa Ferreira of Los Angeles; three granddaughters; and a sister, Rhoda Belle Firth of Los Gatos. Services will be on April 22 at 7:30 p.m. at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, 786 Channing Ave., Palo Alto. Contributions can be made to the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Center.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 24, 1999
Helen Elizabeth Finch
Helen Elizabeth Finch, 77, a Palo Alto resident and teacher for 30 years in San Francisco public elementary schools, died
March 6. Born in Lewiston, Idaho, Finch graduated from the Lewiston Normal School for Teachers and received bachelor's and master's degrees in education from the University of Idaho in 1960. After teaching in Guam for one year, Finch moved to the Bay Area, where she lived for the rest of her life. She lived in Millbrae for 30 years while teaching elementary school in San Francisco's Mission, Potrero Hill and Ocean Beach districts, and moved to Palo Alto in 1996. Finch is survived by her husband, Richard Finch of Palo Alto; a daughter, Judith Pudoff of Cloverdale; a son, Craig Allen of San Francisco; and two grandchildren. No services were held. Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or a charity of the donor's choice.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 24, 1999
Percy Layton Jones
Percy Layton Jones, 89, a Navy veteran and resident of Palo Alto for 38 years, died
March 9. Jones, who was born
in San Francisco, served in the Navy for 30 years before working at the Palo Alto post office. He was a 50-year member of the Fleet Reserve Organization and the Illinois Masonic Lodge, and also belonged to the Society of Mayflower Descendants, the American Legion and the American Battleship Organization. Jones is survived by his wife of 58 years, Ernestine Munks Jones of Palo Alto; two daughters, Eileen Denham of Palo Alto and Gloria Gaing of La Selva Beach; and three grandsons, Mike and James Garing of La Selva Beach and Steve Denham of Palo Alto. Services have been held.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 24, 1999
Alice Autio Ruppenthal
Alice Autio Ruppenthal, 78, a Palo Alto resident and librarian at the Ladera School in Menlo Park, died
March 13 in Walnut Creek.
Born in Fairport Harbor, Ohio, Ruppenthal was the valedictorian of her high school class in Weirton, West Va.
She worked for Pennsylvania Central Airlines and the Washington Post before moving to California with her husband, Karl.
Ruppenthal graduated with honors from San Jose State University, where she earned her librarian credentials.
An avid reader, Ruppenthal enjoyed music, dance and the visual arts.
She was an amateur mountain climber whose hobbies included hiking, camping and playing Scrabble.
In addition to her husband, Karl Ruppenthal, she is survived by her daughter, Sara Katz of San Francisco; her sons, Stephen Ruppenthal and Brian Ruppenthal of Tomales; and four grandchildren.
Services will be at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Road, Kensington, followed by a reception.
Contributions can be sent to the Alice Ruppenthal Memorial Fund at the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Berkeley.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 24, 1999
Wayne Albert Schreck
Wayne Albert Schreck, 82, a veteran of World War II, died
March 6 in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Born in Davenport, Iowa, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
In 1955, he moved to Palo Alto.
He and his wife, Jerri, ran the Mopp Shop beauty salon on Middlefield Road for many years.
They enjoyed attending dances and activities at the Palo Alto Elks Lodge, where he served as an officer.
He was also an avid stamp collector and dealer. In 1998, he and his wife moved to Scottsdale.
He is survived by his wife, Jerri Schreck; two sons, Ron Schreck of Newark and Randy Schreck of Sacramento; a daughter, Cynthia Cowles of Granite Bay; his sister, Phyllis MacDonald of Iowa; and eight grandchildren.
Services have been held.
Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 2929 E. Thomas Road, Phoenix, Ariz. 85016.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 24, 1999
Edward M. Smith
Edward M. Smith, 92, a 44-year resident of Menlo Park, died
March 10. Born in Turtlecreek, Penn., Smith worked as an administrator at Westinghouse Electrical Corp. for 35 years.
He was a railroad enthusiast who loved to travel.
Smith is survived by a daughter, Carolyn Fagerhaugh of Hayward; two granddaughters; and a great-grandson.
Memorial services will be held on April 11 at 10:30 a.m. at the First Lutheran Church in Palo Alto.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 24, 1999
Desolina Winsor
Desolina Winsor, 82, a 50-year resident of Palo Alto, died
March 11.
A native of Templeton, she moved to the Bay Area when she graduated from high school.
Following the death of her husband in 1969, Winsor volunteered in Palo Alto classrooms until 1983, when she suffered a stroke.
She is survived by two daughters, Joan Winsor of Palo Alto and Janice Winsor of Australia; her son, Richard Winsor of Palo Alto; and two sisters, Italia Ferrari of Linden and Dorolice Venturini of Templeton.
Services have been held.
Contributions may be made to the Palo Alto Foundation for Education, 25 Churchill Ave., Palo Alto 94301.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 24, 1999
David Brooks Holland
David Brooks Holland, an outgoing and enthusiastic advocate for moderate Republican politics, died
from sudden heart failure March 8. He was 64.
Longtime friend Ray Sloan, who campaigned with Holland for former Peninsula Congressman Paul N. ("Pete") McCloskey, said Holland had a strong sense of honor and civic duty, which echoed the values he learned at Episcopal High School in Virginia.
Growing up in neighboring West Virginia, Holland learned to love the mountains and often spoke of them as a place of inspiration.
After graduating from Stanford University in 1957, Holland became a stockbroker with the firm of Irving Lundborg.
He later became a private investment adviser.
Advocating for moderate Republican politics became his true passion.
Holland helped found the California Republican League, becoming its president in the mid-1970s. Following Holland's lead, the league came out against the Vietnam War and for the impeachment of President Richard Nixon, challenging the party's right wing.
"That was a cantankerous time," said Sloan, but "David saw centrist politics as the place to build consensus.
He felt the party needed to be interested in people issues ... the environment and civil rights.
He wasn't against government. He wanted government to play a positive role."
Holland felt his greatest success came when the league helped to champion Proposition 198, the Open Primary Initiative, which passed in 1996.
Because the measure allows voters in primary elections to cast ballots for candidates from any party, Sloan said, Holland expected it to moderate the influence of extreme elements in both major parties.
Sloan recalls Holland's reaction when he learned from pollster Mervin Field in 1996 that polls showed 65 percent of voters favoring Proposition 198. "Dave held this huge party," Sloan said. "We were both ecstatic.
He hired a jazz band to play at the Cardinal Hotel (in Palo Alto) and invited everybody he knew. We were thrilled."
Becky Morgan, a former Palo Alto school board member and state senator and also a moderate Republican, recalled Holland as "a thoughtful, caring person who studied the issues.
In the CRL, he took a liberal position on social issues and a conservative one on fiscal issues."
Morgan also felt Holland did a great deal to promote the residential character of Palo Alto, urging the city to carefully plan downtown development so as not to encroach upon the neighborhoods.
A devoted father to sons Craig and Peter, Holland found time to be involved in their lives.
Many Palo Altans knew Holland as a coach for American Youth Soccer Organization teams, including Craig's.
Holland also loved reading and jazz and bluegrass music.
Kathleen Haney, the Cardinal's general manager, recalled the stories Holland would tell her about learning ballroom dance.
After his divorce, he heard from a friend that nine of 10 women love dancing, but only one in 10 men enjoy it, so "straight away he signed up for dancing lessons.
He would go to dances every week, and the ladies just adored him.
He was very enthusiastic," Haney said.
Holland is survived by his mother, Mrs. R. Paul Holland of Atherton; his sister, Katharine Barics of Palo Alto; and his sons, Peter and Craig Holland, both of Palo Alto. Services have been held.
Contributions may be made to Midpeninsula Hospice, Peninsula Open Space Trust or Palo Alto Urban Ministry.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 24, 1999
