Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Elizabeth McCann Lawry
Elizabeth McCann Lawry, 86, a news and magazine photographer, died
March 11. Descended from California pioneers, she was born
in San Francisco in 1912. Her family moved to Menlo Park in the 1920s, where she attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart. Upon high school graduation from Castilleja School for Girls in Palo Alto, she went to San Mateo College and began her career as a photographer in the 1930s. Her pictures appeared in the San Francisco Examiner, where she photographed for the society pages, and Town & Country Magazine. She married
Dr. Edwin Lawry in 1942 and they lived in Atherton. She helped to charter the Menlo Circus Club and participated in many civic organizations, including the Atherton Dames, the San Francisco Spinsters, and the Junior League. As a young woman, she became an accomplished equestrian and enjoyed active outdoor pursuits including tennis, skiing, and golfing. Later in life, she also enjoyed decorating, cooking and gardening and had a lifelong interest in painting and playing the piano. She is survived by her daughter, Donna Lawry of Oregon; two sons, Mark Lawry of Menlo Park and Vance Lawry of San Francisco; one granddaughter; and one great-granddaughter. Services will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 1100 Middle Ave., Menlo Park. Contributions may be made to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute, 300 Homer Ave., Palo Alto 94301, or to the Menlo Park Historical Society, P.O. Box 1002, Menlo Park 94026, the latter to be used for a memorial on the grounds of Betty's childhood home, now in the rectory at St. Raymond's Catholic Church of Menlo Park.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 17, 1999
Arthur Lumpkin
Arthur Lumpkin, 81, a longtime resident of Menlo Park, died
March 1 at St. Joseph's Medical Center. Raised in Arkansas, he served in the Air Force during World War II before heading west to California. He married
and settled in Menlo Park, where he resided for 30 years. In Menlo Park, he worked as a city building inspector. He helped raise his family and enjoyed his membership in the Masonic Lodge. In later years, he went to Stockton to live with his daughter. He is survived by his mother, Izenner Lewis of St. Louis, Mo.; his brother, John Pulley, also of St. Louis; his daughter, Gloria Glascox of Stockton; three grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. Services have been held. Contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Aid Society, 105 S. Washington St., Lodi 95246.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 17, 1999
Irma Lee Lyons
Irma Lee Lyons, 73, a retired executive at Pacific Bell, died
March 8 in South Carolina. A lifelong Baptist, she was born
in Colleton County, S.C. She lived in Palo Alto for quite a few years during her career as a marketing executive for Pacific Bell. When she retired, she returned to her family in South Carolina, settling in Charleston. She belonged to the Pioneer Club of America and enjoyed golfing at the Charleston Municipal Golf Course. She is survived by her three brothers, Woodrow Lyons of Orangeburg, S.C., Clyde Lyons of Creston, S.C., and Hubert Lyons of Boynton Beach, Fla. Services have been held. Contributions may be made to the Humane Society.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 17, 1999
John Kenneth Riedel
John Kenneth Riedel, 77, an engineer and veteran, died
Feb. 17. Born and raised in Reading, Penn., he moved to Palo Alto in 1961. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University in engineering and received his master's degree from the University of Illinois. He was a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force and served for 15 years. Just after World War II, he was stationed in occupied Germany and helped in the Berlin airlift. He later worked in the Office of Special Investigations (a predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency) and taught engineering at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He and his wife, Deborah, settled in Palo Alto and raised three daughters, all of whom went to school here. Locally he worked for Lockheed Missiles and Space Co., specializing in mechanical design of re-entry systems. In 1981, he retired to enjoy volunteer and leisure activities. He played golf at the Moffett Field Golf Course and taught with Project Read. He is survived by his three daughters, Rebecca Jane Riedel of San Diego, Roberta Louise Riedel of Palo Alto, and Sandra Jean Riedel of San Diego. Services will be held Friday. Contributions may be made to Midpeninsula Hospice, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park 94025, or to Project Read, Menlo Park Public Library, 800 Alma Street, Menlo Park 94025.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 17, 1999
Lt. Col. John Beach
John Beach, a member of Palo Alto High School's class of 1936 and a decorated hero of World War II, died
Feb. 24. He was 79.
His life, family members say, epitomized those of the men journalist Tom Brokaw calls "The Greatest Generation," many of whom have died
or are now in their 70s and 80s.
Beach grew up in Palo Alto, then spent a year studying journalism before attending West Point in the late 1930s. He proposed to his wife, Alison Grant, a Stanford student, just a few days after they met, marrying just before he left for duty in World War II. He arrived in France with a platoon sent to replace those who died
in the invasion of Normandy. Beach's troops fought their way across northeastern France well ahead of the Allied advance, progressing through German-occupied territory and on into Germany itself.
Along the way, they helped the French Resistance liberate the town of Coeuvres-et-Valsery. Beach was the first American to enter the town.
Beach received five commendations as an army lieutenant. One, the Silver Star Medal (Oak Leaf Cluster) for gallantry in battle, commended his actions in direct combat as an infantry platoon leader at the Battle of Huertgen Forest in Germany. In that fight, his efforts to rescue a fellow soldier led to his capture as a prisoner of war. Years later, Beach said he felt the German soldier who wounded and captured him had chosen to spare his life.
In 1994, at the suggestion of his daughter Terry, Beach returned to France on the 50th anniversary of the Normandy invasion. He retraced his route from the beaches to western Germany with his sister, Alice. He received a hero's welcome in Coeuvres-et-Valsery, in gratitude for leading his platoon to the town when no other Allied troops were in the region.
"The whole damn town came out to greet Johnny," his sister recalls. "They put this shiny, well-preserved Jeep in front of the city hall. He was surprised by how well they remembered him. They took us to a restaurant for a big dinner, and Johnny got to meet a French Resistance leader he had worked with."
Alice said the experience of driving on into Germany "was quite something. I could just see what it meant to him, retracing his route." When they reached the battlefield at Huertgen Forest, "it was very interesting to see my brother pointing his cane, saying, 'It was right there that I got shot.' I was taken with how much he came out of himself, but I could see him just blossoming. In the restaurant, he told everybody about our trip."
In addition to two Silver Stars, he was awarded a Legion of Merit medal, a Bronze Star and an Army Commendation Ribbon. The Army lauded his "heroic and unselfish devotion to duty" and noted that he had acted "with complete disregard for his personal safety" at the time he was wounded and captured.
After the war, Beach and his wife raised four children, eventually settling in Santa Clara. They also spent three years in Japan, which his daughter Laura and her siblings thought was "wonderful." Her father rarely talked about the war or his second tour of duty in Korea.
He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1964 and went to work as an aerospace engineer for Pratt & Whitney in Florida. Then he returned to the Bay Area as a technical writer for Lockheed and later became editor of Defense Electronics magazine. He loved reading and cared deeply about children's welfare. He enjoyed coming to Palo Alto often with his own children and going out to the theater. Although he and his wife divorced, they remained friends and enjoyed spending the holidays together with their family.
A private man by all accounts, Beach was never too quiet to "teach that if you care about somebody you tell them," Laura says. Each of his children thought they were the favorite. We'd even argue about it. But that's because he made each of us feel like the favorite."
He is survived by his sister, Alice Beach of Palo Alto; his brother, Edward L. Beach of Washington, D.C.; his former wife, Alison Grant of Mountain View; three daughters, Laura Beach of Fremont, Terry Beach of Oakland and Anne Beach of Missouri; his son, John Beach of Hollister; and two grandchildren.
Services have been held. Contributions may be made to Care for the Children, 151 Ellis St., N.E., Atlanta, GA 30303, or to the Christian Children's Fund, 2821 Emerywood Parkway, P.O. Box 26484, Richmond, VA 23261.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 17, 1999
Curt Bowman
Curt Bowman, 73, a shop owner at Stanford Shopping Center, died
Feb. 28 at Kaiser Hospital in Redwood City. A native of Berlin, Germany, he married
his wife, Trudy, in 1954 and they moved to Palo Alto that same year. As the proprietor of Eat-Rite Health Foods at Stanford Shopping Center for 35 years, he always considered his customers his friends. He was an accomplished vegetable gardener and enjoyed flying, reading and classical music. He and his wife attended Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos. He is survived by his wife, Trudy Bowman of Palo Alto; three sons, Dennis Bowman of Marina, and Brian and Peter Bowman, both of Elk Grove; and four grandchildren. Services will be held in the future. Contributions may be made to the Funeral and Memorial Planning Society, P.O. Box 60448, Palo Alto 94306, or to the American Red Cross.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 10, 1999
Wallace Hayward Baker
Wallace "Wally" Baker, 61, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died
Feb. 9 in Baltimore, Md. Born in San Francisco and raised in Menlo Park, Baker attended Menlo-Atherton High School. At M-A, he was on the football team and became a distinguished wrestler. He graduated in 1955 and went to Utah to attend college at Brigham Young University. He did a two-year mission in Uruguay with the Mormon Church, then went on to become an engineering contractor. He and his wife, Janet, settled in Maryland, where they raised four children. He is survived by his wife; his sister, Ann Baker Marcusen of Utah; four children; and nine grandchildren. Services have been held. No donations are requested.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 10, 1999
Evelyn Ann Copp
Evelyn Ann Copp, 81, a bridal consultant and resident of San Carlos, died
Feb. 9. Raised in New York, she moved to San Francisco and later to the Peninsula. She raised three daughters as a working mother. A professional consultant and buyer for Steven's Fashion Fabrics of Menlo Park and New York Fabrics' Mountain View store, she helped develop their bridal lines until she finally retired in 1995. She loved sewing and also enjoyed reading and traveling. She is survived by her brother, William A. Crowley Jr. of Connecticut; her daughters, Claire Buchanan of Mill Valley, Deborah Peters of Palo Alto and Linda Coffman of Redwood City; and three grandchildren. Services have been held. Contributions may be made to the Midpeninsula Hospice Foundation, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park 94025.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 10, 1999
Carol O. Bromley
Carol O. Bromley, 90, a former Palo Alto teacher, died
Feb. 19 in Iowa. Born in Norwalk in 1901, she received her bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley. She married
LeVan Monroe Bromley and had two children. She earned her general teaching credential and taught in the Palo Alto schools. She is survived by her daughter, Marie Bromley of Whittier; her son, the Rev. Robert Bromley of Iowa; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Services have been held. Contributions may be made to the First Christian Church, 2890 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto 94303.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 10, 1999
Edwin William Reith
Edwin "Ed" Reith, 90, a 46-year resident of Los Altos, died
in Washington state Feb. 28. Born in Spokane, Wash., Reith and his wife, Florence McCullough Reith, moved to California in 1935. In 1963, they built their family home on the new Richardson Avenue in Los Altos. At the time, their home was surrounded by the walnut orchards common to the area. Reith worked for U.S. Steel's American Bridge Division in South San Francisco for many years. After retiring, he started his own welding and metal fabrication business. He also proudly belonged to the Scottish Rite of the Masonic Order. He became as a lifelong member, 32nd degree, and later joined the Islam Shrine as well. Many of his friends were fellow members. He is survived by his two daughters, Barbara Reith Collier of Saratoga and Shirley Reith Bennett of Washington; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Services will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Los Altos Masonic Lodge, 146 Main Street, Los Altos. Donations may be made to the Shriner's Children's Hospital, 2425 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento 95817, or to the Hospice of the Valley, 1150 S. Bascom Avenue, San Jose.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 10, 1999
Margaret Anne Wright
Margaret Anne Wright, 74, a journalist, history lover and Palo Alto resident, died
Feb. 13. An East Bay native, she graduate from UC Berkeley and San Jose State University. She and her husband, Gordon Wright, moved to Palo Alto in 1983 and attended the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Menlo Park. She pursued many volunteer endeavors as a member of the Palo Alto Historical Association, the Hayward Historical Association, the Museum of American Heritage and the American Association of University Women. Through those organizations, she advocated for her interests in history. She also supported the Cal State Alumni Association, which voted her an Award for Service in 1989. She also received recognition from the city of Hayward. Her interest in journalism led her to participate in the Women's National Book Association and the Society of Professional Journalists. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her daughter, Margaret Southworth of Michigan; two sons, James Wright of Davis and David Wright of Alaska; and five grandchildren. Services have been held. Contributions may be made to the Salvation Army, P.O. Box 1706, San Jose 95109, or a charity of the donor's choice.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Mar 10, 1999
