Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Carrie Nichols
Carrie Nichols, 100, a resident of Palo Alto for 75 years, died
April 5. Born in Manor, Texas, Nichols moved to Palo Alto with her husband in 1923.
She worked as a housekeeper and cook and received her cooking certificate from the Stone Cooking School in San Francisco in 1925.
For two years she was the cook for Mary Yost in the office of the dean of women at Stanford.
Later in life, she resided at the Julia Convalescence Home in Mountain View.
After retiring, she continued to work part-time at a private nursing home for veterans until age 90, when her health no longer permitted. Nichols is survived by three nieces, Dollie Nichols Danmole of San Francisco, Arcola Nichols Glover of Palo Alto and Ethel Arnold Bradley of Los Angeles; and four generations of nieces and nephews.
Services have been held.
Contributions may be made to the Sickle Cell Community Health Network, 509 28th St., Richmond 94804, Attn: Diana Lee.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Apr 28, 1999
Eric Walton Pedersen
Eric Walton Pedersen, 49, a 21-year resident of Woodside, died
April 19.
An accomplished architect and general contractor, his work also had a personal side.
"I think his real skill was working with people," said his wife, Tina McAdoo Pedersen.
He earned degrees from both UC Berkeley's School of Architecture and Stanford University's School of Engineering and enjoyed travel, surfing and sailing.
"He was a real California boy," said his wife.
In addition to his wife, who lives in Woodside, he is survived by two sons, Miles and Anders; his father and stepmother, Jack and Pearl Pedersen of South San Francisco; three sisters, Penny Falck of Rolling Hills, Clary Riskas of Atherton and GraceAnn Grauman of Menlo Park; and two brothers, Jack Pedersen of San Luis Obispo and Lars Pedersen of Lafayette.
Services have been held.
Contributions may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 150 Grand Ave., Oakland 94612, or the Mid-Peninsula Home Care and Hospice, 201 San Antonio Drive, Suite 135, Mountain View 94040.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Apr 28, 1999
Betty Jean "B.J." Stephens
Betty Jean "B.J." Stephens, 77, died
March 24.
A Palo Alto native, Stephens attended local schools and graduated from Palo Alto High School.
She modeled for department stores in San Francisco and worked for many years as assistant to an orthopedic surgeon in Palo Alto.
An avid Stanford Buck Club supporter, Stephens held the same seats at Stanford Stadium for many years.
She also enjoyed travel often attended the Olympics.
No services were held.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Apr 28, 1999
Doris May Whalen
Doris May Whalen, 88, a resident of Palo Alto and Menlo Park for more than 60 years and granddaughter of the supervising stone mason for the construction of Stanford University, died
March 27.
She worked as an executive secretary for 35 years.
Having an interest in the arts, she also worked with the Allied Arts Guild of Menlo Park and was an accomplished bridge player.
"She was an interesting and fun person" said her cousin, Patricia McCall.
Her husband, Lawrence D. Whalen, died
before her.
No services were held.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Apr 28, 1999
Ethel Raymond Wheeler
Ethel Raymond Wheeler, 102, a resident of Palo Alto and Los Altos Hills for almost 30 years, died
April 10. Along with her late sister, she was an early graduate of the College of the Pacific, after which she taught school for a time.
"In those days it was all one-room school houses" said her son, Frank Wheeler.
She was active in the Methodist Church for all of her life and was also an avid gardener and reader, finishing as many as two books each week, said her son.
She spent two years living and traveling in Thailand with her husband, who worked in government banking.
She is survived by two daughters, Jean Whitley of Indian Hills, Colo., and Phyllis Dunlap of Littleton, Colo.; a son, Frank Wheeler of Menlo Park; twelve grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
Services have been held. Contributions may be made to the Library Fund of the Asbury Methodist Church, 4743 East Ave., Livermore 94550.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Apr 28, 1999
Babetta Lillian Bowers
Babetta Lillian Bowers, 85, a recent resident of Menlo Park, died
March 24.
She was a devoted mother to her children. "She was always there for us kids, friends and anyone else," said her daughter, Sherry Battaglia. She served as a Boy Scout troop leader in Burlingame for a number of years and also worked with the Brownies and Girl Scouts.
A native of San Francisco, she enjoyed golf, bowling and international travel and was an accomplished ballroom dancer.
She is survived by her husband, Gene Bowers of Sunnyvale; two daughters, Bonnie Daly of Durango, Colo., and Sherry Battaglia of Atherton; a son, Jerry Moore of Campbell; and nine grandchildren. Services have been held.
Contributions may be made to the Lion's Eye Foundation, P.O. Box 7999, San Francisco 94120.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Apr 21, 1999
Margaret "Peggy" Clancy
Margaret "Peggy" Clancy, 34, a former Menlo Park resident and preschool teacher at Bing Nursery School at Stanford, died
March 30.
Born in Michigan, she grew up with her parents and 10 brothers and sisters and moved to California after graduating from high school.
She attended San Jose State University, earning a bachelor's degree in early childhood education.
She later moved to Menlo Park, where she lived from 1991 until 1996, and worked at Bing during the 1994-95 school year.
She moved to Seattle in 1997. An avid jogger, Clancy participated in races along the Peninsula, including the annual Race for the Cure.
She also enjoyed photography and sewing.
An active member of the Community Breast Health Project, Clancy was also involved in a support group for young mothers with breast cancer and helped recruit women for a national breast cancer research registry.
She is survived by her husband, Sabin Pradhan of Seattle; two daughters, Joan and April Pradhan of Seattle; her parents, Harry and Joan Clancy of Port Angeles, Wash.; six sisters, Marianne Clancy and Bridget Clancy, both of Aptos, Sharon Clancy-Kock of Menlo Park, Sheila Clancy of Flagstaff, Ariz., and Ellen Clancy and Jennifer Clancy-Long, both of Seattle; and four brothers, Michael Clancy of Port Angeles, Wash., Timothy Clancy of Marquette, Mich., Kevin Clancy of Christchurch, New Zealand, and Patrick Clancy of Eugene, Ore.
Services have been held.
Contributions may be made to the Community Breast Health Project, 545 Bryant St., Palo Alto 94301.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Apr 21, 1999
Anita Louise Guidoux
Anita Louise Guidoux, 79, a 49-year resident of Palo Alto and Los Altos, died
March 28.
Born in San Pedro, she worked as a supervisor at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo during World War II, where she was recognized for her contribution to the war effort.
With her husband, Alexander, Guidoux moved to Palo Alto in 1950.
They built their house on Cowper Street, next to the old Guidoux family homestead that ran from the Clark Ranch to the Midtown area of Palo Alto. Guidoux was president of the South Palo Alto Women's Club and also served in other positions, including treasurer and social chair. "She would take whatever job was necessary," said her daughter, Kathleen Guidoux.
Guidoux was also a 40-year member of the Rebekah Lodge, a local public service group.
She is survived by two daughters, Kathleen Guidoux of Los Altos and Julia Guidoux of Portland; three sons, Glenn Guidoux of Portland, Ronald E. Guidoux of Los Altos and Bruce R. Guidoux of San Jose; and six grandchildren.
Services have been held. Contributions may be sent to the American Diabetes Association or the American Heart Association.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Apr 21, 1999
Fannie Shaftel
Fannie Shaftel, 89, a Stanford professor emerita of education, died
March 21. Born in Los Angeles, Shaftel received her teaching credential from UCLA in 1928 and taught elementary school for six years before pursuing a master's degree at Columbia University. She served as elementary curriculum coordinator for Pasadena city schools before moving to northern California to pursue a doctorate at Stanford, which she received in 1948. Shaftel was immediately offered a position on the faculty of Stanford's School of Education. She retired as a full professor in 1974, after teaching at Stanford for 27 years. In her teaching and research, Shaftel promoted social studies as a core curriculum for elementary schools, and role-playing in teaching at the secondary-school level. With her husband, George, Shaftel authored a book on the importance of role-playing in education in 1967. In 1969, Shaftel received the School of Education's first teacher excellence award. She also received UCLA's Corinne A. Seeds Award, given "for significant contributions to young people in the field of education," in 1976. She is survived by her husband, George Shaftel of Portola Valley; a son, David Shaftel of Anchorage, Alaska; a sister, Dorothy Nadaner of Portola Valley; and three grandchildren. Services will be held on May 29 at 4 p.m. at the Ladera Community Church, 3300 Alpine Road, Portola Valley.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Apr 21, 1999
Donald Straka
Donald Straka, 75, who shared his love of music with Palo Alto for over 40 years, died
March 26. After graduating from the University of Michigan, where he majored in music and played the tuba in the Michigan Marching Band, Straka served in World War II in the Army Band. He moved to Palo Alto in 1958 and earned a master's degree in music and orchestration from Stanford. Straka was choir director and organist with the First Presbyterian Church in Palo Alto and for 10 years was the music director and conductor for West Bay Opera. With his wife, Margaret, Straka founded Scholar Opera, a program that brings outstanding young singers from throughout the nation to Palo Alto to perform. Scholar Opera's outreach program took live vignettes of famous operas to schools from San Francisco to San Jose. Straka also enjoyed reading history extensively, could quote appropriate words from Gilbert and Sullivan, and was a fervent fan of Michigan football. He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Margaret Straka of Palo Alto; a son, David Straka of Castro Valley; a stepson, Charles Kruger of Irvine; two stepdaughters, Beth Curran of San Carlos and Sarah Gibson of Santa Barbara; and two grandsons. Services have been held. Contributions may be made to a special fund for the restoration of the organ at First United Methodist Church, 625 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto 94301, or to the University of Michigan in support of the football team.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Apr 21, 1999
Carrie Yates
Carrie Yates, 98, a 26-year resident of Palo Alto, died
April 9. Born in Burlington, N.J., Yates moved west in 1932 to Reno, Nev., where she met her husband, Richard. They raised two sons and ran the R.C. Yates and Sons Dairy until 1942. After the dairy closed, Yates worked at St. Mary's Hospital and Washoe General Hospital and later at the Nevada state treasurer's office in Carson City. After her husband's death, Yates moved to Palo Alto, where she lived with her son Edward and helped raise his three children. An active member of the senior citizen community, Yates attended weekly meetings at the Lucie Stern Community Center and later was a volunteer in the dining room at Lytton Gardens. Yates remained active into her 90s, taking trips with her family to Hawaii and Philadelphia. She is survived by her sister, Laura Ashby of Philadelphia; two sons, Edward Yates of Palo Alto and Richard Yates of Salem, Ore.; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Services have been held.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Apr 21, 1999
Angela Andreotti
Angela Andreotti, 90, a longtime resident of Palo Alto, died
Sept. 10. She was born
in Richmond, and worked as a bookkeeper for the family business, Majori Creamery of San Francisco. In the late 1940s, she moved to Palo Alto, where her interests included teaching music. She is survived by a stepson, Aldo Andreotti of Palo Alto; a granddaughter; two great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. Services have been held.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Sep 30, 1998
