Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Charles F. Bullinger
Charles F. Bullinger, 84, a longtime Palo Alto resident, died
Oct. 1. Born in Ellsworth, Ill., he had lived in Palo Alto since 1960. He worked as an engineer at Bechtel Corp. in San Francisco. He was an avid model airplane enthusiast and donated his collection to the Hiller Aircraft Museum in San Carlos six months ago. He is survived by two daughters, Anne Eileen Wield of Los Altos and Mary Louise Talbot of Arroyo Grande; and a sister, Lois Crouse of Monticello, Ill. Service have been held. Donations may be made to the St. Elizabeth Seton School, 1095 Channing Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Oct 7, 1998
Catherine Degler
Catherine Degler, 80, a resident of Stanford for over 30 years, died
Sept. 26. She was a teacher and chairman of the English Department at Castilleja School in Palo Alto for 12 years. She was also an active member of the Jeanne Shutes Women's Reading Group. She is survived by her husband, Carl Degler of Stanford; a son, Paul Degler of Bethesda, Md.; a daughter, Suzanne Degler of Minneapolis; a sister, Eileen Diel of Germany; and two grandchildren. Memorial services have been held. Donations may be made to KQED or the Palo Alto Medical Foundation.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Oct 7, 1998
Laurent Brown Frantz
Laurent Brown Frantz, 84, a resident of Palo Alto for 20 years, died
Sept. 20. Born in Tennessee, he received law degrees from the University of Tennessee and Duke University. He joined the Communist Party in the 1930s and was a pioneer civil rights organizer in Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina and Mississippi in the 1940s, serving as southern director of the Civil Rights Congress. He volunteered for the Navy during World War II, serving four years. Moving to California in 1950, he was part of the resistance movement opposing McCarthyism during the next two decades. He published law review articles in the Yale Law Journal and the California Law Review, and wrote articles for the Nation magazine. He worked as a legal researcher on the defense team of the California Smith Act defendants and the Powell sedition case, as well as many other civil liberties cases. In later years, he and his partner, Miriam Patchen, conducted a weekly vigil at the corner of El Camino Real and Embarcadero Road in Palo Alto protesting U.S. intervention in Central America and the embargo against Cuba. He was active in the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center in Palo Alto from its conception in the early 1970s. "The main thing in remembering Laurent's life is that it will serve as an inspiring example of the power of an individual to effect social change," said Paul George, the center's director. Although he left the Communist Party in 1957, he remained a communist all his life. He is survived by his partner; three sons, Joe Frantz of Pacifica, Larry Frantz of Santa Cruz and Alex Frantz of San Leandro; a daughter, Virginia Frantz of St. Louis; a sister, Evalin Douglas of Lexington, Ky.; a brother, Frank Frantz of Sarasota, Fla.; and three grandchildren. Contributions may be made to the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, 457 Kingsley Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301, or Global Exchange, 2017 Mission St., Suite 303, San Francisco, CA 94110. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Chapel of the First Presbyterian Church, 1140 Cowper St., Palo Alto.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Oct 7, 1998
James H. Neilson
James H. "Jim" Neilson, 83, died
Sept. 13 in Palo Alto. He was the owner and operator of W.E. Neilson & Sons Printing Co., founded in 1932, and was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Corps of Engineers. He is survived by two brothers, C.H. "Neal" Neilson of Palo Alto, and David Neilson of Sun City, Ariz.; and a sister, Ruth Johnson of Portland, Ore. Services have been held.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Oct 7, 1998
Glenn Spencer
Glenn Spencer, 66, a 30-year resident of Palo Alto, died
Sept. 24 of cancer. He graduated from Piedmont High School and received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from U.C. Berkeley in 1953. After earning a doctorate from the University of Washington in 1958, he worked briefly at Harvard College. Later that year he moved to Stanford University, where he taught chemistry for 10 years. In 1968 he left Stanford to teach private piano lessons. He organized the annual Mothers' Day Music Festivals at Werry Park in College Terrace. In the late 1970s and early 1980s he taught music theory and jazz piano at the Stanford Summer Jazz Workshop and helped design the original piano and electronic music curriculum. In 1987 he founded MuSIG (Music Special Interest Group), a large network of people helping each other learn about computers and music. He is survived by his wife, Nana Keng of Palo Alto; a son, Reid Spencer of Redmond, Wash.; a daughter, Marisa Gaetanne of White Rock, British Columbia; two sisters, Pat Maloney of Littleton, Colo., and Alice Bowron of Fort Wayne, Ind.; and five grandchildren. A celebration of his life will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at Werry Park, 2100 Dartmouth St., Palo Alto.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Oct 7, 1998
Kent Auge Zimmerman
Kent Auge Zimmerman, 86, a resident of Menlo Park, died
Sept. 21. He was born
in Reading, Pa., and received a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He undertook his medical training at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, John Hopkins Hospital and New York Hospital. During World War II he served the Navy and the Merchant Marine under the auspices of the U.S. Public Health Service. After the war he became director of the U.S. Children's Bureau Mental Health Unit in Washington, D.C. He joined the California Department of Public Health in 1946, rising to the position of chief of the Mental Health Service. In 1954 he began 23 years of service as chief of psychiatry and clinical director of Family Guidance Services at Children's Hospital of Oakland. During this time he also had a private practice, and specialized in working with children and families. He served as a lecturer at Stanford and UCSF medical schools, and also held numerous positions in professional organizations. He is survived by his wife, Katherine Cook Zimmerman of Menlo Park; a daughter, Katherine Miles Lincoln of La Canada; three sons, Kevin Zimmerman of Berkeley, Eric Zimmerman of Potter Valley and Jeff Zimmerman of Lafayette; a sister, Mary Roche of Springfield, Mass.; four grandchildren; and two step-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 4.30 p.m. Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto. Donations may be sent c/o George Kwong to the Children's Hospital Foundation, Oakland, marked Psychiatric Fund.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Oct 7, 1998
Kearn A. Cottingham
Kearn A. Cottingham, 53, a 23-year resident of Palo Alto, died
Oct. 13. He was a senior program management engineer in subcontracts at Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto, where he worked for 22 years. He loved golf and cooking. He is survived by his wife, Shirley Kedrowski Cottingham of Palo Alto; his parents, William and Nell Cottingham of Chico; and a sister, Sandra Merlo of Chico. Services have been held. Donations may be made to Green Hills Country Club Tree Gift, or Junior Program, End of Ludeman Lane, Millbrae 94030, or the Kearn A. Cottingham Memorial Fund, c/o Halsted Holman M.D., 1000 Welch Road, Suite 204, Palo Alto 94304 (checks payable to Stanford University).
Obituary dated: Wednesday Oct 28, 1998
Gloria Parker Flavell
Gloria Parker Flavell, 72, a resident of Menlo Park, died
Oct. 21. A native of San Francisco, she moved to Palo Alto in 1936 and graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1943. She and her husband Ed lived in Menlo Park and Palo Alto for 31 years, before retiring to Santa Cruz for 13 years. They returned to Menlo Park in 1992. A homemaker, she became an accomplished watercolorist in later life, and studied Ikebana, the Japanese art of floral arrangement, with the Sogetsu School of Menlo Park. She was a founding member of the Art Museum of Santa Cruz County and a member of the Menlo Art League, where she was awarded Best of Show for a watercolor displayed in the 1997 Annual Exhibit. She is survived by her husband of 50 years, Ed Flavell of Menlo Park; a daughter, Victoria Flavell of Danville; two sons, Eric Flavell of Santa Barbara and Geoffrey Flavell of Singapore; and four grandchildren. No services will be held. Donations may be made to the Kaiser Hospice Program, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, 1150 Veterans Blvd., Redwood City, CA 94063.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Oct 28, 1998
Martha C. Goodman
Martha C. Goodman, 82, a longtime resident of Palo Alto and Menlo Park, died
Oct. 14. A native of South Boston, Va., she moved to Palo Alto in 1944 and later moved to Menlo Park. She worked as a chef at Mateley's Restaurant on University Avenue, at the President Hotel and at Stanford University's Faculty Club. She retired from Stanford during the 1980s, after 20 years of service. She is survived by a sister, Carine Garland, and a brother, Nathan Majors, both of Norfolk, Va. Services have been held.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Oct 28, 1998
Chauncey A. Hoffman
Chauncey A. Hoffman, 92, died
Oct. 12 in Menlo Park. He was a native of Brandon, Manitoba, but lived in Menlo Park for over 40 years. He worked at the U.S. Naval Shipyard in San Francisco and then at SRI International in Menlo Park until his retirement. He was a former driver for Meals on Wheels at Little House in Menlo Park. He is survived by his wife, Ollie B. Hoffman of Menlo Park. Services have been held.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Oct 28, 1998
Linel Hamel
Linel Hamel, 94, a 34-year resident of Palo Alto, died
Oct. 19. Born in Oklahoma, he lived in Redwood City from 1950 until 1964, when he moved to Palo Alto. He was a retired plumber and laborer and a member of the Masonic Lodge. He was an associate minister of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Redwood City for more than 20 years. He is survived by his wife of 73 years, R.T. Hamel of Palo Alto; four sons, Linel Hamel Jr. of Belmont, Damon Hamel of Palo Alto, Dale Hamel of Milpitas and Clarence Hamel of San Jose; two daughters, Bobbie Sue Melton of Modesto and Betty Glass of Palo Alto; a brother, James Linel of Menlo Park; a sister, Mildred Miller of Austin, Texas; 35 grandchildren; 45 great-grandchildren; and six great-great-grandchildren. Services have been held.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Oct 28, 1998
