Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Kenneth G. Stephens
Kenneth G. Stephens, 88, a Palo Alto resident, died
in his home on July 9.
He was born
in Porter, Ind., and after livng in Illinois most of his life, moved to Palo Alto to be with his son after the death of his wife.
He studied accounting at the Chicago College of Commerce and was employed at International Harvester in Illinois as a bolt maker.
He was a member of the United First Methodist Church while living in Chesterston, Ind., and continued his commitment to the church by becoming a member of the First Methodist Church in Los Altos.
He is survived by a brother, Robert Stephens of Porter, Ind.; three sisters, Marian Shultz of Rockport, Ill., Ruth Kosmatka of Chesterton, Ind., and Lois Hellman of Freesoil, Mich.; a son, Ted Stephens of Palo Alto; two daughters, Elizabeth Tarchala of Porter, Ind., and Anita Serna of Albuquerque, N.M.; 10 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
Services have been held.
Obituary dated: Wednesday July 15, 1998
Arthur Kroeger
Arthur Kroeger, 89, died
May 29 in Mystic, Conn. He was born
in Fullerton in 1908.
He was elected Phi Beta Kappa in 1930 and graduated from Stanford University in 1931.
He received a master's degree in business administration from Stanford University in 1933.
After graduation, he worked at Mannings Coffee Co., managing several restaurants in the Bay Area.
He taught marketing and advertising at the University of Idaho from 1940 to 1943 before serving in the U.S. Navy, reaching the rank of lieutenant commander in the Supply Corps, from 1943 to 1946.
In 1946, he returned to Stanford as a professor, retiring as emeritus in 1973.
During his career at Stanford, he was chairman of the Bookstore Building Committee, president of the Stanford Faculty Club and consultant to the European Productivity Agency.
He also taught in Peru and lectured in New Zealand.
He co-authored several books, including six editions of "Advertising Principles and Problems."
He spent 15 years teaching part-time at Santa Clara University.
His affiliations included the University Club of Palo Alto, the American Marketing Association, SIRS and the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
He also loved gardening and traveling.
He is survived by a daughter, Mary Katherine Porter of Mystic, Conn.; two brothers, Edward Kroeger and William Kroeger, both of La Quinta; a sister, Marguerite Spitzer of Fullerton; and two grandchildren.
Services have been held. Contributions may be made to Visiting Nurses Association of Southeastern Connecticut, 200 Boston Post Road, Waterford, CT 06385, or to Oakwood Retirement Home, 140 Valparaiso Ave., Atherton, CA 94027.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Jun 10, 1998
Margaret Loder
Margaret Loder, 93, a resident of Palo Alto for 52 years, died
May 14. She was born
in Archbold, Ohio, and graduated from the University of Michigan, where she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority.
She was a member of one of the first pioneer families of Palo Alto: Her mother-in-law, Ella Loder, lived in the sixth house built in Palo Alto.
Margaret met James Loder in New Orleans after the war and came to Palo Alto in 1946, where they lived with his mother on Florence Street for two years until their house was built on Ross Road.
She lived in that house for the next 50 years.
She was an English teacher in the Cupertino school district for 15 years before her retirement in 1971.
While teaching in Cupertino, she was voted favorite teacher twice.
She was an active member of the American Association of University Women and the Senior Center of Palo Alto, where she played the piano every Tuesday for 20 years.
She is survived by two daughters, Helen Sturm of Cerritos and Sharon Loder of Palo Alto.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Jun 10, 1998
Karl G. Peterson
Karl G. Peterson, 90, a longtime resident of Menlo Park, died
May 28 in Olympia, Wash.
He was born
in 1907 in Hamilton, Mont.
He graduated from Wenatchee High School in Wenatchee, Wash., in 1927.
He received a bachelor's degree from Oregon State College in Corvallis in 1932, a master's degree from the University of Washington in 1933 and a doctorate from Stanford University in 1947.
He married
Jea Stephens in Moro, Ore., in 1935.
He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1942 and served in intelligence work, earning several medals for his service.
He worked as a high school English teacher and assistant football coach in Klamath Falls, Ore., and also worked as an English professor at Oregon State, Stanford University, San Francisco State University and as a visiting professor at the University of Hawaii.
He was a high school and college track athlete, and his interest in sports continued throughout his life.
He was also a voracious reader.
He inherited a small fishing cabin on Steamboat Island in Washington and transformed it into a comfortable cottage where the family spent their summers.
He is survived by his wife, Jean Peterson of Olympia, Wash.; two daughters, Cathy Swan of Palo Alto and Karen Peterson of Redwood City; and two grandchildren.
The family plans to hold a memorial service on Steamboat Island.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Jun 10, 1998
Helen M. Smith
Helen M. Smith, 89, a resident of Menlo Park for 44 years, died
June 2.
She was a native of Greenville, Tenn.
She and her husband, Edward Smith, married
in Philadelphia.
They settled in San Francisco in 1943 and moved to Menlo Park in 1954.
"She was quite talented, she wrote poetry, she painted.
Above all, she was a classic homemaker," her husband said.
She is survived by her husband, of Menlo Park; and a daughter, Carolyn Fagerhaugh of Hayward.
Services have been held.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Jun 10, 1998
Archie B. Sturdevant
Col. Archie B. Sturdevant, 78, a resident of Palo Alto for 31 years, died
May 8.
A native of Nebraska and graduate of the University of Nebraska, he entered the U.S. Air Force in 1941 as a commissioned officer and served for 26 years.
He studied meteorology at the University of California at Los Angeles and completed his last overseas assignment as a weather station commander in Pusan, South Korea.
Other areas of duty included Japan, North Africa and Puerto Rico.
He received honors as both a pilot and a meteorologist.
He retired from Hamilton Air Force Base in Marin County, where he served as weather operations officer.
He settled in Palo Alto in 1967.
A keen interest in meteorology led him to the hobby of charting weather data daily.
He also enjoyed vegetable gardening.
He was a member of the American Meteorological Society and the Retired Officer's Association.
Phi Kappa Psi was his college fraternity.
He is survived by his wife of 29 years, Arline Sturdevant of Palo Alto; a brother, Keith Sturdevant of Sun City, Ariz.; a sister, Virginia Pearce of Bakersfield; two sons, Archie B. Sturdevant III of Atlanta and John Sturdevant of Palo Alto; and three grandchildren.
Services have been held.
Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or Mid-Peninsula Hospice Services.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Jun 10, 1998
Joan Fischer Targ
Joan Fischer Targ, known for her work in the field of computer literacy and for being the sister of chess champion Bobby Fischer, died
in her home after a cerebral hemorrhage on June 8.
She was 60.
She was a resident of Palo Alto and had lived in the area for 36 years.
Born in Moscow, Targ moved often as a child and eventually came to California to attend the College of Notre Dame in Belmont to earn her master's degree in education.
She taught at Peninsula schools, including Jordan Middle School in Palo Alto, where she coordinated a computer-literacy program for gifted children.
Targ created the Institute of Microcomputing in Education at Stanford University as well as the Stanford International Micro Computer Institute with her business partner, computer scientist Jeff Levinsky.
For her efforts in computer education, her husband, Russell Targ, called her a "visionary and pioneer in many areas of the city."
Most recently, she was involved in a 20-year-long, but eventually successful, court battle over her proposal for an organic farm on her land in Portola Valley.
She was also the sister of chess champion Bobby Fischer and is credited with teaching him how to play.
She is survived by her husband; two sons, Alexander Targ of Palo Alto and Nicholas Targ of Washington, D.C.; a daughter, Elizabeth Targ of San Francisco; and three grandchildren.
Services have been held.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Jun 17, 1998
