Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Carl A. Silva
No services are planned for Carl A. Silva, who died Sunday at his Santa Cruz home. He was 84.
A native of the Manteca area, Mr. Silva lived and worked there for many years. He moved to Santa Cruz nearly 20 years ago.
He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion and was proud of his Portuguese heritage.
He worked as a truck boss for Franklin Trucking Co. near Manteca for 40 years.
He enjoyed spending time with his companion, Anna Marie Mathews of Santa Cruz.
He is survived by daughter Carla Silva of Pennsylvania; stepdaughter Judy Stieger of Texas; three grandsons; and a nephew, John Koontz of Santa Cruz.
August 23, 2003
Patricia B. Oxford
Services are today for Patricia Bremner Oxford, who died Tuesday of cancer at San Ramon Regional Medical Center. She was 61.
Born and raised in Oakland, she had also lived in Santa Cruz, San Francisco and Tiburon.
Oxford attended UC Davis and UC Berkeley. She earned a bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University in 1963 and received a graduate certificate in photography from UC Santa Cruz in 1993.
She was a window display designer at Ransohoff’s in San Francisco, head draftsperson at Wahlen Aerial Survey in San Mateo and a real estate agent in Santa Cruz. Oxford was also a self-employed photographer.
Oxford is survived by her husband of 40 years, James Oxford; daughter Nadja Oxford of Santa Cruz; sons Jonathon Oxford of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Chris Oxford of Oakland; mother Adele Bremner of Napa; three grandchildren and two nephews.
Her brother, Doug Bremner, died in 2003.
A memorial service will be 2 p.m. today at the Meadows, 1800 Atrium Parkway, Napa.
August 29, 2003
Leah Sandy Price
Services will be Wednesday for Leah Sandy Price , who died Monday at her home in Watsonville after a year-long battle with brain cancer. She was 35.
Born in Peace River, Alberta, Canada, she had lived in Watsonville for most of her 35 years.
Miss Price graduated from Watsonville High School in 1988 and was employed by Nonprofits Insurance Alliance of California for two years, and had received an employee of the quarter award for her achievements.
She previously had worked at Carl’s Junior Restaurant in Freedom for 13 years, where she received many outstanding dependability awards. She also had won employee of the year at the Skills Center.
Miss Price belonged to the Skills Center Job Club, Friendship Club Bowling Team. She was a member of Santa Cruz Bible Church and God’s Gems. She enjoyed crafts, collecting Beanie Babies, Winnie the Pooh and Muffy Bears, bowling and therapeutic horseback riding.
She is survived by parents, Harry and Jo Price ; brother Josh Price of Watsonville; sisters Laura Keeney of Lowell, Ark., Heather Rodgers of Watsonville, and Erin Jessica Price of Santa Cruz; grandmother Anita Price ; and aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
Friends may call at Davis Memorial Chapel, 609 Main St., Watsonville, from 6-9 p.m. Monday and from 2-5 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. Tuesday.
A celebration will be 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at Santa Cruz Bible Church, 440 Frederick St., Santa Cruz.
Burial will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at Pajaro Valley Memorial Park, Hecker Pass Road, Watsonville, with pastor Ron McClain officiating.
Santa Cruz Bible Church will serve lunch at the church after the committal and before the memorial service.
Donations are preferred to Charlie’s Lunch Ministries, P.O. Box 12428, El Paso, TX 79913.
August 29, 2003
John T. Chapin
At his request, no services will be held for John T. Chapin, who died Sunday in Capitola. He was 84.
Born in Chicago, Mr. Chapin had previously lived in Philadelphia and New York. He lived in Santa Cruz County on and off for 10 years.
During World War II, Mr. Chapin served in the U.S. Navy as an electronics technician on the USS Washington. After his service, he worked as a field engineer for the Seeburg Corp. in Chicago from 1946-57. He then attended Temple University in Philadelphia, graduating in 1961 with degrees in physics and mathematics. He remained at the university another year to teach in the mathematics department. Mr. Chapin returned to the Seeburg Corp. in 1962, retiring as president in 1979. He returned as a consultant.
A lifelong learner, Mr. Chapin has endowed UC Santa Cruz scholarships and the library.He had been an active leader of the Great Books Discussion Program since the mid-1950s.
He is survived by his adopted daughter Meg Powell of Santa Cruz.
Contributions are preferred to the Chapin Scholarships Fund at UC Santa Cruz.
August 30, 2003
Nadine Larson
No services are planned for Nadine Larson, who died Tuesday at an area convalescent hospital. She was 78.
She was born in Middleburg, Okla., and grew up picking cotton on a farm. As a young adult, she worked at Douglas Aircraft, building C-47s during World War II. She moved to California in 1945.
Larson is survived by her sister, Jean Ray; children, John Roger Larson of Monroe, Wash., Joan Kay Garrett of Langhorne, Penn., and Cathleen Gabriele of Aptos; five grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Her husband, John Larson, died in 1999.
A private Interment will be at King City Cemetery.
Arrangements are by Oakwood Memorial Chapel.
August 30, 2003
Tanya Ruth Freed
Services will be held Wednesday and Thursday for Tanya Ruth Freed, who died unexpectedly on Oct. 29 in Santa Cruz. She was 41.
Ms. Freed was born in San Francisco to Dr. Norman Freed and Gerda Freed. Her father was a well-known veterinarian in the area.
Ms. Freed was raised in Fremont and moved to the Santa Cruz area more than 20 years ago.
She is survived by her mother, Gerda Darmstadt of Las Vegas, and her sister, Nina Kaye Schwimmbeck of Germany. Her father died before her.
Services will begin at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel, 1050 Cayuga St. in Santa Cruz. Burial will follow at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Cedar Lawn Cemetery in Fremont. She will be laid to rest beside her father.
December 1, 2003
Ralph Ascher
Services will be later this week in Fort Lauderdale for Ralph Ascher, who died Saturday at his Capitola home after a brief illness. He was 86.
Mr. Ascher was a New York native. He lived there many years and worked in the bakery business. As a young man he served in the Army during World War II, where he received a service-connected disability. He retired in the mid-1970s to Tamarac, Fla., where he lived until moving to Capitola in 2002 to be near his daughter, Sherry.
Mr. Ascher was known as a hard-working man who also enjoyed many social activities , including playing cards with his friends.
He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Pauline Ascher of Capitola; daughter, Sherry Ascher of Aptos; son, Larry Ascher of Florida; and three grandchildren.
Services will be held at Star of David Funeral Home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Local arrangements are by Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel.
December 1, 2003
JAMES R. SMITH
Jim Smith, co-founder of Roudon-Smith Winery, died peacefully on Nov. 23 at the age of 73. A funeral Mass will be held at San Agustin Catholic Church of Scotts Valley on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 11:00 a.m., preceded by a vigil at Pacific Gardens Chapel in Santa Cruz on Friday, Dec. 5, at 7:00 p.m.
Born in Bear Creek, Wisconsin, on Dec. 15, 1929, and raised on a dairy farm, Jim was the fourth of nine children. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in mechanical engineering, he worked in the aerospace and electronics industries in Southern California before moving with his family to Sunnyvale in 1971.
Soon afterward, he joined forces with Bob Roudon, a colleague at Amdahl Corp., to found Roudon-Smith Winery near Scotts Valley. Jim and his wife June lived in a house a stone's throw from the winery for 28 years.
Jim manned the winery's tasting room nearly every weekend of the year, though in his later years he and June enjoyed several Caribbean cruises. Puerto Rico and Tahiti were favorite vacation destinations.
A man with a green thumb and a deep connection to the earth's seasonal cycles, Jim had long dreamed of moving his family to the countryside, and the winery project brought this dream to fruition. Jim and his four children raised chickens and kept two ponies in a corral that later became a Chardonnay vineyard.
A mechanical jack-of-all-trades, Jim undertook repeated renovation and expansion of the home that had originally been a one-room nineteenth-century logger's shack.
A longtime parishioner of San Agustin Church, Jim moved with June to a seaside condominium in Capitola a month before his death. He conducted his business affairs in an ethical manner, frequently donating wine to charity events. Roudon-Smith wines garnered numerous awards in a myriad of competitions over the years.
Asked once whether he considered himself a wine expert, he replied simply, "I know what I like."
Jim is survived by June, his wife of 46 years; by his three sons: Jeffrey, of San Rafael; Bradford, of San Jose; and Jason, of Scotts Valley; his daughter, Joy, of Santa Cruz; and by two grandsons: Everson Smith and Phoenix Kovacs. He is also survived by his brother, John, of Appleton, Wisconsin; and by three sisters: Elizabeth Greely of Green Bay, Wisconsin; Rose Ella Popeck of Springfield, Virginia; and Kathleen Jacques of New Berlin, Wisconsin. He is also survived by his winery partner Bob Roudon, currently residing in East Palo Alto and Nice, France.
Jim was preceded in death by two brothers, Arthur and Leo, and two sisters, Anna Mae Scheel and Irene Hoffman.
A dog lover, Jim also leaves behind his prized Patterdale Terrier, Bella.
At a later date, Jim's ashes will be scattered in the vineyard he and Roudon planted at the original winery location near St. Clare's Retreat.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Sanctuary Fund (for a future homeless shelter), c/o Tom Brezsny, Monterey Bay Properties, 620 Capitola Ave., Capitola, CA 95010.
December 2, 2003
