Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Eric Patchen
A memorial will be Saturday for Eric Patchen, who died Tuesday in Santa Cruz after a lengthy illness. He was 25.
He was born in Paramount and was a lifelong resident of Santa Cruz. He graduated from the Ark in 1996, and enjoyed sports, fishing and cars.
He is survived by his mother and stepfather, Ranelle and Albert Griffey of Santa Cruz; brother Michael Sadler of Santa Cruz; grandparents Suzann and Gil Gillespie of Santa Cruz; uncle Leonard Patchen; longtime partner Sara Nosrati of Santa Cruz; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
A gathering in his honor will be noon Saturday at 5455 Jigger Drive, Soquel. Santa Cruz Memorial Park and Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
October 10, 2003
Alfred L. Garcia III
Services will be Monday for Alfred L. Garcia III, who died Sunday in Watsonville. He was 41.
Mr. Garcia was the victim of a stabbing that occurred about Sunday night near Union Street and East Lake Avenue.
He was born in Victoria, Texas, and had lived in Watsonville for 30 years.
He was the assistant manager of Golden State Auto Care for the past two years, and was active in community programs, especially Victory Outreach aimed at preventing children from using drugs or joining gangs. He also spoke many times against gangs and drugs at Cabrillo College.
He is survived by son Isaac Garcia of Oregon; daughter Natalie Garcia of Oregon; mother Josie Carillo of Houston; uncles Sam Garcia of Moss Landing and Richard and Alex Garcia of Texas; aunt Julia Altamirano of Texas; great-aunt Catarina Carmona of Watsonville; and numerous other aunts, uncles and cousins.
His father, Alfredo Garcia II, died before him.
Services will be 7 p.m. Monday and 11 a.m. Tuesday at Mehl’s Colonial Chapel, 222 E. Lake Ave., Watsonville. Burial will follow at Valley Cemetery. Friends may call 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday and 8:30-11 a.m. Tuesday at Mehl’s.
October 10, 2003
Augustine T. Bregante
Services will be Monday for Augustine T. Bregante who died Wednesday at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz. She was 82.
She was born in Santa Cruz, the daughter of Marco and Mary Carniglia. Mrs. Bregante grew up in Santa Cruz and attended Holy Cross School. As a young woman living in Santa Cruz she met and in 1946 marriage Battista Bregante Jr. In her earlier years she worked at the Miramar Restaurant and also at the cannery.
She was described by her family as a devoted wife, mother and grandmother who enjoyed cooking, baking and gardening. She was a member of Holy Cross Catholic Church and a former member of the Italian Catholic Federation.
She is survived by a daughter, Barbara Virsaitis of Aptos; sons Battista Bregante III of Soquel and Louis Bregante of Cleveland, Ga.; brother Victor Carniglia of Santa Cruz; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Her husband died in 1983; four brothers and one sister also died before her.
Friends may call 3-7 p.m. Sunday at Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel. A vigil service will follow at 7 p.m.
The funeral cortege will leave the chapel, 1050 Cayuga St., Santa Cruz, at 9:30 a.m. Monday and proceed to Holy Cross Catholic Church, 126 High St., where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m.
A private Burial will take place at Santa Cruz Memorial Park.
Contributions are preferred to donor’s favorite charity.
October 11, 2003
Joseph Pollastrini
Services will be Monday for Joseph Pollastrini, who died Wednesday in Santa Cruz. He was 83.
Mr. Pollastrini was born in Carraia, Italy, and moved with his family to Chicago at age 6. He had lived in Santa Cruz since 1947.
Mr. Pollastrini served in the Army during World War II, participating in the invasion at Normandy. He worked for Lonestar Industries as a chemical analyst for more than 20 years.
Mr. Pollastrini was a member of Holy Cross Church. He enjoyed golf and sports, especially "his" Chicago Cubs.
He is survived by daughters Kathryn Clark of San Jose; Marsha Ann Repschlaeger of El Dorado and Adele Williams of Wenatchee, Wash.; sons Joseph Jr., Norman and Ken Pollastrini, all of Santa Cruz; sister Kay Ghio of Santa Cruz; 16 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
His wife, Marian, died in 1995.
Friends may call 4-8 p.m. Sunday at Santa Cruz Memorial Park Mission Chapel, 1927 Ocean St.
Services will be 11 a.m. Monday at the chapel and will include military honors.
Contributions are preferred to the American Heart Association, 1514 Moffett St., Salinas, or to a favorite charity.
October 11, 2003
Ann Lois Porter
Cremation was private for Ann Lois Porter, who died Sunday at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz. She was 79.
She was born in Louisville, Ky., and had lived in Santa Cruz since 1996.
She grew up in Louisville, and as a young woman joined the circus as a aerialist. She met and marriage James R. Porter while with the circus, and she and her husband continued to travel with the show for 10 years. They settled in Houston in 1955.
She also lived in Tampa, Fla., before moving to Santa Cruz.
She is survived by son Laurence Porter of Capitola; brother Pete Houk of Louisville; sisters Betty Slimick and Pat Dossett, both of Louisville; and grandson Robin Porter of Capitola.
Santa Cruz Watsonville Cremation Service is in charge of the arrangements.
October 11, 2003
Robert M. Westra
Private family services were held for Robert M. Westra, who died Thursday in Santa Cruz. He was 83.
Mr. Westra was born in Lafayette, Ind. He served in the Navy during World War II in the Pacific Theatre, and moved to Fresno in 1950. He was a member of the Church of Jesus of Christ of Latter Day Saints. He worked in sales and real estate in Fresno for more than 30 years, and was also a member of Toastmasters.
He and his wife moved to the Santa Cruz area two years ago to be near their daughter.
He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Iris Westra of Boulder Creek; daughters Joan Lorraine Westra of Madera and Teri Ellen Westra of Boulder Creek; son Michael Robert Westra of Redondo Beach; and one grandchild.
His sister, Lois Wells of Felton, died in 1989.
Contributions are preferred to the Morning Star Foundation or the Center for Sacred Studies: Kayumari.
Arrangements are by Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel in Santa Cruz.
October 11, 2003
Mark N. Christensen
Services will be Nov. 2 for Mark N. Christensen, who died of cancer Oct. 2 at his Carmel home. He was 73.
Mr. Christensen was the second chancellor of UC Santa Cruz and professor emeritus of the energy and resources group at UC Berkeley.
He was born in Green Bay, Wis., and spent most of his life in the West. He turned 20 while climbing Mount Logan with three friends from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, where he received a bachelor’s degree in geology in 1952. His team was only the second to ascend that peak. He re-visited the summit of Mount Logan with his son and daughter this past summer.
Mr. Christensen earned his doctorate in geology from UC Berkeley, and joined the faculty there in 1959. He received UC Berkeley’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 1962. He served as head of the campus’s Academic Senate from 1970 to 1972, then was appointed vice chancellor.
While vice chancellor, he established the Energy and Resources Committee, which he guided through academic channels to become the Energy and Resources Group, a world-renowned interdisciplinary research and teaching program.
He served as UC Santa Cruz chancellor from July 1974 through January 1976, then returned to UC Berkeley to teach geology and geophysics. His research focused on energy, the environment and development, with a focus on energy conservation and renewable-energy resources.
After retiring in 1994, Mr. Christensen continued to advise UC Berkeley doctoral students. He also helped found the Carmel River Watershed Council. He enjoyed leading hikes through Point Lobos.
A tall man with a ready smile, he was known for his sense of humor, and love of singing and playing the piano, as well as for his intellectual rigor, his friendliness and enthusiasm for life. He enjoyed and was curious about natural places from the mountains of Alaska to Chile to Greece and the Sierra Nevada.
He is survived by wife Regine Godfrey of Carmel; son Abe Christensen of Berkeley; daughter Karen Christensen-Jones of Felton; former wife Helen Christensen of Berkeley; and grandson Cole Jones of Felton.
Services will be 1-4 p.m. Nov. 2 in the Great Hall at the UC Berkeley Faculty Club.
Contributions are preferred to the UC Regents: Attn: Lee Tajbakhsh at the Energy and Resources Group, UC Berkeley, 310 Barrows Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720.
October 11, 2003
‘Chuck’ Largent
Charles "Chuck" Largent, a producer and director who put dinner theater on Santa Cruz County’s plate in the 1980s, died Sept. 2 in San Francisco. He was 69.
Mr. Largent produced more than 40 musicals in Chicago before moving to Scotts Valley in 1979 to direct the fledgling Holiday Barn Dinner Theater. He presented four musicals a year for four years through that project, and several more shows at theaters and restaurants in Santa Cruz and Soquel.
In the mid-1990s he moved back to San Francisco, where he had lived for several years before Scotts Valley, but he commuted to Santa Cruz in 1999 and 2000 to direct the annual Seniorama productions.
In San Francisco, he launched the Joe Sent Me Club, an intimate dinner theater produced in an apartment. He also arranged entertainment tours, complete with dinners featuring several courses, each served at a different location with distinct entertainment.
Friends said he will be remembered for his dedication to creating theater and giving novice actors and seasoned veterans opportunities to practice their craft.
"He was temperamental, demanding and dictatorial," said friend Claire Hodgin, who along with husband David, encouraged Largent to move to Scotts Valley. "And he was also loving, kind and gentle."
She recalled that after the 1989 earthquake, Mr. Largent and a friend hiked 7 miles, over landslides and blocked roads, to rescue a friend who lived in the mountains.
Friends will hold a potluck gathering to celebrate his life 5-9 p.m. Nov. 1. For information, call 338-3106 or 438-2286.
Contributions are preferred to a favorite charity.
October 11, 2003
