Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Sara Kathryn Ross Field
Services will be Aug. 23 for Sara Kathryn Ross Field, who died Aug. 1 in Watsonville. She was 90.
Mrs. Field was born in San Juan Capistrano, when it was a rural area, and spent her childhood on a cattle ranch and wheat farm.
She lived at Aegis in Aptos for three years.
Mrs. Field proved to be of extraordinary intelligence early in life, and was one of the original Stanford-Benet "genius children" with an IQ between 180 and 200.
She was also a woman of great humanity, wit and beauty, with fiery red hair and green eyes, family members say.
Her life stories included one about her first pet, a Bantam rooster that slept at the foot of her bed, and others about working as an artist’s model in Laguna Beach in the 1930s.
Mrs. Field remained a supporter of the arts throughout her life, and took her children to the first performance of the Nutcracker by the San Francisco Ballet.
She also remained close to her rural roots and could often be found kneeling in the flower beds at Filoli Gardens in San Mateo, where she volunteered.
She moved to posts across the Unites States and overseas after marrying an Army officer and young attorney, Winston Lewis Field.
Mrs. Field organized a school for military children in Tokyo after World War II and helped create orphanages in Heidelberg.
She returned to UC Berkeley in her 50s, completed her bachelor’s degree and earned a master’s degree in library science.
In the 1970s and ’80s she worked as a technical librarian and cataloger at Stanford Research Institute before retiring with her husband to the Sharon Heights area of Menlo Park.
Mrs. Field started to show signs of Alzheimer’s disease when she was 75. She had survived the Great Depression, the devastation of war and the loss of her husband to Parkinson’s disease.
Family members say she inspired them to cherish the beautiful permanence of art, music, books and nature, and was a person of extraordinary compassion.
She was a member of Mensa and St. Bede’s Episcopal Church in Menlo Park.
Mrs. Field is survived by daughters Sally Susanna Field Young of Aptos and Mary Melanie Field Banks of Capitola; son Winston Lewis Field Jr. of Fresno; sister Mary Ross Richards; brothers David and Charles Ross; seven grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Her husband of 67 years, Col. Winston L. Field, died in 2000.
Services will be 11 a.m. Aug. 23 at San Joaquin National Cemetery.
Contributions are preferred to a hospice organization.
Arrangements are by the Neptune Society.
August 13, 2002
Helen Smith Enna
Services will be Thursday for Helen Smith Enna, who died Monday in Capitola. She was 79.
Mrs. Enna was born in San Jose and lived in Santa Cruz for about 40 years.
She retired from Pacific Bell after 38 years and was a member of the Pacific Bell Pioneers. She enjoyed shopping, dancing and church activities.
Mrs. Enna is survived by daughters Sharyn Enna of Santa Cruz and Alice Lopez of San Jose; a brother, Earl Blackmore of San Jose; and three grandchildren.
Services will be 1 p.m. Thursday at Santa Cruz Memorial Park’s Mission Chapel, 1927 Ocean St. Ext.
Contributions are preferred to the Arthritis Foundation, 657 Mission St., No. 603, San Francisco, CA 94105-4120.
August 13, 2002
Ismael ‘Mel’ Padilla
Services will be Wednesday for Ismael "Mel" Padilla, who died Friday at Watsonville Community Hospital. He was 84.
Mr. Padilla was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, and lived in Santa Cruz County for 81 years. He was raised in Aptos and lived in Watsonville when he died.
Mr. Padilla graduated from Santa Cruz High School, Hartnell College and the School of Agriculture in Juarez, Mexico.
He was an All-American wide receiver at Hartnell College and played football at Cabrillo College.
Mr. Padilla served in the Army during World War II, with the 82nd Airborne Division and the 17th Glider Division. He fought in the Normandy Invasion, landing with a glider plane and also fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
Mr. Padilla worked at the Aptos post office for many years and then as a maintenance supervisor at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds for 15 years, retiring in 1980.
He loved gardening and in his earlier years worked for the former Vetterle and Reinelt begonia gardens in Capitola, where he helped create large tuberous begonias from seed.
Mr. Padilla was a member of the American Legion and a founding member of the Capitola VFW Tres Pueblos post, which he helped name.
He is survived by his wife, Petra Padilla of Watsonville; sons Rodrigo and Pedro Gonzalez, both of Ontario; daughters Maria Gonzalez of Los Angeles and Irenia Espinoza of Bloomington; nine grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.
Friends may call from 6-9 p.m. today at Davis Memorial Chapel, 609 Main St., Watsonville.
A chapel blessing service will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at Davis.
Mr. Padilla will be buried at Valley Public Cemetery.
August 20, 2002
Sarah K. Glover Crawford
Services have been held for Sarah K. Glover Crawford, who died Aug. 3 at her Modesto area home. She was 83.
Mrs. Crawford was born in Alabama and lived in Modesto for 61 years.
She and her late husband, Charles Crawford, owned Crawford Timber Ridge Ranch in Santa Cruz County for more than 30 years.
Mrs. Crawford was a homemaker and a former president of the Modesto Garden Club. She enjoyed gardening and sailing.
She is survived by a son, Robert Crawford of Willits; a daughter, Judith Crawford of Aptos; and two grandchildren.
Contributions are preferred to Hospice Caring Project, PO Box 670, Aptos, CA 95003.
August 20, 2002
James ‘Jesse’ Smith
Services will be private for James "Jesse" Smith, who died Sunday in Santa Cruz. He was 54.
Mr. Smith was born in Cream Ridge, N.J., and had lived in Santa Cruz for more than 20 years.
He was a decorated Vietnam veteran and a guitar player who was well-known as "Jesse James" in the local music scene.
He is survived by a son, Nicholas James Smith of Santa Cruz; brothers Paul and Ernie Smith, both of New Jersey; and a sister, Gloria Mills of Pennsylvania.
Arrangements are by Santa Cruz Memorial Park and Funeral Home.
August 20, 2002
Ruth Jernstedt Hare
No services are planned for Ruth Jernstedt Hare, who died Friday in Vista. She was 82.
Mrs. Hare was born in Yamhill, Ore., and lived in Pasadena, Oakland, San Mateo and Bonny Doon from 1977 until 2000.
Mrs. Hare earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Linfield College in Oregon.
She was a housewife, and family members say she was well known for her beautiful flower arrangements, gardening and pottery and volunteered many hours at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum.
She also enjoyed cooking and was a member of a Santa Cruz cooking group which met periodically for nearly 20 years.
She is survived by her husband of 56 years, George Hare of Vista; a daughter, Melana Brandt of Vista; a son, Randy Hare of Clearlake; brothers Don Jernstedt of Carlton, Ore. and Ken Jernstedt of Hood River, Ore.; and five grandchildren.
Contributions are preferred to the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA 95064.
August 21, 2002
Samuel P. McKeever
Services will be later for Samuel P. McKeever, who died Sunday at Dominican Hospital. He was 88.
Mr. McKeever was born in Salinas and grew up in Los Angeles and San Francisco. He moved to Capitola in 1966.
Mr. McKeever worked as a building contractor in Southern California and later as an accountant. He retired from the Santa Cruz County Auditor’s Office in 1977.
Mr. McKeever was a past president of the Mid-County Senior Center and a past director of the Golden State Mobilehome Owners League.
He is survived by his wife, Polly McKeever of Capitola; sons Michael McKeever of Oakland and Richard McKeever of Vancouver, Wash.; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Contributions are preferred in his memory to Hospice Caring Project, PO Box 670, Aptos, CA 95003.
Arrangements are by Oakwood Memorial Chapel.
August 21, 2002
