Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Martha Jewell Parker
Services will be Saturday for Martha Jewell Parker, who died Saturday at Dominican Hospital. She was 75.
Mrs. Parker was born in Georgia and lived in Watsonville for 14 years.
She worked as a seamstress, and loved to sew.
Mrs. Parker was a woman of faith, and family members say they will remember her smile and her courageous battle for life.
She is survived by twin daughters Pat Green of Watsonville and Patsy Ranalla of Bailey Island, Maine and daughter Christine Garner of Wichita Falls, Texas; a brother, Tommy Wilson of Odessa, Texas; five grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.
Services will be at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 700 Green Valley Road, Watsonville. A reception will follow at the church.
Contributions are preferred to the Watsonville YMCA.
Arrangements are by Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel.
July 17, 2002
Betty Jane Hogan
At her request, no services will be held for Betty Jane Hogan, who died Monday in Fair Oaks. She was 79.
Mrs. Hogan was born in Michigan and was living in Placerville at the time she died.
She had worked as a teacher’s aide with the Scotts Valley School District for 20 years, helping children with special needs.
Mrs. Hogan wrote children’s stories and plays and was an adventurer who loved the outdoors.
She is survived by a son, Andrew Hogan of Tahoe City; a daughter, Valerie Keele of Placerville; a sister, Janet Wessel of Michigan; and five grandchildren.
Her husband of 41 years, Daniel Hogan, died in 1996, and her son, Steve Hogan, died in 2001.
Arrangements are by Chapel of the Pines.
July 17, 2002
Mae Stern
At her request, no services will be held for Mae Stern, who died Thursday at a local convalescent hospital. She was 77.
Ms. Stern was born and raised in New York City and migrated to Santa Cruz as a young woman.
She graduated from Queens College New York, where she studied psychology. Ms. Stern also did graduate work in animal behavior at Rutgers University and was a doctoral candidate in psychology at the University of Colorado.
In Santa Cruz, she worked as a relief nurse at Windy Hills Farm before becoming a freelance photographer.
Many of her photographs were donated to the Museum of Art and History at McPherson Center. Ms. Stern had worked and exhibited for the Santa Cruz Art League.
She was fond of animals and had a special love for cats. She was an active member of the Spa Fitness Center community.
Ms. Stern is survived by many friends, including B. V. Grossman and Bertha Smith, both of Santa Cruz.
Contributions are preferred to the Santa Cruz Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 2200 Seventh Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95062.
Arrangements are by Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel.
July 17, 2002
David E. Harbaugh
At his request no services will be held for David E. Harbaugh, who died Sunday at his home in Santa Cruz. He was 74.
Mr. Harbaugh was born and raised in Scranton, Penn., where he graduated high school and attended a Jesuit university. He moved to Santa Cruz in the late 1950s.
After college, Mr. Harbaugh began a long career in broadcasting. He worked in television and radio in Pennsylvania, and then for local radio stations KDON and KSCO.
Mr. Harbaugh was an avid ham radio operator and a member of the Ham Radio Club. He once served as president-elect of the Santa Cruz County Amateur Radio Club.
He enjoyed model railroading, stamp collecting and spending time on the computer. Mr. Harbaugh volunteered at the emergency communication center and as a Seniorama bus dispatcher.
Mr. Harbaugh is survived by his wife of 40 years, Alda Harbaugh of Santa Cruz; a stepdaughter, Janice Kosht of Anaheim; two stepgranddaughters; and one cousin.
After cremation, Mr. Harbaugh’s ashes will be taken to Santa Cruz Memorial Park.
Contributions are preferred to the Santa Cruz Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 2200 Seventh Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95062.
Arrangements are by Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel.
July 17, 2002
Louis Mata Sr.
Services will be Monday for Louis Mata Sr., who died Wednesday in Mazatlan, Mexico, after a short illness. He was 68.
Mr. Mata was born in Guanajuato, Mexico, and grew up in New Mexico and San Jose. He lived in Santa Cruz County for more than 40 years and lived in Mazatlan and Watsonville at the time of his death.
He served in the Army and worked as a cement mason for many years. Mr. Mata also built homes, including many on Mata Way, a small cul-de-sac off Freedom Boulevard where he bought land in the ’70s.
Mr. Mata was vice commander of American Legion Post No. 11 in Mazatlan.
He is survived by his wife, Virginia Mata of Watsonville; sons Louis Mata Jr. of Santa Cruz, Michael and Anthony Mata, both of San Jose, and Roger, Dan and Fred Mata, all of Watsonville; daughters Dorina Rodriguez of Oroville, Elizabeth Kiliaan of Oakland and Laura Hiura of Watsonville; and 13 grandchildren.
His wife, Bertha, died in 1969; his son, Gerald Clopton, died in 1994, and his brother, Frank Matta, died in 1998.
Services will be 1 p.m. Monday at Oakwood Memorial Crystal Chapel, 3301 Paul Sweet Road, Santa Cruz.
July 20, 2002
William Wellman Peete
Services will be Tuesday for William Wellman Peete, who died Thursday in San Jose from injuries suffered after being hit by a car while riding his bike. He was 50.
Mr. Peete was born in Memphis and raised in Southern California. He moved to San Jose in 1975 and to Scotts Valley in 1984.
He worked many years as an electronic design engineer, most recently for Linear Technologies Corp.
Mr. Peete was an avid bicyclist who competed in bike races. He also enjoyed listening to music, playing the guitar and riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle.
He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Susan C. Peete of Scotts Valley; a son, Colin D. Peete of Santa Cruz; daughters Carly A. Denham of San Jose and Tammy L. Peete of Scotts Valley; his father, Russell F. Peete Sr. of Tucson; a brother, Russell F. Peete Jr. of Santa Cruz; a sister, Miriam Klass of New Hampshire; and one grandson.
Services will be 2 p.m. Tuesday at Oakwood Chapel, 3301 Paul Sweet Road, Santa Cruz.
Contributions are preferred to the National Transplant Foundation for Maggie Heenie.
July 20, 2002
Irma L. Akin
Services will be Wednesday for Irma L. Akin, who died Wednesday. She was 90.
Mrs. Akin was born in Ottawa, Kan., and lived in Long Beach for many years before moving to Santa Cruz in 1991, after the death of her husband, Omer.
She was a professional violinist who had been invited to the White House to play for President Herbert Hoover.
Mrs. Akin was a member of Daughters of the American Revolution.
She is survived by sons Robert Akin of Wrightwood and Charles Akin of Santa Cruz; a sister, Virginia Ault of Front Royal, Va.; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Her brother, C. Murl Jasper, a distinguished fighter pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II, died in 1997.
Friends may call from 1-3 p.m. Tuesday at Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel, 1050 Cayuga St., Santa Cruz.
Graveside services will be 1 p.m. Wednesday at Westminster Memorial Park.
July 20, 2002
