Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Vane M. Strother Jr.
Burial was private for Vane Malcolm Strother Jr., who died June 3 at a local convalescent hospital. He was 84.
Mr. Strother was born in Ovala, Texas, and lived in the Santa Cruz area since 1977.
He was a track star in high school who entered the University of Nevada at Reno in 1941, but quit that winter to join the Navy, where he realized his talents at technical calculations.
Mr. Strother worked as a technical editor with North American Rockwell for 19 years, and worked closely with German and American rocket scientists on the Apollo missions to the moon.
He enjoyed swimming, particularly ocean swimming.
Mr. Strother is survived by his wife, Kathlyn McGinnis Strother of Santa Cruz; a son, Loy W. Strother of Saugus; a daughter, Lynn Mozo of Barcelona; a sister, Shirley Cole of South Gate; and two grandsons.
Mr. Strother will be buried at Oakwood Burial Park.
Arrangements are by Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel.
June 13, 2002
James D. Fennelly II
Services will be Saturday for James D. Fennelly II, who died Monday in Watsonville. He was 79.
Mr. Fennelly was born in Oakland and lived in Watsonville for eight years.
He retired after 25 years as an Oakland police officer.
Mr. Fennelly enjoyed gardening.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara J. Fennelly of Watsonville; a daughter, Karen M. Maxwell of Corralitos; sons Kevin R. Fennelly of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, and James D. Fennelly, III of Maui; a sister, Ilene Serraco of Castro Valley; six grandchildren; and two great- grandchildren.
Services will be 2 p.m. Saturday at Davis Memorial Chapel, 609 Main St., Watsonville.
Mr. Fennelly will be buried at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in Gustine.
Arrangements are by Davis Memorial Chapel.
June 13, 2002
Lois Dunham McFall
Services will be June 30 for Lois Dunham McFall, who died June 4 at a local hospital. She was 95.
Mrs. McFall was born and raised in Salinas and taught school for many years in Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Monterey and San Mateo counties.
She was a fourth-generation Californian.
Mrs. McFall graduated from San Jose State College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in education and home economics.
She was a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Sorority and the national and state Retired Teachers Association.
Mrs. McFall was active in the Order of Eastern Star, Daughters of the American Colonists, Daughters of the American Revolution and the Palo Alto Women’s Club.
She was a Christian Science practitioner who belonged to the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Santa Cruz and the Mother Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston.
She is survived by nephews Jack D. Wilkins and Richard C. Wilkins; one grandniece; two grandnephews; and many cousins.
Her husband, Jesse Harold McFall, died before her.
Services will be 4-6 p.m. June 30 at Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel, 1050 Cayuga St., Santa Cruz.
Mrs. McFall will be buried at Garden of Memories in Salinas.
June 13, 2002
Norma Juliet Wikler
A memorial will be June 30 in New York City for UC Santa Cruz professor emeritus Norma Juliet Wikler, who died May 28 at her home in Rincon de Salas, Costa Rica. She was 60.
Ms. Wikler was born in Lexington, Ky., and taught sociology at UC Santa Cruz from 1971 to 1991, retiring with emeritus status.
She graduated from public schools in Lexington and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a doctorate from UC Berkeley.
She was a senior research associate at the Institute for the Study of Social Change at UC Berkeley and a Bunting Fellow at Harvard University.
Ms. Wikler was founder and first director of the National Judicial Education Program to Promote Equality of Women and Men in the Courts, sponsored by the NOW Legal and Education Fund and the National Association of Women Judges.
Her work led to the creation of more than 50 gender-bias task forces for state and federal courts, and her several overlapping careers included the sociology of the legal, medical and military professions, plus the establishment of an organic pineapple industry in Costa Rica, where she also co-wrote a children’s book on organic agriculture now used in the country’s schools.
In a 1984 Sentinel article, Ms. Wikler discussed the then-emerging issues surrounding artificial insemination for single women. Her book "Up Against the Clock" was an early look at the sociological issues involved when women want a career and children.
She is survived by her mother, Ada Wikler of Lexington, Ky.; sisters Marjorie Senechal of Northampton, Mass. and Jeanne Wikler of New York City; a brother, Daniel Wikler of Madison, Wis.; three nieces; and two nephews.
More information on the Central Park memorial and a charitable fund will be posted soon to http://web.archive.org/web/20030529182303/http://www.wikler.net/news.html.
June 13, 2002
Vince Enrico
Services for Vince Enrico, who died May 25 in Santa Cruz, will be 2 p.m. Saturday at Garfield Park Church, 111 Errett Circle, Santa Cruz.
June 13, 2002
Elmer James Gibson
Services will be Monday for Elmer James Gibson, who died Wednesday in Hanford. He was 94.
Mr. Gibson was born in Blair, Okla. He lived in Texas before moving to San Jose in 1936, and to Watsonville in 1946.
Mr. Gibson was an auto mechanic for many years, and was a machinist during World War II in the San Francisco Bay Area.
He raised olallie berries in Watsonville, and designed and helped build the first mechanical berry harvester in the area.
Mr. Gibson was a member of the Church of Christ, where he served as an elder until moving to the San Joaquin Valley in 1988.
He is survived by sisters Stella Ellis of Modesto, and Minnie Davis of Placerville; brothers Coy Davis of Stephenville, Texas, and Marion Davis of Portland, Texas; two granddaughters; two great-grandsons; and numerous nieces and nephews.
His wife, Lennie Gibson, daughter Gerlene Joy York and brother J.B. Gibson died before him.
Services are at 1 p.m. Monday at Pajaro Valley Memorial Park, Watsonville.
Arrangements are by Davis Memorial Chapel.
June 14, 2002
Margaret Catherine Taylor
No services will be held for Margaret Catherine Taylor, who died Wednesday in Tacoma, Wash. She was 85.
Mrs. Taylor was born in Santa Cruz. She lived here for 59 years before moving to Oregon in 1977. She moved to Tacoma in 1998.
Mrs. Taylor worked at the John Ingalls Cannery in Santa Cruz for 10 years.
She enjoyed crocheting and reading.
She is survived by daughter Margaret Blackledge of Lakewood, Wash., Judy Abma of Scotts Valley and Peggy Caso of Ranier, Ore.; son George E. Taylor of Baker, Ore.; 19 grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren.
Her husband, George Edward Taylor, and daughter Linda Joyce Taylor died before her.
Arrangements are by Dryer Mortuary, Tacoma, Wash.
June 14, 2002
