Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Johnnie A. Alvarez
There will be no services for Johnnie Alvarez, who died in March 6 at his home in Owasso, Okla. He was 87.
Born in San Jose, Mr. Alvarez was a longtime Santa Cruz resident and a truck driver for Granite Construction. He moved to Oklahoma many years ago.
He is survived by longtime companion Charleen Parmenter of Owasso, Okla.; wife Marjorie Alvarez of Santa Cruz; stepdaughters Sue Blevins of Owasso, Okla. and Alice Connors of Georgetown, Texas; and a nephew.
Arrangements are being handled by John Mowery Funeral Service, 9110 N.Garnett, Owasso, Okla., 74055.
March 13, 2002
Clayton Christopher Rochelle
Services will be Friday for Clayton Rochelle, who died March 8 in Santa Cruz. He was 18.
A native and longtime resident of Santa Cruz, Mr. Rochelle also lived briefly in Crescent City, Fremont and Newark. He enjoyed playing with his band, Nomad, and enjoyed music and computers.
He is survived by parents Gary Rochelle of Santa Cruz and Lois Martinez of Newark; sister Laura Rochelle of Capitola; and grandparents Arthur and Reta Rochelle of Hollister. He is survived by numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
Services will be 3:30 p.m. Friday at Oakwood Memorial Crystal Chapel, 3301 Paul Sweet Road, Santa Cruz.
Contributions are preferred to Suicide Prevention Services of the Central Coast, P.O. Box 1222, Santa Cruz, CA 95061. Arrangements are by Oakwood Memorial Chapel.
March 13, 2002
Robert Frederick Stoessel
Services will be Saturday for Robert Stoessel, who died March 9 in Pacific Grove of complications from Parkinson’s disease. He was 88.
Born in Milwaukee, Wis., Mr. Stoessel lived in Aptos throughout the 1980s.
He was an elder at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church of Aptos and played percussion in the Watsonville Band. He worked for six years as a co-founder of the Ecumenical Church Housing Organization, a local organization whose purpose was to build a life-care retirement facility in or near Aptos. When that effort failed, Mr. Stoessel and his wife, Alice Stoessel, moved to Canterbury Woods in Pacific Grove in 1991.
Before moving to Aptos, Mr. Stoessel lived around the country and briefly in London, selling the Super Constellation system to airlines for Lockheed Aircraft. He retired in 1970.
Mr. Stoessel is survived by his wife of 58 years, Alice Stoessel; daughters Doris A. Stoessel of Los Altos and Marilyn S. Mathis of Danville; four grandchildren and one nephew.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, 9850 Monroe Ave., Aptos. Contributions are preferred to St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church or Monterey Bay Boy Scout Council, P.O. Box 1967, Salinas, CA, 93902.
March 13, 2002
Beuna ‘Bee’ Wren
Services will be Thursday and Friday for Beuna "Bea" Wren, who died Wednesday in Santa Cruz of natural causes. She was 87.
Mrs. Wren was born in Colorado and lived in Yolo County and Roseville much of her life. She moved to Santa Cruz four years ago to live at Dominican Oaks, a retirement community.
Mrs. Wren worked as clerk for the Yolo County Recorder’s Office for many years. She was a longtime member of the Episcopal Church, an accomplished Bridge player and a voracious reader.
She is survived by a son, George Wren of Scotts Valley.
Her husband, Dee M. Wren, died before her.
Friends may call 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday at Pacific Gardens Chapel, 1050 Cayuga St., Santa Cruz. Services are 2 p.m. Thursday at Dominican Oaks, 3400 Paul Sweet Road.
Burial is 11 a.m. Friday at Eastlawn Cemetery, 5757 Greenback Lane, Sacramento.
Contributions are preferred to the Shriner’s Hospital for Crippled Children, 2425 Stockton Ave., Sacramento, CA 95817.
March 17, 2002
Myrtle Vailes Shogren
Services will be Wednesday for Myrtle Vailes Shogren, who died Saturday in a Santa Cruz convalescent hospital after a brief illness. She was 97.
Mrs. Shogren had lived in the Watsonville area since 1977. She lived previously in Salinas, Petaluma and on the Monterey Peninsula.
She was born in San Francisco, where she survived the 1906 earthquake.
She assisted her second husband, Floyd Harris, in a meat-cutting business in Salinas and later became a real estate broker there.
She had a lifelong love of dancing and later developed a talent for painting. She was a member of the Watsonville Senior Center and attended First Baptist Church of Watsonville.
She is survived by daughters Gloria Kellogg of Watsonville and Marie McCandless of Sun City West, Ariz.; six grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren and three great, great-grandchildren.
Three husbands and all of her siblings died before her. Her son died in World War II.
Graveside services will be 2 p.m. Wednesday at Pajaro Valley Memorial Park.
Contributions are preferred to the Alzheimer’s Association, 1777-A Capitola Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95062.
Arrangements are by Mehl’s Colonial Chapel.
March 19, 2002
Russell I. Bonnema
Services will be Friday for Russell I. Bonnema, who died Sunday at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz. He was 63.
Mr. Bonnema was born in Chicago and moved to Watsonville in 1948. He lived in Aptos.
He graduated from Watsonville High School in 1957, and attended Hartnell College in Salinas. He was an electrician for many years, and worked at Riverside Electric in Santa Cruz. He was a member of the electrical union. He retired in 1988.
A car enthusiast, he was a member of the Horseless Carriage Club of America and participated in the Rock ’n’ Rods, held Thursday evenings during the summer at the East Lake Shopping Center in Watsonville.
He is survived by wife Colleen Bonnema of Aptos; daughters Pam Silva of Aptos and Sharon Bonnema of Fresno; stepdaughter Kathy Borklund of Jamul; stepson Bill Winston of Grass Valley; four grandsons; and numerous uncles, nieces and nephews.
His first wife, Kathleen, died in 1996.
Memorial services will at 10 a.m. Friday at Davis Memorial Chapel, 609 Main St., Watsonville. Cremation and Burial at Pajaro Valley Memorial Park will be private.
Contributions are preferred to the American Heart Association, 1514 Moffett St., Suite A, Salinas, CA 93905.
March 19, 2002
Laurie N. Matiasevich
Services will be Wednesday for Laurie N. Matiasevich, who died Friday at his Watsonville office. He was 84.
Mr. Matiasevich was born in Watsonville and graduated from Watsonville High School and Hartnell College. He was a self-employed Brentwood Sales frozen food broker for 42 years.
Mr. Matiasevich was a member of St. Patrick’s Church, the Watsonville Elks, Knights of Columbus, the Slavic-American Cultural Organization and the Over 65 Club.
He was also a co-founder of the Watsonville High School Ski Club, the Sno-Catz, and was an avid skier until age 80. Mr. Matiasevich also enjoyed traveling.
He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Arlene Matiasevich of Watsonville; sons Laurie Matiasevich of Suisun and Michael Matiasevich of Prunedale; a daughter, Joan Rice of Watsonville; sisters Grace Leavitt of Newport Beach and Ann Soldo of Watsonville; five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Friends may call from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday at Mehl’s Colonial Chapel, 222 E. Lake Ave., Watsonville.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Patrick’s Church, 721 Main St., Watsonville.
Burial will follow at Valley Cemetery on East Lake Avenue.
Contributions are preferred to a favorite charity.
Arrangements are by Mehl’s Colonial Chapel.
March 19, 2002
Camille ‘Cam’ M. Irving
Services will be Friday for Camille ‘‘Cam’’ M. Irving, who died Saturday at Watsonville Community Hospital after a long illness. She was 70.
Mrs. Irving was born in San Francisco and lived in Watsonville since 1955. She worked as a medical technologist at Watsonville Community Hospital for 40 years.
Mrs. Irving attended Holy Eucharist Church and belonged to the Watsonville Camera Club, where she had served as president. She was an award-winning photographer whose work of historic Watsonville buildings is in the collection of the Watsonville Historical Society.
Mrs. Irving is survived by her longtime companion, Jean Phillips of Watsonville; and three cousins.
A memorial Mass will be 12:30 p.m. Friday at Holy Eucharist Catholic Community, 527 Corralitos Road, Corralitos.
Cremation arrangements are by Mehl’s Colonial Chapel.
March 19, 2002
