Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Alice Lopez
Services will be held today for Alice Lopez, who died May 16 at Watsonville Community Hospital after a long illness. She was 77.
Miss Lopez, a native of Ideal, Colo., had lived in Watsonville since the early 1970s. She enjoyed reading and Bible study. She also was active at Independence Square and a member of the Anderson Valley Auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars No. 9650.
Miss Lopez is survived by a brother Raul Lopez of Rialto; sister Josephine Staley of Cottonwood; and many nieces and nephews.
Friends may call from noon until the Catholic Chapel Blessing begins at 2 p.m. at Mehl’s Colonial Chapel. Burial will follow at Pajaro Valley Memorial Park.
May 23, 2002
Jo H. Thoma
Services will be Saturday for Jo H. Thoma, who died Thursday at a local hospital. She was 72.
Mrs. Thoma was born in Fullerton and had lived in Santa Cruz County since 1959.
She worked for Dominican Oaks Retirement Community and volunteered in several capacities for the American Cancer Society, including in the late 1970s as chairperson of the group‘s annual fall fund-raiser held at Highlands Park. She was also a former Lions Club member.
Family members know her as "WoJo MaMa," and say she loved gardening, music and friends and was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother and neighbor.
She is survived by her stepmother, Maxine Harlow of San Diego; sons; Jon and Dale Manss, both of Santa Cruz; daughters Laura Matarazzo of Aptos and Kelly Ernst of Sacramento; a stepdaughter, Bonnie Waizer of San Jose; a stepson, Lee Thoma of Santa Cruz; and nine grandchildren.
Her husband, Sco Thoma, a local tire store owner and community activist, died in 1981.
A celebration of her life will be 1-4 p.m. Saturday at DeLaveaga Clubhouse.
Contributions are preferred to the Mended Hearts Chapter 155, PO Box 2994, Santa Cruz, CA 95063.
Arrangements are by Pacific Gardens Chapel.
May 23, 2002
Lambert Ferdinand Norquist
A memorial was held Monday for Lambert Ferdinand Norquist, who died May 15. He was 83.
Mr. Norquist was born in Saskatchewan, Canada, and raised in Roseau, Minn. He moved to Santa Cruz in 1963.
Mr. Norquist worked as a sheep rancher, drugstore manager, house painter and real estate broker. He painted many buildings, including the remodeled Cooper House. He also painted abstract oil paintings.
Mr. Norquist had an adventurist spirit, loved to travel and meet new people. As a young man, he hopped trains and at the age of 65, he hitchhiked to Alaska. He also has traveled to Sweden, Russia and Paris.
Mr. Norquist loved nature, gardening, art, music, politics, antique cars and all things Scandinavian. He was a member of Valhalla Scandinavians, Save Our Shores and the National Geographic Society. He also was an early advocate of recycling.
He is survived by former wife Diana Norquist of Tucson, Ariz.; daughters Heather Norquist of Santa Cruz and Michelle Fried of New Canaan, Conn.; and two grandsons.
May 23, 2002
Michael McFarlane
A memorial will be held June 2 for Michael McFarlane, who died May 15 at Sunbridge Nursing Care in Watsonville.
McFarlane lived 20 years in Santa Cruz. His birthplace is unknown.
McFarlane was homeless, loved heavy metal music, collected T-shirts and believed he was from another planet. Friends describe him as being a good soul.
He is survived by his uncle Donald McFarlane of Sacramento and caretaker and close friend Marie Crawford of Santa Cruz. His parents died before him.
A memorial will be held at 1 p.m. June 2 at San Lorenzo Park. His ashes will be spread in Sacramento with his parents’ following the memorial.
Contributions are preferred to the Santa Cruz Hospice Care Project.
May 23, 2002
Lee Martin White
A memorial will be Saturday for Lee Martin White, who died May 17. He was 50.
Mr. White was an Aptos engineer.
A memorial will be at 1 p.m. at Pacific Gardens Chapel.
Contributions preferred to the Kidney Cancer Association, 1234 Sherman Ave., Suite 203, Evanston, IL 60202-1375.
May 23, 2002
Tony Bettencourt
A memorial will be Thursday for Tony Bettencourt, who died May 20. He was 80.
Mr. Bettencourt served in the Navy and worked for George Reed Construction for 35 years. He was active in Associated General Contractors, past president of Valley Builders Exchange, a member of the Elks Club, Fisherman’s Club and Knights of Columbus.
He is survived by wife Mary Bettencourt of Modesto; son Tim Bettencourt of Modesto; daughters Patty Tharp of Modesto and Susan Sarro of Fair Oaks; and eight grandchildren.
His son, Steve, and sister Eva died before him.
A rosary and memorial will be 7 p.m. Thursday at Franklin Downs Colonial Chapel, 704 12th St., Modesto. Services will be 9 a.m. Friday at St. Stanislaus Church in Modesto.
Contributions are preferred to Our Lady of Fatima Building Fund, 505 W. Granger Ave., Modesto, 95350, or Shriners Hospital for Children, 2425 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95817.
May 23, 2002
Mabel F. Alcorn
Private services were held for Mabel F. Alcorn, who died May 15 in Weiser, Idaho. She was 97.
Mrs. Alcorn was born in Medford, Mass. She had lived in Los Angeles before moving in 1963 to Santa Cruz, where she lived for 37 years.
Mrs. Alcorn was active in the local Colostomy Society. Family members say her greatest joy was to have friends, neighbors and family visit to share a cup of tea. They say her visitors often left with a homemade cake or cookies and a hand-crafted item that was her latest project. Mrs. Alcorn also enjoyed reading and completing crossword puzzles.
She is survived by sons Vernon Alcorn of Weiser, Idaho, and Robert Alcorn of Decatur, Ala.; and daughter M. Irene Smith of Lynwood.
Her husband, James I. Alcorn Sr., died in 1967, and son James I. Alcorn Jr. in 1998.
May 24, 2002
Robert Randolph Raven
Services will be private for Robert Randolph Raven, who died May 12 in Massachusetts,, where he was visiting his daughter. He was 89.
Mr. Raven was born in Shanghai, China, the son of a missionary’s daughter and a Shanghai businessman. Living a trans-Pacific life, Mr. Raven was educated in the Shanghai American School, a military academy in San Diego, and graduated from Stanford University.
After graduation, he was a journalist for a British newspaper, the North China Daily News, in Shanghai. During World War II, he worked for the Office of War Information in San Francisco and in Washington, D.C. At the end of the war he joined the State Department and served at a number of overseas posts, including Rangoon, Burma; Tokyo, Japan; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; the Chinese Language School in Taichung, Taiwan; Hong Kong; Bangkok, Thailand; and Perth, Australia, as well as serving several tours of duty in Washington DC.
Mr. Raven retired in 1971 and moved to Aptos. During retirement he was active in volunteer work, teaching English to foreign students, assisting prisoners in jail, teaching a course in Chinese history at Cabrillo College and transporting the elderly to medical appointments.
He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Polly Canfield Raven of Aptos, son Dean Raven of Corralitos; daughter Ann Favaloro of North Field, Mass.; three grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
His son, Michael Raven, died before him.
May 24, 2002
Ronda Ann Deel
Services will be held June 2 for Ronda Ann Deel, who died May 16 at her Santa Cruz home. She was 44.
Mrs. Deel was a lifelong Santa Cruzan. She attended Branciforte Elementary and junior high schools, graduating from Harbor High School in 1976. Mrs. Deel attended Cabrillo College and earned a degree in business from San Jose State University.
She was an insurance broker and attained her LUTC credentials. Mrs. Deel owned PM Associates Insurance Services in Santa Cruz. She was a member of the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce, Life Underwriters Association and CAIFA. Mrs. Deel also acted as treasurer for the Life Underwriters and chaired its annual Foster Kids Christmas party at the Cocoanut Grove for eight years.
She was a worldwide traveler and enjoyed spending time with family and friends. Family members say she was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister and aunt.
She is survived by her husband, James Marra of Santa Cruz; daughter Amber Zamora of Santa Cruz; stepdaughter Michele Parella of Lunenberg, Mass.; stepson Christopher Marra of Phoenix; sisters Wanda Deel Braschi of Santa Cruz; stepsister Mary Lehman of Boulder Creek; brother Mike Deel of Fresno; stepbrother Don Marra of Prescott Valley, Ariz.; three grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Her mother, Clara Ostergard, died in 2000; and father Gerry Deel in 1971.
A celebration of life will be from 3-6 p.m. June 2 at the DeLaveaga Golf Course Lodge.
Contributions are preferred to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation at (800) 462-9273 or by mail to the Komen Foundation, PO Box 650309, Dallas, TX 75265-0309
Arrangements are by Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel.
May 24, 2002
