Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!Jo H. Thoma
Services will be June 1 for Jo H. Thoma, who died May 16 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 chairwoman 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; stepdaughter Bonnie Walzer of San Jose; 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. June 1 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 24, 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 1 p.m. Saturday at Santa Cruz Memorial Park and Funeral Home, 1927 Ocean St. Ext., Santa Cruz.
Contributions preferred to the Kidney Cancer Association, 1234 Sherman Ave., Suite 203, Evanston, IL, 60202-1375.
Arrangements are by Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel.
May 24, 2002
Lena Kuo
Services will be held Friday for Lena Kuo, who died Sunday at her Santa Cruz home. She was 94.
Mrs. Kuo was born in Huian, the Fujian Province of China. She graduated from Bethel Medical School in Shanghai.
In Zhang Zhou, Fujian, Mrs. Kuo worked with her husband Dr. Shu-Fan Kuo in their medical clinic. She also practiced midwifery.
Mrs. Kuo moved to Santa Cruz in 1976, where she was an active member of the Church in Santa Cruz. She enjoyed singing hymns.
She is survived by her husband of 72 years, Shu-Fan Kuo of Santa Cruz; sons David, Matthew, Andrew, Benjamin, and Mark Kuo, all of Santa Cruz, and Moses Kuo of Anaheim; daughters Mei-Yun Zheng and Ruth Kuo, both of Santa Cruz; sisters Shu-Jiao Liu of Xia-Men, China, and Shu-Rong Liu of Los Angeles; brother Xi-Jing Liu of Los Angeles; 17 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.
Services are at 1 p.m. Friday at Oakwood Memorial Chapel. Burial will follow at Pajaro Valley Memorial Park.
Arrangements are by Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel.
May 25, 2002
Margaret C. Johnson
Services will be held Wednesday for Margaret C. Johnson, who died Wednesday at Valley Convalescent Hospital. She was 90.
Mrs. Johnson was born in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. She had lived in the Freedom area for 37 years and was a member of the Arthur Road Baptist Church.
She is survived by three grandchildren and many friends.
Her husband of 41 years, John Johnson, died in 1985 and daughter Molly Gene Holbert in 1989.
A graveside service led by pastor Hugh Morgan is 2 p.m. Wednesday at Pajaro Valley Memorial Park. Friends may call from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at Davis Memorial Chapel.
Contributions are preferred to the Arthur Road Baptist Church, 360 Arthur Road, Watsonville, CA 95076 or to a favorite charity.
May 25, 2002
Doris Mae Severson
Services are private for Doris Mae Severson, who died Friday in Scotts Valley. She was 81.
Mrs. Severson was born and grew up in Oregon. She moved to California in 1957, and lived in Willits, the San Francisco Bay Area, Windsor and Lake County before moving to Scotts Valley two years ago.
In Lake County, Mrs. Severson worked as a real estate agent for 12 years.
Mrs. Severson loved music and, in particular, playing the piano. She also enjoyed painting and gardening.
She is survived by daughter Sharon Meyers of Bonny Doon and son Gary Severson of West Windsor, N.J.
Contributions are preferred to The American Cancer Society, 1555 Soquel Drive, Santa Cruz, CA 95065 or the Hospice Caring Project of Santa Cruz County, P.O. Box 670, Aptos, CA 95001.
Arrangements are by Pacific Gardens Chapel.
May 26, 2002
Manuel R. Rodriguez
Services are Wednesday for Manuel Richard Rodriguez, who died Thursday in San Jose from injuries suffered in an automobile and bicycle accident. He was 38.
Mr. Rodriguez was born in Watsonville and lived there all his life. He was a construction worker.
He is survived by brothers Rocky Rodriguez, Rey Rodriguez, Richard Rodriguez, Edward Mendoza, Alfred Mendoza, Jaime Medrano and Reynie Medrano, all of Watsonville; sister Laura Lara of Watsonville; father and stepmother Manuel and Lorraine Rodriguez of Watsonville; and mother and stepfather Felicia and Reynald Medrano of Watsonville.
A rosary and vigil service are at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Mehl’s Colonial Chapel, 222 E. Lake Ave., Watsonville. A Mass of Christian Burial is 10 at a.m. Wednesday at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, 721 Main St., Watsonville. Burial follows at Pajoro Valley Memorial Park on Hecker Pass Road in Watsonville.
May 26, 2002
Lionel Cantú Jr.
Services will be Tuesday for Lionel Cantú Jr., a popular UC Santa Cruz sociology professor who died unexpectedly Sunday. He was 36.
Mr. Cantú was healthy and vibrant, and taught a graduate class last Monday before being hospitalized with intestinal pain Tuesday, friends say.
He was born in San Antonio, Texas, and lived in Santa Cruz for about three years.
Mr. Cantú attended Mount Scared Heart School and Central Catholic High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas and master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of California at Irvine.
Mr. Cantú was an associate professor in the sociology department who was affiliated with the Latino, women’s and community studies departments, said Patricia Zavella, a friend and fellow UC Santa Cruz professor.
He wrote his dissertation on gay Mexican immigrants and their networks of support in Mexico and Southern California, Zavella said.
"He did path-breaking research and was going to make an important contribution to the study of immigration, queer and Latino studies," she said. "He was an incredible person with a great sense of humor and was known as an accessible faculty member, so grad students flocked to him."
Isabel Velez, a graduate student, wrote in an e-mail Sunday that she cannot envision UC Santa Cruz without Cantú, who had a strong presence there as a scholar, mentor, teacher and friend.
"If I, or anyone I knew, was going to present work in Latino or queer studies, we knew to call him," Velez stated. " ... If I needed to refer a student to a faculty person who would be able to mentor them with both rigor and compassion, he was my first choice."
Cantú last year completed a needs assessment of Latino youth in south Santa Cruz County and recently started a campus club for Latino sociology undergraduates, Zavella said.
He also was very active in the university’s Chicano Latino Research Center, she said, and was an excellent cook.
He is survived by his life partner, Hernando Molinares of Santa Cruz; parents Rosario and Lionel Cantú of San Antonio; sisters Rose Louise and Rachel Diane Cantú, both of San Antonio; a brother, Charles Cantú of San Antonio; and a grandmother, Herlinda Reyes.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be noon Tuesday at Holy Cross Church. The Rev. will Mark Stetz officiate.
Mr. Cantú’s body will be taken to San Antonio.
May 27, 2002
Elsie Washburn Triebig
Services will be Thursday for Elsie Washburn Triebig, who died May 16 at her home in Santa Cruz. She was 86.
Mrs. Washburn was born in New York, and lived for many years in Vermont before moving to Santa Cruz County in the 1960s.
She was concerned about the environment, and was characterized by friends as a generous person who donated money to many charitable organizations. She was also a member of the Order of Eastern Star and AARP. She enjoyed reading and traveling.
Her husband, Robert H. Triebig, died in 1994.
She is survived by a sister, Doris McGuire, of LaPuente, a niece; and a nephew.
Services will be 7 p.m. Thursday at Benito & Azzaro’s Pacific Gardens Chapel, 1050 Cayuga St., Santa Cruz.
Contributions are preferred to the Newman Center, 285 Meder St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060, or to St. Francis Catholic Kitchen, 205 Mora St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
May 28, 2002
