Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!John Edward Russell
Services will be Saturday for John Edward Russell, who died Sunday after a long illness. He was 45.
Mr. Russell was a native of Redwood City and moved to Boulder Creek in 1982. He enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. He adored his son, Walter, his family said. He enjoyed camping, nature, cooking and playing music.
He is survived by his wife of 12 years, Lynne Russell of Boulder Creek; son, Walter Russell of Boulder Creek; brother, James Russell of Klamath Falls, Ore.; sisters Kim Vester of Klamath Falls, Val Boman of Santa Rosa and Trudy Nelson of Sheridan; and many nieces and nephews.
His parents, James and Viola Russell, died before him.
A celebration of his life will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Santa Cruz Memorial Park’s Mission Chapel, 1927 Ocean St. Extension, Santa Cruz.
Contributions are preferred to Hospice Caring Project, 6851 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA 95003.
Arrangements are by Santa Cruz Memorial Park and Funeral Home.
May 29, 2002
Valerie Young
Services will be Thursday for Valerie Young, who died Monday at her home in Santa Cruz. She was 70.
Ms. Young was born in San Francisco and lived in Santa Cruz for the past 50 years.
She is survived by sons Michael Young of Santa Cruz, Steve Young of Aptos; and daughter Holly Wiley of Watsonville.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Nathan Young, in 1992.
Services will be 11 a.m. Thursday at Oakwood Memorial Park Crystal Chapel at 3301 Paul Sweet Road.
The family asks that contributions be made to the American Heart Association, 1710 Gilbreth Road, Burlingame, CA 94010.
May 29, 2002
Mary Jo Wilburn
Services are today for Mary Jo Wilburn, who died Friday in Watsonville. She was 80.
Mrs. Wilburn was born in Seminole, Okla., and moved to the Watsonville area 15 years ago from El Paso, Texas.
She was a Southern Baptist Missionary for 43 years, serving in Uruguay, Venezuela, Texas and Juarez, Mexico.
She volunteered at Watsonville Community Hospital and at the E.A. Hall Middle School library. She also worked to rebuild the community after the 1989 earthquake.
Mrs. Wilburn enjoyed piano, painting and drawing.
She is survived by her husband, Robert Wilburn of Watsonville; daughters Candace Benson of San Francisco and Marilyn Frandeen of Watsonville; sons José Daniel McMurray of Washington, D.C., and James Michael McMurray of Sacramento; 10 grandchildren; and two great- grandchildren.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. today at Arthur Road Baptist Church in Watsonville.
Mrs. Wilburn will be buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Chickasha, Okla.
Contributions are preferred to Oklahoma Baptist University, Development Office, 500 W. University, Shawnee, Okla. 74801.
May 29, 2002
Delphine Cruz
Services will be Friday for Delphine Cruz, who died Monday at Watsonville Community Hospital after a brief illness. She was 86.
Mrs. Cruz was born in Spreckels and had lived in Watsonville since 1933. She was a member of St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church and worked in several area canneries for 20 years.
She is survived by a son, William J. Cruz Jr. of Salt Lake City; a daughter, Bernadine Cruz of Watsonville; seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Her husband of 68 years, William J. Cruz Sr., died in July.
Friends may call from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday at Mehl’s Colonial Chapel, 222 East Lake Ave., Watsonville. A rosary service will be at 7 p.m. Thursday at Mehl’s.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 a.m. Friday at St. Patrick’s Church. The Rev. Greg Sandman will officiate.
Mrs. Cruz will be buried at Watsonville Catholic Cemetery.
Contributions are preferred to the St. Patrick’s Church Building Fund, 721 Main St., Watsonville, CA 95076.
May 29, 2002
Gerald F. Carroll
No services are planned for Gerald Carroll, who died Saturday at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula after a brief illness. He was 62.
Mr. Carroll was born in Vallejo. He lived in Moss Landing for nine years and in Santa Cruz for 14 years.
Mr. Carroll was a retired Air Force radar technician. He is survived by his daughter, Lynne Schneider of Fall River Mills; sons Daniel Carroll of Whittier and Sean Carroll of Redding; brother Ron Carroll of Washington; sister Colleen Carroll of Colorado; and several grandchildren.
Mr. Carroll’s ashes will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.
Donations are preferred to the American Cancer Society, 1184 Monroe St. in Salinas.
May 29, 2002
Clarissa Lillian Blount
Services will be Saturday for Clarissa Lillian Blount, who died Sunday at her Scotts Valley home after a brief illness. She was 93.
Mrs. Blount was born in New Zealand and came to America in 1945. She had lived in Santa Cruz County for 28 years and was active in the community.
Mrs. Blount was a member of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority since 1945.
She was also a member of the Neuf Trous Women’s Golf Group at Pasatiempo Golf Course, Chaparral Poets of Santa Cruz, the Montevalle Chorale, Friends of the Library, the Santa Cruz Newcomers Club, the Santa Cruz Symphony Guild and the League for Nursing Home Reform.
She was an opera singer, pianist, artist and poet.
In the 1970s, she worked as a music therapist throughout the county, teaching music to children with disabilities. She loved to travel and enjoyed swimming.
Mrs. Blount lost a daughter in the 1982 Love Creek landslide, though she and three others were rescued by Ben Lomond firefighters after a wall of mud smashed through area homes. She later wrote a poem thanking her rescuers, and firefighters hung it on the firehouse wall.
She is survived by a daughter, Julie Lowry of Santa Cruz and Sonora; a sister, Doreen Perrett of New Zealand; four stepgrandchildren; two great-stepgrandchildren; two nephews; two nieces; and many great-nieces and great-nephews.
Her husband, Ernest Blount, died in 1961, and her daughter, Yvonne Blount, died in 1982.
A celebration of her life will be 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Philip the Apostle Episcopal Church, 5271 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley. The Rev. Martin Yabroff will officiate.
Contributions are preferred to Hospice Caring Project, 6851 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA 95002, or Meals on Wheels, 1777-A Capitola Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95062.
Arrangements are by Santa Cruz Memorial Park and Funeral Home.
May 29, 2002
Milt Loveless
Services will be Sunday for Milt Loveless, who died Friday at his home in Watsonville. He was 73.
Mr. Loveless was a native of Watsonville. He graduated from Watsonville High School and worked as a grower and shipper in the area for many years.
Mr. Loveless had competed as a nationally ranked table-tennis player and was president of the Pajaro Valley Table Tennis Association. He was also chairman of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Maria Loveless; sons Dave Loveless and Steve Loveless of Watsonville; and sister Dorothy McGrath of Watsonville.
Services will be at the Corralitos Community Methodist Church on Sunday at 3 p.m. Private cremation will be later at Pajaro Valley Memorial Park.
Donations are preferred to the Retinal Diagnostic Research Fund at 3803 S. Bascom, Suite 104, Campbell, CA 95008.
May 29, 2002
Rachel Lee Young
Services will be private for Rachel Lee Young, who died last Wednesday at her home in Capitola of heart failure. She was 55.
Ms. Young was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Oxnard. She worked as a project manager for Ausinia Inc. in Monterey. She served on the Santa Cruz County First District Housing Advisory Commission.
She is survived by her domestic partner, Mary Bryant, sons Sean Young of Virginia, Jon Young of Washington and Ian Young of Washington; and sisters Kathy Richmond and Jackie Ogle.
She was preceded in death by her father, Ray Young, and brother Robert Young.
May 29, 2002
