Search for celebrities on Ancestry.com!JoAnne A. Bair
JoAnne Alberta Bair of Woodland died Nov. 28, 2003, at Woodland Memorial Hospital. She was 55.
Born Oct. 14, 1948, in San Bernadino, she lived in Yolo County for 35 years. She graduated from Woodland High School and attended cosmetology school in Sacramento. She managed the Orangevale Plaza Townhouses for 10 years.
She was preceded in death by her mother, Virginia Michaels, in 1996.
She is survived by her husband, Leo J. Bair of Woodland; sons, Pete Bair and Donny Parsons, both of Woodland, and Tommy Parsons of Davis; and daughters, Jennifer Bair of Woodland and Stacey Richardson, Tracy Chambers and Casey Jones, all of Sacramento.
She is also survived by seven brothers, Jim Michaels of Northridge, Pat Michaels of Woodland, Jake Bair and his wife Helen of Woodland, Everett Bair and his wife Mary of Woodland, Vernon Weird and his wife Midge of Woodland, Tommy Bair and his wife Karen of Portland, Ore., and Robert Bair and his wife Shirley of Corning; two sisters, Mickey Bryant of Canoga Park and Patty Redmond of Woodland; sister-in-law Lois Bair; stepfather, Tomio Wakida of Woodland; 17 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at West Valley Baptist Church, 18045 County Road 95 in Woodland.
Arrangements are under the direction of Evergreen Funeral Services of Woodland.
Lawrence J. Ball
Lawrence James Ball passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2003, at Woodland Memorial Hospital. He was 57.
Born April 27, 1946, the Oakland native attended Oakland area schools and graduated from Oakland High School in 1964.
He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1964 to 1966 and had been a Yolo County resident for the past two years.
He is survived by his wife, Margie Ball of Woodland; daughters Jamie Lorraine Downard of Sacramento, Melissa Lynn Tonguet and Rachel Elizabeth Ball of Woodland; grandsons Chance Loranjames and Kody Allen Downard of Sacramento; and sister Carolyn Blair of Pollock Pines.
A family memorial service will be today, with Interment at Davis Cemetery, 820 Pole Line Road in Davis. Arrangements are under the direction of Evergreen Funeral Services of Woodland.
Memorial contributions in his name may be made to the charity of choice.
Janell D. Gohring
Janell Diane Gohring of Davis died Oct. 23, 2003. Born March 8, 1962, in Sacramento, she was 41 years old.
She attended Sylvan School District and graduated from Beyer High School in Modesto, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and obtained her master's degree in child development from UC Davis.
She is survived by the family she cherished: her husband Tom and their children Katherine, Ashley and Caroline. She is also survived by her parents, Frank and Lana Dotson; two sisters, Jena Dotson and Judy Bluehorse; and two brothers, Jeff Kurk and Frank Dotson. In addition, she leaves her mother-in-law and father-in-law and numerous relatives.
She was predeceased by her father, James D. Kurk, who died when she was 6.
She was an enthusiastic and dedicated fourth-grade teacher at Marguerite Montgomery Elementary School in Davis. Previously, she worked as a short- and long-term substitute teacher in Davis and in Winters.
She cared deeply about her students, and worked long hours professionally, but was most passionately devoted to her family.
She obtained her teaching credential through the Cal Teach program, which enabled her to complete much of her work at home online, on her own time, while staying at home with her children, and she completed her student teaching at Willett Elementary School in Davis.
Teaching was her second career. She previously worked for 14 years as a child life specialist, where she profoundly helped children who were hospitalized for cancer treatment and their families by providing developmental and emotional support.
She engaged with her three active daughters tirelessly in numerous activities in town and in the Bay Area, and volunteered extensively for the Davis Musical Theatre Company, Girl Scouts, Redbud Montessori School and numerous other community activities.
She started the first Davis chapter of the Roots and Shoots organization, which operates under the auspices of the Jane Goodall Institute. She loved children and animals, and with her family, raised a new puppy, Scout, over this past summer.
She also enjoyed music, dining outdoors and traveling to beautiful places, including India, Yosemite, Mendocino and Hawaii. This past spring break, she traveled to Maui with her family, her parents and several other Davis families where her adventures included swimming with sea turtles and a wild ocean rafting ride.
"Janell was caring and compassionate," her family says. "She gave her time and energy selflessly and she will be painfully missed and remembered dearly by all who knew her."
A memorial service will begin at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis, 27074 Patwin Road.
Friends of the family have established a fund to assist with educational expenses for her children. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Janell Gohring Education Fund, First Northern Bank, 434 Second St., Davis, CA 95616.
James L. Uhrhammer
James L. Uhrhammer died Dec. 11, 2003, surrounded by his family at his home after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 64 years old.
He was born May 20, 1939, in Salem, Ore., the son of Louis and Gwendolyn Uhrhammer.
After graduation from medical school and internship, he joined the Public Health Service. He spent two years working in tuberculosis control in Tennessee before deciding to take an ophthalmology residency in St. Louis and San Francisco. He spent three years at the Indian Health Hospital in Gallup, N.M., before starting his private practice in Davis.
During his 29 years in practice, he traveled to China three times and to Fiji once to teach and perform cataract surgery. He cherished his work in the community and the relationships he developed over his many years in this area.
He will be greatly missed by his friends and family.
He is survived by his wife, Sandy; his daughters, Andrea and Amanda; his granddaughter, Emelie; his sister, Nancy Palmer; his brothers-in-law, Robert Palmer and Mark Cook; and his sons-in-law, David Morrow and Patrick Conan.
All are welcome to celebrate his life at a reception Wednesday from 3 to 6 p.m. at the El Macero Country Club. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Yolo Hospice, P.O. Box 1014, Davis, CA 95617.
Robert C. Schulze
Robert C. Schulze died Dec. 10, 2003, of natural causes. He was 90 years old.
Born in San Francisco in 1913, he was a descendant of pioneer California families that arrived in San Francisco in 1857.
His maternal great-grandfather, John Currey, was an attorney who defended the legality of the Vaca-Pena land grant and was given 5,000 acres as payment for his services. He eventually became chief justice of the California Supreme Court, and the land has remained in the family.
His paternal great-grandfather, Oscar C. Schulze, was a merchant in Dixon who improved the downtown area by purchasing a half-block across from his store on North First Street, an area that consisted mainly of saloons and brothels. He had the buildings demolished and donated the land to the city for a park and library.
Schulze was reared in Napa, but moved to Piedmont when his father, a physician died in 1923. He graduated from UC Berkeley and attended Stanford Business School. He marriage Barbara Buckley in 1939, and they moved to Dixon, where he developed the family property from dry land pasture into a highly productive row crop farm.
He was a member of many farm-related organizations and spent years as a commodity trading member of the Chicago Board of Trade. He also loved the 18 years he spent as a member of the board of directors for First Northern Bank of Dixon.
He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Robert and Jeanette of Davis; son and daughter-in-law, David and Kathy of El Macero; and grandsons, John of Davis and Mark of San Francisco. He was preceded in death by his wife Barbara, grandson Robert III of Davis, and a brother, Edward of San Francisco.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to Yolo Hospice, P.O. Box 1014, Davis, CA 95617, or to the donor's favorite charity.
Walter D. Riley
Walter Denman Riley, a longtime UC Davis entomologist, died Dec. 6, 2003, in Santa Rosa. He was 88.
Born June 20, 1915, in Turlock to William Wendell Riley and Bertha Bell Meredith, he grew up in Turlock and Bakersfield. He attended Bakersfield High School, where he was on the track team. He earned a degree in entomology from UC Berkeley.
During World War II, he was stationed on the island of Okinawa, where he was a technical sergeant with the 219th Malaria Survey Detachment.
He worked with his wife, Martha, at the family five-and-dime store in Davis before becoming being hired at UCD. He and his wife were marriage for 62 years, before her death in June 2002.
In his free time he was an avid golfer, and once shot a hole-in-one.
He was also preceded in death by his brothers, Robert, Virgil, Wilbur and Gerald.
He is survived by his sister-in-law and brother-in-law Helen Ann and Loring Derusha of Santa Cruz, as well as many nieces and nephews.
In accordance with his wishes, no service will be held.
Edward G. McPherson
Edward G. McPherson died Dec. 6, 2003, in Davis. Born Sept. 6, 1924, in Howell, Mich., he was 79 years old.
He attended Howell schools through the 10th grade and spent his last two years of high school at The Asheville School in North Carolina. He served in the Army for three years with tours in France and Germany.
After World War II, he finished college at the University of Michigan. He would start work at the McPherson State Bank in 1949, where he would stay 40 years and serve as chairman of the board. In the late 1950s he developed the first and only hospital in Howell, the McPherson Community Health Center.
McPherson played significant leadership roles in the Jaycees, the Boy Scouts, the American Red Cross, the Chamber of Commerce, Cleary College and the Carnegie Library, and received many awards throughout his life. In 1987, the Howell Chamber of Commerce voted him its Citizen of the Year.
He and his family traveled all over the world. He was an avid golfer, marksman on the trap range and a runner who completed his first marathon at age 60. He also enjoyed sailing, tennis, University of Michigan sports, and the companionship of his family and friends.
In 2000, his family moved him to the University Retirement Community in Davis.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Frances McPherson; three sons, Greg McPherson of Davis, Mark McPherson of Seattle and Douglas McPherson of Los Angeles; and a daughter, Jean of Ventura.
A memorial service was held Dec. 7 in Davis and a tree will be planted in his honor at the TREE Davis Memorial Grove sometime this spring.
Donna M. Marzolf
Donna Marie Marzolf of Woodland died Dec. 3, 2003, at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento after a lengthy battle with breast cancer. She was 69.
Born on her family's farm in Soo Township, N.D., April 24, 1934, she moved to Chico in 1970. She graduated from Chico State University in 1982. Her working career included time with the U.S. Air Force, several school districts and, finally, UC Davis.
After retiring in 1993, she kept busy by continuing her work as a clerical assistant part-time at UCD and by enjoying activities with the Woodland Opera House and Beta Sigma Phi. She also made many visits to the Stollwood Convalescent Home with her dog Kody.
She is survived by her sons, Bradley Marzolf of San Luis Obispo and Curtis Marzolf of Woodland; daughter, Barbara Marzolf of Chico; brother, Erling Scheldrup and his wife JoAnn of Portal, N.D.; sisters, Patricia Hill and her husband Jim of Minneapolis, Marilyn Collier and her husband Jay of Fairfield and Carol Scheldrup of Sonoma; aunt, Ruth Groninger of Minot, N.D.; grandchildren, Joseph and Kylie Mendonca of Chico; and several nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held Saturday at 4 p.m. at Woodland Presbyterian Church, 1324 Columbia Drive.
Memorials may be sent to the Woodland Opera House or Yolo Hospice in the name of the deceased.
Arrangements are under the direction of Evergreen Funeral Services of Woodland.
Ardys E. Minges
Ardys Evelyn Minges, 88, died Dec. 17, 2003, in Glen Falls, N.Y. Born in Nevada, Iowa, on Oct. 19, 1915, she was the daughter of Oscar D. and Leone E. Mason.
She was a 1933 graduate of Ames High School and attended Iowa State College for two years before going to work for Northwestern Bell in Ames as a telephone operator.
In 1938 she marriage Philip A. Minges of Battle Creek, Mich. Upon completion of his doctorate at Iowa State University, he took a position at UC Davis but moved to Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., in 1955. The couple lived near Ithaca until he died in 1978. She returned to Davis and lived here until 1997 when she returned to New York state to be near her son.
She was a member of Davis Community Church and the First Presbyterian Church of Ithaca. She cherished longtime relationships with friends with whom she kept in regular contact over the years and was devoted to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She loved the color red, cats, and anything chocolate.
She is survived by one daughter, Phyllis K. Boehme, and her husband, Henry, of Lisle, N.Y.; one son, Kendall Minges, and his wife, Carole, of Glen Falls, N.Y.; five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 27, at the church with which she was most recently affiliated, the Queensbury United Methodist Church in Queensbury, N.Y. Burial will follow in the McLean Cemetery, in McLean, N.Y.
Peter A. Bakker
Peter A. Bakker, a resident of Davis since 1960, died Nov. 28, 2003 in Davis. He was 87 years old.
He was born Aug. 28, 1916, on his parents' homestead near Gillette, Wyo., the second of eight children born to Abraham and Elizabeth (Straatsma) Bakker. At a young age, Peter moved with his family to Billings, Mont.
In 1940, he marriage Gladys Card and together they moved to Long Beach, where they remained through the years of World War II. During the war, Bakker worked as an electrician in the aircraft and warship-building industries. His oldest child, Jim, was born while the family lived in California.
At the end of World War II, they returned to Montana and Bakker continued working as an electrician. He played an important role in getting the Montana Legislature to adopt building and safety codes for the industry and was instrumental in establishing the Billings electrician apprenticeship program.
Daughter Laura and son Richard were born while the family lived in Billings. During that time, with the help of his wife and other family members, Bakker built their family home.
In 1960, the family moved to Davis. Soon thereafter, Bakker went to work as an electrician for UC Davis, remaining there until his retirement in 1979. He was proud of his union affiliations - he was a 62-year member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and was also a member of Athens Lodge, F&AM.
Bakker enjoyed an active retirement. He returned "home" to Montana every summer, where he and Gladys lived near McLeod, Mont. He fished for trout on the nearby Boulder River and renewed friendships from the past. He and Gladys also traveled throughout the country with their fifth-wheel trailer.
In 2000, Pete and Gladys moved to the University Retirement Community, where he enjoyed the company of many new friends and the activities in which he participated.
He is survived by Gladys, his wife of 63 years; three children, Jim Bakker and his wife Susan of Carmichael, Laura Bauer and her husband Bernard of Fresno, and Richard Bakker and his wife Deborah Miller-Bakker of Davis.
He also leaves behind four grandchildren: John Bakker and his wife Stacy of Oakland, Matt Bakker and his wife Maria Luisa Romero of Davis, Jennifer Bakker and Katy Bakker of Davis; and one great-grandchild, Braulio Romero Bakker of Davis. He is also survived by brothers William Bakker of Billings, Mont., and Jack Bakker of Nye, Mont.; and sisters Marie Brown of Warren, Ore., Betty Brown of Hood River, Ore., and Hilda Wallace of Billings, Mont.
Friends and relatives are invited to a memorial service Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the auditorium of the University Retirement Community, 1515 Shasta Drive. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to an organization of the donor's choice.
Nicole Auclair
Nicole Auclair, a 1999 Davis High School graduate, died on March 29, 2003, after a yearlong battle with cancer. She was 21.
Born on Sept. 30, 1981, in Sacramento, she spent the first three years of her life in Davis. Her family moved to Santa Barbara, then Colorado, before returning in 1987. She attended Valley Oak Elementary, St. James Elementary, Holmes Junior High and Davis High School.
She began taking piano lessons at age 6 and remained active in both music and theater throughout her life. At Davis High School she participated in the Jazz Choir, Jazz Band and Orchestra and served on the high school's Drama Advisory Board. She also participated in many musical theater productions both inside and outside of school.
After she graduated from DHS, her family moved to Walnut Creek and she enrolled at UC Santa Cruz.
In February 2002, doctors diagnosed her with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare childhood cancer. She survived nearly nine months of heavy treatment and a stem-cell transplant, and her cancer was declared in remission during the fall of 2002. She returned to college during the winter quarter of 2003, intent on graduating in 2004. Then her cancer resurfaced in February.
She is survived by her parents, Margli and Philippe Auclair, and her younger sister, Mikaela.
Her family has planned a memorial service and celebration of her life for 2 p.m. Sunday at Mount Diablo Unitarian Church in Walnut Creek.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in Nicole's memory to "The Nicole Auclair Memorial Music Scholarship Fund." Checks may be made out to "UCSC Foundation/Nicole Auclair Fund" and mailed to University of California, Santa Cruz, Attn: Arts Development, Porter College D-164, University of California, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA 95064.
Stephanie Barreto-Woods
Stephanie Kathleen Barreto-Woods died June 1, 2003, surrounded by loved ones in her Sacramento home. She was 14.
Born Dec. 20, 1988, in San Jose, she lived in Davis from the time she was 10 until she was 13. She attended Patwin Elementary School and Emerson Junior High School.
Though diagnosed with a brain tumor, Stephanie remained positive, her family said. Always full of life, she loved her family and friends, and was a fan of pop music -- Corey Clark of "American Idol" fame visited her less than a month before her death.
She is survived by her mother Kathleen and stepfather Everett Woods, her twin sister Jacqueline, sister Samantha and brother Thomas, sister-in-law Alisha, niece Makana, great aunts Mary and Margaret, uncle Matt, cousins and friends.
The viewing is today from 2 to 6 p.m. at Thompson Funeral Home, 3601 Fifth Ave., in Sacramento. A funeral will be held Thursday at Greater St. Stephen Baptist Church, 6380 63rd St., Sacramento.
Joseph M. Chole
Former Davis resident Joseph Michael Chole died Nov. 27, 2003, one day shy of his 32nd birthday, after a long battle with melanoma.
He was born Nov. 28, 1971, in Fontana, graduated from Davis High School in 1990 and graduated from UC Davis in 1994, where he majored in political science with a minor in religious studies.
Chole worked at KXTV-Channel 10 in Sacramento as a studio supervisor and set designer until 2000, when he moved to St. Louis, Mo., to attend graduate school in architecture at Washington University.
Chole loved to build, to travel, to sing and to laugh, his family says. He was living in St. Louis at the time of his death.
He is survived by his parents, Rick and Cindy Chole; his brother and sister-in-law, Tim and Noelle Chole; his sister, Katy Chole; and his sister and brother-in-law, Lindy and Wes Mathews. His surviving grandparents are Wendy Chole and Tom and Ethel Beiseker. He is also survived by his niece, Lauren Chole, and many loving aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
A memorial service will be held Saturday at the First Evangelical Free Church of St. Louis County. Memorials may be sent to BJC Hospice, 9890 Clayton Road, Suite 220, St. Louis, MO 63124.
