James T. Hunter
James T. Hunter, 85, of Los Angeles, died Sunday, July 22, 2001 after a lengthy illness. He was born Aug. 2, 1915 in Ohio. He lived in Ojai for three years, coming from Los Angeles.
Mr. Hunter had been a salesperson with Desmond's Clothiers for 28 years and, more recently, managed the ticket office at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles.
He golfed and was a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge #99 in Los Angeles.
He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Amy and David Bransky of Ojai; daughter Betsy Robertson of Denver, Colo.; brother and sister-in-law George H. and Marlene Hunter Jr. of Pacific Palisades; sister Ruth Granoien of Westlake Village; and one granddaughter.
Arrangements are under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai.
William "Bill" Bradford Coleman
William "Bill" Bradford Coleman, 49, died suddenly Friday, July 27, 2001 in Tempe, Ariz., due to a heart attack. He was born Sept. 15, 1951 in Ventura to Iris and James Moore Coleman.
He was a longtime Oak View resident and was involved in the Boy Scouts of America Troop 509. He became a life scout and belonged to the Order of the Arrow. He graduated from Ventura High School in 1969. He then continued his education at Ventura Junior College and Pasadena College, studying chemistry.
Mr. Coleman worked as a chemist for TRW for 20 years in the Redondo Beach, Calif., and Mesa, Ariz., areas. He was currently employed as vice president for Oban Industries, Inc. in Tempe.
He is survived by his children, Micah "Christina" Coleman, daughters Kathren and Cara Coleman, and granddaughter Alyssa, all of Mesa; parents Iris Coleman-Hodges and Marvin O. Hodges of Camarillo; sister and brother-in-law Karen and Jamie Lagos of Oak View; brothers Bob and Tim Coleman of Oak View, and Patrick Coleman of Ventura; former wife Laura Lucas of Mesa; stepsisters and brothers-in-law Shirley and Bob Blackburn of Camarillo, and Brenda and Bill Rucker of Ventura; stepbrother and sister-in-law George and Joyce Hodges of Port Hueneme; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father, James Moore Coleman, who died in 1984.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, Aug. 2, at 11 a.m. in the chapel of Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home in Ventura, where friends may visit today from 5 to 7 p.m.
Interment
will follow the services at the Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura.
Memorials may be made in his name to the American Heart Association.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home.
Joe Wilson McColloch
Joe Wilson McColloch, 68, of Ojai, died Monday, July 30, 2001 at Ojai Valley Community Hospital. He was born March 10, 1933 in Denver, Colo., and was an Ojai resident for 40 years.
Mr. McColloch had been a sergeant with the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, and later worked for 12 years at Meiners Oaks Hardware.
He is survived by his daughters, Terri Glidewell of Merlin, Ore., Lori Nauenburg of Ventura, and Sara McColloch of Ojai; sons Patrick McColloch of Grants Pass, Ore., and Shawn McColloch of Ojai; sisters Judy McDougal and Donna Loveall; brother Jim McColloch; seven grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Evelyn Orr, in 1997, and son Michael McColloch in 1978.
Private family services have been held.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Arrangements are under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai.
Helen Irene Smith
Helen Irene Smith, 75, of Ojai, died Sunday, July 29, 2001, following a brief illness. She was born March 6, 1926 in Riverside, Calif. She lived in Ventura County for 36 years and in Ojai for eight years.
Mrs. Smith was a homemaker, wife and mother. She was past president of the St. John's Regional Medical Center Auxiliary.
She is survived by her husband of 56 years, Richard A. Smith of Ojai; daughter and son-in-law Irene Smith-Unger and John Unger of Madras, Ore.; son and daughter-in-law Steven A. and Robin Smith, and son Andy H. Smith, all of Ojai; sister and brother-in-law Alice and Howard Dawson of Laguna Beach, Calif.; brother and sister-in-law Robert L. and Martha George of Redding, Calif.; six grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and many nieces and nephews.
Mrs. Smith was preceded in death by her twin brother, Harry A. George.
Graveside services will be held Thursday, Aug. 2, at noon at Olivewood Cemetery in Riverside. A memorial service will be held Monday, Aug. 6, at 10 a.m. at Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai.
Memorials may be made to a charity of your choice or plant a tree in Mrs. Smith's honor.
Arrangements are under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai.
Jan Mathieu "Opa" Kretzers
Jan Mathieu "Opa" Kretzers, 81, of Ojai, died Tuesday, July 31, 2001 at his home after a lengthy illness. He was born Oct. 11, 1919 in Broeksittard, Netherlands, and lived in Ojai for 15 years, coming from Orange County.
Mr. Kretzers was a welder. He was a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Ojai.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Cornelia "Oma" Kretzers, of Ojai; daughters and sons-in-law Mary and James Wilkie of Coto De Caza, Calif., and Anna and Robert Auric of Ojai; son and daughter-in-law John and Beverly Kretzers of Ojai; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Vigil service will be held today at 7 p.m. at 3290 Maricopa Highway in Ojai. Memorial mass will be celebrated Saturday, Aug. 4, at noon at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, with Fr. Michael McFadden, OSA, officiating.
Memorial contributions may be made to Livingston Hospice in Ventura.
Arrangements are under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai.
Peter C. "Pete" Cresto
Peter C. "Pete" Cresto, 74, retired Ventura middle school teacher, counselor and administrator, died Thursday, Aug. 2, 2001, after a battle with cancer. He was born Oct. 21, 1926 in Helper, Utah, to the late Joseph and Antoinette Vezzetti Cresto.
He graduated from Holy Cross Abbey High School in Caņon City, Colo., received bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Northern Colorado, and a second master's degree from the University of Arizona.
He missed his high school graduation ceremony in order to report for military service after enlisting in the Naval Air Corps in World War II. After the war, he served in the Air Force Reserve and was a liaison officer to the Air Force Academy, retiring as lieutenant colonel in 1986.
At the end of World War II, and before completing college, Mr. Cresto worked as a land surveyor in Texas and Louisiana. After college, he was an elementary school principal in Colorado. He moved to Ventura in 1958 and taught math and science at Cabrillo Junior High School. When Balboa Junior High School opened, he transferred there as a teacher and counselor. He was known as the "Wizard of O-Z," because he was counselor to students with names in that range of the alphabet. He retired in 1989 after 40 years as an educator.
Mr. Cresto was a member of Our Lady of the Assumption parish, where he served as eucharistic minister, minister to the sick and usher. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus and a lifelong member of the Elks Club, starting in Florence, Colo., where he was exalted ruler.
He served on the board of trustees for Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, and was active in the booster club and other support activities there. All six of his sons attended Villanova.
Mr. Cresto was an outdoorsman and frequent traveler. His interests included aircraft, astronomy, geology and his Italian heritage.
He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Kathi and Don of Yorktown, Va.; sons and daughters-in-law David and Patty of Oak View, Peter Jr. and Dilly of Ventura, Michael and Debora of Ojai, Joseph and Katharine of San Diego, Timothy and Cecilia of San Diego, and Mark and Jillian of San Diego; brother and sister-in-law Joseph and Lorraine of Redding; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law;18 grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
Rosary was prayed at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church in Ventura Tuesday at 7 p.m. Memorial Mass will be held at Assumption Church today at 11 a.m., followed by interment
at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be make to Catholic Charities, 303 N. Ventura Ave., Ventura, CA 93001.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home in Ventura.
Norman Lyle Rogers Jr.
Norman Lyle Rogers Jr. of Cle Elum, Wash., died Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2001 in Kansas City, Kan. He was born in Washington, D.C., and lived in Ojai for three years, working as a funeral director at Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai.
Mr. Rogers was a retired member of the South Cle Elum Council, former member of the Ojai Valley Wesleyan Church, a member of the Masons, member of the Nazarene Church in Cle Elum, member of Lyons Eye Bank and a Vietnam era veteran.
He is survived by his daughter Tayana Rogers, and sons Max and Manny Rogers, all of Cle Elum, Wash.; and brother Chester Perry of Ojai.
He was preceded in death by his father, Norman L. Rogers Sr.
Graveside services will be held at a later date in St. Barnabas Church in Oxon Hill, Md.
Memorials may be made to the Vietnam Memorial Wall.
Arrangements are under the direction of Eddy-Birchard Funeral Home in Osawatomie, Kan.
James "Jim" Martin
James "Jim" Martin, 91, of Ojai, died Saturday, Aug. 4. 2001 at Ojai Valley Community Hospital. He was born Nov. 2, 1909 in Boston, Mass., and had lived in Ojai for 20 years, coming from the San Fernando Valley.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Lillian Martin of Ojai; sons Gary Martin of Woodside, John Martin of Agoura, and Daryl Martin of San Jose; and seven grandchildren.
Private family services will be held.
Memorials may be made to a charity of your choice.
Arrangements are under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai.
Clarification
Donations in the memory of Larry Wayne Wilson may be made to the Larry Vincent Wilson Fund established at Washington Mutual Bank in Ojai.
Harold Bowler Parker Sr.
Harold Bowler Parker Sr., 74, a rancher and lifetime resident of Ventura County, died Sunday, Aug. 12, 2001 at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard. He was born July 18, 1927 in Ventura, and was raised in the Foster Park area, where he developed a lifelong love for horseback riding and the outdoors. He graduated from the University of California at Davis in 1949. In 1953, he married Francisca "Paquita" Burket, and in 1955, they moved to the Ojai area, where they lived together until her death in 1999.
Mr. Parker was active in a number of civic and agricultural organizations. He was the longest-serving board member of the Ventura River County Water District, and had served as the district's vice president and president. He was instrumental in preserving the natural resources of Ventura County and had served as president for eight years and as a board member for 30 years of the Ojai and Ventura Resource Conservation districts. Mr. Parker also served as chairman of Area 6 of the California Resource Conservation District, and as a member of the Farm Services Agency and the Ventura County Fair Board.
His community service included more than 30 years with the Ventura County Sheriff's Posse and Ventura County Search and Rescue. Mr. Parker was also a member of a number of equestrian groups, including Rancheros Adolfo and Rancheros Visitadores.
He is survived by his daughter, Ynez Parker LaDow; sons Harold Parker Jr., Michael Parker and Bruce Parker; and five grandchildren.
Visitation was held Tuesday at the Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home in Ventura. Services will be held today at 11 a.m. at the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalen on East Ventura Boulevard in Camarillo. Burial will be private.
Memorial donations may be made to the Farm Section of the Ventura County Museum of History and Art.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home.
Mae M. Wilson
Mae M. Wilson, 69, of Ojai, and Selma, Ore., died Friday, Aug. 10, 2001 at her home in Ojai. She was born Nov. 5, 1931 in Detroit, Mich., and was a winter visitor in Ojai for 15 years.
Mrs. Wilson was a teacher in Michigan and California.
She is survived by her husband, John Wilson.
A memorial service will be held Sunday, Aug. 19, at 2 p.m. at the Ecumenical Ministry for the Unity of All Religions, located at the corner of Ventura and Matilija streets in Ojai.
Arrangements are under the direction of McDermott-Crockett Mortuary in Santa Barbara.
David Kennedy Park
David Kennedy Park, 67, of Ojai, died Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2001 in Ojai. He was born Oct. 25, 1933 in Oxnard, and lived in Ojai for 16 years, coming from Venice, Calif.
Mr. Park was a real estate developer, founding member of the Venice-Marina Del Rey Optimist Club, member of the American Legion and a member of the Ojai Valley Inn.
He is survived by his wife, Sylvia of Ojai; daughter and son-in-law Stacy and Armen Menasean of Chatsworth; son David Jr. of North Fork, Calif.; stepchildren Kim Keep of Las Vegas, Nev., and Tina McComas of Oak View; and nine grandchildren.
Mr. Park was preceded in death by his brother, Don Park of Ojai, and stepson Rick Keep of Henderson, Nev.
Services were held Saturday, Aug. 11, at Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai.
Arrangements are under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home.
Vera V. "Valerie" Johnston
Vera V. "Valerie" Johnston, 72, of Ojai, died Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2001. She was born Jan. 1, 1929 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
After high school, she worked for the dean of the psychology department at the University of Alberta. It was at the cafeteria there that she met an engineering major named Rennie Johnston. After dating briefly, she moved to Vancouver, B.C., in 1950, and danced with the Royal Canadian Ballet.
She later moved to Los Angeles, where she worked at Western Costume Company, the legal firm of Ramsey & Emmeline, and for Dr. Tilden of California State University-Long Beach. She understudied Jean Simmons in "Androcles and the Lion" and was an extra in several motion pictures.
In 1954, she met Rennie Johnston again at CSU-Long Beach, and they married in 1955. Moving to Ventura and later to Ojai in 1966, Mrs. Johnston raised her five children, then worked at the Ventura Department of Motor Vehicles, Ojai Valley School and the Ojai Valley News.
She was involved with Ojai Women's Aglow, Concerned Women of America, the Church of the Living Christ, and was a lifelong Republican, occasionally working polling places.
Mrs. Johnston is survived by her husband, Rennie; children Valerie Kennedy, John Kennedy, Janice Johnston, Karen Bressler, and David Johnston; sister Dollia Van Remoortere; and five grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Michael and Katherine Goshko and brother Joe Goscoe.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, Aug. 18, at 1 p.m. at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Ojai.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Pause4Kids, 50 W. Hillcrest Drive #211, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360.
Arrangements are under the direction of the privately owned and operated Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai.
