Jim McConnell
Jim McConnell, 59, of Ojai, died Wednesday, June 28, 2000. He was born Aug. 16, 1940, in Riverside, Calif., the son of Wallace and Corinne McConnell. The family relocated to Oak View, where Mr. McConnell attended elementary school and graduated from Ventura High School in 1958. He married Glenda Rust Oct. 15, 1965.
Mr. McConnell served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1958 to 1963, including a tour of duty in Germany. He began employment with Southern California Edison in 1966, retiring in 1995.
Mr. McConnell participated in Boy Scout Troop 503 as a youth, and supported his children in Boy Scouts, Indian Guides, Girl Scouts, Special Olympics and school. He served on the Oak View Civic Council and was honored as Oak View's Outstanding Citizen of the Year in 1992.
He is survived by his wife Glenda McConnell of Ojai; daughter Kenna McConnell of Ventura; son Brian McConnell of Ojai; and sister and brother-in-law Arlene and Jim Logsdon of Oak View.
A memorial barbecue to celebrate his life will be held Saturday at noon at OST's park area in Ventura.
Murl Barrow
Murl Barrow, 87, of Ojai, died at home Friday, June 30, 2000, after a long illness. She was born March 3, 1913, to a share-cropping family in Annona, Texas.
She married Joe Galloway, a school teacher, in 1930, taught school for a brief time during the Depression years, and when Mr. Galloway died in 1956, she and her son Binom moved to California. Her children, Jack and Janelle, had previously relocated to Ventura.
Mrs. Barrow was a seamstress and baker employed by Acacias Care Center and Ojai Valley Community Hospital. Mr. and Mrs. Barrow were active in the Ojai and Oak View Church of Christ.
She is survived by her sons Jack B. and Binom Galloway and daughter Janelle Gilson, all of Ojai; sisters Lillian Cooper, Bonnie Leda Simpson and Estelle Devito, all of Fort Worth, Texas; four grandchildren; and eleven great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 36 years, Clarence Barrow, on Dec. 10, 1991.
Friends and family attended a brief graveside service July 3 at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 2603 Saddle Ave., #101, Oxnard, CA 93030.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Ted Mayr Funeral Home in Ventura.
Marie van der Waart van der Veen
Marie van der Waart van der Veen, 91, of Ojai, died Monday, June 26, 2000, at her home.
She was born Oct. 31, 1908, in Oleh-leh, on the island of Sumatra, to Antoinette Boers and Gerard van der Waart van Gulik.
As a young women, she embraced theosophy, studying with Bishop C.W. Leadbetter in Sydney, Australia. She met her future husband Herre van der Veen and married in Bandung, Indonesia, in 1931, and had six children.
Mrs. van der Veen was a 20-year resident of Ojai.
She is survived by her children Helen Hille of Sequim, Wash.; Jan van der Veen of Olympia, Wash.; Paul Vanderveen of Bellingham, Wash.; Steve van der Veen of Duxbury, Mass.; and Chris van der Veen of Camarillo; her sister Leo van der Waart of the Netherlands; 12 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband Herre, son Peter Robert, grandson Carl Hans Hille and sister Enny de Jongh.
Services were held July 1 at The Liberal Catholic Church of Our Lady and All Angels in Ojai.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Theosophical Society.
Orion C. Bixler
Orion C. Bixler, 93, of Oak View, died Monday, July 3, 2000, at an Ojai convalescent center after a short illness. He was born Feb. 2, 1907, in New Mexico, and had lived in Ventura County for 55 years, coming from Pomona.
Mr. Bixler was a tile contractor.
He is survived by his sons Orion W. Bixler of Henderson, Nev., Ken Bixler of Oak View, and Clell Bixler of Pahrump, Nev.; daughters Ardelle McFarland of Canada, and Lela Bangs of Pahrump, Nev.; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.
Graveside services were held July 8 at Searchlight Cemetery in Searchlight, Nev.
Arrangements were under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai.
Don L. Gage
Don L. Gage, 82, of Ojai, died Friday, July 7, 2000, after being ill for several years with Parkinson's disease.
He was born May 3, 1918, in Oxnard and attended school in Ojai and graduated from Nordhoff High School in 1936.
Mr. Gage started work at Mira Loma Flight Academy in Oxnard in 1937. In 1944, he moved to Glendale and was employed by Grand Central Aircraft Co. as a flight mechanic on small aircraft. From 1952 until his retirement in 1978, he was employed by CeeBee Chemical Co.
In 1981, Mr. Gage and his wife Jeanette moved back to Ojai, where he took on a new-issue stamp business (Philatelic) in his home for 15 years.
He is survived by his wife Jeanette Gage of Ojai; daughter and son-in-law Susan and Marc Lamphear of Burbank; son David Gage of San Francisco; cousin Rowena Bright Paul of Ojai; and two grandchildren.
At his request, the family has arranged for cremation with no services.
Arrangements are under the direction of Charles Carroll Funeral Home in Ventura.
Alice L. Martel
Alice L. Martel, 64, of Ojai, died Monday, July 10, 2000, at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura after a short illness.
She was born Jan. 9, 1936, in Marshfield, Wis., and had lived in Ojai for four years, coming from Sylmar, Calif.
Mrs. Martel was a homemaker.
She is survived by her husband Edward C. Martel of Ojai; sons and daughters-in-law Ed and Cindy Martel of Keller, Texas, and David and Linda Martel of Camarillo; daughter and son-in-law Theresa and Edward Herrera of Castaic; and six grandchildren.
The rosary was recited yesterday at Clausen Funeral Home. Mass will be celebrated today at 1 p.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, with the Rev. Michael J. McFadden, O.S.A., officiating. Inurnment will follow at Nordhoff Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Arrangements are under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home.
Marian Faith Sabin
Marian Faith Sabin, 91, of Fort Jones, Calif., died at Beverly Manor Convalescent Hospital Monday, July 10, 2000, following a short illness.
She was born Nov. 12, 1908, in Riverside, to Emmett and Arlee Haynes.
On April 25, 1981, she married Walter Clyde Sabin at the Ojai United Methodist Church, where they were members. She was very involved in the Women's Auxiliary at the church.
The couple volunteered at Little House of Ojai, where they held many positions. He ran the Little House bingo games for 15 years, and the couple was elected King and Queen of Volunteers by their peers for 1984-1985.
Mrs. Sabin was also president of the Ojai Valley Woman's Club. The couple moved to Fort Jones Feb. 1 of this year.
Mrs. Sabin is survived by her children Joyce Alvernaz of Mariposa, Bill Holt of Yreka, Kathryn Lee of Oroville, Lowell Holt of South Boston, Mass., Steven Holt of Portland, Ore., and Susan Howard of Paso Robles; her stepchildren Dr. Susan Sabin of Philadelphia, Pa., Nora Kay Sabin of Tacoma, Wash., Samuel Hazlett of Whittier, and Mary Jean Schlief of Rohnert Park; 33 grandchildren; and innumerable great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren and great-great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband Walter Sabin on Feb. 8. A memorial service will be held Aug. 5 at 2 p.m. at the Assembly of God Church in Weed, Calif.
Inurnment will take place in the Ojai United Methodist Church Memorial Gardens in Ojai Sept. 9 at 11 a.m.
Memorial contributions may be made to HELP of Ojai, P.O. Box 621, Ojai, CA 93024.
Arrangements are under the direction of Girdner Funeral Chapel in Yreka, Calif.
H. Louise Heflin
H. Louise Heflin, 93, of Ojai, died of pneumonia Friday, July 14, 2000, at the Ojai Valley Community Hospital Skilled Nursing Center.
She was born Sept. 6, 1906, in Des Moines, Iowa, and had lived in Bondurant and Afton, Iowa, before moving to California in 1985.
Mrs. Heflin was a homemaker, a member of the Ojai United Methodist Church and a volunteer with HELP of Ojai's senior center.
She is survived by her daughters Jeanne Keyser of Ojai, Helen Newell of Des Moines, and Virginia Rawlings of Afton; her son Richard Heflin of Rosamond, Calif.; 17 grandchildren; and three great-great-granchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband Roy F. Heflin.
A service is being held today at 1 p.m. at Iles Grandview Park Funeral Home in Des Moines.
Memorial contributions may be made to HELP of Ojai, P.O. Box 621, Ojai, CA 93024.
Arrangements are under the direction of Iles Grandview Park Funeral Home.
John James Sawyer
John James Sawyer, 58, of Ojai, died of natural causes Thursday, July 13, 2000, at his home.
He was born May 7, 1942, in Simi Valley, and was raised in Ojai where he attended local schools. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army. Mr. Sawyer was the owner and operator of Sawyer Pool Service, which serviced the people of the Ojai Valley for more than 30 years. He was a member of the National Bowlers Association and was the first person ever to bowl a 300 at Topa Topa Lanes.
He is survived by his mother H. Jewette Sawyer; brother Thomas R. Sawyer; sister Susan J. Roland; daughters Joni M. Sawyer, Becky Sandefur, Christy Sandefur, Sami R. Sawyer and Jami Sawyer-Yu; and three grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his father Avis R. Sawyer.
Memorial services were held yesterday at 11 a.m. at Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai, with Pastor Bill Gorrell officiating.
Arrangements are under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home.
William "Bill" Monroe Scovill
William "Bill" Monroe Scovill, 59, died Monday, July 17, 2000, in Santa Barbara after a long illness. He was born Sept. 18, 1940, in Missouri. Shortly after his birth, his parents moved to Long Beach where he attended Jordan Star High School.
Mr. Scovill was a four-year veteran of the U.S. Navy and while stationed at Subic Bay in the Philippines, he gave a direct total blood transfer to a Philippine princess who had been in a car accident.
After the Navy, he moved to the Ventura area and finally settled in Ojai. For the past 12 years, he serviced water wells and irrigation pumps in Ojai and surrounding communities, and was known to many as "Water Pump Bill."
He is survived by his daughters Genevieve L. Loch of Port Orchard, Wash., and Billy Jean Chandler of Antioch, Calif.; sister Patricia C. Ely of Mineral Wells, Texas; brother Anthony V. Weiler of Gilroy, Calif.; four grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents Inez Bell Pugh and Edward R. Scovill.
A memorial service will be held Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Libbey Park in Ojai.
Donations in his name may be made to the Sub-Acute Unit at Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital in Goleta.
Arrangements are under the direction of McDermott-Crockett Mortuary in Santa Barbara.
Janet Pearson
Former Ojai resident Janet Carol Carpenter Pearson, 56, died Saturday, July 15, 2000, in Austin, Texas, of injuries sustained in an automobile accident July 9.
She was born June 13, 1944, in Chickasha, Okla., to Donald R. Carpenter and Edna Ruth Casey Carpenter.
She was a graduate of Del City High School and Oklahoma State University.
Mrs. Pearson is survived by her daughter Julie Ann Pearson of Houston, Texas; son Geoffrey Edward Pearson of Austin, Texas; sisters Julia Williams of St. Petersburg, Fla., and Evelyn Elliott of Edmond, Okla.; and brothers Donald R. Carpenter Jr. of Westminster, Colo., and John H. Carpenter of Boerne, Texas.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband Joe Edward Pearson.
A memorial service will be held Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 3003 Northland Drive in Austin.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Houston Hospice, 8811 Gaylord, Houston, TX 77024.
Arrangements are under the direction of Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home in Austin.
Leslie Whiteley
Leslie Jane (Whitteker) Whiteley, 40, of Ojai, died Monday, July 3, 2000. She was born Sept. 22, 1959, in Ventura, and had lived in Ojai for the past 12 years.
Mrs. Whitteker was a homemaker and mother.
She is survived by her husband Leonard Whiteley, children Troy, Trevor, Elizabeth and Carl, parents Troy and Patsy Whitteker, and brothers Michael, Ken and David Whitteker, all of Ojai; and sisters Christine Spilotro of Portland, Ore., and Rebecca Enlow of Ojai.
Memorial services will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Ojai, with the Rev. Coryl Lassen-Willems officiating.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Arrangements are under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai.
