Frances Elizabeth Duffey
Frances Elizabeth Duffey, 96, of Santa Maria, Calif., died in her sleep Wednesday, April 9, 2003. She was born Nov. 25, 1906 in Groveport, Ohio, to Frank and Gracie Davey.
On March 26, 1925, she married Shelby V. Myers and they had four children. She moved to Ojai in 1976, and in 1980 she moved with her son and daughter-in-law to Santa Maria.
Her interests included cooking, sewing and growing tomatoes.
Mrs. Duffey is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, William A. and Donna Myers, of Santa Maria; daughters Helen Elizabeth Blust of Tiffin, Ohio, and Anna Mae Smith of Oak Harbor, Mich.; daughter and son-in-law Mary Carole and Ralph Bryant of Defiance, Ohio; 24 grandchildren; 63 great-grandchildren; and 20 great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husbands, Shelby V. Myers, Ernest Fox and Harry Duffey, and her granddaughters Linda Myers Gillies, Donna Carole Druckenmiller and Beverly Russe.
At Mrs. Duffey's request, there will be no memorial services, with cremation being handled by Dudley Hoffman Mortuary in Santa Maria. Her final resting place will be in Tiffin, Ohio, at a later date.
The family has requested that anyone wishing to do so, may make a memorial contribution to the Marion Medical Center in Santa Maria.
Leo D. Elsesser
Leo D. Elsesser, 93, of Ojai, died Saturday, April 12, 2003 at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard. He was born Sept. 28, 1909 in Michigan.
Mr. Elsesser was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, who served during World War II.
Originally from Michigan, he and his wife settled in Ojai after the war. He was a retired electrician and a member of the IBEW Local 952. He was a member of the Wesleyan Church of the Ojai Valley.
Mr. Elsesser is survived by several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Betty Elsesser.
Graveside services will be at Ivy Lawn Cemetery in Ventura at 10 a.m. Friday, April 18, with the Rev. Lyn Thomas officiating.
The family requests memorial donations be made to Little House of Ojai.
Arrangements are under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home, Ojai.
Adora E. Rickard
Adora E. Rickard, 88, of Ojai, died Sunday, April 6, 2003 at Ojai Valley Community Hospital, following a brief illness. She was born July 26, 1914 in San Diego, Calif., and had lived in Ojai since 1967, coming from San Gabriel.
Mrs. Rickard worked for Ventura County for 10 years as an executive secretary and accountant. She was a member of the Ojai Valley Community Church since 1974. She also worked for Help of Ojai, Retirees of Ventura County, and was a past member of the Ojai Artist Guild, where her medium was pastels.
She is survived by her brother, Warren Kent Hume, of Vista, Calif.; sister-in-law; three nieces and three nephews.
She was preceded in death by her brother, Jess D. Hume.
Interment
will be at Mount Hope Cemetery in San Diego. Private family services will be held at Mount Hope Cemetery at a later date.
Arrangements are under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai.
Dorothy Foster Cunningham
Dorothy Foster Cunningham, 97, of Ojai, died Thursday, April 10, 2003. She had been a resident of Ojai for the past 12 years. She was born Sept. 16, 1905 in West Sand Lake, N.Y., and lived for 60 years in New York's Mid-Hudson River Valley. A 1924 graduate of Rosemary Hall School in Greenwich, Conn., she received her bachelor of arts degree in 1928 from Smith College in Northampton, Mass. In 1931, she married Edward vK Cunningham.
A collector of Early American antiques, Mrs. Cunningham gave talks to historical societies on the historical background of her collections, and welcomed house and garden tours to her pre-Revolutionary War home. Her interests also included reading and participating in choral groups.
Mrs. Cunningham is survived by her sons, Edward vK Cunningham Jr., of Lagrangeville, N.Y., and T. Jefferson Cunningham of Garrison, N.Y.; daughter Cricket Twichell of Ojai; 12 grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held in Fishkill, N.Y., where Mrs. Cunningham will be buried.
The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Ojai Valley Museum and Historical Society.
Herbert William Rose
Herbert William Rose, 90, of Ojai, died Monday, April 14, 2003. He was born Nov. 10, 1912 in Kane, Pa. He lived his last five years in Ojai, coming from Prescott, Ariz.
Mr. Rose served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After attending several training schools, he obtained his pilot's license. He was a retired locomotive engineer, having worked 35 years with the Panama Railroad. He also worked on the building of Casitas Dam as an equipment operator.
His interests included trains and railroads, metal fabrication, electronics, ecology and adopting homeless dogs.
He is survived by his nieces and their husbands, Janet and Don Burt, of Ojai, and Jeannie and Barney Hord of Moorpark; nephews and their wives Glenn and Bunny Rose of San Jose, Russell and Chrissy Rose of Auburn, and Howard and Cathy Rose of Bishop; sisters-in-law Ursula Rose of Ojai, and Deanne Rose of Auburn; eight great-nieces and great-nephews; and two great-great-nephews.
Mr. Rose was preceded in death by his brothers, Laverne of Ojai, and Harold of Auburn.
The family extends its appreciation to the Valley Oak Family Practice Medical Group, and the staffs at The Gables of Ojai and Ojai Valley Community Hospital and Continuation Care.
A service will be held Saturday, April 19, at 11 a.m. at Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai. Interment
will follow at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Ojai Valley Humane Society.
Arrangements are under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home, Ojai.
Alexandrio "Wally" Marquez
Alexandrio "Wally" Marquez, 40, of Ojai, died suddenly Wednesday, April 16, 2003. He was born May 31, 1962 in Ventura, and was a lifetime county resident.
He graduated from St. Bonaventura High School in 1980 and then from Ventura College. His interests included fishing.
Mr. Marquez was retired, having been a police officer for the Ventura Police Department for 14 years. He was active with the D.A.R.E. program and the S.W.A.T. team.
He is survived by his wife, Juliette Marquez, of Fillmore; sons Alexandrio G. Marquez Jr. and Joshua B. Marquez, both of Fillmore; daughter Juliette Elisa Marquez of Fillmore; mother Stella Marquez Jaramillo of Ojai; brother and sister-in-law Joseph and Mindy Marquez of Oak View; and grandmother Trini Castro of Ventura.
Rosary was recited Monday, April 21, at 7 p.m. at the Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home in Ventura. Visitation was held from 2 to 7 p.m.
Mass of Christian burial was celebrated Tuesday, April 22, at 9 a.m. at the San Buenaventura Mission. Burial followed at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura.
Arrangements were under the direction of the Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home, Ventura.
Rosario Cerrillo
Rosario Cerrillo, 80, of Ojai and Oxnard, died Friday, April 11, 2003 in Oxnard, following a lengthy illness. She was born Oct. 5, 1922 in Torreon, Coqhuila, Mexico, and had been a resident of Ventura County for many years.
She was a homemaker and an American citizen. Her interests included knitting, reading, listening to music and spending time with her best friend, Anita Sanchez-Pedroza. Mrs. Cerrillo was a member of the Santa Clara Church in Oxnard for many years.
She is survived by her daughter, Paloma Reyes, of Ojai; son Jose Cerrillo of Oxnard; and granddaughter Samhira Reyes of Ojai.
The family expresses their gratitude to her caregivers, Fortino Humberto and Norma Guerrero, of Oxnard, to Livingston Hospice, Dr. Thomas Kong and Dr. Thomas Bowen.
Mass of Christian burial was celebrated Tuesday, April 22, at 11 a.m. in the Santa Clara Church in Oxnard, followed by interment
at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 1339 Del Norte Blvd., Camarillo, CA 93010, (805) 485-5597.
Arrangements were under the direction of the Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home, Ventura.
Lloyd Bonsworth
Lloyd Bonsworth, 76, of Ojai, died Good Friday, April 18, 2003, after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was born Jan. 18, 1927 in Keifer, Okla., to Martin and Helen Parsons Bonsworth.
He moved to Santa Barbara in 1934, graduating from Santa Barbara High School and attending Santa Barbara City College, Ventura Community College and the University of California at Santa Barbara as an engineering major.
Mr. Bonsworth served in the Merchant Marines from 1944 to 1947 in the South Pacific Theater. He had been an Ojai resident since 1966, working for the State of California Division of Highways until his retirement in 1989.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Lois (Culhane) Bonsworth, of Ojai; son and daughter-in-law Brady and Billye Bonsworth of Ojai; daughter and son-in-law Sandra and Peter Reese, of Appleton, Wis.; and four grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his sister, Ruth, and brother, Lester.
The family extends thanks to Lillian Cavette, R.N., of Assisted Hospice and Drs. Gillmore, Kelley and Wray and their capable staffs, and to Pastor Paul Bergmann for his leadership.
Memorial services will be held at the family's home, 414 Matilija St., Saturday, April 26, at 10:30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials are requested to be made to Ojai Valley Community Church.
Arrangements are under the direction of McDermott-Crockett Mortuary in Santa Barbara.
Aaron Woolf
Aaron Woolf, 92, of Ojai, died Friday, April 18, 2003 at Ojai Valley Community Hospital after suffering a stroke with complications. He was born Feb. 5, 1911 in New York, and his family moved to Hollywood in 1919.
After graduating from Hollywood High School, he started his career that spanned 47 years with 20th Century Fox Film Corporation. During that time, he worked on movies with all the major stars as property master and set decorator, and was respected by his colleagues for his artistic ability and dedication to his craft. At the time of his retirement in 1976, Mr. Woolf was head of the property department of the television studio of 20th Century Fox.
Mr. Woolf joined the Mount Olive Masonic Lodge of Hollywood in 1944, and after he and his wife moved to Ojai in 1978, he joined the Ojai Masonic Lodge No. 663, F. & A.M., in which he was very active. In 1986, he earned the Hiram Award for active and outstanding participation in Masonic and community affairs. In 1994, he was awarded his 50-year Mason pin.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Corinne Woolf, of Ojai; mother-in-law Margaret Schechter of Ojai; brother-in-law and sister-in-law Tom and Dorothy Schechter of Upper Ojai; and numerous nieces and nephews.
The family wishes to extend its appreciation to Dr. Raymond Sims and Dr. Ann Kelley, and the staff of the Ojai Valley Community Hospital and the Skilled Nursing Facility for their care.
A service is being held today at 11 a.m. at the Ted Mayr Funeral Home, 3150 Loma Vista Road, Ventura, with Rabbi Shimon Paskow of Temple Etz Chaim and members of the Ojai Masonic Lodge officiating. Entombment will follow at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park Mausoleum, Ventura.
Memorial contributions may be made in Mr. Woolf's name to a favorite charity.
Arrangements are under the direction of Ted Mayr Funeral Home, Ventura.
Frederic "Rick" Vanderhurst
Frederic "Rick" Vanderhurst, 77, of Oak View, died Tuesday, April 29, 2003 in Ojai. He was born Aug. 2, 1925, and was raised in the San Francisco Bay area by parents Byers G. Vanderhurst and Bertille Belasco Vanderhurst. He was a fourth generation Californian, both sides of his family having settled in California in the 1840s and 1850s in San Francisco and Monterey counties.
He attended Van Nuys and Hollywood high schools and the University of Southern California. He was a volunteer worker at the U.S.O. Hollywood Canteen. Mr. Vanderhurst saw active Navy service in the Southwest Pacific during World War II, followed by U.N. relief work in China, prior to his first Navy separation.
After active Navy service in Korea, Mr. Vanderhurst joined the Smith and Ganz advertising agency in Hollywood as an account executive, later operating his own agency for 10 years in Hollywood. He was employed by Radio Station KLAC as a production assistant, KGIL in San Fernando, KSBW in Salinas, and as an account executive for KAFY in Bakersfield. In the 1960s and '70s, he was employed by Cap Cities Broadcasting handling programming and public affairs for the stations in Los Angeles. Following that, he was owner, developer and operator of the Sherman Oaks Athletic Club, selling the club and retiring to Oak View in 1990. He played tennis and helped youngsters learn the game.
Mr. Vanderhurst and his wife, Judy, took many trips in their motorhome to the East Coast and the Pacific Northwest.
He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Judy; his children and their spouses, Richard Vanderhurst, Gayle and Rich Pierce, Leslie Fitgerald, and Cynthia and Tracy Neumann; and five grandchildren.
A graveside service is being held today at 10 a.m. at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park, with Pastor David Burgeson officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Help of Ojai.
Arrangements are under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home, Ojai.
John Melville
John Melville didn't have time for athletics when he was young. Growing up in New York City in the 1930s, he worked his way through college and became an engineer at the Naval Research Laboratory in Hawaii during World War II. He earned a master's degree in electrical engineering at Columbia University, then worked as an aerospace engineer in Los Angeles.
It wasn't until retirement, at age 63, that he participated in his first Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, the first of 11 annual swimming, biking and running endurance events that he took part in from 1983 to 1994.
"As a kid growing up during the Depression, I always thought of sports as a luxury," he said. "In my neighborhood, we were too busy trying to get by to waste our time with those kinds of things." Melville, 83, died at his Ojai home on April 26 from colon cancer. No public memorials are planned.
He set age group world records in the 1990s for the 50-mile run and 1,000-meter relay swim. He twice completed the Tevis Trail Ride, a 100-mile horseback event in the Sierras. Melville was an avid surfer in the 1940s and 1950s and a mountaineer in the 1960s and 1970s. He built a futuristic Burt Rutan-designed airplane in 1977 and, with wife Wilma at the controls, flew it across the country.
He helped found the National Search Dog Foundation, an Ojai-based group that trains rescue dogs and handlers from around the world. He also started the "Irongents," a group of over-60 triathletes who meet annually before each Ironman triathlon.
"A golden moment for me was during my first Ironman," Melville said in a published history of the Irongents. "One of the volunteers was watching me with pity in his eyes. But I was thinking, 'Hot dog. Six hours and 45 minutes left and only a marathon to do!' "
Other lifelong interests included movies, music and history.
He is survived by his wife, Wilma Melville of Ojai, sons John Melville of Los Angeles, George Melville of Maui, and Philip Melville of Cerritos, and daughter Vicki Palisi of New Orleans; stepsons Jason Hirschman of Los Angeles, David Hirschman of Atlanta, Harry Hirschman and Micah Hirschman of Palo Alto, and six grandchildren.
Near the end of a two-year terminal illness, Melville told his wife he was amazed at how well life had turned out.
"He used to say, 'Not bad for some jerk from New York,'" she said.
Lucile N. Wood
When we come to the end of our lives, what really matters is the love and the lessons you leave to others. My grandmother, Lucile N. Wood, was the best teacher I ever had. Every day with her was a lesson in how to live.
She was born to parents John and Lucile Nicholson from Topeka, Kansas, in 1901, while her father was working in Mexico City, Mexico. They came back to live near family when little Lucile was 4 months old. She lived through her parents' divorce, which was then front-page news. She lived with her grandfather, who was a Civil War veteran, endured family deaths, lived through the influenza epidemic, a case of smallpox, and a less-than-stable home life. In 1918, she and her mother moved to Long Beach, California. She met her husband, Frank C. Wood, a dental student, at a St. Patrick's Day party and they soon married. They had one son, Frank C. Wood Jr., in 1924; he was the joy of their lives. They lived through the Great Depression, through seeing their son off to war and, thankfully, his coming home.
Throughout her life, Lucile was involved with many charitable endeavors. She helped at the USO, knit sweaters for the soldiers in World War II, and drove great distances to give talks to raise funds for missions for the Philippines through the First Baptist Church of Los Angeles. She was also a member of the Assistance League and the Friday Morning Club. Her husband, a talented dentist and avid golfer, passed away in 1951, and then her son, a successful lawyer, in 1973. Through it all, she was strong. She carried on with what God gave her. She had a special spot in her heart for a ministry through her church called the Children's Baptist Home. I remember her always mentioning how the children needed some more blankets or clothing. She was the head of the project for some time, and I know she made a difference in many children's lives.
Lucile lived in Los Angeles, in the Larchmont Village area, in the same house for 62 years. She was smart in business and in real estate. She took good care of herself and looked after those she loved. As her granddaughter, I was one of those fortunate ones. When I was young, I thought she was bossy. Now, I thank God for every word she gave to me. She was showing me how to live, not only by her words, but by her life and by her positive attitude. The time I spent as a child with her, which was plenty, was the best time of my childhood.
Lucile moved up to Ojai, first to The Gables of Ojai in 1998, and then soon after, in with me. Again, lessons that I have learned from taking care of her have enriched my life and have given me an appreciation and such rich blessings that words cannot do justice. A couple of years ago, her hip broke and she moved into the Skilled Nursing Facility at the Ojai Valley Community Hospital. She continued to live there with a positive attitude until her death.
Let me thank the staff at the Ojai Skilled Nursing Facility for taking such good care of my grandmother. Let me thank God for giving me the privilege of being the granddaughter of Lucile N. Wood. I will continue to pass along the love and life lessons she taught me whenever I can. Her memory will continue through me and through my children. Her love will never be lost or forgotten.
Arrangements by Clausen Funeral Home, Ojai; private ceremony with Stephanie Wood-Hartmann and her children.
