Edward J. DeAnda
Edward J. DeAnda died in Madera Community Hospital on June 10. He was 47. Mr. DeAnda had lived in Madera for the past 10 years and was born in Hollister in 1954. He is survived by his father and mother, Cayetano and Ramona DeAnda of Madera, children Edward and Damien DeAnda of Turlock, siblings Efren DeAnda of Gilroy, Cayetano DeAnda Jr. of Fremont, Rosie Cortez of San Juan Bautista, Jesse DeAnda of Madera, Pauline DeAnda of Calexico, Johnny DeAnda of Hollister, Margie Rubio of Salinas, Anna Ramos of San Jose, Anthony DeAnda of Tracy, Ramona Aquino of Madera, Patricia Pasillas of Fresno, Alice Lechuga of Hollister, Trini DeAnda of Madera and Lorraine DeAnda of Madera and five grandchildren, Johnny, Serena, Andrew and Alexandra and Michael. He also is survived by his girlfriend Mary Ibarra of Madera. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Emeline DeAnda in 2001. The Rosary will be today at 7 p.m. at Black Cooper Sander Funeral Home in Hollister. The Mass will be on Friday at 10 a.m. at Mission San Juan Bautista in San Juan Bautista. Interment will follow the Mass at San Juan Bautista Cemetery. Friends and family can pay their respects on Thursday at the funeral home chapel until 9 p.m. and on Friday morning from 8 a.m. until service time.
Margaret Andrade
Margaret "Peggy" Andrade died last Tuesday in Santa Cruz. She was 76. Mrs. Andrade was born in Kingsburg and worked for years until her retirement in the electronics industry in Silicon Valley. She retired and lived in Santa Cruz for 12 years. She loved to draw and paint and was excellent at needlework. She had a great sense of humor and had compassion for those less fortunate and would help anyone who needed it. She was a loyal friend to many lifelong acquaintances. She is survived by her children Vincent Michael of Union City, Ronald Andrade of Susanville, Cary Andrade of Hollister and granddaughter, Trisha Andrade of Hollister. She was preceded in death by her son, Steven Charles Andrade, in 1981. The service was June 6. Donations are preferred to Meals on Wheels of Santa Cruz, c/o Black Cooper Sander Funeral Home, 363 7th St. Hollister, CA 95023.
Phyllis Wattis
Phyllis Wattis, who gave more than $150 million to Northern California arts institutions, has died. She was 97. Her son, Paul Wattis, lives in San Benito County. Wattis, who died last Wednesday, helped spur the construction of a building for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art with a $5 million donation. And when critics complained that the collection wasn't worthy of the building, Wattis purchased at auction works by Rene Magritte, Eva Hesse and Piet Mondrian. She also helped buy works by Robert Rauschenberg, Ellsworth Kelly and Brice Marden. Wattis also gave money to the California Academy of Sciences, the Exploratorium, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco and the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Foundation. She gave $20 million to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, which went to rebuilding the De Young Museum and to buying works for it. Wattis also helped the San Francisco Opera, the San Francisco Symphony and helped pay to construct a new symphony hall. Wattis was born in Salt Lake City and married Paul Wattis, who headed the company that built the Boulder Dam. General Electric bought the company in 1976. "She loved the future," said San Francisco Arts Commission President Stanlee Gatti. "She was in it for the education, the challenge and the fun. She's always been there right on the edge, investing in the right stuff." Mrs. Wattis is survived by her son, Paul Wattis of Paicines, and her daughter Carol Casey of San Francisco, five grandsons, three granddaughters and eight great-grandchildren.
Alice C. Coates
Alice C. Coates died on June 9, 2002 at her home in Aromas. She was 84. Mrs. Coates came to San Benito County 25 years ago. She was an excellent quilter. She enjoyed sewing and was a homemaker. She and her husband, Philip Coates, raised cattle in Aromas for 20 years. She is survived by her husband, Philip R. Coates of Aromas, her children, Marilyn N. Anderson of Wendell, Idaho and Russell T. Moore of Fort Collins, Colo., and stepdaughters Cindy Brister and Marisa Coates both of Silicon Valley. She is also survived by seven grandchildren. Arrangements for cremation are through the Grunnagle Ament Nelson Funeral Home. Graveside services will be held at the Wendell, Idaho Cemetery on June 22, 2002. Donations are preferred to charity of one's choice.
Dorothy Rose Hansen
Dorothy Rose Hansen, a longtime San Benito County resident, died at the Fremont Health Center in Oakland, on June 9. She was 87. Mrs. Hansen was born on May 21 in Oakland; she was one of two daughters from an Irish Catholic Family. While visiting her uncle in San Ardo she met and married Roy Hansen, a rancher. They moved to Hollister in 1936 and lived on the Brookhollow Ranch off Bolsa, where they raised four children. In 1949 the family moved to Wright Road. After the death of her husband in 1993 and due to declining health, Mrs. Hanson left Hollister to live with her daughter and son-in-law in Fremont. Mrs. Hansen was a member of the Sacred Heart Mother's Club and worked in the library. She also took the altar boys to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk for an annual treat, and ferried the basketball and baseball teams to their games. She rarely missed games in which her children were taking part. Mrs. Hansen is survived by her children and their spouses, Margaret Ann and Merle Clure of Fremont, Jim L. and Karen Hansen of Grass Valley, and her cousin Rev. John Cloherty of Mill Valley. She was preceeded in death by her son and daughter, John F. Hansen and Eunice Pike. Also surviving her are six grandchildren, five great grandchildren and one great great granddaughter. Friends are invited to attend the funeral service at 10 a.m. today at Grunnagle Ament Nelson Home. Interment will follow at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Hayward at 1 p.m. Donations are preferred to Sacred Heart School Foundation c/o the mortuary chapel.
George J. Dias Sr.
George J. "Zeke" Dias Sr. died at the Gilroy Health Care and Rehab on June 23, 2002. He was 87.
Mr. Dias was born in San Juan Bautista on April 6, 1915. He attended Olympia Grammar School and San Benito High School. He was a member of the San Juan Mission, a former member of Knights of Columbus, the San Juan Rod and Reel Club, The San Juan Hunting Club, and traveled to Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado and throughout California to hunt. He was also a volunteer fireman for the San Juan Fire Department for many years. He was a member and former Chairman of The San Juan Fiesta and Rodeo Committee. He helped cook more than 500,000 chickens for the Mission San Juan Bautista barbeques over the years. Mr. Dias loved his family, the outdoors, fishing and hunting with his buddies (Arceos, Botlehos, Bettencourts and Marentis). Dias owned Dias' Chevron Station in San Juan, Dias' Trucking, and Goularte and Dias Fertilizer Company. Mr. Dias is survived by his wife Evelyn "Trudy" Dias of San Juan Bautista, his children and their spouses, George J. Dias Jr. and Barbara of San Juan Bautista and Nancy Lee Armer and Tom of San Juan Bautista. He is also survived by his four grandchildren, two great grand children and one niece in California. A rosary was held Wednesday at the Grunnagle Ament Nelson Funeral Home. A mass will be held today at the Old Mission San Juan Bautista at 10 a.m. after friends and family leave the mortuary at 9:30 a.m. Internment will follow at San Juan District Cemetery. Donations are preferred to San Juan V.F.W. Hall c/o the mortuary chapel.
Lino H. Rivas
Lino H. Rivas of Salinas died of natural causes June 21, 2002 at Sunbridge Care Center in Watsonville. He was 84.
He was born Feb. 18, 1918 in Corpus Christi, Tex., and lived in Salinas for 25 years. He served during WWII in the Army and was stationed at Ft. Lewis, Wash., a member of the 3rd Battalion Headquarters Co. 71st Infantry. He was preceded in death by his grandson, Ernest Rivas Jr. earlier this year. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Ernestina Rivas of Salinas, brothers Juan, Reynaldo Fernando, and Ninfa Rivas, sisters Mary Devore and Sara Trevino, Inex Gonzales, Eulalia Massolia, children Ernest Rivas of Hollister, Lino Rivas Jr., Edward Rivas, Michael Rivas, Mary Lou Moreno of Vallejo, Diana Trevino of Salinas and Lina Villegas of Ft. Smith, AR and 24 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. Services were Monday at Black Cooper Sander Funeral Home in Hollister.
Carmen F. Valdez
Carmen F. Valdez, who grew up at the New Idria Mines and was known even outside of the county for her cooking abilities, died June 25, 2002. She was 98.
Mrs. Valdez and her late brother, Julius Nunez, were featured in Dec. 9, 1999 issue of The Pinnacle as they reminisced about San Benito life in the early 20th century. Mrs. Valdez was a lifelong member of Immaculate Conception Church in Tres Pinos, to which she traveled by stagecoach as a child. She moved there at 17, after marrying Martin Valdez, owner of the Tres Pinos Meat Market. She gave birth to all nine of her children at home including daughter Pauline, she liked to brag, as firefighters extinguished a blaze in another part of the house. Martin Valdez died in 1941 and Mrs. Valdez went on to work for H.P. Garnin Growers & Packers, then became chief chef at the old Almaden Vineyards, which often flew in dignitaries for promotional dinners. She also worked at Southside Convalescent Center, where a plaque commemorates her service to the place where she ended up living toward the end of her life, and died. She was a member of the Grandmother's Club, the SPRSI, the Altar Society of Immaculate Conception, a former Lioness, a supporter of Sacred Heart Bingo, and a good hand at Pedro. She is survived by her children Edward Valdez of Hollister, Jim Valdez of Carson City, Rose Stephens, Dorothy "Dede" Bowden, Pauline Puckett and Babe Littlejohn, all of Hollister. She was preceded in death by sons Martin, Eugene and Freddie Valdez. She also is survived by 26 grandchildren, 52 great-grandchildren and 38 great-great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Visitation is today from noon until 8 p.m. The funeral is Friday at 9:30 a.m. at Grunnagle-Ament-Nelson Funeral Home, proceeding at 10 a.m. to Immaculate Conception Catholic Church for a funeral mass at 10 a.m. Donations are preferred to Southside Patients' Activities Fun or the Altar Society at the church in Tres Pinos.
Eva McClendon Caldwell
Eva Lee McClendon Caldwell died Oct. 12 in Hollister. She was 92.
Mrs. Caldwell was born in Mooreville, Tex., and moved to southern California in 1936. She became a resident of Hollister in 1997.
Mrs. Caldwell was preceded in death by her husband, Roland Caldwell, in 1958. She is survived by her children Roger Caldwell Arizona, daughter Marti Singleton of Hollister, Suzanne Sommerer of Sylmar, and two granddaughters.
Interment and committal services are today at 1 p.m. at Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood.
William Albert Hastings
William Albert Hastings, who lived in both Morgan Hill and Hollister, died Oct. 12, 2002. He was 85.
Mr. Hastings was a retired building contractor who had worked in the Bay Area and near Merced. He was born in Arkansas and was a member of Thousand Trails and was a practitioner of the Science of Mind Church.
Mr. Hastings is survived by his spouse, Pearl Hastings of Hollister and Morgan Hill, children Gary Hastings, Chet Hastings, Doyle Hastings, William Hastings Jr. and Mitzi Billingsley, many grandchildren, great grandchildren and other relatives.
As was his request, arrangements for cremation and private inurnment are through Grunnagle Ament Nelson Crematory. No formal service is planned.
Roger D. Clark
Roger D. Clark, a WWII veteran and for many years a meat cutter for Nob Hill, died in San Juan Bautista on Oct. 10, 2002. He was 76.
Mr. Clark was born in New London, Wis., and moved to California in 1963. He settled in the South Valley in 1973. He enjoyed bowling and watching the Green Bay Packers. He was a member of Old Mission San Juan.
Mr. Clark was married to the late Sylvia D. Clark. He is survived by children Yvonne Garcia of Manteca, Roger M. Clark of Ventura, Mary L. Clark of San Juan Bautista, Phillip A. Clark of Gilroy, Emily O. Clark of Hollister and Patrick C. Clark of Santa Cruz. He also is survived by nine grandchildren, one great grandchild, siblings Mead DeWitt of Chicago, Patrick Clark of Chicago, Phillip Clark of Galt, and Loretta Clark of Auburn.
The rosary was Monday at Mission San Juan Bautista, followed by mass on Tuesday. Habing Family Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. The family would appreciate donations to the American Cancer Society.
Miguel Francisco Matias
Graveside services for Miguel Francisco Matias, who died Sept. 27, 2002 at age 36, were Wednesday at the IOOF Cemetery in Hollister.
There are no known local survivors.
Arrangements are under the direction of Grunnagle Ament Nelson Funeral Home.
