Rose J. Silva
January 25, 2006
Dairywoman
Co-owner and former operator of the Mattos-Borba Dairy for more than 20 years Rose J. Silva, died peacefully in Petaluma on Jan. 18, 2006. She was 81.
Born to Rose Brazil and Manuel Mattos in Bolinas, Mrs. Silva was the wife of the late Manuel Borba and James Silva. She was the mother of Anthony Borba, Sr. of Petaluma. Mrs. Silva was the sister of Madeline Balzan of Bolinas and the late Manuel, Anthony, John and Frank Mattos.
In her free time, Mrs. Silva enjoyed oil painting and working in her vegetable and flower gardens. She also loved taking care of family and friends.
Mrs. Silva and her husband James enjoyed traveling with the Sonoma Seekers RV Club.
She is survived by many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association of the Redwood Empire, 1211 N. Dutton Ave., Suite A, Santa Rosa, 95401, or to Hospice of Petaluma, 416 Payran St., Petaluma, 94952.
Arrangements were made by Parent-Sorensen Mortuary & Crematory of Petaluma.
Candace Wright Serrano
May 10, 2006
Beautician
New York native Candace Wright Serrano died at her home on April 12, 2006 after a year-long battle with cancer. She was 59.
Mrs. Serrano was born to Blanche Galyon Wright in Queens, N.Y. in 1946. She moved with her mom to Mill Valley in 1958 and went on to graduate from Tamalpais High School in 1964. She married Larry M. Urban shortly thereafter and had her only child Greg, in 1966.
That same year, she moved to Petaluma where she met Mark Serrano. Mrs. Serrano began working at Mark's World of Beauty as a receptionist and later began cutting hair after obtaining her license.
She and Greg moved to Kenwood in 1975 where she went to work for Manuel Rodriguez' Haircutters in Santa Rosa. While in Kenwood, she met and married Phil Heim. The couple moved to Oregon in 1978 where they lived in Enterprise, Joseph and Bend. She returned to Kenwood in 1981.
Up until 1988, Mrs. Serrano worked at Rosenberg's Department Store in Santa Rosa. After Rosenberg's closed in 1988, she worked odd jobs until 1990 when she realized a long-time ambition and opened her own salon, Kenwood Cuts, on Warm Springs Road across from the Kenwood Depot.
Mark Serrano found her at the store and the two renewed a lifelong friendship that developed into love and marriage. They were married at the Kenwood Community Church on Oct. 5, 1996 and celebrated their marriage at the Kenwood Depot.
Besides serving a basic community need as a hair cutter, Mrs. Serrano was involved in a number of community projects. She was a member of the committee that organized and raised money to develop Kenwood Plaza Park in the early '90s and volunteered her time and money for countless community fund-raisers and projects.
Mrs. Serrano closed her business after being diagnosed with cancer in 2005.
She is survived by husband Mark, son Greg Heim and a granddaughter.
Donations in her memory may be made to Hospice of Sonoma County or to the American Cancer Society.
Vera Pauline Russell
January 25, 2006
Legal secretary
A graduate of Petaluma High School, Siberia-born Vera Pauline (Klemenok) Russell died Jan. 19, 2006. She was 93.
Mrs. Russell attended school in Petaluma and had a perfect attendance record as she graduated from PHS. She then went on to attend Heald Business College in San Francisco, where she became a stenographer and legal secretary.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, Coy Russell. The couple lived in Tahoe City for 27 years and worked in many rural churches in California and Nevada. Mrs. Russell lived the last four years of her life in Applegate.
She is survived by her daughter, Adele Rose of Colfax, and son, Coy L. Russell Jr. of Applegate. She is also survived by four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday at Sierra Reach Ministries in Applegate. Graveside services will be held at New Auburn Cemetery at 2 p.m.
Memorial donations may be made to Reno Sparks Gospel Mission, P.O. Box 5956, Reno, Nev. 89513.
Dr. Hyman Rudoff
March 8, 2006
Atomic bomb scientist, chemist, ecologist and photojournalist
Hyman Rudoff died in Petaluma on Feb. 27, 2006. He was born on June 26, 1912 in Montreal, Canada, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1943. Dr. Rudoff received his baccalaureate and doctoral degrees in organic chemistry from McGill University in 1933 and 1937, respectively. He held a post-doctorate scholarship at Oxford University from 1937 to 1939.
Dr. Rudoff joined the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos Weapons Laboratory in 1944, where he worked on conventional explosives and electronic instruments relating to the atom bomb.
In 1949, he joined General Electric where was awarded several patents for his work in plastics and insulation. His work was used in the development of heat shields for the Mercury and Gemini space capsules.
His many interests included photography, boating, ecology, and French and German languages. A longtime resident of Cambridge, Md., Hyman wrote articles for the boating press for several years, and was technical editor for Chesapeake Bay magazine before moving to Willits with Josephine Campbell. There he became science editor for the online magazine Ecotopics. He had lived in Petaluma for the past year.
In recent years, Dr. Rudoff was a signatory on several letters of concerned scientists addressed to the president and congressional leaders regarding the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and environmental topics.
Mrs. Campbell died of complications from cancer in Petaluma on March 1.
Dr. Rudoff was preceded in death by his wife, Nedda, who died in 1986. Dr. Rudoff is survived by a son who is a cardiologist in Portland, Ore., a daughter who is an attorney in Chicago and one grandchild.
Page Prescott
January 14, 2004
Therapist, co-director of Women's Voices
Page Alice Prescott died of cancer Jan. 6, 2004, at the age of 70.
Born in Santa Cruz, on December 26, 1933, Mrs. Prescott attended Vassar College, graduating in 1953.
She married Bruce Woelfel in 1956. During their 16-year marriage, they raised three children. The family lived in Sebastopol for four years before moving to Petaluma in 1973.
After receiving her master's degree in marriage and family counseling in 1976 from Sonoma State University, she served as a therapist. She moved to Mendocino County in 1983, where she was the co-director of Women's Voices, a women's radio program on KZYX, for many years.
A founding member of the Alliance for Democracy and longtime Green Party member, Mrs. Prescott moved to Ukiah in 2002, where she continued as an active member of the community.
Mrs. Prescott is survived by her son Eric Woelfel of Petaluma; daughters Rebecca Wardle of Aptos and Monica Woelfel of Orcas Island, Wash,; three grandchildren and sister Sylvia Forsyth of Aptos.
A memorial will be held at 2 p.m. Jan. 18, at The Saturday Afternoon Club, 107 S. Oak St.. Ukiah. Call 463-2427 for directions.
In lieu of flowers, Mrs. Prescott requested that donations in her name be made to the local homeless shelter or to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Walter Ricioli
April 12, 2006
Pioneer family member
Walter A. Ricioli, a member of the pioneering Bianchini, Cheda and Silacci families of Marin and Sonoma counties, died April 6, 2006 at Petaluma Valley Hospital after a battle with pneumonia. He was 106.
Mr. Ricioli was born Feb. 17, 1900 at Millerton Point in Marin County and grew up on a dairy ranch near Nicasio Dam. He attended Pacheco School in Nicasio Valley until the eighth grade, walking four miles to school and back each day with his siblings.
The family moved to Petaluma in 1919 and Mr. Ricioli went on to attend Sweet's Business College in Santa Rosa for six months. He landed his first job at a hardware store in Petaluma.
Mr. Ricioli later went to work for the Sonoma County National Bank in Petaluma, now Bank of America. During that time, he met and married his first wife Genevieve Dado.
He retired from Bank of America in 1946, and in 1959, married bank co-worker Irene Roberti.
Mr. Ricioli was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Church and a charter member of the Knights of Columbus.
He is survived by wife Irene and daughters: Marjorie Popp of Petaluma and Dorothy Panholzer of Kelseyville. He was the grandfather of three and great-grandfather of eight.
Clarence Petersen
March 24, 2004
Dairy farmer
Clarence A. Petersen, one of the county's oldest dairy farmers, died March 17, 2004 at his Sebastopol home. He was 95.
A 1927 graduate of Petaluma High School, he was active in agriculture classes and competitions. He was also a dedicated athlete, winning many local and state horseshoe championships. The highlight of his athletic career was as a pitcher for the San Francisco Seals.
Although he considered a career in professional baseball, he chose instead to remain a member of his farming family. Living and working on the farm was a family affair. He and his late siblings were all active in running Petersen Dairy, which is now managed by third- and fourth-generation family members. When he retired from his official role as a partner in the dairy in 1976, he continued to work on the farm, growing acres of vegetables, fruits and flowers.
Mr. Petersen not only worked on his own farm, he was an officer of the Sonoma Marin Dairy Breeding Cooperative and the Pacific Breeders Association, was active with the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, contributed to local 4-H and was a strong supporter of the Wilmar Volunteer Fire Department.
Mr. Petersen served as a radio operator in the U.S. Army during World War II, and was honored in 2001 as one of the first and oldest members of Petaluma Sons in Retirement. He was a member of the Church of Religious Science.
He is survived by his stepdaughter Dorothy Langley of Petaluma and stepson Arthur Loveland of Downieville, six grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and many other family members.
Funeral services have been held. Private entombment was at Cypress Hill.
Donations in Mr. Petersen's memory may be made to Global Heart Ministries, 201 Bohemian Highway, Freestone, 95472, or Hospice of Petaluma, 416 Payran St., Petaluma, 94952.
Arrangements were by Parent-Sorensen Mortuary and Crematory.
John Petersen
Poultry rancher
John Henry Petersen, a long-time Petaluma poultry rancher, died Oct. 27, 2003.
Born in Bohmstedt, Germany on Sept. 27, 1909, he immigrated to this country in 1928 and settled in Petaluma the following year. During the early 1930s he worked for Pedroni's and Poehlmann's delicatessens.
In 1943 he and his future wife, Edna Sommer, met a dance at Hermann Sons Hall, and married shortly thereafter.
Mr. Petersen was a poultry rancher for over 35 years, retiring in 1974. He enjoyed playing chess, watching tennis and listening to classical music, and was well-known for his long walks through Chileno Valley, listening to symphonies on his portable radio.
Mr. Petersen is survived by his children, Karen Petersen of Petaluma and John Petersen of Seattle, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
At his request, no services will be held. Contributions in his name may be made to Petaluma People Services Center, 1500 Petaluma Blvd. South, Petaluma 94952.
Arrangements were by Parent-Sorensen Mortuary and Crematory.
Stanley "Ole" Olsson
January 14, 2004
Former mayor of Cotati
Longtime Sonoma County resident Stanley "Ole" Olsson died Jan. 5, 2004 at his Petaluma home after a long battle with cancer. He was 77.
Mr. Olsson served in the US Army and the National Guard from 1944 through 1958. The second mayor of Cotati and a member of the Cotati City Council, he was the former partner and owner of Jensen's Ironworks in Cotati and Kauth Bros. in Santa Rosa.
Mr. Olsson was a member of SIRS No. 100, Danish Lodge, Cotati VFW, Cotati Lions, Moose Lodge, The Builders Exchange, 40/8 Club and East Santa Rosa Rotary.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Betty Olsson, children Joan Baker and Mark Olsson of Santa Rosa, four grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and sister Iyona Neale of San Jose.
At Mr. Olsson's request, no services were held. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Petaluma, 416 Payran St., 94952. Arrangements were by Parent-Sorensen Mortuary & Crematory.
Ronald Miller
January 21, 2004
Manufacturing manager
Ronald Miller, a former resident, died Jan. 18, 2004 in Portland at the age of 70.
A Petaluma High School graduate, he attended college before joining the Army, where he was a skiing and mountain climbing instructor in Austria.
In 1955 he returned to California, married Dani Warner, and began work for the Chrysler Corp. He later joined Ameron International as a manufacturing manager and worked for them for 35 years.
In 1976, following a divorce, he married Ruthie Mackey and the couple moved to Portland. After two years in Saudi Arabia, the couple moved to Vancouver, Wash., then to Washougal, Wash., last year.
A member of the Vancouver Elks Lodge and Orchard Hills Country Club, Mr. Miller enjoyed golfing and bowling and was a beer connoisseur.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Miller is survived by his children: Michael Miller of El Dorado, Calif., Larry Miller of Danville, Carolee Pello of Roseville and Kathy Garrett, also of El Dorado; stepsons Kenny Bettinelli of Fallbrook, Calif., and Jeff Bettinelli of Tigard, Ore.; siblings Clair Miller of Placerville; Jackie Brazile of Boise, Idaho and Caroline Elliott of Grants Pass, Ore; 15 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A memorial service takes place Jan. 21 at the Vancouver Elks Lodge. Arrangements were by Straub's Funeral Home in Camas, Wash.
William Mello
November 26, 2003
Heavy equipment operator
William "Bill" Mello died Nov. 21, 2003 in Petaluma. He was 70.
Mr. Mello served in the U. S. Army and worked for 38 years as a heavy equipment operator for F. Clementino of Novato and Irvin Aune of Petaluma. During that time, he was also a member of the Operating Engineers Union.
Mr. Mello was the husband of Martha Mello of Petaluma; father of Bill Mello Jr., Lorena Mello, Larry Vogensen and Nonnie and Glen Smith, all of Petaluma, and the late Bonnie Vogensen and Lenny Vogensen; grandfather of five and great-grandfather of two.
A visitation will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26 at Parent-Sorensen Mortuary and Crematory, Magnolia Avenue and Keokuk Street. A graveside gathering takes place at 3 p.m. at Cypress Hill Memorial Park.
Neil McIsaac
January 28, 2004
Dairy rancher
Neil McIsaac, member of two pioneer Marin County dairy families, died Jan. 18, 2004 in Petaluma. He was 84, and had been in declining health following a series of strokes.
Owner and operator of McIsaac's Dairy in Marin County, he was in the dairy business over half a century.
Following high school, he worked for the Marin County Cow Testing Association, and at Mare Island Shipyard. During World War II, he served with the Counter Intelligence Corps.
He married Evelyn Dolcini in 1942 and the couple raised seven children.
He and his brother Donald McIsaac ran family dairies in Nicasio and Olema for many years, and in 1959 he began a ranch in Novato, now run by his son Jim. His son Neil McIsaac Jr. operates a Petaluma dairy ranch.
He was a 50-year member of the Native Sons of the Golden West, Nicasio Parlor and the Consolidated Dairymen's Association. An outdoorsman, he loved fishing and hunting.
Mr. McIsaac was predeceased by his wife. In addition to sons Neil Jr. and Jim McIsaac and his brother Donald, he leaves sons Kelly and Eric McIsaac, both of Penngrove; daughters Diana Muller of Sacramento, Susie Salmons of Dixon and Sandy Joyce of Novato; 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Services have been held. Burial was at Calvary Catholic Cemetery. Contributions may be made to a favorite charity in memory of Mr. McIsaac.
