Obituaries for December 4, 2002
Jane Brown
Jane Brown of Wilton passed away on Nov. 21 after heart surgery on Nov. 18. She was 80.
Member of the Miwok Tribe of Wilton, she resided her entire life on the Wilton Indian Reservation, where she was born on Sept. 20, 1922.
During her lifetime, she was employed at McClellan Air Force Base, assembling parts for planes and ships. Farming was also a very large part of who she was and she enjoyed it very much. She worked picking tomatoes and grapes and also worked at the local hop ranches in Sheldon and Sloughhouse.
She was a homemaker who cared for her children and grandchildren and many others who came along. 'Aunt Jane' always had a pot of beans cooking on the stove and always shared what she had. She looked forward to the times when the boys would go fishing. She loved her salmon and loved to reminisce about the days of hunting and fishing.
She was very proud of her Native American heritage and shared her many memories of days gone by. A humble being, she never had very many material possessions but she had plenty of love, caring, kindness and friendship to give all of those around her.
She was preceded in death by her only son, Donald Franklin Brown, in 1994 and her parents, Anastasio Martinez and Elizabeth Hansen and step-father Merced 'Shorty' Rodriguez.
She was the beloved mother of Debra E. Blue of Wilton; grandmother to David, Dennis, Denise and Danielle Blue of Wilton and Donald and Timothy Brown of Pine Grove; great-grandmother to six and best friend to her sister, Irene Taylor of Wilton.
She was laid to rest on Nov. 27 at the Hicksville Cemetery in Galt.
Lawrence Guzman
Lawrence B. Guzman of Acampo died on Nov. 28 in a Lodi Hospital. Born June 10, 1985, he was 17-years-old and attended Estrellita High School as a senior.
Lawrence is the son of Bob and Audrey Guzman of Acampo and brother to Robert Guzman and Charlene Guzman of Acampo. He leaves behind numerous cousins, aunts and uncles.
A memorial service will be held Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 1 p.m. at the Spanish Seventh Day Adventist Church, 701 S. Central Ave., Lodi.
Services are entrusted to the care of Alternative Burial and Cremation Services in Stockton.
Rachel Santos
Rachel G. Santos entered into eternal rest on Nov. 29 surrounded by her loving family. Rachel was a native of Miami, Arizona and a resident of Courtland for 41 years.
She is survived by her devoted and loving husband of 62 years, Dionicio Santos; her children, Manuel J. Santos and Esther S. Espinoza; her adoring grandchildren, Sandra, Sally, Jimmy, Christina, Vanessa, Andres, Juan Manuel, Rachel, Alexis, Barbara, Nicholas and Edward; 14 loving great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and brothers Juan and Clemente Gonzalez, and sister Bevelen Duran.
Friends may attend Recitation of the Rosary at 7 p.m. in the Land Park Chapel of Harry A. Nauman & Son. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 711 T Street, Sacramento. Interment is at St. Mary's Cemetery.
Betty Lou Rempfer
Betty Lou Rempfer of Galt passed away from natural causes on Nov. 28. She was 70.
She was born betty Lou Huggins on Jan. 2, 1932 in Tulare. She has been a resident of Galt for 25 years.
She was a homemaker who enjoyed sewing and word puzzles.
She is survived by her husband, Arthur G. Rempfer of Galt; her children, Jerry Rempfer and Judy Shanklin of Galt; her brother, Elvie Huggins of Stockton; a sister, Margie white of Galt; seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Memorial services will be private.
Bernice Colton
Bernice V. Colton of Stockton passed away on Nov. 29. She was 90.
She was born Bernice V. Herman in Cleveland, Ohio on Feb. 15, 1912. She was a resident of Galt for 17 years and a resident of Stockton for 30 years.
She was a homemaker who was a member of the Democratic party who enjoyed bingo, her family and ceramics.
She was preceded in death by her husband, James E. Colton.
She is survived by her daughters, Bea Frost of Stockton and Jeri Colton of Galt; three grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; six great-grandchildren and eight step-grandchildren.
Services will be private with committal following at the Cherokee Memorial Park in Lodi.
Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of your choice.
Sarah Goldman
Sarah Goldman of Thornton passed away from a long illness on Dec. 1. She was 86.
She was born Sarah Grasmick on Dec. 12, 1915 in Ordway, Colorado. She was raised in Ordway and attended schools in Numa and Ordway where she graduated from Ordway High School. She married the late Frank Goldman and settled in Thornton in 1942. She owned and operated a dairy in Thornton.
She is survived by three sisters, Christine Brokovich, Katherine Courim and Leah Lamb, all of Lodi; two brothers, Gottlieb Grasmick of Lodi and Val Grasmick of Meridian, Idaho and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, the late Frank Goldman in 1982.
Graveside services will be held on Thursday, Dec. 5, at 1:30 p.m. at the Lodi Memorial Cemetery in Lodi. Pastor Larry Brand, Jr. of the River of Life Celebration Center will officiate.
Obituaries for May 19, 2004
Mary E. Jones
Mary E. Jones of Galt passed away from natural causes on May 11, 2004. She was 89.
She was born Mary E. Mohr in Freeport, Illinois on Sept. 23, 1914. She lived in Sheboygan, Wisconsin from 1941-1987 and has been a resident of Galt since 1987.
She was a member of the St. Christopher's Catholic Church and enjoyed reading, gardening, and spending time with her family.
Surviving her are her children, Charles G. Jones of Three Forks, Montana, Julie Mead of Pine, Colorado, Kathy Kostka of Thompson Falls, Montana, Jeanne Wilson of Rancho Murieta, and Jan Wiese of Elk Grove; 13 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.
Her husband, Charles "Bump" Jones, preceded her in death.
A memorial mass was held on May 14 at St. Christopher's. Fr. Jerry Ryle officiated. Committal followed at the South East Lawn in Elk Grove.
Obituaries for October 6, 2004
Joseph Wiechec
Joseph Wiechec of Galt passed away in Galt on Sept. 27, 2004 at the age of 41. He was born on Jan. 8, 1963 at Selfridge AFB, Michigan to John and Elizabeth Wiechec.
Mr. Wiechec moved to this area 36 years ago. He was a copier tech for Ikon Office Solutions. He was a member of River of Life Celebration Center in Galt and a youth mentor for the U-Turn Program.
Mr. Wiechec was most notably known for his excellence in house Christmas decorations, having taken first, second and third place over a period of time for the best decorated house in Galt. He enjoyed gardening and loved his animals.
Surviving him are his sons, Theodore Joseph Wiechec and Nicholas John Wiechec of Galt; father, John Wiechec of Sacramento; former wife, Sheryl Wiechec of Galt; siblings, Lorraine M. Ficklin of Martinez, Phillip J. Wiechec of Mt. View, John T. Wiechec, Margaret A. Wright of Lees Summit, Missouri, David Wiechec of Ontario, Oregon, and Walter P. Wiechec of Sacramento.
His brother, Thomas F. Wiechec, preceded him in death.
Memorial services were held Saturday at Lodi Funeral Home with Pastor Larry Brand of River of Life Celebration Center of Galt and Brian Winsor officiating. Committal was private.
A virtual register book may be signed at www.lodifuneralhome.com where memories may be shared. Lodi Funeral Home handled arrangements.
Mary Morelli
Mary Morelli, a native of Casalveiri, Italy and resident of Galt since 1957, passed away Sept. 29, 2004 after a lengthy illness. She was preceded in death in 2002 by her husband of 72 years, Ralph.
Surviving her are her four children, Vera Sekol of Galt, Lillian (and Domenic) Peticca of Detroit, Michigan, Walter (and Clara) Morelli of Lexington, Michigan and Jean (and Chuck) Rose-Flack of Roseville; numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.
Rosary was held Monday at Ben Salas Funeral Home. Mass of Christian Burial was Tuesday at St. Christopher's Catholic Church.
Ronald Prachar
Ronald G. Prachar passed away Oct. 1, 2004. He was born Dec. 15, 1940 in Dixon, South Dakota and moved to Galt with his family when he was five years old.
Ron retired after 25 years with Tri-Valley Growers.
Surviving him are his daughter and son-in-law, Tamra and Josh Tisdale, and only grandson, Austin Tisdale; mother, Helen Reis; brother, Donald Prachar; sister, Shirley Billick; and sister and brother-in-law, Sharon and Larry Simmonds; plus several nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 2 p.m. at the Estrellita Ballroom on C Street in Galt. Everyone is welcome.
Valerie Rios
Valerie Rios of Stockton died Sunday, Oct. 3, 2004 in St. Joseph's Medical Center at the age of 41. She was born May 25, 1963 in Lodi.
She lived in Stockton two years. She also lived in Lodi for four years and Galt for 17 years. She was a member of Revival Church in Lodi. She enjoyed spending time with her family and making people laugh.
Surviving are five children, Michael Kelley, Juliet Kelley and Roy Kelley of Galt, Fedrico Rios and Alejandro Ramos of Stockton; brother, Rudy Rios of Galt; and parents, Rose Roderick of Lodi and Raul Rios of Galt.
Her brother, Alfonso Rios, preceded her in death in October 1997.
Friends will be received from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct.8 at the Ben Salas Funeral Home in Galt. Services will follow at 1 p.m. with Pastors Russ Moore and David Butt officiating.
Interment will follow in the Galt Cemetery.
Betty Carter
Betty Carter of Lockeford passed away Oct. 3, 2004 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Betty was born in Tailorville, Illinois on Jan. 10, 1926.
She spent her childhood in Illinois and Oklahoma and later moved to California where she lived in the Marysville area near her grandchildren. She moved to the Lodi area 15 years ago to be closer to her daughter.
She enjoyed crossword puzzles and television game shows and loved to visit Lake Tahoe. She shared much joy in participating in the lives of her grandchildren and great grandchildren of whom she always lived within a few miles.
She is survived by her daughter, Tommy Sue Evans of Lockeford; son, James Daniel Henry of West Virginia; grandchildren, Jim Roberts of Linden, Kenneth Steele of Stockton, Susan Steele of Stockton, Sherry Daley of Galt, Rachael Roberts of Galt, Shawn Hempfield of Yuba City, Jerry Steele of Yuba City, and Christine Roberts of Galt; two sisters, three brothers, and numerous great grandchildren.
Preceding her in death were her husband, Thomas Carter; daughter, Linda Moss; two sisters and three brothers.
A graveside service will be held on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Lodi Cemetery. Visitation will be held at Gierhart Wells and Donahue Funeral Home from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. She will be missed by all. Donations can be made in her name to the American Cancer Society.
Obituary for September 27, 2006
Carol L. Meador
Carol Lorraine Meador (59) passed away at her home in Elk Grove on Sept. 18, 2006. She was born in Stockton on March 25, 1947.
Carol was an active volunteer with Project RIDE and Sheldon 4-H, and an active member of the Red Hat Society.
Her father, Walter J. 'Tiny' Harris, preceded her in death.
Surviving Carol are her husband, Larry Meador of Elk Grove; daughters, Cheryl Lynn Meador and Jennifer Ann Meador of Elk Grove; mother, Imogene Harris of Woodland; sister, Linda Miller of Woodland; and nephews, James Gerald Loesch of Benicia and Jeffery Charles Loesch of Woodland.
A funeral service on Sept. 25 at South East Lawn Mortuary in Elk Grove preceded burial at South East Lawn Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, tributes may be expressed to Project RIDE, Inc., P.O. Box 159, Elk Grove, CA 95759 in loving memory to Carol.
