Obituaries for October 3, 2002
Omar R. Albers
Omar R. Albers of Galt passed away from a lengthy illness on Sept. 23. He was 78.
He was born on Nov. 14, 1923 in Alhambra, and moved to Galt in 1947.
He retired from the city of Alhambra after 30 years of service as a municipal supervisor.
He is survived by his wife, Norma "Jean" Albers of Galt.
No services have been arranged per his request.
Billie Faye Upton
Billie Faye Upton of Galt passed away from natural causes on Sept. 21. She was 68.
She was born Billie Fay Mustin on Feb. 26, 1934 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
She lived in Galt for 17 years. She worked in sales and as a waitress and was a member of the Full Gospel Community Church.
She is survived by her children, Peggy Mayer of Lodi, Malcolm Haynes of Turlock, Mike Upton and Betty Winsor of Galt; her brother, Cleatis Mustin; eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
A chapel service was held at Ben Salas Funeral Home on Sept. 25. The Rev. Glen Horner of the Elk Grove Community Church, officiated.
Committal at the Galt Cemetery followed the service.
Catalina M. Alvarez
Catalina Montenegro Alvarez of Lodi passed away from a lengthy illness on Sept. 21. She was 50.
She was born on Nov. 25, 1951 in Durango, Mexico. She lived in Galt from 1980 to 1989 and lived in Lodi for the past 12 years.
She was a homemaker who liked to listen to music and loved to cook.
She is survived by her sons, Alfredo Montenegro, Silverio Alvarez and Eduardo Alvarez; her daughters, Tina Cahue, Eva Jaime and Raquel Alvarez; three sisters, four brothers and 17 grandchildren.
A traditional service was held with a cremation following a Mass at St. Christopher's Catholic Church in Galt on Sept. 27. Committal was private.
June A. Williams
June A. Williams of Galt passed away from a lengthy illness on Sept. 25. She was 90.
She was born June A. Thomsen on June 1, 1912 in Modesto. She lived in San Francisco for 20 years and has been a resident of the Galt area since 1974.
She was a homemaker and a member of the First Baptist Church of Galt. She enjoyed knitting, cooking, flower gardens and caring for her family.
She was preceded in death by her daughter Marilyn Lucido.
She is survived by her husband Mervyn Williams of Galt and two granddaughters.
A graveside service was held on Oct. 1 at the Galt cemetery with the Rev. Rob Patterson of the First Baptist Church of Galt officiating.
Paul Ted Pearson
Paul Ted Pearson, born March 26, 1936, in San Jose, passed away at home Sept. 29 at the age of 66.
He was the husband of Jeanne Pearson for 44 years; father of Wesley Pearson, Norman Pearson, and Barbara Strickland; brother of Wanda Page, Linnea Brown, Shirley Bradshaw and Donna Pearson; grandfather of Jessica Nicholas and Daniel; and uncle of David Brown, Ruth and Steven Page, John and Diane Hansen.
Paul graduated from East Bakersfield High School in 1955 where he served as president of his chapter of Future Farmers of America for two years. He served in the United States Army between 1959 and 1961. Paul founded Pearsons Concrete, a ready mix company, in 1958 and moved business and family to the Lodi/Galt area in 1979.
Mr. Pearson belonged to and was an active supporter of many civic and social organizations in the area, including the Future Farmers of America, Boy Scouts of America and Rotary International.
Friends and family will gather at his home on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 1 p.m. for a memorial of his life.
The family has asked that, instead of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Paul Pearson Memorial Fund, c/o Central Sierra Bank, 89 Lakewood Mall, Lodi, CA 95242. This fund will be used to benefit the youth of the community.
There will be no visitation, and arrangements are under the direction of Gierhart-Wells and Donahue Funeral Home.
Obituaries for March 17, 2004
Steve Battaglia
Stephen P. (Steve) Battaglia passed away at his home in Acampo on March 12, 2004. He was 46 years old. Steve was born in Concord, Calif., on Feb. 1, 1958. He lived in Fremont, Calif., from 1958 to 2000 before moving to Galt.
He was an outside sales representative for Office Depot for 22 years. Steve attended St. Joseph's Grammar School before going on to graduate from Mission San Jose High School. He also attended Ohlonie Community College.
Steve was a very dedicated basketball coach for several years, coaching for Galt High School and the AAU.
Surviving Steve are his children, Melissa and Tony Battaglia, both of Acampo; his parents, Andy and Norma Battaglia of Acampo; siblings and their spouses, Richard and Annette Battaglia of Acampo and Andrea Chris Christianson of Lodi.
There will be a funeral mass on Wednesday, March 17, at 9 a.m. The mass will take place at St. Christopher's Catholic Church, 950 S. Lincoln Way, Galt. After mass, a short committal service will be held at Cherokee Memorial Park, Highway 99 and East Harney Lane in Lodi.
Cherokee Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Remembrances may be made to Hospice of San Joaquin, 2609 E. Hammer Lane, Stockton, CA 95209.
Lori J. Blackwell
Lori J. Blackwell died March 1, 2004 at her home in Galt after a 15-year battle with cancer. She was born Lori Sellick in Napa on April 7, 1960. She moved to Sacramento at 18 to attend Sac State, then to Galt with her family in 1991. She is retired from Laguna High School, Elk Grove School District.
She was a volunteer driver for American Cancer Society and Galt Concilio. Mrs. Blackwell enjoyed traveling, gardening, hiking, bird watching, and spending time with family and friends.
She is survived by her husband, John Blackwell of Galt; sons, Erik and John; parents, Robert Sellick and Jean Hewitt; sister, Lynn Sellick; grandmother, Jean Hewitt; nine nephews and nieces, and friends too numerous to list.
A memorial service was held on March 10 at Galt Seventh-day Adventist Church. Pastor Julie Keubelbeck officiated.
Memorial donations may be made to American Cancer Society.
Jonathan M. Westergaard Jr.
Jonathan Mark Westergaard Jr. of Herald passed away in a tragic snowboarding accident in Lake Tahoe on March 13, 2004. He was 20.
He was born in Sacramento on April 13, 1983 and lived in Herald his entire life.
He was working at Costco while training to become a firefighter. He enjoyed snowboarding, basketball, abalone diving, tennis, golf, football, camping, family get-togethers and playing poker.
He is survived by his mother and father, Jon and Jean Westergaard of Herald; sister, Jessica Weyant (Gavin) of Galt; brother, Jeremiah Westergaard of Sacramento; grandmother, Pat Vodracheck (Bernice) and grandfather, Prend Hajdari of Sacramento; uncles, Frank Hajdari and Gary Wilson of Sacramento and John Hajdari of Elk Grove; aunts, Jamie Walker, Victoria Hajdari, Zola Quinn and Susan Hayden of Sacramento and Sandra Chamberlyn of Watsonville, and cousins, Anna Hajdari, Ellis Hajdari, Daniel Walker, Kyle Petee, Claire Petee and Haley Walker of Sacramento and Ronnie Quinn of Elk Grove and Valerie Chamberlyn of Watsonville.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, March 18, at 10 a.m. at the St. Christopher's Catholic Church at 950 South Lincoln Way in Galt. Funeral services will follow visitation at 11 a.m. with committal at the Galt Cemetery immediately following the service.
Memorial contributions maybe made to the Galt Chiefs football program.
Monte Neider
Stevenson (Monte) F. Neider, 68, died Feb. 26, 2004 in Lodi after a lengthy illness. He was born in Torrington, Wyoming April 12, 1935.
He has lived in the Galt area 15 years. He also lived in Yuma, Arizona and Fairbanks, Alaska. He retired 10 years ago from sales. He had worked for Napa Auto Parts for Northern California and Alaska and also for the fair circuit.
Mr. Neider enjoyed music, singing and playing his guitar. He loved the outdoors, hiking, camping and gold panning.
Surviving him are his son, Michael (Neider) Witt of Walnut Grove; daughter, Marilee (Neider) Witt of Rancho Cordova; stepdaughter, Tracey Witt; two grandchildren; brothers, Russell Neider of Galt, Loren Schmier of Galt, and Loyd Neider of Oklahoma; sisters, Edwina Harrison of Linden and Wanda Roberts of Galt.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Naomi Schmier; stepfather, Edward Schmier; and father, Robert Neider.
No visitation is planned, and services are private.
Vera O. Blevins
Vera Odessa Blevins of Texas, formerly of Galt, passed away from complications of a stroke on March 13, 2004. She was 83.
She was born Vera Odessa Ledford on June 17, 1920 in Overton County, Tennessee. She grew up in Alpine, Tennessee and lived a short time in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She was married to Joseph Blevins in Newton, Pennsylvania in 1946. She settled with her husband and raised her family in Lambertville, New Jersey from 1946-1977. She traveled across country via motor home with her family upon her husband's retirement from General Motors in Trenton, New Jersey and settled in Galt from 1977-2002. She has lived with her daughter, Joan, in Texas since December of 2002.
She was a wife, mother and grandmother who grew up in the Presbyterian Church and attended the First Baptist Church in Galt.
She enjoyed reading and history, especially about the American Civil War, as well as bluegrass, country and gospel music. Her daughters will always remember her singing "Sweet Fern" by the Carter family.
She is survived by her daughters, Joan Blevins Butler and husband Charles of Texas and Sandra Blevins Burton and husband Kenneth of Lodi; her grandson, Joseph Gilman of Florida; sisters, Edith Ledford Blevins of Missouri, Versa Ledford Harrison of Georgia and Carrie Ledford Johnson of Indiana; several nieces and nephews; and Theodore, a loving feline companion.
Preceding her in death were her parents, Shirley and Virginia Ledford; brothers, Alex, Roy and Marshall Ledford; daughter, Gail Blevins; and her husband of 48 years, Joseph Blevins, who passed away in 1994 and beside whom she will be laid to rest in the Lodi Memorial Cemetery.
Visitation is at the Ben Salas Funeral Home on Thursday, March 18, at 9:30 a.m., with funeral services at 1 p.m. Pastor Rob Patterson will officiate. Committal will follow the service at the Lodi Memorial Cemetery.
Obituaries for July 21, 2004
Allan B. Jacobson
Allan Bradley Jacobson, 48, formerly of Galt, passed away on July 9, 2004 in Keslers Cross Lane, West Virginia.
He was born on Dec. 26, 1955 to Jacob S. Jacobson, Jr. and Ruth Jacobson. He spent 20 years of active service with the United States Navy and 10 years in reserve service, rising to the rank of Chief Petty Officer as a medical corpsman. He was later with the Maryland State Troopers in the dispatch department. He also served as a volunteer firefighter and as a certified national paramedic in both Maryland and in Galt.
Allan enjoyed hunting, golf, NASCAR races and spending time with his family and friends.
Preceding him in death were his sons, Allan Bradley II and Jacob Samuel; his sister, Nancy Thomas; and his father, Jacob S. Jacobson, Jr.
Surviving him are his wife, Paulette and daughter, both of Maryland; his mother, Elaine Jacobson of Galt; sister, Cindy and mother, Ruth Jacobson, both of Oklahoma; stepsisters, Bonnie Waddle of Woodbridge and Kathy Tidwell of Boise, Idaho; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Emil Bieber
Emil Bieber, formerly of Lodi, died July 11 at his home in Elk Grove of natural causes at the age of 85.
He lived in Lodi 42 years and moved to Elk Grove in 1985. He has an accounting background and owned Bieber Oldsmobile in Lodi.
He was a member of St. Peter's Lutheran Church. He enjoyed playing cards and the accordion. He also enjoyed golf, woodworking and model trains.
He was the last of 15 children and is survived by his children, Ron and Kate Bieber, Carolyn Fulton and Sandi Smoak, all of Elk Grove; seven grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and six great great-grandchildren.
A funeral service was held Tuesday at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Elk Grove. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Peter's Lutheran Church for the debt retirement fund. Ben Salas Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Elsie S. Smith
Elsie S. Smith passed away July 14, 2004 in Lodi at the age of 73. She was born Nov. 1, 2930 in Albany, Calif.
Elsie graduated from Emeryville High School. She moved to Hayward in 1964 where she lived until moving to Castro Valley in 1975. She returned to Hayward in 1990 and finally settled in Galt in 2003.
Elsie worked for Pacific Bell as a telecommunication engineer for more than 42 years until her retirement in 1985. She also worked for Mervyn's Department Store in Hayward for 13 years.
Surviving her are her daughter, Denise Coats and husband Rick of Galt; three grandchildren, Michael Smith, and Rickey and Chantel Coats; brother, Harry Strelo of Oakland; and sister, Sally Benedetti of Alaska.
Preceding her in death were her brothers, William Strelo, Jack Strelo and Elwood Strelo.
Friends are invited to attend memorial services on Friday, July 23, at 11:30 a.m., at the Douglas Morrison Theater in Hayward.
Memorial contributions may be made in Elsie's name to the Douglas Morrison Theater, 22311 North Third St., Hayward, CA 94541.
Inurnment at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland will be private. Lodi Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Jim Bovey
James Robert (Jim) Bovey passed away at home on Friday, July 16, 2004, at the age of 56 years.
He was born in Sacramento on Sept. 24, 1947 and moved to Stockton in 1949 with his family. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1966 and was employed by Chase Chevrolet in the service department.
He then returned to school, attending Delta College, and received his AA degree. He joined the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department, serving in the auxiliary department. Later he became a deputy and served for about two years.
Bovey then was a truck driver, employed by a flower distributor and later was employed by General Electric in the electronics field.
For the last six years, Valley Alarm employed him as a fire inspector until it became ADT Security and Fire Alarm Systems. He was a resident of the Lodi-Galt area for the past few years.
He enjoyed working, restoring old cars, electronics, and animals. He was a member of the Lodi Community Church and was known as the "sound man" as he was in charge of the PA and electronic systems.
Surviving him are his mother, Evelyn Bovey of Pacific Grove; his siblings, Peter Bovey of Los Angeles and Jenifer Bovey of San Francisco.
Preceding him in death was his father, Robert C. Bovey in 1987.
A memorial service will be held Wednesday, July 21, at 2 p.m. at the Lodi Community Church, 444 W. Turner Road, with Pastor Kevin Suess officiating. Private inurnment will be held in Pacific Grove. There will be no visitation.
Memorial contributions may be given in his memory to the Lodi community Church Memorial Fund, 444 W. Turner Road, Lodi, CA 95240.
A family remembrance memorial register may be signed at Cherokee Memorial Funeral Home, 831 Industrial Way, Lodi, on Wednesday from 8 a.m. to noon.
Cherokee Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. For more information, call 334-9613.
Obituaries for November 10, 2004
Carl E. Mothersell
Carl E. Mothersell of Thornton passed away from natural causes on Nov. 2, 2004. He was 86.
He was born on Feb. 13, 1916 in Olney Springs, Colo. He lived in the Galt and Thornton area for 51 years. He worked on the Kenworthy-Patterson Ranch from 1953-1993. He also built exhibits for the Thornton fairs and won best exhibit five years in a row. He was an excellent cook who loved to barbecue and prepare food in a smoker.
Surviving him are his son, Tim Mothersell of San Jose; grandsons, Alec, Benjamin and Cameron Grubb of San Jose; granddaughters, Jeri Young and Laura Grubb of San Jose; great grandsons, Nathan and Jared Young of Bullhead City, Ariz.
A memorial service will be held on Nov. 13 at 11 a.m. at the Ben Salas Funeral Home located at 149 Fourth Street in Galt. Committal will be private at the Copperopolis Cemetery.
Obituaries for July 19, 2006
Gary Lee Harrison
Gary Lee Harrison (57) passed away peacefully at his home in Galt on July 13, 2006. He was born in Lodi on Nov. 21, 1948 and was a lifelong resident.
Surviving him are his daughter, Tracy (Mike) Vosburgh of Herald; grandchildren, Justin and Shayne Vosburgh; siblings, Eugene Harrison of Florida, Melvin Harrison of Winters, Jo Ann Gunier of Lodi, Art Harrison of Acampo, Thelma Miller of Lodi, Carol Payne of Galt, Larry Harrison of Galt and Wayne Harrison of Galt.
Cherokee Memorial Funeral home is in charge of arrangements (John Monroe, 334-9613).
Lillia Lee Garrido
Lillia Lee Garrido (57) of Galt died July 14, 2006 at a local hospital. She was born Aug. 1, 1948 in Dos Palos to Beatrice and Quintin Acosta.
She grew up in Lockeford and moved to Galt 23 years ago. She worked as a cosmetologist in Lockeford and also worked as a CNA at Royal Oaks Convalescent Hospital in Galt. She was a member of Living Word Ministries in Lodi and loved helping needy people and animals. She especially enjoyed her grandchildren.
Surviving her are husband Jose Garrido of Galt, Christina Linsangan of Stockton, Angela Polendey of Lodi; Ricky Garrido and Joey Garrido, Jr. of Galt, and 15 grandchildren.
A graveside service was held at Harmony Grove Cemetery in Lockeford on Tuesday, July 18. Ben Salas Funeral Home handled arrangements.
Paul R. Anzelone
Funeral services are planned for Paul Robert Anzelone (59) on Tuesday, July 25, at 11 a.m. in Galt Funeral Home, 702 B Street, followed by interment in Galt Cemetery.
Mr. Anzelone was born Jan. 20, 1947 in San Francisco. He graduated from Polytechnic High School in San Francisco in 1965 and entered the Navy in October 1965. He was honorably discharged in August 1969, continuing his education at San Francisco City College and later at Skyline Junior College while working for GSA San Francisco as a mail clerk and then supply clerk.
He took a job with Safeway in October 1971 and worked his way up to store manager in San Francisco until he took a transfer to Safeway in Lodi as head night crew manager in 1988. He went on to work in Stockton and finally at Safeway-Laguna in Elk Grove when it was opened. He retired from Safeway after 35 years in January 2006.
Surviving him are his wife of 34 years, Donna Anzelone of Galt; two sons, Marcus and Brian; daughter-in-law, Tara; two grandsons, Bryce and Tate Anzelone; cousins, Paulette and Richard Roberts of San Leandro; daughter, Nicole; son, Alexander (and partner Janine) of Castro Valley; mother-in-law, Florence Stigelmayer; sister-in-law, Nancy; brothers-in-law, Steve and Jim Stigelmayer and their families.
His mother, Rubie Chase, and father-in-law, Emil Stigelmayer, preceded him in death.
Paul was a member of the Galt Area Historical Society and the Stockton Horseshoe Club, which was his passion. He enjoyed going to 49er games and rooting for his favorite team, the Chicago Bears. A favorite competition was Supercouples held in Pacifica by his friends, the Della-Santinas, at which he and his wife hold overall total points.
Friends are welcome for visitation on Monday, July 24, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Galt Funeral Home.
Donations can be made to the American Cancer Society, 1765 Challenge Way, Suite 115, Sacramento, CA 95815-5000.
John Ham
John Clyde Ham (44) of San Andreas, formerly of Galt, died June 25, 2006. He was born Sept. 16, 1961.
Mr. Ham was employed in the logging and heavy equipment industries and was a rancher of Angus cattle. He also worked with the 4-H and was a volunteer fireman for the fire department in San Andreas. He enjoyed teaching his children skills of many of his interests, including hunting, fishing, gold mining and operating heavy equipment.
Surviving him are his wife of 18 years, Tammy Jean (Clark) Ham; son, Jacob Ham; daughter, Erica Ham; sisters, Phyllis Ham of Elk Grove and Elizabeth Ford of Galt; brother, James Ham of Fort Bragg; and parents, John and Marlene Ham of Galt.
A memorial service will be held at noon Sunday, July 23, at the Metropolitan Theater in San Andreas.
San Andreas Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Elin May Dufur
Elin May Dufur of Galt passed away in her home on July 13, 2006. She was born on June 3, 1934 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
She and her husband moved to Galt in 1994. She had a great love for her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She had several different positions in the church. She enjoyed gardening and spending time with her family.
Her husband, Bill Dufur, preceded her in death in October 2004.
Surviving her are her children, William R. and Regina Dufur of Wagner, S.D., Cheryl R. and Raul Dufur-Ramirez of Buena Park, Kenneth J. and Diana Dufur of Gilroy, Michael and Debra Dufur of Lehi, Utah, Debra V. and the late George Hibbard of Galt, and Daneen K. and Everette Pate of Modesto; 16 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be on Monday, July 24, at 11 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, located on the corner of Vintage Oak and Carillion in Galt.
A viewing will be held prior to the funeral services at 10 a.m. at the church. Committal will follow at Cherokee Memorial Park in Lodi.
Phillip E. Rodman
Phillip E. Rodman passed away peacefully at his Galt ranch on July 6, 2006. He was born on Sept. 19, 1921 in Yakima, Wash., and later moved to San Francisco where he graduated from Polytechnic High School.
He bravely served in the cavalry in Burma during World War Ii. He also earned distinction for valor during 18 years as a police officer. But his true love was the cowboy way of life, and in 1965 he and his wife Judy brought a horse ranch in Galt where they raised three children. Over the years, he broke and traded many good horses, and his kids are all top rodeo hands.
Surviving him are his wife of 50 years, Judy; children, Russell, Walt and Tami of Galt; nephews, David Rosenthal, Jeff Rodman; and niece, Joan Rodman. He also leaves behind many cowboy and animal friends, and will be sorely missed.
A celebration of his life for all friends and family will be held on July 24 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Littleton Center, 410 Civic Drive in Galt.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sacramento SPCA.
