Obituaries for January 1, 2003
Margaret Jillson
Graveside services were held Friday for Elk Grove native Margaret F. (Backer) Jillson, who died Dec. 21, 2002, at the age of 75.
Mrs. Jillson grew up in Elk Grove, graduating from Elk Grove High School, after which she attended the University of California, Davis. She was a lifelong rancher in Franklin, and resided in Herald for the past 10 years.
She is survived by her children, Thomas Jillson and wife Joyce of Herald and Jane Jillson of Citrus Heights; her grandchildren, Elizabeth Jillson of Corvallis, Oregon and Terry Langstone of Huntington, Indiana; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Mrs. Jillson was the sister of Laura Wasson of Colorado Springs and the sister-in-law of Irma Backer of Franklin.
Services were at the Franklin Cemetery, corner of Hood-Franklin Road and Franklin Boulevard. Arrangements were by Nicoletti, Culjis & Herberger.
"Bob" Smith
Robert Warren Smith of Galt passed away suddenly of natural causes on Dec. 22. He was 58. Born in Wichita, Kansas on Jan. 8, 1944, he stayed in Wichita until 1967 when he moved to Galt. He was a retired truck driver and former owner of the Corner Pocket in Lodi.
An avid pool player, he was a member of the Lodi Pool League. He was also a loyal member of the Lodi Moose Lodge.
He is survived by his wife, Jo Lynne Smith; a daughter, Kimberly Kay Forbes; a son, Robert Warren Smith, Jr.; grandchildren, Christopher Forbes, Sara Smith and Nathan Forbes, all of Galt.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Eva and Dennis Smith of Galt, and his brothers, Paul and Dick Smith.
A memorial service was held on Dec. 27 at the Ben Salas Funeral Home in Galt. Pastor Larry Brand of the River of Life Church in Galt officiated.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Arthritis Foundation at 3040 Explorer Drive, Suite 1, Sacramento, CA 95827.
Tony Pacheco
Tony W. Pacheco died Dec. 21, 2002 at the age of 94. He was born Oct. 11, 1908.
Tony came to the Bay Area at the age of 2 from the Fayal, Azores with his parents and older brother, Joseph. He attended schools in Newark, San leandro and Hayward.
He was a dairy farmer in Newark, an apricot rancher in Mission San Jose when the population was 342, a carpenter in the Fremont/Hayward area, and finally a registered Angus cattle rancher for many years in the Central Valley, in Waterford and Galt.
He built three beautiful wood hull boats so he could pursue his favorite sports, water skiing and fishing.
Tony was preceded in death by his wife of 691/2 years, Stella Serpa of Hayward; his brother, Joe Pacheco of Hayward; and his sister, Mary. He is survived by his daughter, Betty Pacheco of Fremont, his brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Louise and Bernice Serpa of Fremont and Clifford and Dorothy Serpa of Gustine, Connie Serpa of Marin and Shirley Serpa of Oakdale. He is survived by many godchildren, nieces and nephews and great nieces and great nephews, many friends and his three care-givers.
Flowers are welcome, as are donations to Sister John Marie's Pantry, P.O.Box 32-48, Fremont, CA 94538; or Adult Day Care Senior Center, 125 S. Hutchins, Suite F, Lodi, CA 95240.
A vigil service was held Dec. 26 at the Fremont Memorial Chapel mortuary. A funeral mass was held Dec. 27 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Fremont. Burial followed at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Hayward.
Ruth Lewis
Ruth Lewis of Galt passed away from a lengthy illness on Dec. 25, 2002. She was 70.
Born Ruth Smith on Feb. 4, 1932 in Fordyce, Arkansas, she lived in the Galt area for the past eight years.
She was retired from the FMC Company where she worked as a keyboard operator. She was a member of the Southgate Seventh-day Adventist Church. She loved music, crocheting, home decorating and flower gardens.
She is survived by her sister, Thelma Wagner of Galt.
A funeral service was held Dec. 30 at the Southgate Seventh-day Adventist Church in Sacramento. Pastor Dick Debitt officiated. Committal was private at the Cherokee Memorial Park following the service.
Obituaries for February 18, 2004
Franklin F. Harper
Franklin Floyd Harper of Acampo died Feb. 9, 2004 at a local convalescent home. He was born Aug. 23, 1934 in Mesa, Arizona to Roy and Eva Harper.
His family moved to the Herald area where they farmed. He moved to Galt in the sixth grade and graduated from Galt High School in 1952. He served in the US Army from 1957 to 1959. He then became a dental lab technician and owned his own business.
After his retirement, he returned to farming locally for many years. He was one of the original founders of the Galt Church of Christ, and a current member of Galt United Methodist Church and the Old Car Club. He enjoyed square dancing, building things and RVing with his wife.
Surviving him are his wife, Marcy Harper of Acampo; sons, Scott Harper of Bakersfield and Timothy Harper of Pennsauken, New Jersey; six grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
A memorial celebration of his life was held Feb. 14 at Galt United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Galt United Methodist Church/Harper Fund.
Ben Salas Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Jim Moore
James Bryan Moore, Jr., 78, of Galt, peacefully passed away at home on Feb. 14, 2004. He was born in Eureka on Nov. 16, 1925.
Mr. Moore lived in the Lodi/Galt region for the past 42 years. In addition to his 50 years of service as an irrigation engineer, solving water problems for farmers, municipalities and entire governments, he was known as a regular volunteer in civic activities in the Galt, Lodi and Stockton areas.
He was a naval electrical engineer in the Pacific Fleet during WWII before attending Humboldt State and Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo.
Surviving him are his wife of 54 years, Becky Moore; sons, Gil Moore of Elk Grove and John Moore of Hanalei, Kauau; daughter, Johanna Gorski of Elk Grove; five grandchildren; and sisters, Pat Clark of Prineville, Oregon and Janis Saunders of Trinidad.
The family invites friends to attend a memorial mass at St. Christopher's Church in Galt on Friday, Feb. 20, at 9 a.m., with reception to follow.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in his honor to "Friends of the Galt Library."
Obituaries for March 3, 2004
James L. Donahue
James Leon Donahue was born March 30, 1923 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He passed away Feb. 25, 2004 in Sacramento. He was 80 years old.
He graduated from high school in Euclid, Ohio. Immediately after, he joined the United States Navy where he served in WWII and the Korean War. In 1944, he married Joan Fisher. The couple recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.
After his military service, James began working for Pacific Telephone and Telegraph as an electrician's mate. He held this position through many changes of the phone company, carrying over to Pacific Bell, and finally retiring from AT&T after more than 35 years of service.
James enjoyed camping, boating, motor home travel, and especially fishing. He leaves to cherish his memory, his wife of 60 years; Joan Donahue of Galt; daughters; Barbara Lee Stribley and her husband John of Red Bluff, Cora Sue Philpot and her husband Robert of Wilton, and Pamela Ruth Orcutt of Galt; grandchildren; Kevin, David, and Blair Benzler, Mark George, Eric Sherman, and Shannan Philpot, 13 great-grandchildren; and his brother, John Adams of Napa. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Leona Donohue; and his sister, Bernadine Donohue.
Friends attended a memorial service on March 1 at the Galt Funeral Home. Inurnment was private. Galt Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Ruth M. Edwards
Ruth Maxine Edwards passed away Feb. 26, 2004 of natural causes. She was born Ruth Maxine Presley of Oklahoma (Indian Territory), on Feb. 7, 1920. Ruth was 84 years old.
Prior to living in Galt for 27 years, Ruth lived in Lodi for 25 years. She was a homemaker and member of the Lodi Christian Life Church since 1964, enjoyed sewing, church, cooking, and collecting recipes. She started oil painting at the age of 78 and loved visiting and spending time with her grandchildren.
She is survived by her children, Jerry Edwards of Clements, Janice Gentry of Utah, Joyce Hall of Lodi, Beverly (Karen) Stevens of Galt, Linda Tice of Woodbridge, and Judy Bonar of Galt; 15 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.
Her husband, Donald Edwards, preceded her in death in 1997.
Pastor Richard Francis held services March 2 at Lodi Christian Life Church. Committal was held at Galt Cemetery.
Bob Steiner
Emil Robert "Bob" Steiner passed away in Cottonwood, Arizona on Jan. 30, 2004. Born in Sacramento on March 22, 1929, he was raised in Galt, where he attended Galt High School and was a cheerleader along with his twin brother, Dick.
He attended the University of Santa Clara, Menlo College, and also Sacramento State College. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy Seabees where he served in the Philippine Islands for four years during the Korean War. He met his wife, Phyllis, in Lake Tahoe, and was married in 1955.
Raising their two children, Kimberly and Jeffrey, in Thornton, he managed the family business, "Steiner's Market," where he was also very active as a Boy Scout leader and volunteer firefighter.
His family later moved to Stockton in 1968 where he worked at Turner Hardware Store, first in Lodi, then in Stockton, and later for Lumberjack in Stockton. While living in Stockton, he enjoyed vegetable gardening, wooden duck decoy carving. traveling and fishing in Alaska, and time spent with his family.
Retiring in 1989 due to his heart bypass surgery, his wife and he decided to become full-time RVers and spent many summers in Alaska and winters in Cottonwood, Arizona, along with traveling through much of the United States.
During this time, they also spent much time with their son, Jeffrey and his wife Cathy, and their daughter, Sara, and also with their daughter, Kimberly, and her children, Savannah and Jeremy.
Bob's wife of 45 years, Phyllis, passed away in May 2002, and Bob's twin brother, Dick, passed away in June 2003.
Bob is survived by his brothers, Herb and Gene Steiner; and his sister, Dorothy Kennedy.
Bob described his life as both a challenge and an adventure, and had written before his death, "Live life to the max while you are young and in good health. Do things that others would not do and remember the good times. You may have some tough times in life but there are always better times to come. Keep a strong clean mind and have faith and you will succeed in life."
Jessica J. Harwood
Jessica Jayne Harwood, infant daughter of Michael and Teresa Harwood of Elk Grove, was born on Feb. 17, 2004 and died four days later.
"She blessed us in many ways. We said hello and good-bye too quickly!"
Her parents; one brother, Jacob Harwood; maternal grandparents, Lloyd and Carol Levaggi; paternal grandmother, Nancy White; and many aunts, uncles and cousins, will miss her.
Services will be held Saturday, and interment will be in Plymouth.
Remembrances may be made to Support Organization For Trisomy (S.O.F.T), 2982 South Union St., Rochester, NY 14624.
Obituaries for June 30, 2004
Lloyd D. Watson
Lloyd Daugherty Watson of Herald passed away from natural causes on June 17, 2004. He was 65.
He was born on Jan. 16, 1939 in Lodi. He lived in the Lodi/Herald area his entire life.
He was Chief Inspector for Aerospace Manufacturing, retired and served as a United States Marine from 1958-1964. He enjoyed fishing and painting.
Surviving him are his wife, Kathleen Shubert-Watson; children, Andrew Watson of Westwood, Christopher Watson of San Diego, Daniel martin of Sacramento, Heidi Cox of Citrus Heights and Heather Lobel of Ferndale, Michigan; brothers, John Watson of Sun City West, Arizona and Michael Watson of North Carolina; and 10 grandchildren.
A memorial service was held Jan. 28 at the Ben Salas Funeral Home.
Elmer W. Neuhoff
Elmer William Neuhoff of Galt passed away in Lodi on June 25, 2004 at the age of 73.
Mr. Neuhoff was born in Indiana on Feb. 27, 1931. He served in the U.S. Marines. He was employed at ABF Trucking as a long-distance truck driver for 25 years, until his retirement.
Surviving him are his wife, Irene Neuhoff of Galt; children, Debra Bortello of Mission Viejo and Elmer William Neuhoff, Jr. of Tucson, Arizona; step-daughter, Kimberly Molina of Glendale, Arizona; three grandchildren; brothers, John Neuhoff of Springfield, Illinois and Larry Neuhoff of St. Louis, Missouri.
Preceding him in death were his brother, Richard Neuhoff and sister, Patricia Sharpe.
There is no visitation, and inurnment will be private. A virtual register book may be signed at www.lodifuneralhome.com where memories may be shared. Galt Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Solomon Winkler
Solomon Winkler of Herald passed away from natural causes on June 24, 2004. He was 72.
He was born on Sept. 10, 1931 in Low Point, Illinois and was a resident of the Herald area for 28 years. He was retired from the aerospace industry.
Surviving him are his wife, Ann Winkler of Herald; daughter, Debbie Winkler of Herald; sons, Solomon Winkler Jr. of Galt and Walter Green of Colorado; grandchildren, David and Floyd Winkler of Galt, Walter T. Green, and Jonathan and Annie Green of Colorado.
No services have been planned.
Robert Francis Gorden
Robert Francis Gorden of Galt passed away in Galt on June 28, 2004. He was 55. Mr. Gorden was born in Lamar, CO. on September 10, 1948. He moved to the local area about 40 years ago. He married Shirley Ann Weller on November 14, 1966. He was self-employed in construction doing sheet rockwork.
He is survived by his wife, Shirley Ann Gorden of Galt; son, Christopher Wayne Gorden of Galt; three grandchildren; mother, Mary Brown of Galt; sisters, Helen Floria of Santa Clarits, Barbara Thweatt of Stockton and Brenda Hurias of Galt.
He was preceded in death by his son, Chuck Gorden in 1990.
A memorial service will be held at the family residence on Saturday, July 3 at 11 a.m. with pastor Mike Abdollahzadeh of the Lodi Avenue Baptist Church officiating. There is no visitation and committal will be private. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 207 East Alpine Avenue, Stockton, CA 95204 or Hospice of San Joaquin, 2609 east Hammer Lane, Stockton, CA 95210-4222. A virtual register book may be signed at www.lodifuneralhome.com where memories may be shared. Galt funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Obituaries for June 28, 2006
Peter Villarreal Gomez
Peter Villarreal Gomez (49), formerly of Galt, died in San Francisco on June 13, 2006 after a lengthy illness. He was born in Fresno on Aug. 21, 1956.
Peter also lived in Delano, moving to San Francisco two years ago. He graduated from Lodi's Tokay High School and was on the wrestling team four years and on the track team and water polo team. He attended San Francisco City College and was employed as an insurance underwriter.
Surviving Peter are his mother, Rita Villarreal of Galt; brothers, Manuel Gomez of Galt, Cal Villarreal of Lodi, Robert Villarreal of Galt, Richard Montoya of Galt, Steve Villarreal of San Jose, joey Villarreal of Colorado, and Charlie Villarreal of Sacramento; plus 27 nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, June 30, at Galt Cemetery. Ben Salas Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Clifton L. Kimball
Clifton L. (Mickey) Kimball (73) passed away on June 23, 2006 after a long battle with emphysema and heart problems. He was born Oct. 7, 1932 in Leavenworth, Kansas.
Mickey moved to Colorado in 1937 where his father owned and worked small coal mines in eastern Utah and around the Steamboat Springs area of Colorado. He served his country during the Korean Conflict.
Mickey worked at the Telluride Mine, later the Idarado Mining Company, for several years where he met Rena Marie Mulvey. They were married on June 8, 1957 in Grand Junction, Colorado. Mickey and family moved to Sawpit, Colorado where they operated the Sawpit Store and Gas Market with Kate Mulvey from 1970-1975, and also owned and operated a small construction business.
Mickey subsequently worked for Atlas Minerals in Moab, Utah and TIC (The Industrial Company) of Steamboat Springs, Colorado where he was a journeyman pipe fitter, welder and millwright. Later they moved to California, settling in Herald, where he worked for the Department of Corrections at Soledad until his retirement in 2001.
Mickey was active in the Telluride Elks Lodge, was a member of the Telluride Fire Department and the Placerville Fire Department. He loved to travel in his RV.
Surviving him are his wife, Rena; son, Michael G. (Joyce) Kimball; daughter, Cristal (Barry) Power; four grandchildren, Andi (Wald), Michael Kimball, Sean Kimball Pell and Christopher Bingham; one great-grandchild, Nicholas; and sister, Vickie Anderson of Vernal.
One son, Dale Kimball, preceded him in death in 1986.
Interment will be in Telluride, Colorado at the lone Tree Cemetery. The Galt Funeral Home handled all arrangements.
Terry Lee Alstrum
Terry Lee Alstrum (59) of Galt died suddenly on June 25, 2006 in a Sacramento hospital from natural causes. He was born on Nov. 5, 1946 in Sacramento and has lived in the Galt area since 1946.
His parents, Irvin and Harriet Alstrum, preceded him in death.
A chapel service will be held at Ben Salas Funeral Home on Thursday, June 29, at 11 a.m. Committal will follow at Galt Cemetery. Viewing will be from 9 a.m. to service time at the funeral home.
