United States High School Yearbooks by County
Robert Dean Wall
A memorial service will be held at the Yountville Chamber of Commerce Sunday, Aug. 5, at 11 a.m. for Robert Dean Wall of Yountville, who died July 1 at St. Helena Hospital. He was 75.
Mr. Wall, who grew up in Shafter, Calif., married Joan Humann in 1950. He was sent to the Korean War Oct. 30, 1950, and was in the 40th division. He trained in the Surgical Technician School and worked in the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital until he was discharged in 1952.
He then farmed 80 acres in Shafter, growing barley, cotton and potatoes. Following the death of his wife, Mr. Wall retired from the farm in 1990 and moved to Yountville to be closer to his son and daughter. He worked for the Chamber of Commerce and was recognized as the Volunteer of the Year.
He is survived by his daughter, Candy Wall; son Rod Wall; three grandchildren, Michael, Jonathan and Aaron Hawks; and his sister, Harriet Eckern. Services directed by Richard Pierce Funeral Services, Napa.
Donald Hemphill
A memorial service will be held Thursday, June 27 at 2 p.m. for Dr. Donald Vincent Hemphill, former professor and naturalist, at the Pacific Union College Seventh-day Adventist Church youth chapel. Dr. Hemphill died June 20. He was 84.
Dr. Hemphill was born in San Francisco to Paul and Ida Hemphill. He moved to the Valley and attended high school at PUC Prep and then college at PUC. After receiving a master’s degree from U.C. Berkeley in 1944, he returned to PUC as a professor and later became chairman of the Department of Biology. While at PUC, his classes were referred to as “Uncle Don’s Story Hour” and he earned the title “Mr. Diogenes Lantern,” for providing that flower every year for homecoming.
He enjoyed spending summers at the Mendocino Biological Field Station and teaching marine biology. He also enjoyed leading wilderness ecology backpacking trips.
He is survived by his three children and their spouses, John Franklin Hemphill and wife, Edna of Angwin, Julie Finley and husband, David, of Angwin and Jeannie McLellan and husband, Bill, of Martinez. He is also survived by one grandson, Donald Finely of Angwin, and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Winifred Hemphill.
interment will be at the St. Helena Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the PUC Biology Department.
Arrangements by Morrison Funeral Chapel.
Merlin Forgey
A memorial service will be held at Redwood Campmeeting the later part of July for Merlin Chester Forgey, a former resident of Deer Park who died June 14. He was 68.
Mr. Forgey was born to Robert and Myrtle Forgey in Chowchilla Calif. He served five years in the U.S. Air Force as a military policeman.
After working constrution for many years, he retired to Deer Park. He enjoyed gardening, mechanics and talking to people.
He is survived by seven siblings, Glenn Forgey of Hermiston, Ore., Donald Forgey of Mabton, Wash., three sisters of St. Helena, Elma Forgey, Eunice Robinson and Fern Chamberlin, Roberta Friesen of Rohnert Park and Edith Habenhict of Berrien Springs, Mich.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Claude Forgey.
interment will be at the St. Helena Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Thunderbird Pathfinders at Elmshaven SDA Church.
Arrangements by Morrison Funeral Chapel.
Melvin Nelson
Melvin Nelson, 97, died of a stroke Tuesday, June 18, at St. Bernadine Medical Center in San Bernardino, Calif. He was 97.
Born Aug. 5, 1904, in Oakland, he was a 66-year resident of Deer Park. Mr. Nelson earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Pacific Union College in 1928 and worked as an accountant for St. Helena Hospital for 31 years. He also had his own accounting business in St. Helena. In Deer Park, he had served as a deputy sheriff and assistant chief of the fire department, as well as on the boards of various local hospitals, including Queen of the Valley. He was a member of the Elmshaven Seventh-day Adventist Church for 66 years.
He married Nettie Howland on Oct. 18, 1927; she died in 1993.
Survivors include two sons, Alvin E. Nelson of Angwin and Ivan T. Nelson of Riverside, Calif.; a daughter, Eva K. Nelson-Reiss of Redlands, Calif.; 15 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.
Services were held Monday, June 24, at 11 a.m. at the Elmshaven Seventh-day Adventist Church, and graveside services will be Monday at 1 p.m. at the St. Helena Cemetery.
Arrangements are being handled by Miller Jones and Crematory, 26770 Murietta Road, Sun City, CA 92586.
May Graves
A private service was held for May Graves, a longtime resident of the Napa Valley, who died July 7 at Marlinda Convalescent Hospital in St. Helena. She was 98.
Mrs. Graves was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and was married to Allen Graves.
She was preceded in death by her husband.
interment will be at St. Helena Cemetery.
Arrangements by Richard Pierce Funeral Service.
Rosetta A. Spicer
A funeral service was held Monday, July 15 for Rosetta A. Spicer, a former Oakville vineyard owner, who died Wednesday, July 10. She was 89.
Mrs. Spicer was born and raised in the Midwest. She was an R.N. She and her family moved to Napa in 1979 and purchased a vineyard on Money Road. She participated in all the diverse tasks including the management and maintenance of the vineyard. Mrs. Spicer enjoyed being a homemaker and loved ballroom dancing.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Henry Spicer and her brother Harold Almendinger.
She is survived by her children LaDonna Spicer of Napa and Ron Spicer and his wife, Kathleen, of Napa; her stepdaughters Jackie Altamura and husband, George of Napa and Pat Smith of Elgin, Minn and several step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Napa Valley, 3299 Claremont Way, Napa, CA 94558.
Arrangements by Morrison Funeral Chapel.
Marvin F. Switzer
A funeral service was held Friday, July 12 for Marvin F. Switzer, a former resident of St. Helena, who died July 9. He was 77.
Mr. Switzer served in World War II and the Korean Conflict. Following WWII, he began a career in insurance, which he returned to after the Korean Conflict.
He and his wife, Louise, moved to St. Helena in 1982. While in St. Helena, he was a member of the St. Helena American Legion, Sons of Italy, Native Sons of the Golden West and St. Helena Bocce Ball Club. He enjoyed maintaining his vineyard, playing bocce ball and watching the 49ers.
He was preceded in death by two brothers, Raymond and Melvin Switzer.
He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Louise Switzer of St. Helena; two children, Darrell Moody of Sacramento and Linda Minnick of Concord; one stepdaugher, Gena Stephens of Pacifica; one sister, Eunice Kuykendall of Middletown; four grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
Memorial donations may be made to the St. Helena High School Agriculture Program, 1401 Grayson Ave., St. Helena or to WeCare Animal Rescue, 1345 West Charter Oak Avenue, St. Helena.
Arrangements by Morrison Funeral Chapel.
Elsie Rush Morgan
A private memorial service was held in Monterey for Elsie Grace Rush Morgan, who died in Sparks, Nev., July 8. She was 43.
Mrs. Morgan was born March 25, 1958 in San Francisco and grew up in St. Helena, graduating from St. Helena High School in 1976. Upon graduation, she moved to Sacramento to attend American River College, majoring in business and psychology. While living in Sacramento she worked as an attorney’s assistant before marrying and moving to Sparks.
She is survived by her husband, William Morgan, and her daughter, Victoria Leigh-Anne Morgan.
She was predeceased by her parents.
It was her request that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to a favorite charity.
Robert D. Wall
The time of a memorial service for Robert Dean Wall of Yountville has been changed to 1 p.m. and will be held at the Yountville Chamber of Commerce Sunday, Aug. 5.
Mr. Wall died July 1 at St. Helena Hospital. Services are under the direction of Richard Pierce Funeral Services, Napa.
