United States High School Yearbooks by County
Louise Saywell
Sharon Heights resident
A memorial Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 8, at St. Denis church for Louise Graham Saywell, who died April 30 at her home in Menlo Park. She was 60.
A native of San Francisco, Mrs. Saywell was a member of the first graduating class of Mercy High School in the city in 1956. She also graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in public health. She was a registered medical technologist, training at Children's Hospital, San Francisco.
The Saywell family has lived in Menlo Park since 1972, except for four years when they resided in Norwich, England.
For over 10 years, Mrs. Saywell served as vice president of the family printing business, which was sold in 1996. A member of Ladera Oaks Swim and Tennis Club, she was an avid tennis enthusiast, playing 4 or 5 days a week. She regularly attended the annual Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England.
Community activities included the Mid-Peninsula League of the San Francisco Symphony and the Roth Auxiliary for Children benefiting Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. She enjoyed working with young children and was a part-time preschool teacher for more than 30 years. Since her husband's retirement in 1996, she traveled extensively and also spent time with her granddaughters.
Survivors include her husband, George L. Saywell; daughter, Joan Saywell-Collins of Alameda; sons, John Saywell of Parker, Colorado, and Scott Saywell of Redwood City; parents Mary and George Graham of San Francisco; sister, Barbara Graham of San Francisco; and two granddaughters.
Memorials may be made to Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital or the San Francisco Symphony. Arrangements are under the direction of Menlo Park Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries.
Linda Disman
Menlo resident for 28 years
A celebration of the life of Linda E. Disman will be held from 3 to 7 p.m., Saturday, May 8, at her Menlo Park home. Mrs. Disman died April 29 of complications from multiple sclerosis. She was 56.
Survivors include her husband, Murray Disman, and brother Robert Eckert. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers gifts to the Palo Alto Humane Society, Wildlife Rescue or other animal assistance organizations. Arrangements under the direction of Spangler Mortuary, Menlo Park.
Angelina Frantz
Retired nurse
A memorial Mass and Rosary will be held Saturday, May 8, at 9:30 a.m. for Angelina Frantz, who died April 30. She was 82 years old.
A native of Florence, Colorado, Mrs. Frantz lived in Menlo Park for 50 years. She was a member of the Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park since 1951, a registered nurse at the Palo Alto V.A. Hospital for 22 years, and a veteran of the U.S. Army 92nd Evacuation Hospital unit during World War II.
She is survived by her children Sidney Joseph Frantz of Ogilvie, Minnesota, Mary Barbara Frantz of Woodland Park, Colorado, and Ann Teresa Stone of Modesto; her brother August (Gus) Vendetti of Florence, Colorado; and six grandchildren. Her husband, Sidney M. Frantz, preceded her in death.
Services will be held at the Church of the Nativity, 210 Oak Grove Avenue, in Menlo Park. Donations may be made to the Mid-Peninsula Hospice Foundation, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025; or to Sisters of the Corpus Christi Monastery, 215 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025. Arrangements were made by Redwood Chapel of Redwood City.
Charles Mosher
Electronic engineer
Charles Mosher, a Menlo Park resident for 35 years, died May 1 at Stanford Medical Center after suffering an aneurysm on April 30. He was 63.
Mr. Mosher was born in Cooperstown, New York. He graduated from California Institute of Technology in 1957 with a bachelor's degree in physics. He was proud of the fact he received a perfect score on his SAT exams for college entry.
After serving in the U.S. Army, he earned master's and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from Cornell University.
A senior engineer with Varian Associates from 1963 to 1974, then a manager of product development at Nuclear Equipment until 1978, he joined Computervision Corp., and later worked as an electronic engineer for TCI.
Since 1989, he has been teaching classes and holding offices in several organizations, including the Bay Area Amphibians and Reptile Society, the East Palo Alto Area Drug Task Force, Palo Alto Junior Museum, Parents Without Partners, and the Little House Computer Club.
Mr. Mosher was a hiker, bicyclist, photographer, and camper. As an "eccentric genius," he was fond of shocking people with his unusual antics.
Mr. Mosher is survived by his son Alexander, daughter Vivi, brother Lanning, and three nieces. He was formerly married to Naidia Woolf. Donations may be made in his memory to a "reptile education fund," care of BAARS, Palo Alto Junior Museum, 1451 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, 94301.
Eleanor Q. Hanson
Resident of Sequoias
Eleanor Quandt Hanson, who, with her husband, Raymond, spent a half century serving the Presbyterian Church, died April 21 at Stanford Medical Center. She was 86.
Mrs. Hanson was born in Oakland and earned a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley. In 1935 she married Raymond Hanson, who went on to establish the Hanson, Bridgett, Marcus, Vlahos & Rudy law firm in San Francisco.
The couple was instrumental in founding the San Mateo Presbyterian Church in the 1940s and were later members of churches in Burlingame and Portola Valley. A talented singer, Mrs. Hanson took part in church music programs.
The Hansons moved to the Sequoias in the 1980s. As president of Northern California Presbyterian Homes Inc. in the 1950s, Mr. Hanson was instrumental in establishing a number of Presbyterian retirement communities, including The Sequoias.
The couple enjoyed travelling worldwide, making trips to their vineyard in Napa Valley, and visiting Ashland, Oregon, where Mr. Hanson served on the Shakespeare Festival's board of directors. Mrs. Hanson was dedicated to her eight grandchildren and sharing her Christian faith with them, her family says.
Mrs. Hanson is survived by her daughters Lynne Dilling and Christine Cabot, both of Los Altos; eight grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. Her husband, Raymond Hanson, died in 1996.
Donations to found a Eleanor Hanson memorial at the Sequoias may be sent to NCPHS Foundation, c/o The Sequoias, 501 Portola Road, Portola Valley, California 94028. Memorials may be made in Mrs. Hanson's name to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1300 Harmon Place, P.O. Box 779, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55440-0779.
John W. Gerkensmeyer
Art editor
Services have been held for John W. Gerkensmyer, a resident of Menlo Park for 50 years, who died May 2, He was 76.
A native of Oakland, Gerkensmeyer was an art editor for the San Fraancisco Examiner for 35 years.
He is survived by six children: Kathyn Gutohrlein of Seattle, Susan O'Hare of Menlo Park, John of Arnold, Thomas of San Leandro, Mark of Mountain View, and David of Gilroy. He also leaves nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. His wife, Phyllis, preceded him in death.
Services were held May 7 at Redwood Chapel, Redwood City, with interment at Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno. Donations may be made to Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, 725 Welch Road, Palo Alto, 94304.
V.J. (Barney) Moran
Retired Navy specialist
V.J. (Barney) Moran, a native of Duluth, Minnesota, died May 11 at Stanford Hospital. He was 80 years old.
Mr. Moran served as a chief specialist in the U.S. Navy Department in Washington, D.C., for five years. While there, he married Norma Rude, a native San Franciscan. The couple subsequently moved to San Francisco before settling in Menlo Park in 1949.
Mr. Moran joined James D. Dole & Associates, a management company, in 1947, and served as secretary/treasurer of several small companies before retiring in 1978.
When he had lived in Menlo Park for just one year, he was accidentally listed by the county's health department as the county's second polio death of 1950. He contacted reporters himself to say he was still very much alive, and said later that he had been amused by the mix-up, but saddened that friends had been upset by the mistake.
He is survived by his wife, Norma Rude Moran; and children Patrick Moran and Nancy Hansen.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to a charity of the donor's choice.
Laura Johnson
Active LDS member
Laura Snow Johnson died at her Menlo Park home May 3. She was 88.
Mrs. Johnson was born in Manti, Utah, and graduated from the University of Utah where she was a member of the Honorary Society and Chi Omega sorority. After graduation, she moved to Northern California where she met her husband, Lund Johnson. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1936. Mr. Johnson died in 1987.
Mrs. Johnson was an active member of the LDS church all her life, writing road shows and teaching literary lessons in Relief Society. She wrote original poetry and could recite hundreds of poems from memory, family members say.
The Johnsons lived in the Mother Lode country for 15 years after Mr. Johnson's retirement, moving back to the Bay Area in 1986. Mrs. Johnson dedicated her life to her family, was a lover of nature and "the simple life," family members say.
Survivors include three children: Judy Brigham of Los Altos, Jill Smith of Palo Alto, and Lund Johnson of Pocatello, Idaho; 19 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.
Services were at the Menlo Park Latter-day Saints Stake Center and interment at Wasatch Lawn Cemetery. Arrangements were by Roller and Hapgood Funeral Home.
Eloise Gannon
Atherton resident
Services were held May 6 at St. Denis Catholic Church for Eloise T. Gannon who loved the San Francisco Giants and a good game of bridge. Mrs. Gannon died May 2 at Stanford Medical Center. She was 81.
Mrs. Gannon was born in Ukiah, where her mother was a member of the pioneering Cunningham family. She attended Dominican College in San Rafael, Armstrong Business College in the East Bay, and was trained as a dental assistant.
The Gannon family moved to Atherton 47 years ago. She was a member of St. Denis Catholic Church for 36 years, a longtime member of Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club, Moneybags (an investment group), and she belonged to several bridge groups.
"She played duplicate, any kind of bridge and she was very good," recalls her son Tom. She was also known as a loyal Giants fan, and in earlier years, never missed an opening day. "She was a strong supporter of Willie McCovey," says her son.
Survivors include her husband, Philip E. Gannon, partner in Keller & Gannon, a consulting engineering firm in San Francisco; and five children: Ann Arsenault of Gold Beach, Oregon; Terese Wright of Lodi; Thomas Gannon of Novato; and Maureen Riedy and Philip Gannon Jr., both of San Anselmo. She is also survived by 11 grandchildren; a sister Catherine Golden of Ukiah, sister-in-law Gabriella Thomas of San Francisco, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorials may be made to Dominican College Alumnae Relations, 50 Acacia Ave., San Rafael, CA. interment was in Holy Cross Cemetery, Menlo Park, with arrangements by Redwood Chapel, Redwood City.
R. Sutton Myers
Longtime resident of Menlo Park
R. Sutton Myers, a native of Oakland and resident of Menlo Park at the time of his death, died April 30. He was 92.
Mr. Myers spent his entire working life in the steamship business, both afloat and ashore in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago. He was a member of the class of 1931 at the University of California at Berkeley.
Mr. Myers is survived by his children Sally M. Hodge of Bartlett, Illinois; Margaret G. Becker of Long Grove, Illinois; Robert S. Myers of Santa Monica; and Elizabeth F. Myers of San Francisco; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
No services will be held. Mr. Myers's ashes will be scattered at sea.
Richard Starr
Avid hunter, fisherman
A visitation will be held for Menlo Park resident Richard Thomas Starr on Thursday, May 13, from 7 to 9 p.m. at John O'Connor's Menlo Colonial Chapel, 657 Oak Grove Ave. in Menlo Park. Mr. Starr died May 8 at the age of 80.
A native of Illinois, Mr. Starr was an avid hunter and fisherman, his family says. He was a retired city of Menlo Park employee.
He is survived by his wife Angelina; children Thomas, Ronald and Nancy Hackler; and four grandchildren.
A visitation also will be held Friday, May 14, at 10:30 a.m. with Mass at 11 a.m. at St. Raymond Catholic Church, 1100 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park.
Contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, Mid-Peninsula branch, 1475 S. Bascom Ave., Campbell, CA 95008.
Aubrey Fairfax
Lawyer
Memorial services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 22, at the Stanford Faculty Club Patio, Lagunita Drive in Stanford, for Aubrey Fairfax, one-time resident of Menlo Park. Mr. Fairfax died March 31 at the age of 79.
Mr. Fairfax grew up in Marin County and San Francisco. He served in the U.S. Navy as an aviator during World War II and graduated from Stanford University and Stanford Law School. He lived in Menlo Park, then Palo Alto, practicing law in Palo Alto.
Mr. Fairfax married his first wife, Norma, in 1955 and was with her until her death in 1987. He married his second wife, Marian, in 1992 and together they moved to Prescott, Arizona. Mr. Fairfax enjoyed being in the outdoors, fishing, playing dominoes and working in his garden. He had a great sense of humor and a sharp mind through his final days, say family members.
Mr. Fairfax is survived by his wife, Marian; son, Ray; daughter, Susanne; and sister, Barbara Phinney.
Donations may be made to Sempervirens Fund, Drawer BE, Los Altos, CA 94023.
Myron L. Gossard
Retired engineer
Myron L. Gossard, a resident of Portola Valley for 41 years, died May 8. He was 85.
Mr. Gossard was born in Lamark, Illinois. After high school he attended the University of Illinois at Urbana, where he studied civil engineering. He received a bachelor's degree in 1937, a master of science in 1939, and a Ph.D. in 1949.
In 1940, while teaching engineering courses at Iowa State College, he met and married Erma Haviland of Ames, Iowa. During World War II he was an engineer for Curtiss-Wright Aircraft Co. in Louisville, Kentucky, then as a research engineer with NACA (now NASA) at Hampton, Virginia. He has been a member of the AIAA since 1942.
The family settled in Portola Valley in 1957, where Mr. Gossard worked with Lockheed Missile and Space Co. He retired as a staff engineer in 1979.
He was active in the building of the Valley Presbyterian Church and served as clerk of the session during the year of the church's construction.
In his retirement years Mr. Gossard and his wife traveled extensively in their trailer throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
He is survived by Erma, his wife of 59 years; sons Tom of Chatsworth, California, and Harry of Redwood City; daughters Nancy of Seattle and Judy of Portola Valley; daughter-in-law Jill of Redwood City; and two grandchildren. A daughter, Mary Lee, preceded him in death.
Private services have been held.
George C. King
Metal company founder
George C. King, who lived in Woodside for nearly 40 years, died at his home on May 11. He was 96.
A native of San Francisco, Mr. King was the owner of Endurance Metal Products Co. in South San Francisco until his retirement in 1974. He was a member of Native Sons of the Golden West, Redwood Parlor #65.
Mr. King is survived by his sister Margie Hatten of Woodland; sisters-in-law Emily Daniels of San Carlos and Elizabeth DeBenedtti of Redwood City; godson Barry Daniels of Redwood City, and numerous nieces and nephews. His wife, Margie King, died in 1985.
Graveside services were held May 14 at Alta Mesa Memorial Park, Palo Alto, under the direction of Crippen & Flynn Chapel, Redwood City. Memorial donations may be made to: The Cleft Palate Fund, Native Sons of the Golden West, 414 Mason St., #300, San Francisco 94102, or the Madeline B. Wallace Scholarship Fund, Native Daughters of the Golden West, Bonita Parlor #10, 154 Cerrito Avenue, Redwood City, 94061.
Irmgard C. Peterson
Seamstress
A "Celebration of Life" service will be held for Woodside resident Irmgard C. Peterson on Monday, June 14, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Michael's Restaurant in Sunnyvale. Ms. Peterson died May 3. She was 58.
Ms. Peterson was born in Austria and worked in a men's suit factory in Germany for many years. She met her husband, Wayne, while she was on vacation in Yugoslavia in 1966. She and her husband moved to Woodside in 1974.
Ms. Peterson was a trained seamstress, known by many in the Woodside and Atherton area for her outstanding alterations and complete dresses, friends say.
She is survived by her husband, Wayne; parents Franz and Zaezilia Hemetsberger; brother Franz Hemetsberger; and sister Elfriede Schmid.
Ms. Peterson's ashes have been returned to Austria, where a memorial service will be held.
