United States High School Yearbooks by County
Mariano Batin
No services are planned for Mariano Batin, who died Monday in Watsonville. He was 88.
Mr. Batin was born in the Philippines, and lived in Santa Cruz County for 40 years.
He worked at Daylight Market before retiring. He enjoyed walking and touring by bus.
He is survived by wife Felicidad Batin of Santa Cruz; daughter Mercedes Rogriguez of Reno, Nev.; and three grandchildren.
His body will be cremated.
Davis Memorial Chapel in Watsonville is handling arrangements.
February 16, 2003
Lillian Liberatore
Services will be Monday for Lillian Duarte-Concepcion Liberatore, who died Thursday in Watsonville. She was 75.
Mrs. Liberatore was born in Carmel and grew up in Pacific Grove. She moved to Santa Cruz in 1966.
She excelled in classes at Pacific Grove High School and later transferred to Monterey High School, where she graduated.
She was a United Services Organization hostess after high school and was named "Sweetheart of the USO." She later worked as a secretary at Fort Ord.
She also performed in many plays at the First Theater in Monterey.
She is survived by daughter Lillian Liberatore of Watsonville; sons Glenn Liberatore of Alpine, Utah, and Johnny Liberatore of N.C.; sisters Doreen Petty of Rocklin and Ellen Kimbell of Austin, Texas.
Her husband, John W. Liberatore, and brother, David Concepcion, died before her.
Friends may call noon to 2 p.m. Monday at Pacific Gardens Chapel, 1050 Cayuga St., Santa Cruz.
Services are 2 p.m. Monday at Pacific Gardens Chapel.
Contributions are preferred to Hospice Caring Project, P.O. Box 670, Aptos, CA 95001.
February 16, 2003
Charline P. Shockley
Services are private for Charline Pennell Shockley, who died Wednesday. She was 87.
Mrs. Shockley was born in Trenton, Mo., and had lived in Santa Cruz since 1944.
She was a graduate of Christian College, now called Columbia College, and studied for a year at Washington University in St. Louis before earning a master’s degree in sociology at the University of Missouri.
She was an active member of the PEO Sisterhood and American Association of University Women.
She was a founding member of the Affiliates of UC Santa Cruz, and served as the organization’s secretary for many years.
She enjoyed playing piano and gardening. In the past 20 years she was involved in extensive genealogical research, tracing the family trees of her parents and her husband’s parents.
She is survived by son Norman P. Shockley of Lincoln; daughters Sara Ann Kling of Modesto and Susan Elaine Reynolds of Scotts Valley; six grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Husband Norman A. Shockley died before her.
Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.
Contributions are preferred to Hospice Caring Project of Santa Cruz County, 6851 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA 95003.
February 16, 2003
Margaret Dodson
Services are pending for Margaret M. Dodson, who died Jan. 16. She was 69.
She was born in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, and worked at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz before retiring in 1998.
She is survived by daughters Paula Shelton and Lisa Tarchick of Ohio; son Jake Blazek of Orlando, Fla.; brothers Gerald Surette of Mount Laurel, N.J. and Patrick Surette of Old Orchard Beach, Maine; sisters Jane Collins of Fort Dodge, Iowa, Della Crawford of Alison Park, Pa. and Rita Knowlan of Strong, Maine; four grandsons; and 11 nieces and nephews.
Her husband Al Dodson and two sisters died before her.
Santa Cruz Memorial Park is handling arrangements.
February 16, 2003
Sylvia Knapton
SANTA CRUZ - The rallying effort to bring Kaiser Permanente to Santa Cruz County has lost its loudest voice.
Sylvia Knapton died Thursday in her Santa Cruz home. She was 79.
Knapton was born in Los Angeles and was a longtime resident of Berkeley. She wrote about education for the Oakland Tribune for 25 years.
She worked for the War Department and Lockheed Martin during World War II. She moved to Santa Cruz 28 years ago.
In the late 1980s, Knapton began lobbying Kaiser, trying to convince the health-maintenance organization that setting up shop in Santa Cruz would be worthwhile for it, as well as the thousands of Santa Cruz County residents who value the care they got from the company so much that they braved Highway 17 to make appointments.
"We were instrumental in getting a couple of the top administrators to come to a meeting here that we put together with unions, teachers groups, professors from UC Santa Cruz and the like," said Elizabeth Moore, who met Knapton through a community service group called Common Cause. "If Kaiser would have been interested, it would have drawn about 3,000 to 4,000 into its ranks.
"They dropped the ball," Moore said.
While Knapton may be most remembered for efforts to bring Kaiser here, her commitment to community was widespread.
She recently received a proclamation from the county Board of Supervisors thanking her for her work with the Emergency Medical Care Commission to improve emergency response times. She also was active in the Santa Cruz Sister City Committee, Community Advisory Committee for Special Education, the local chapter of the Chaparral Poets and the Bay Area Funeral Society.
Knapton also led the effort to build a pedestrian-bicycle path through Santa Cruz County, called the Santa Cruz Circle Trail.
"She was an amazing innovator," Moore said. "She always came up with the most unique, workable ideas to solve problems or to push forward a cause. She was a remarkable woman but in a very quiet way. She was an unsung heroine."
Knapton is survived by son Bruce Knapton of Cottonwood; daughter Carol McLean of Davenport; brother Dick Gunnarson of Seal Beach; 10 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Bruce and Carol were adopted.
"She drove from Boston to Oakland during the winter to get me because she had no airfare," said Bruce Knapton, who was 9 months old and had gone through three other homes before landing in Knapton’s care.
He considers himself lucky to have been placed with Knapton. His first family was killed in an automobile crash, his second acquired him fraudulently and the third couldn’t handle his medical expenses because he was born early and was small.
"She said she looked into the bassinet and saw my blue eyes and smile and knew she had to take me home," Bruce recalled about the woman he said could do everything.
Knapton was a gourmet cook, could put a roof on a house, publish a book of poetry, go hiking with other senior women, engage in community events and activism and still find time for her family, he said.
"I don’t know how she found time for me," Bruce said. "I never felt short-changed. There was nothing more important to her than her children. I never would have known she was involved in all those things. In fact, I’d like to know how she did all these this. I’m a parent and I’d like to know."
Knapton’s life wasn’t entirely about family and community service. The poet also enjoyed the theater and symphony, especially Broadway plays, said Moore.
"I’ll miss my ability to share with a person who will immediately understand my concerns and my caring of things that occur in the world," Moore said. "We were just on the same wavelength."
Bruce has come to terms with his loss.
"She lived a full life," Bruce said. "I’m learning how to celebrate her life. I’m glad I got to walk with her for a moment."
Services for Knapton will be held at a later date.
Arrangements are by Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel, 1050 Cayuga St., Santa Cruz.
Contact Ramona Turner at rturner@santa-cruz.com.
February 18, 2003
