United States High School Yearbooks by County
Lowell D. Welty
Services will be Sunday for Lowell D. Welty, who died Saturday in Aptos. He was 74.
Mr. Welty was born in Tulare and was raised in Santa Cruz and Kingsburg.
He attended Gault and Live Oak elementary schools and Branciforte Junior High School. He attended Santa Cruz High School for a year before moving to Kingsburg, where he graduated from Kingsburg High School. He attended junior college in the valley and Seattle Pacific College in Seattle.
He later spent time in Alaska working on a gold dredge before joining the Air Force in 1950. He trained as an airplane mechanic at Shepherd Air Force base in Wichita Falls, Texas. He became a B-36 mechanic instructor.
After the service he moved to California and joined his father in the plastering business. The two started Welty and Welty Plastering in Santa Cruz in 1957. In 1994, the business closed and Mr. Welty’s son started his own plastering business. Mr. Welty stayed on as the bookkeeper.
He was a faithful fan of the San Francisco 49ers and Giants, and played city league basketball and softball. He loved to hunt and fish in the Sierra, Oregon and Montana. He taught his family to love the outdoors and spent many vacations camping with them in the Sierra.
He was a longtime member of Twin Lakes Church in Aptos, where he served as a leader in the college group and young married ministries. He also served on the missions committee.
His sister Carolyn Brown died before him.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Chris Welty of Aptos; daughters Sara Payne of Santa Cruz and Kathy Patton of Santa Barbara; sons Phil Welty of Santa Cruz and Mark Welty of Santa Cruz and Fresno; sisters Shirley Cheek of Jasper, Texas, and Margaret Price of Fresno; brother Darryl Welty of Watsonville; and five granddaughters.
Services are 3 p.m. Sunday at Twin Lakes Church, 2701 Cabrillo College Drive, Aptos.
Contributions are preferred to Twin Lakes Missions, 2701 Cabrillo College Drive, Aptos, CA 95003 or Hospice Caring Project of Santa Cruz County, P.O. Box 670, Aptos, CA 95003.
May 14, 2003
Ben Dakiwag
Services will be Friday for Ben Dakiwag, who died Sunday in Watsonville. He was 90.
Mr. Dakiwag was born in the Philippines and lived in Watsonville 65 years.
He enjoyed painting and photography as a young man. Later in life he enjoyed playing the saxophone and mandolin, woodworking, gardening and growing melons, tomatoes and garlic. He also liked fishing and hosting barbecues.
His two brothers and two sisters died before him.
He is survived by wife Rita Dakiwag; sons Michael and Fred Dakiwag; daughter Alicia Nottingham, all of Watsonville, and three grandchildren.
Friends may call 5-9 p.m. Friday at Mehl’s Colonial Chapel, 222 E. Lake Ave., Watsonville. A recitation of the Holy Rosary will be at 7 p.m.
Contributions are preferred to Heartland Hospice, 2511 Garden Road, Monterey, CA 93940.
Arrangements are by Mehl’s Colonial Chapel.
May 15, 2003
Dennis Joseph McCarthy
No services are planned for Dennis Joseph McCarthy, who died earlier this month. He was 77.
Mr. McCarthy was born in San Francisco and lived in Santa Cruz for more than 50 years.
He worked for Bird’s Eye Frozen Foods in Santa Cruz and later as a custodian for Santa Cruz County, retiring in 1987.
He was a pushover for stray animals and a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan.
His wife, Dorothy Lois McCarthy, died before him.
He is survived by sons Dennis McCarthy of Monterey and Kevin McCarthy of Scotts Valley; brother James McCarthy of Daly City; and two grandsons.
Rather than contributions, prayers should be directed to the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series.
May 15, 2003
John Charles Larzelere
Services will be Sunday for John Charles Larzelere, who died May 6 at his Aptos home. He was 71.
A native of Detroit, Mr. Larzelere moved to the Santa Clara Valley as a teenager and lived there until 1998, when he moved to Aptos. He worked as a chemical technician and a teacher.
He also served as a Big Brother for 25 years. And though he suffered from Parkinson’s disease, he was a docent at Long Marine Lab and Seymour Center for the past six years.
He is survived by wife Janette Larzelere of Aptos; sons David Larzelere of Lakeport and Brian Larzelere of San Leandro; daughters Nina McCarthy of El Dorado Hills and Marianne Tuttle of San Jose; brother William Larzelere of Santa Cruz; a grandson; and a granddaughter.
Services will be 2 p.m. Sunday at the Seymour Discover Center at the Long Marine Lab, Santa Cruz.
May 15, 2003
William Werl Owen
Services will be Saturday for William Werl Owen, who died Monday in Santa Cruz. He was 91.
Mr. Owen was born in Durango, Colo., and lived in Tracy most his life. He attended schools in Tracy and Fresno, graduating from Roosevelt High School in Fresno. He was a well-known high school athlete, excelling in baseball, football and basketball.
In the mid-1950s, he and wife Florence owned and operated Owen’s Jewelry; they retired in 1978. He also worked as an engineer for the Southern Pacific Railroad for 25 years.
During his business career, he was a member of the Mount Oso Order of the Masonic Lodge, Elks Club, Lions Club, Tracy Wildlife Association and Tracy Golf & Country Club.
He was an avid hunter and fisherman.
He is survived by wife Kay Ballenger Owen of Fresno; daughters Augusta Owen of Tracy and Barbara Palmer of Aptos, and two grandchildren.
His brother, Glen Owen, sister, Reva Wilson, and first wife of 43 years, Florence Owen, died before him.
Services are 4 p.m. Saturday at First Methodist Church, 1610 East St., Tracy.
Contributions are preferred to the First Methodist Church Building Fund, 1610 East St., Tracy, CA 95376.
May 16, 2003
Clarence Edmond Gregg
Services will be May 24 for Clarence Edmond Gregg, who died May 1 in Santa Cruz. He was 96.
Mr. Gregg was born in Santa Cruz and raised in Soquel. He spent all his life in the county.
He attended Soquel Elementary School and Santa Cruz High School. He worked as a bus driver and mechanic. He was also a truck driver for Granite Construction and sold real estate for a brief time.
He liked gardening, reading, music and spending time with his family. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Santa Cruz.
He is survived by daughter Clarice Renollet of San Jose; son Arnold Gregg of Scotts Valley; brother Harold Gregg of Modesto, five grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
His wife, Margaret Gregg, and son, Kenneth Gregg, died before him.
Services are 11 a.m. May 24 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 220 Elk St., Santa Cruz.
May 16, 2003
Stephen Smith
Services will be Tuesday for Stephen Smith who died May 14. He was 54.
Mr. Smith was born in Dayton, Ohio, attended Whittenberg University and completed his master’s degree at Ohio University at Cincinnati.
He moved to Santa Cruz in 1986 and worked in advertising sales for several national and local publications including Good Times.
He enjoyed dancing, sports, writing and had a deep love of nature.
Mr. Smith is survived by his daughter Jenny Smyth of Soquel, Howard Smith of Marion, Ohio and Alison Fred of Winter Park, Florida and ex-wife and friend Gabriel Litsky.
Friends may call 5 p.m. Tuesday at the De Anza Mobile Home Park Clubhouse, 2395 Delaware Ave., Santa Cruz. A memorial service will follow at 6:30.
Arrangements are by Benito and Azzaro at Pacific Gardens Chapel.
May 18, 2003
Judy Paulette Brazil
Private graveside services were held for Judy Paulette Brazil, who died Thursday after a long illness. She was 55.
Mrs. Brazil was a San Francisco native who lived in Watsonville for 49 years. She enjoyed being with family, camping and sports.
She is survived by a daughter, Jonette Nicole; brothers John Jr. of Grants Pass, Ore., and James and Joseph of Watsonville; sisters Jackie Gutierrez and Janice Rivera of Watsonville and Janette Gurule of Ceres; one granddaughter; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, John Sr. and Pearl, as well as a sister, Joyce.
Committal was at Valley Public Cemetery.
May 19, 2003
