United States High School Yearbooks by County
Gregory J. Lupo
Services will be Wednesday for Gregory J. Lupo, who died Sept. 24 in Boulder Creek. He was 44.
Mr. Lupo was born in San Francisco and lived in Boulder Creek for many years, where he worked at the family business, Johnnie’s Super Market.
Mr. Lupo was a graduate of Bellarmine High School.
He is survived by his parents, Sam and Betty Lupo of Boulder Creek; sisters Karen Wierema and Cheryl Lupo; his grandmother, Anndreanna Lupo; one niece; one nephew; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
A vigil service will be 7 p.m. Tuesday at Lima Family Santa Clara Mortuary, 466 N. Winchester Blvd., Santa Clara.
Services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at the mortuary.
Mr. Lupo will be buried at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery.
September 27, 2002
Joseph R. Thiercof
Services will be Oct. 4 in Los Banos for Joseph R. Thiercof, who died Sept. 7 at his Santa Cruz beach house. He was 87.
Mr. Thiercof was born in Los Banos and lived in the Seabright area for the last five years, where he had also spent most summers.
He attended Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose and earned a business degree at Santa Clara University.
Mr. Thiercof was a decorated first lieutenant in the Army during World War II.
He married Norine Erreca of Los Banos in 1946.
A rancher, he spent most of his working life on his farm near Los Banos and on his walnut orchard near Gustine.
Mr. Thiercof enjoyed hunting pheasant, dove and ducks on his Los Banos ranch, which he often opened to other local hunters. He also loved to golf and bodysurf.
He is survived by his wife, Norine Thiercof of Los Banos; sons Raymond Thiercof of San Jose and John Thiercof of Escalon; daughters Mary Lou Thiercof and Judy Thiercof Waldear, both of Oakland; and six grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Oct. 4 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Los Banos. Monsignor Hayes will officiate.
Private Burial will be at Los Banos District Cemetery.
Contributions are preferred to the National Kidney Foundation of Northern California, 611 Mission St., Third Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105.
Arrangements are by Whitehurst Funeral Chapel of Los Banos.
September 27, 2002
Cleo Creach Harmon
Services will be Monday for Cleo Creach Harmon, who died Sept. 20 in Santa Cruz. She was 93.
Mrs. Harmon was born in Shawnee, Okla., and lived in Watsonville for 70 years.
She worked in various occupations and owned the Mode O’ Day dress shop during the 1960s.
After her retirement, Mrs. Harmon was active helping seniors prepare their taxes and was an enthusiastic member of the Watsonville Senior Center.
She is survived by a son, Don B. Harmon of King City; daughters Norma Schott of Grants Pass, Ore. and Nancy Martella of Salinas; many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great, great-grandchildren and nieces.
Services will be 2 p.m. Monday at Pajaro Valley Memorial Park in Watsonville.
Arrangements are by Mehl’s Colonial Chapel.
September 27, 2002
Cara Lee Dees
Services will be Saturday for Cara Lee Dees, who died Wednesday at her Salinas home. She was 49.
Mrs. Dees was born in Palo Alto and lived in Santa Clara County for 36 years; in Aptos for 12 years and in Salinas for two years.
She graduated from Mountain View High School in 1971 and attended Cabrillo College.
Mrs. Dees worked for Eastman Kodak for 17 years and was chosen to represent the company processing commercial film at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, and at the winter games in Calgary, Alberta.
She found her true calling as a radiation therapist in 1992 and treated cancer patients throughout the United States.
She was diagnosed with cancer in 1999 and died at home with family and friends at her side.
Mrs. Dees is survived by her husband, Ed Dees Sr.; her mother, Viola Trautman of Salinas; a daughter, Jamie Robley of Auburn; a son, Edward Dees Jr. of Santa Cruz; longtime partner Frank Gogliano Jr. of Salinas; a sister, Susan Gardner of San Martin; one nephew; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
Services will be 1 p.m. Saturday at St. Ann Chapel at the corner of Melville and Cowper streets in Palo Alto.
Arrangements are by Healy Mortuary.
September 27, 2002
Roger Lee Vanover
Services will be Sunday for Roger Lee Vanover, who died from cancer at his Scotts Valley home Tuesday. He was 54.
Mr. Vanover was born in West Virginia and lived in Scotts Valley for the past 15 years.
He was a Vietnam veteran who worked as an engineer for many years, at Dominican Hospital, Stanford University and El Camino Hospitals.
He is survived by his wife, Susan "Sue" Vanover of Scotts Valley; a son, Mark Vanover of Scotts Valley; a daughter, Nicole Vanover of Scotts Valley; a brother, Rudy Vanover of Atlanta; sisters Angela Pastorelli and Sandra Burgard, both of Atlanta; and one grandson.
Services will be 3 p.m. Sunday at Oakwood Memorial Crystal Chapel, with a reception following at the family home.
Contributions are preferred to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 675 N. First St., No. 1100, San Jose, CA 95112.
September 28, 2002
Leo ‘Lee’ Joseph Estrella Jr.
Private services were held for Leo "Lee" Joseph Estrella Jr., who died Sept. 21 at Natividad Medical Center in Salinas. He was 75.
Mr. Estrella was born in San Jose and lived in Aptos from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, and then moved to Prunedale.
He owned Continental Liquors on Soquel Drive in Aptos for several years and retired 25 years ago.
Mr. Estrella was an avid car enthusiast and founder of the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America, Monterey Bay Region and at one time owned several 1930s-era Chevrolets.
Mr. Estrella served in the Navy during World War II.
He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Irene Estrella of Prunedale; daughters Lynn Rutledge of Lodi and Robin Batinovich of Prunedale; sons Alan Estrella of Edmonds, Wash., and Chris Estrella of Santa Cruz; his mother, Farise Estrella of Watsonville; a brother, Derrol Estrella of Aptos; eight grandchildren; and one great-grandson.
After cremation, his ashes will be taken to Santa Clara Mission Cemetery.
Arrangements are by Healey Mortuary of Salinas.
September 28, 2002
Patricia ‘Pat’ Threlfall McNamara
Services will be Monday for Patricia "Pat" Threlfall McNamara, who died Friday at Dominican Hospital.
She was 70 and died of cancer, a disease she had contracted three times previously.
Mrs. McNamara was born in San Jose, the fourth generation of a San Jose and San Jose Mission family going back to the mid-19th century.
She attended San Jose State University and lived in Merced for many years and raised her children there.
A marriage and family therapist, Mrs. McNamara earned her master’s degree from Northwest Christian College at age 67, and moved to Santa Cruz County to begin her counseling career, working locally at Family Services Agency and Relational Resources in Aptos.
Family members say she is perhaps best known for her experiences with cancer. Less than two years after her marriage, and while pregnant, Mrs. McNamara was diagnosed with breast cancer, had a mastectomy and hysterectomy and was given 12 months to live.
Twenty years later, she was again diagnosed with breast cancer, and two years later, in 1976, was told she had bone cancer and given six months to live.
After surviving five years through mental imagery, she appeared on NBC’s ‘‘Today Show’’ in 1982, and was featured in two television documentaries, two books and several articles.
She counseled people on mental imagery, speaking to cancer patients via the telephone throughout the United States, Canada and other countries.
She is survived by her husband of 49 years, Tom McNamara of Santa Cruz; a daughter, Marjorie Hibner of Salem, Ore.; sons Patrick McNamara of Pleasanton and Dennis McNamara of Hailey, Idaho; a brother, Richard of Honokaa, Hawaii; six grandchildren; several cousins; and one aunt.
Her daughter, Mary Lorraine McNamara, died before her.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 a.m. Monday at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.
Contributions are preferred to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Tithe Fund, 435 Monterey Ave., Capitola, CA 95010.
Arrangements are by Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel.
September 28, 2002
