United States High School Yearbooks by County
James Conrad Hilderbrand
James Conrad Hilderbrand, 55, a longtime Palo Alto resident, died
on Dec. 23 in Palo Alto. He was born
in Chicago and received his bachelor's degree from the University of Miami. During his four years there, he was vice president of the class of 1960 and was listed in "Who's Who in American Colleges." He received scholarships for track, student government and choral union. He was a member of Sigma Chi. After graduating, he worked for Consumer Products of Polaroid Corporation, in Cambridge, Mass., as the sales and marketing manager. He was very active in community service participating in the Big Brothers program in Newton, Mass., and also acted as the director of the Allen House Inc. He was Chairman of the Title XX Coalition in New Jersey, and manager of the Peninsula Conservation Center in Palo Alto. He is survived by his wife, Peg Krome of Palo Alto; two sons, Mark Hilderbrand of Menlo Park and Chris Hilderbrand of Mt. Holyoke, Mass.; two stepsons, Philip Levinson of San Mateo and Aaron Levinson of Worcester, Mass.; two sisters, Lori Koffler of Irving, Texas and Cindy Stockton of New Carlisle, Ind.; and his mother, Mary Kuta, of LaPorte, Ind. Services have been held. Donations may be made to the Adopt a Park Program, Lucie Stern Center, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Jan 7, 1998
Ralph Klebe
Ralph Klebe, 52, a longtime Menlo Park resident, died
Dec. 19 in Menlo Park. A native of Palestine, he graduated from Menlo-Atherton High School, and received his degree from San Jose State University. He was the owner of Klebe Eggs, a local egg distributor. He is survived by his parents, Siegbert and Ruth Klebe of Menlo Park; two sisters, Esther Porter of Sacramento and Judith Schneider of Tucson, Ariz.; and a brother, Steve Klebe of Menlo Park. Services have been held.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Jan 7, 1998
John Dodge Wickett
John Dodge Wickett, 48, a longtime Los Altos Hills resident, died
Dec. 21 at Stanford. He graduated from Menlo School and then from Stanford University in 1971, and served as president of Winston Marketing and Communications of San Jose. He was a board member of KARA, a nonprofit organization based in Palo Alto. He is survived by his wife, Patricia Wickett of Los Altos Hills; two stepsons, Phillip James Tapin and John Davis Tapin, both of Los Altos Hills; his mother, Jean Dodge Wilbur of Menlo Park; his father, John Wickett of San Francisco; two brothers, James Wickett of Palo Alto and Charles Dole of Grants Pass, Ore.; and a sister, Elizabeth Dole Hughes of Cambridge, Mass. Services have been held. Donations may be made to KARA, 457 Kingsley Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301.
Obituary dated: Wednesday Jan 7, 1998
Jane Benintendi
Jane Benintendi, 77, a resident of Palo Alto, died
July 3 at Stanford Hospital. She was born
in Holyoke, Mass., and moved to Palo Alto with her former husband. After raising their four children, she pursued a career in child care and education at the Besse Bolton Center in Palo Alto, where she remained active until her retirement. She also supported several conservation and wildlife activities, traveled frequently and enjoyed reading. She and her former husband were both Marine Corps veterans. She is survived by a brother, John Bullard of Cleveland, Ohio; a sister, Maude Wallace of St. Petersburg, Fla.; three sons, Timothy Benintendi of Anchorage, Alaska, Richard Benintendi of Columbus, Ohio, and Robert Benintendi of Colfax; a daughter, Julia Lazansky of San Jose; and three grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions in her memory to the San Francisco Zoological Society's Education Center Building Fund. Services have been held.
Obituary dated: Wednesday July 15, 1998
Adolph Berner
Adolph Berner, 97, died
in Palo Alto on June 26 from natural causes. He was born
in Hungary and in 1920 moved to Chicago, where he lived for most of his life. He worked in the Chicago stockyards and later became a housepainter and decorator. He retired in Chicago and moved to Florida, eventually coming to Mountain View, where he lived for 15 years. He is survived by two sons, Gerald Berner of Palo Alto and Edward Berner of Chicago; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Services have been held.
Obituary dated: Wednesday July 15, 1998
Germaine Marie De Wolf
Germaine Marie De Wolf, 97, a resident of Palo Alto for 30 years, died
July 7. Before moving to California, she worked as a governess in Ohio. In Palo Alto, she worked for 25 years as a costume maker for the Children's Theatre at the Community Center. She was also an active member of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Palo Alto. Among her favorite pastimes, she enjoyed swimming, which she continued until she was 90 years old. She is survived by a daughter, Margaret (Mimi) Melvin of Palo Alto; three granddaughters; and five great-grandchildren. Services have been held. Donations may be made to St. Anthony's Dining Room, 3500 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, or to the Learning Disability Association, 655 Lewelling Blvd. No. 355, San Leandro, CA 94579.
Obituary dated: Wednesday July 15, 1998
Josephine K. Grant
Josephine K. Grant, 99, a resident of Palo Alto for 54, died
July 8. She was born
in Lorenzo and made her home in Palo Alto after moving here in the 1930s. She was one of the first people to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge when it opened and was known for her undying love for California. She was an active member of the St. Thomas Aquinas Church since 1933, participating in the alter society and helping in any areas she was needed. Outside of her community activities, she loved to garden and work in the yard. She moved to Massachusetts in 1987 in order to be near her family. She is survived by a son, Kevin H. Grant of Lodi; a daughter, Joan I. Gerety of Wellesley, Mass.; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Obituary dated: Wednesday July 15, 1998
Florence McDonald
Florence McDonald, 96, a longtime resident of Menlo Park, died
July 2. She was born
in Butte, Mont., and lived in Salt Lake City for nearly 40 years. In Salt Lake City, she worked with the Shriner's Children Hospital as a receptionist. She later moved to Menlo Park in 1982, where she was active in the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. She was also a 50-year member of a nationwide organization called the P.E.O. She is survived by a son, Justice McDonald of San Diego; a daughter, Joan Buechner of Menlo Park; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Services have been held.
Obituary dated: Wednesday July 15, 1998
Ann Guenther McLaughlin
Ann Guenther McLaughlin, 69, a Palo Alto native, died
July 8. She was a third-generation California native who was born
and raised mostly in Palo Alto. She graduated from San Jose State University and was a member of the Sigma Kappa sorority. She was a longtime member of St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in Mountain View and very active in many service organizations, including the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the Arthritic Foundation, the Diabetes Society, American Legion and Mountain View Community Services. She is survived by two brothers, Ted Guenther of Port Hueneme and Bob Guenther of Milwaukee, Wisc.; two daughters, Carolyn McLaughlin of Pollock Pines and Jeanne McLaughlin-Bakker of Springfield, Mo.; a son, Jim Guenther of Mountain View; and six grandchildren. Donations may be made to Sempervirens Fund, Drawer BE, Los Altos, CA 94023, or to the Girl Scouts of America, P.O. Box 28527, San Jose, CA 95159. Services have been held.
Obituary dated: Wednesday July 15, 1998
Ellen M. Nixon
Ellen M. Nixon, 88, a longtime resident of Palo Alto, died
June 22. She was born
in Canada and later moved with her husband and children to Palo Alto. She opened a small china shop in Palo Alto but closed the store to become the youth director of the Palo Alto YWCA. She moved on to work with the state Department of Employment as the youth employment coordinator. Her experience with the YWCA enabled her to find jobs for many local youths. She was a 44-year member of the Palo Alto chapter of the order of the Eastern Star. She is survived by a son, James Nixon of Oklahoma City, Okla., and a daughter, Fran Grote of Milpitas. Services have been held. Donations may be made to the Eastern Star Foundation Scholarship Fund.
Obituary dated: Wednesday July 15, 1998
James Allen Phillips
James Allen Phillips, 46, a former resident of Palo Alto, died
July 3. He was born
in Elgin, Ill., and later moved to the Mountain View and Palo Alto area, where he lived for the last 15 years. He worked as an aircraft mechanic at NASA in Mountain View and, more recently, at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California. He enjoyed golfing and fishing in his spare time. He is survived by his parents, Hugh and Janet Phillips of Concord; a brother, Tom Phillips of Leaburg, Ore.; two sisters, Gayle Hart of Grants Pass, Ore., and Liz Ross of Antioch; and a son, Michael Allen Phillips of Palo Alto. Services have been held.
Obituary dated: Wednesday July 15, 1998
