Obituaries
Thoughts and memories of our community members who have died. Share your tributes. Flag as Inappropriate
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Gretchen Adelia Schneider April 12, 2013 at 12:54 am
Starting off in my late fifties to be a filmmaker after some radical illnesses, I decided I would…Read More interview Les Blank as his films followed the drift of my early ethnographic interests at UCLA and my mentorship by Wayland Hand in Folklore at UCLA. (Later I was passed on to Alan Dundes at Berkeley.) In the half-light of his office and with a fedora, Les Blank appeared to my imagination in the character of John Huston.
He said nary a word, but when we got to the question of whether I had a camera or not, I answered that I had a Canon XL. The comment then was -- "well, use it." 'Nuff said.
Love his work and that persona.
Gretchen Schneider
Gretchen Schneider April 12, 2013 at 12:53 am
Starting off in my late fifties to be a filmmaker after some radical illnesses, I decided I would…Read More interview Les Blank as his films followed the drift of my early ethnographic interests at UCLA and my mentorship by Wayland Hand in Folklore at UCLA. (Later I was passed on to Alan Dundes at Berkeley.) In the half-light of his office and with a fedora, Les Blank appeared to my imagination in the character of John Huston.
He said nary a word, but when we got to the question of whether I had a camera or not, I answered that I had a Canon XL. The comment then was -- "well, use it." 'Nuff said.
Love his work and that persona.
Gretchen Schneider
Dorothy Coakley April 8, 2013 at 07:59 pm
Agree with Borris. Les Blank was one of a kind and I only wish his films were more widely available…Read More on DVD. I'm gonna walk to the Nat to buy some garlic in honor of
Les Blank. If you have to ask, you "don't know Blank."
Linda Lipscomb November 10, 2012 at 12:29 pm
Harold was a treasured member of our community here in Kensington, and especially to the academic…Read More world. The devotion of his energetic wife Mary Ella, with her positive outlook, surely contributed to his long and productive life. We will remember him with great affection.
Michael O'Connor November 10, 2012 at 12:24 pm
Dr. Johnston did very important work in the years when science existed, before the dollar trumped…Read More reality. Thank you.
Jane Bartke September 24, 2012 at 03:00 pm
Don will always be remembered as a true gentleman, who gave freely of himself to his family, city,…Read More and community. He will be greatly missed. It was my honor to have known him for many years.
Susan Martinez September 22, 2012 at 02:00 am
My husband and I were privileged to meet Don and Betty when we purchased our Hardison-designed home…Read More 2 years ago, and fortunate to have him as a neighbor as well. Our home was one of his earliest projects and one of the few personal residences he designed, and Don and Betty even attended the walk-through when we received the keys from the previous owners --a wonderful day for us. He remembered every detail of the home, even where he got the marble for our fireplace. He was extremely helpful when we had some upgrades done to the home, and nearly all of it remains just as he designed it. Our condolences to Betty and his family.
Denise Sangster September 21, 2012 at 09:07 pm
Don was such a nice man... We lost a good one and he will be missed. Condolences to the family...
Lauri La Pointe July 24, 2012 at 07:09 pm
Everybody loved Willis. What a shock. My heart goes out to the Veluz-Abraham family.
Thank you…Read More Willis for the positive and loving way you always treated everyone. Your confidence, intelligence, humor, silliness, and inclusiveness was so appreciated. And thanks for all the rides home in the Dart. You are so missed. Love, Lauri Class of '88
Scott Foster July 17, 2012 at 05:18 pm
He was a benevolent king as class president - if the rest of the world could rule the way Willis…Read More ruled the Class of '88...he was, as one friend put it, "all-inclusive." There were no nerds in his eyes, no jocks, just people - he made everyone feel accepted, and that's why, even though someof us haven't seen him for a while, we greatly feel his absence now.
Brian Hamilton July 17, 2012 at 04:21 am
I'm so sorry to read about this tragic accident. Wishing comfort and peace to Mr. Veluz-Abraham's…Read More family and friends.
FalconJournal June 11, 2012 at 12:02 pm
Keep the memories of Jean Smith alive on Remember.com. Anyone with memories can contribute. Build…Read More her story to be preserved.
Barbara Cortese June 11, 2012 at 03:24 am
I can't believe anyone thinks there are few traffic stops on the Arlington. The police often lurk by…Read More the golf course to catch people who have speeded up going downhill there. I know lots of people who have gotten tickets on the Arlington.
Belle Canto June 10, 2012 at 10:56 pm
Near the Kensington library on the Arlington is a blinking yellow light, and a crosswalk and…Read More pedestrians can - with the push a button - trigger a change from yellow to a red light. Perhaps this would be a good solution for the (south) Brewster corner. (Not sure this would have stopped this (particular) cyclist or prevented this particular accident, but would be step toward increased safety at this intersection for those who cross there - and many of us do.)
Kathy A. May 11, 2012 at 01:04 pm
Here is a link to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:…Read More http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
The number is 1-800-273-TALK. Online chat is also available.
The website has a lot of information. Here is a page of very good tips for friends of those who need help: http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/GetHelp/WhatIfSomeoneIKnowNeedsHelp.aspx
Here are some warning signs: http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/GetHelp/SuicideWarningSigns.aspx
Alvin Mabuhay April 12, 2012 at 12:00 am
One admirable trait of Larry Damon was that, while serving on the City Council, he would come by and…Read More pick up his council packet. Larry held the common sense opinion that he would rather have the police focus on their job rather than be his own personal mailman. A trait that I wish his colleagues would follow.
Paul April 11, 2012 at 01:45 pm
Larry was indeed a great man. As others said, he was opinionated, but he was always willing to…Read More listen to other points of view, and he was open to changing his mind after he further contemplated an issue. That is a valuable, and unfortunately all too rare, trait. Thank you Larry for your commitment to the community - you were a real asset to El Cerrito.
Jane Bartke April 11, 2012 at 01:37 pm
Larry will be missed by the El Cerrito Community as a citizen who did his best to make the City a…Read More wonderful place to live and raise a family.
Dorothy Coakley April 7, 2012 at 03:21 pm
If I remember correctly, Bio-Rad got its start in David Schwartz' El Cerrito garage. I'm thinkin'…Read More "Historical Place" sign!
Oh, btw, *my* Bio-Rad moment came around 1970 when a *close* family member who worked for Bio-Rad in Richmond convinced his boss that we could wash the used microscope slides and return them clean. Well...we washed 'em in dishwasher detergent (by hand) but had never used the stuff, so didn't know to rinse it off, but dried each slide with a towel. Well...nobody at Bio-Rad complained, but of the hundreds of slides we washed and returned...I'll bet quite a few skewed the results of any test they performed. Ahhhhhhhhh....youth!
Darlene Almeida July 18, 2012 at 10:32 pm
Franciska and I were classmates at Presentation. I will always remember her kindness towards…Read More others, her smile and friendship
.
Darlene Martin-Almeida
Jane Bartke March 25, 2012 at 03:17 pm
I remember James as the definition of "gentleman". Always gracious and mannerly to all,…Read More and a person who made me, as a newcomer to El Cerrito, feel very welcomed.
Charles Burress (Editor) February 8, 2012 at 08:12 pm
Thank you for the correction. Yes, it did begin at 1 p.m. We apologize to anyone who was late…Read More because of it. (We got the 2 p.m. time from the high school's weekly bulletin. The school later sent out a correction that we unfortunately didn't see. We obviously should have double-checked.)
Ruby Crowder February 13, 2012 at 12:05 pm
woke up this morning thinking about my nephew just dont understand love you j
cOMEDIENNE jMEI February 12, 2012 at 02:28 pm
I attended the funeral... Sad. Sad. Sad. Leaving me speechless. I can't imagine what his mother…Read More (lESLIE) is going through mENTALLY, pHYSICALLY, and eMOTIONALLY... My heart goes deeply out to her!
John Stashik February 7, 2012 at 05:29 pm
Prayers to the Union Pacific RR conductor and engineer, too. They're helpless when someone is on the…Read More tracks in front of a train. The conductor then has to look for body parts and that's an unfortunate part of the job. Hopefully, both crew members got relieved at the scene and can try and put this incident behind them.
Jason L. Tulock February 3, 2012 at 06:35 pm
If the person is facing the train it's a suicide; facing away, wearing headphones.
Marty Takimoto July 5, 2011 at 03:46 pm
I had the privilege of working with Ernie (and Chizu too!) as a member of the Contra Costa JACL's…Read More leadership team a number of years ago. The commitment and dedication of Nisei toward civil rights and social justice given their experience during WW II was incredible and Ernie and Chizu were amazing examples of how their generation was able to take such a negative experience and use it to educate others and create positive change in society. Ernie will be greatly missed but his lifelong commitment to doing what was right will be continued through the many individuals he touched over the years in the Japanese American community and elsewhere. We are proud to continue his legacy of social justice and action. Thank you, Ernie.
Dorothy Coakley July 3, 2011 at 08:31 pm
Our heartfelt sympathy to the Iiyama family.
I really can think of fewer families who have given…Read More so much to our local community in such a selfless manner. As the leader of this "leading family, " Ernest, never seemed to transmit the bitterness of his early experiences. Instead, the whole family seems to have thrown itself into "making the world a better place."
Chizu helped form the Contra Costa College child care program in the early 70s, giving many of us a chance to continue our educations while knowing that our kids were nearby. (My oldest daughter was in that first class.)
I'll let others tell the rest of the Iiyama tale. Suffice to say, that the family has "made a difference." Big time.
Thank you so much. From my family to yours, Ernest.
Patty Berndt, Active with El Cerrito for Decades, Dies at 81
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