Bonnie Jean Blythe was born in Oakland, California at the East Oakland Hospital on July 24, 1932. She lived in Oakland on Lawlor Street, near 94th Avenue, with her parents until college. She attended Pacific Union College in Angwin, CA and graduated in 1955 with a major in Elementary Education. She spent one year, between her Sophomore and Junior years, teaching in Placerville, CA and taught after...

James C. Van Horne, a long-time resident of Palo Alto and professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, died at Stanford Hospital on Monday, September 1st at the age of 90. Jim led an amazing and very fulfilling life. His love of family – his wife Mimi, three sons, and seven grandchildren – allowed for many wonderful times together. Jim was born on August 6, 1935 in South Bend, ...

On August 30, 2025 Wilna 'Jean' (Davis) Johnston passed away... Jean was 99 years old, and was born in Indiana, where she was raised by her mother, with her older sister Alice, and her cousin Edna. She attended University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, and majored in Mathematics where she met Robert H. Johnston while working at the university's radio station. They were married soon after college, a...

On August 23, 2025 Helen ‘Honey’ Lechner (nee McLaughlin), daughter of James Robert McLaughlin and Winifred McLaughlin (nee Maher), loving wife of Albert ‘Al’ Lechner (deceased, 2009), and adored aunt, great-aunt, sister-in-law, and friend, passed away at the age of 80. Helen was nicknamed Honey at birth by her mother who rightly looked down at her beautiful new baby and exclaimed, “Isn�...

We celebrate the life of Sonia Gay Shepard, a fourth generation Californian, who passed away peacefully at her home in Atherton, California, on August 18, 2025, surrounded by her family, gardens, dogs, and devoted caregivers. Born in Visalia, California, on October 27, 1935, to Otto and Carol Lambert, Sonia’s early life was marked by both tragedy and resilience. Orphaned at the age of two whe...

Joseph D. Putnam died peacefully at his home in Woodside on August 11, 2025, surrounded by his loving family. He was 90 years old. Born in Gregory, South Dakota, Joe was one of six children of Francis and Bertha Putnam. He was raised on his family’s farm, where,  during the depths of the Depression and the Dustbowl, they carried their water to the house in buckets from a well, their heat was p...

David Elliott, beloved father, grandfather, and friend passed away peacefully on August 6, 2025. He was born in Los Angeles, California, and his early life revolved around education, photography, and experiencing theater through his mother, Millie, who was a stage actress in Pasadena. After graduating from Stanford University with a B.S. in physics, he completed his PhD in high-energy nuclear phys...

Esther Heslop died peacefully on August 6, 2025, in Bend, Oregon at the age of 93. Known as “Mummy” to her children and their friends alike, and “Grummy” to her grandchildren, Esther’s life was marked by grand adventures, generous hospitality, and life-long friendships that spanned the globe. Her enthusiasm was contagious, her energy boundless and her laugh unforgettable to the end. B...

John Tenanes, 68, of Palo Alto, CA passed away on August 4, 2025, from Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease (CJD), surrounded by his family. Born on April 3, 1957, in Northampton, MA, to the late John and Jean Tenanes, John made Palo Alto his home for 40 years. In that time, he became deeply connected to the community–raising a family, forging lifelong friendships, and sharing in the city’s history. He...

The charm of Eugene John Micek of Palo Alto, California and Perdido Key, Florida, a proud veteran of the 11th Airborne, satellite contractor, private pilot and a globetrotting raconteur, faded peacefully from this world on August 1, 2025, a few weeks shy of his 93rd birthday. He is survived by his devoted wife of 57 years, Sonia Lisette Micek of Palo Alto, California, daughter Gina A. Micek o...

Longtime Palo Alto resident Richard “Dick” Kilner passed away on August 1 at the age of 97. Dick grew up in Kenilworth, Illinois, on the north shore of Lake Michigan outside Chicago, as the youngest of three children. He attended New Trier High School, where he became a strong tennis player. In the fall of 1946, Dick and a handful of New Trier classmates headed out west to attend Stanfo...

Nicholas D’Arcy Roche, beloved husband of Stephanie Twomey Roche, died peacefully at home in San Mateo, CA on July 31, 2025. Born on April 2, 1938 in Wilkes-Barre, PA to John Nicholas Roche and Johanna Brennan Roche, D’Arcy was known by his middle name in deference to his father who went by Nicky. His charm and good humor were surely influenced by sharing the name of Jane Austen’s dashing le...

Mark Brady, PhD., born in New Haven on July 27, 1946, died on Whidbey Island on July 31, 2025. Mark and his two sisters were born in a housing project in New Haven CT. Raised first by their single mother, and later by his 18-year-old sister, Andrea. In his 20s he followed a spiritual directive delivered to him by a Turkish Sufi teacher who instructed him to: “Provide shelter for people”, and...

Wolmuth, Caroline Buckwalter November 16, 1941 - July 30, 2025 Caroline Wolmuth was the eldest of three sisters she is survived by Louise Rising and Irene Thomas. Raised in Palo Alto, California by parents Betty and Richard Buckwalter (deceased). With a creative flair she was a social convenor of many fun and elaborate parties. After studying fashion design at Pratt University i...

Jacqueline Lee Cook was born in San Bruno, CA to parents Opal and Clarence Cook. The family moved to Menlo Park where she attended Menlo Atherton High School. She was involved in the weekly newspaper and yearbook while at M-A. Jackie later married Anthony (Jerry) Angelo whom she had dated since M-A. Jackie and Jerry raised two daughters, Lisa and Amy, in Palo Alto. After divorcing in 1978, Jac...

Barbara Kaplan passed away at her home in Menlo Park. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Barbara studied Art History at the University of Wisconsin before earning her masters degree from Rutgers University. After getting married, she lived much of her adult life in Portland, Oregon, before moving with her family to the Bay Area in the mid-1990s. Barbara began her career as a speech pathologist but ...

In loving memory of Josef V. Cervenka - husband, father, grandfather, and uncle. He lived to the age of 97 1/2. He was born in Czechoslovakia and immigrated to the United States in 1956. He proudly became a U.S. Citizen and spent his working life as a commercial photographer, including helping to produce the Sears Catalog for many years. He moved from the Chicago area to California (a lifelong dre...