By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – I often read the obituaries of people I have never met, and often find myself regretting that life hadn’t afforded me the opportunity to sit down with them and benefit from hearing their stories and life experiences. In today’s San Diego Union-Tribune there were 4 ½ pages of paid obituaries, and many of them had an endearing fact or two about the deceased family member. Below I pull brief quotes from 22 of them so you can see what I mean. If you’re like me, I bet you also would have enjoyed meeting each one of these remarkable people.
There is a saying that “there is a story in everyone,” and its truth is illustrated in these brief sketches provided by family members. Because one has to pay by the word for SDUT obituaries, some were too short to provide anything but the basic genealogical information. Alas, those people’s special stories were not shared. But other families, who had more money to spend, provided us with some special glimpses.
Georgine E. Foster – Our mother was an early worker in the aerospace industry, spending 40 years doing engineering and scientific data entry … Mom was a life-long book lover who volunteered at libraries in Nevada and across Southern California.
Craig Alvah Starkey – Craig grew up in Chula Vista, at the time a town surrounded by lemon groves… Craig loved travel and adventure. As a twenty-year-old in 1952 he accompanied San Diego artist Everett Jackson to remote areas of Guatemala, Honduras, and southern Mexico to view and illustrate Mayan ruins.
Gayle L. Moyers – The final decade of her life, Gayle battled breast, lung, and brain cancer. Always upbeat, never complaining, she was supported through each phase of her recoveries by lifelong friend Jean Cox, close friends at the Bridge Center of Austin, her French Place and Griffith neighbors and family.
Claud William “Bill” Wilkins — Bill was a member of many gospel quartets throughout his life, lending his unique guitar skills and vocals to the various bands. This gave him the opportunity to play in churches and auditoriums throughout California and meet many people.
John Allen Emery, M.D. – He shared his life stories in his book, A Surgeon’s Life with Bipolar Disorder. His first book was U.S. Medical Care and Related Factors in the Vietnam War (both…available on Amazon.com)
George Allen Barnett – Allen loved to have fun and his passion for life was infectious. He loved the beach, surfing, fishing, golf, camping, traveling around the United States in his motorhome with Deb and their three dogs, flying F-14 jets, hosting family backyard parties, and sitting by a bonfire.
Irwin Herbert Lee – His ancestors came to the U.S. from Lodz, Minsk, and Hungary. He was born Irwin Herbert Lipschitz, son of Florence Faeder and Julius “Julie” Lipschitz. Julie soon changed the family name to Lee… Irwin enjoyed reading, cooking, tennis, golf, sailing, fishing, and finding “rescued treasures” in flea markets. His many travels included Mexico, South America, Western and Eastern Europe, Russia, China, Australia, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, and Indonesia.
Diane Marie ‘Dee’ Suevo – To know her was to love her. She made every person feel loved and important. She was special; she made people feel special. A 3-decade career in aesthetics, she healed and renewed confidence in more people than can be counted.
Shon A. Boney – Shon was the grandson of Henry Boney, who founded Boney’s Marketplace (later named Henry’s) in San Diego … Shon moved to Arizona and co-founded Sprouts Farmers Market, which grew from one store in Chandler into one of the leading healthy grocery store chains in the country. He served as Sprouts CEO for ten years and then as a member of the Board of Directors until he retired in June 2019. Flying was Shon’s passion…He was particularly proud of his work flying cancer patients and veterans to and from medical treatments around the country.
Malissa Maureen Gianmaria – Malissa’s name means Honeybee. In life, she was the busy worker taking care of the needs of her own family but also her siblings and friend’s children as well. Malissa was always a behind-the-scenes “make it happen” person. Her home and heart were open to all.
John Hazen “Roadkill” McConnell – John served as executive director of the San Diego LGBT Community Center in 1986, opening his private practice that same year in Hillcrest, an historically gay area in San Diego. Through his work, both paid and pro bono, he expressed deep commitment to sexual/ gender freedom and self-expression, and to the LGBTQ community. …Visit www.johnmcconnellphd.com to read of his life work in his own words.
Michael “Mike” Colasurdo –He loved teaching children and he touched many lives; he cultivated learning with his passion for model trains. A lifelong train enthusiast, Mike’s intricate replicas and dioramas were unparalleled … He was a proud supporter of the La Mesa Train Club, San Diego Train Museum, Midway Museum, and the Padres.
Judy Carol Calegari – Upon graduating from El Capitan High School in 1973, she served in the U.S. Air Force for four years before beginning her fulfilling career as an Air Traffic Controller for the FAA until her retirement in 2006. .. She was an avid crafter, decorator and loved to garden … She volunteered hours of her time helping others connect and socialize.
Vincent James Giacalone – Vince was drafted into the United States Army during the Korean War and was stationed in Germany. The tales he told about this time of his life are precious and will be told for generations, especially his story about being locked in the wine cellar with only wine and cheese to eat. This is where Vince’s love of cooking and hatred of cheese began. … In 1965, Vince opened the Venetian Restaurant. His recipes are still loved by every household in Point Loma.
Olga Braga – Olga worked at the Goodyear Plant in New Bedford and was a supervisor in charge of making a type of blimp for the military’s use in aircraft defense early-warning systems used during WWII. Olga and her future sister-in-law were volunteers for the Civil Defense and Red Cross.
Rosemae Jean Brown Patek – Rose was a devoted Catholic who enjoyed spiritual conversation with everyone she met. Her faith was her inspiration and is evident in her entire life … She has given time and guidance to many organizations all over the world and is a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem.
Alice Lee Friedman – In 1956, after having been apart for five years, she reunited with her longtime high school boyfriend, Bob Friedman, and within 3 hours, they had set their wedding date. Bob’s career eventually brought them to San Diego, where they retired.
Diane “Dee Dee” St. John – While in Palm Springs, she was a Fashion & Print model and the first Female Firefighter/ Paramedic in Ca. In 1976, she moved back to her hometown of San Diego … During her later years she and her husband Bob grew their Taco Bell Franchise to 24 locations.
Judith Marie Shimmin-Salonius – Judy spent decades devoting time to CHLL (Clairemont Hilltoppers Little League] as a parent, grandparent, and most memorably as the snack bar manager. Whether it was sliding the candy bar to the kid who reached into his pocket and was 37ȼ short or filling the nachos tray with perfectly-arranged chips so that each one got lined with cheese, Judy’s influence was seen everywhere at CHLL for years.
Susan Jane Hill – As a sophomore in high school, Mom moved to Oahu with her family and became a classic island girl, paddling on the Lanikai Outrigger Canoe Club plus surfing, swimming, snorkeling, and water skiing on Kailua Beach … Susan’s fearless love of adventure brought her back to Hilo, Hawaii, in 1989, where she and son David lived for many years and founded Hawaii Paradise Farms, which became the United States’ largest Bird of Paradise cut flower farm.
Thomas Carter Bache, III – Tom was proud of his decade of service in the Marine Corps, including leading an infantry squad in the invasion and rapid victory in the 2003 Iraq war.
John Walter “Pa” Murphy – His greatest accomplishment was his 63-year marriage to rose Mary. During their courtship he wrote her 70 love letters that read like poems, and drove 900 miles round trip from Ford Ord to Tijuana, to visit “the most beautiful woman” he ever met. He was so fiercely protective of her, he would not stand disrespect, nor an unkind tone toward her. He said to her, “Mi destino fue quererte,” my destiny was to love you, and together they had 5 children.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com