Joseph Andrew Gist, Jr., former resident of San Jose and Palo Alto, passed away on Dec. 20, 2016. He was 91 years old. Joseph loved to tell the story of how he was born on a cold, windy January night in Garland, Wyoming, in 1925. His father was so excited that he forgot to drain the radiator in the old Model T after fetching the doctor, and the car’s engine cracked that night! The family soon...

Geoff portrayed the cosmos, with pen and ink, acrylic paint and pixels. His paintings revealed the sublime wonder of the universe, the luminous beauty of distant galaxies, and the conceptual leap to infinity. Rooted in scientific fact and theory, the unseen mysteries emerge tangible and harmonious. His work transcended the genres of astronomical and space art, with his unique vision and techni...

Steven Richard Sommer died in his home on July 13, 2017, in Menlo Park, California, due to complications following a valiant battle with metastatic thyroid cancer. He was 62. Steve was born on March 4, 1955, in New York City, the second child of Sandra and the late Morton Sommer. He spent his childhood in the greater New York area and went on to study chemical engineering and business at MIT. ...

Evarts, Russell Charles, 70, a 31 year resident of Palo Alto, passed away Tuesday 11 July 2017 at home with family at his side. Russ was born 7 April 1947 and raised in Milford, Connecticut. His love of history, the great outdoors, and maps drew him to his interest in geology. He completed his undergraduate degree at Franklin and Marshall College and his doctorate at Stanford University. Dr. Ru...

Janet Hermsen passed away peacefully in her home, surrounded by family. Janet attended Beaumont Elementary and Grant High Schools in Portland, Oregon. She graduated from Oregon State College in Business Education in 1956. She married Robert Hermsen in 1957, and they made their home in Palo Alto. A proud wife, mother and grandmother, she shared with her family a love of the outdoors. She was an act...

Donald H. Mayall of Palo Alto died on June 28 after a brief illness. He was 85. Born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, he grew up with nature and a family farm nearby, which instilled a life-long, deep attachment to the natural world. His family moved to the Los Angeles area when he was twelve. Attending the University of California, Berkeley, he completed a B.A. in psychology and an M.A. in sociolog...

Kristine Mahood, 64, 25-year resident of Palo Alto, died June 27, 2017. She was born July 7, 1952, in Palo Alto, California. She attended Washington State University, Pullman, in History; University of California, Davis, earning a Bachelor's degree in English; and San Jose State University, earning a Master of Library Science degree. She worked at Palo Alto City Library, Rowan County Library...

Marion Hideko Dumont, died peacefully at home on June 27. At age 87, she had led a full life after her initial diagnosis of laryngeal cancer in 1993. Marion was born in Palo Alto to Hideo and Misao Kaneko on January 9, 1930. Along with her family, she was interned during World War II in Topaz, Utah. Upon return to the Bay Area, Marion graduated from Sequoia High School in Redwood City in 1...

Palo Alto resident Tom Ashton died at home on June 26 surrounded by his family after a long illness. He was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, and grew up and attended high school in Abington, Massachusetts, where he was senior class president and a football star during an undefeated season. He earned an undergraduate degree in geological engineering from Michigan College of Mining and Technology...

Anne Hartwig Flegel, a former first-grade teacher at St. Joseph's School in Atherton, an active member of Peninsula Volunteers, and a longtime Atherton resident, died June 26 at age 74. Ms. Flegel suffered from dementia since 2011, and spent several years at the Sequoias Memory Center in Portola Valley, said her husband, Mark Flegel, owner of Flegel's Home Furnishings and Interior Design in downt...

Etta Klein, 96, passed away Thursday, June 22, 2017 at her home in Menlo Park. Services were held at Hills of Eternity Memorial Park, Colma, CA. Rabbi Janet Marder of Congregation Beth Am, Los Altos Hills, officiated. Etta valued being productive, independent, American, and optimistic. She produced award-winning sales for over 46 years, until retirement at 84. Key to being independent was k...

In loving memory, Sarah Wolfe July 9, 1919 – June 18, 2017 Sarah Wolfe died peacefully on Sunday, June 18, just a few weeks before her 98th birthday. Mrs. Wolfe was an active member of the Palo Alto community for 65 years, as a volunteer and an activist in the peace and civil rights movements. Born in New York City to Romanian Jewish immigrants Abraham and Bessie Moskowitz, Sarah was the fift...

In Loving Memory Frederick W. Olson 9/29/32 - 6/12/17 Frederick W. Olson passed away peacefully in his sleep on June 12, 2017. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, to Dr. Frederick A. Olson and Geneva Lynn Olson on September 29, 1932. Fred is survived by his wife of 56 years, Nancy Olson; daughter, Mary “Mo” Olson (Christopher Friesen); brother, Francis “Gus” Olson (Jane); sisters...

Charles Patrick Thacker, a pioneer of the first personal computer, died at his Palo Alto home on Monday, June 12, according to the publication Communications of the ACM, a periodical for the computing and information technology fields. He was 74. He died of esophageal cancer, his daughter Christine Thacker told the Weekly. A resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, Thacker is credited wit...

Wendi Hammond Haskell passed away quietly on June 10, 2017, at her home in Portola Valley surrounded by family members. Wendi had a compassionate, vibrant and eternally young soul and was quick to share a smile, a laugh, support and encouragement. She was one of pure generosity - never giving in order to get anything in return except the knowledge that she had helped others. As a devoted l...

Born in Palo Alto and a resident of Oakland, MJ Mont-Reynaud passed away unexpectedly on Friday, June 9. She was 31. She was an exceptional photographer and Stanford graduate. She was a talented artist with great abilities to bring the best out from her models at every photo shoot. She is survived by many friends, wife, a loving partner and family members who loved her dearly. She knew how ...