On Saturday, October 22, 2022, Shirlie Carter, loving grandmother, and four-time great-grandmother passed away on her birthday, having just turned 96 years old.
Shirlie was born on October 22, 1926, in Santa Monica, CA to Robert Clark and Agnes Carhart. She was married to her high school sweetheart, Ed Carter, following the end of WWII, on October 13, 1946, at the age of 19—a marriage that lasted over 63 years until Ed’s passing in 2009. They had one son, Joe, who was raised in Santa Barbara.
Shirlie was a long-time employee with the Santa Barbara Country Public Works Department as an administrative assistant; she retired in 1988.
Shirlie was known for her wit, sense of humor, and personality as colorful as the award-winning orchids she grew. She was passionate about family, gardening, genealogy, history, traveling, square dancing, painting, and giving back to the community through volunteering.
Shirlie was preceded in death by her husband, Ed, and her son, Joe. She is survived by her two grandchildren, Vanessa, and Ed, and her four great-grandchildren, Aria, Ava Shirlie (her namesake), Cora, and Joey. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation in her honor to The Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Deborah Irene Drew Kaska, 81, who died after a fall on December 27, 2022. Debbie’s entire family was with her in her last days celebrating life at the beach. Her children were by her side when she passed. Debbie is preceded in death by her beloved husband William C. Kaska and brother Donald E. Drew.
Debbie was born in Berwyn, Il to Harvey and Irene Drew (nee Genke). She enjoyed playing clarinet and oboe and spent her summers at Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan. After graduating from Glenbard High School, she attended the University of Michigan earning her BS/MS in Biology. As a student and Phi Mu Sorority sister Debbie earned extra money washing equipment for the Chemistry Department. It was there that she met her future husband, Bill, who was a graduate student. The couple later settled in Goleta, California and raised four children.
In 1980, Debbie earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). In collaboration with researchers at the Univ of Oulu Finland, she studied many aspects of green algae. Later she served as the Academic Coordinator at the UCSB Department of Biological Sciences overseeing the Introductory Biology lab. Debbie conducted research on a broad variety of topics, including bird songs, vision, pine roots, and the genetic diversity of the Channel Islands Ironwood trees.
After retiring from UCSB in 2002, Debbie (affectionately known as, “Maka” to her grandchildren) traveled to visit her family and friends and explored the world. She played oboe with the SB Prime Time Band and volunteered with the SB County Genealogy Society, serving as the board secretary and editor of Ancestors West. She was also skilled in translating old German script and spoke German fluently. Debbie was involved in several organizations, including serving as VP, Patriotic Instructor, and President of Tent 22 for the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War and as Chapter VP for the Colonial Dames of America SB Chapter. She was also a member of the Mission Canyon Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her community involvement and curiosity never wavered and her friends and neighbors benefitted from her many gifts.
Debbie is survived by her children, Serge Kaska, Kristin Woolley (Douglas), Marya Darabont (Tibor), and Kathleen Perez (James), as well as seven grandchildren. A memorial mass will be held in her honor on Thursday, January 26, 2023, at 10:30 AM at San Roque Catholic Church, 325 Argonne Circle, Santa Barbara, California with a 12:30 PM reception to follow at the Glen Annie Golf Club, 405 Glen Annie Rd. Goleta, California. Donations in her honor may be sent to the Prime Time Band, P.O. Box #92055, Santa Barbara, CA 93190.
Born June 24, 1921, in New Castle, Indiana — Parents Maude and J. W. Fisk. Her parents and three sisters, Dorothy, Jeanne, and Martha predeceased her. Barbara learned to drive in a panel truck as a young teenager delivering groceries and meats around town from the family market in New Castle.
She graduated from Ball State University Nursing School where she made lifelong friendships with her 14 Classmates. She was a Registered Nurse in Indiana and then California for 50 years.
Married to Charles E. Harper, she led a busy life raising a growing family of 5 children in Indianapolis. Barbara was quite the artist, exhibiting her oil paintings for many years at the Indiana State Fair. She was an accomplished seamstress — winning a trip to New York City as a finalist in the 1951 National Sewing Contest held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The family moved to Santa Barbara in 1961.
In the mid-seventies, she married Furman C. Parker. They enjoyed traveling to see the Terracotta soldiers in China and genealogy trips to Utah, Indiana and Washington D.C.
Barbara enjoyed quilting into her nineties and always had a beautiful quilt ready for new grandbabies and great-grandbabies. She was a Life Master in the game of Bridge. She maintained multi-generational friendships throughout the years including her Nursing, Quilting, Artists and Bridge groups.
Most of all Barbara was a loving and generous Mother, Grandmother, and Great Grandmother – Oma to all — the glue that holds a large extended family together.
Barbara is survived by her 5 children: David (Lana) Harper, Judy Betancourt, Julie Calhoun, Becky (Steve) Fields, and Steve (Mary) Harper; 16 Grandchildren and 22 Great Grandchildren.
She told us “old age is not for sissies” and her last 3 years with dementia proved that to be true.
Celebration of Life at Cambridge Drive Community Church, on Sunday, 9/15 at 2:00. (550 Cambridge Dr. Goleta)
Arrangements entrusted to McDermott Crockett and Associates Mortuary.
Madelyn R. Middleton 1923-2016 Madelyn R. “Marny” Middleton 28 May 1923 – 06 March 2016 Madelyn Middleton passed away peacefully at her home in Carpinteria on March 6, 2016 after a long battle with cancer. In her last days, she was encircled by loving family, life-long friends and compassionate caregivers. Marny was born in Orfordville, New Hampshire on May 28, 1923 to Reginald and Luriene Munn. Her family later moved to Carpinteria in 1939.
Marny met her future husband George in Pasadena, California. When the war started George was sent to Corsicana, Texas for pilot training. Marny decided she didn’t want to wait any longer to join him. She arrived at the train station, but the only trains that were operating at that point were troop carriers. One kind soldier advised her to pose as his wife by turning around her engagement ring, so it looked like a wedding band. She was then able to board the train. George and Marny were married in a modest ceremony on June 26, 1943. After the war they were stationed in Japan. While there Marny worked with the Red Cross helping the wounded soldiers write letters home to their loved ones. They continued their married life living in different military bases across the country.
As the wife of an Air Force officer, she always made a welcoming and warm home, relishing being a mom to their three children: Michael, Cathy and Margie. After 20 years of service, George retired from the Air Force and they settled into their current home in Carpinteria in 1964. Marny was an avid reader. She was a gourmet cook, never hesitating to try a new recipe, and was always a welcoming hostess for family parties. She enjoyed gardening, flower arranging and bird watching (finally seeing a pileated woodpecker in Virginia to add to her life list) and traveling. She loved to knit, crochet, cross stitch and needlepoint, and made quite a collection of each craft.
Marny was one of the first volunteers at the Rape Crisis Center in Santa Barbara, acting as an advocate for survivors of sexual assault. She served on the Altar Guild at All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church and was a proud member of Daughters of the American Revolution and Daughters of Union Veterans. She worked as a clerk in the Justice Court in Carpinteria for many years and later at the Sheriff’s Department in Santa Barbara.
Marny was predeceased by her son Michael in 2012. She is survived by her devoted husband of 73 years, George and her loving children: Cathy (Ed) and Margie. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Bryan (Carin), Tanya (Alec) and Chris (Jennifer) and her great-grandchildren: Michael, Mathew, Rebecca, Ripley, Liam, Isla, Landon and Fiona. She was an adoring grandmother and great-grandmother and thought they were the most beautiful and intelligent children ever born! There is a void in our lives now and she will be forever loved and missed by her family, neighbors and friends. Marny had many devoted caregivers and nurses also in the last year of her life. We give special thanks and love to Dusty, Rosaleen, Camilla, and Elizabeth. We would also like to thank her hospice nurses Susana, Marie, Janet, Sean and her doctors: Dr. Reyna Talanian and Dr. Eric Trautwein for their kindness and support, We thank all the other hospice staff who did so much to help ease her transition to heaven.
Marny will be buried in a simple graveside service at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Friends of the Carpinteria Library, The National Audubon Society, or Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care.
Remembering Patsy Brock
Patsy Brock, a longtime member of Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society, passed away last week. Patsy’s memorial service is planned for this coming Saturday, June 16, at All Saints By The Sea Episcopal Church, 83 Eucalyptus Lane, in Montecito, at 11:00am, with a reception to follow.
Patsy was an enthusiastic genealogist since the early 1980s when she found the surname of her Swedish grandfather. With her academic background in literature and history, she found searching for other branches of family a delight. She has a long record of service to SBCGS including teaching “Absolutely Basic Genealogy” for SBCC’s Adult Education program; chairing a Beginning Genealogy special interest group, and volunteering to teach many other classes at the Sahyun Library. She was also a featured speaker for SBCGS when she presented “A Genealogical Perspective on ‘Gone With the Wind.'” Patsy’s presentation turned the story, time frame, characters, drama and setting to make revisiting GWTW seems like a family gathering. Patsy was a quintessential educator all her life. Patsy was also a Daughter of a Civil War Veteran, Pvt. Alexander Arnold, Co. A, IN 59th Infantry, GAR McPheeters Post #182, Fredericksburg, IN. Since 2006, she had been a member of the Laura Belle Stoddard Tent #22, Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865, in Santa Barbara, California.
It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Lorayne H. Snyder, age 96. She passed peacefully at home after a brief illness surrounded by her family on Thursday, April 27, 2017. She was born in Gilbert, Arizona on December 24, 1920 to Orland (Orie) and Ida Hadlock. She had one brother, Everett.
In 1924 at the age of 4, Lorayne and her family moved to California and settled in Ventura. She has been a Ventura County Resident for 92 years. She attended schools in Ventura and graduated from Ventura Senior High School, class of 1938 and two years later from Ventura College.
Lorayne met her future husband and the love of her life, Paul N. Snyder while in high school and they were married on January 28, 1940. They welcomed their only child William (Bill) Snyder in 1943. During their 69 years of marriage the two of them built (with little outside help) their home on Walnut Drive in El Rio where they lived until moving back to Ventura in 1966. They enjoyed bowling and belonged to several leagues. In addition to bowling, they enjoyed camping and fishing throughout the United States. She worked for the Automobile Club of Southern California (AAA) for several years and then went to work for The Southern California Gas Co., retiring in 1983. After her retirement Lorayne enjoyed the many years she spent as a volunteer for Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) working in the gift shop and the numerous cruises they went on, sailing to various ports around the world. They loved Hawaii and enjoyed taking their three granddaughters with them on a number of their trips and introducing them to the warm Hawaiian surf.
Lorayne was an active person and involved in many organizations. Her passion was genealogy and she spent decades researching her family history. She was admitted into the Daughter of the American Revolution (DAR) in 1969 and had the honor of being the Mitz-Khan-A-Khan Chapter’s oldest member. Lorayne held numerous Chapter, District and State offices over the years from Regent to Treasurer; In addition to the DAR she was admitted into the Daughters of Union Veterans of The Civil War (DUV) in October 2011. She was also a member of the Heritage Club and the Dames of the Court/Honor.
Lorayne was preceded in death by her husband Paul in 2009 and her brother Everett in 1985. She is survived by her son, William L. Snyder (Elaine) of Newbury Park, CA; three special granddaughters, Shannon Pineda of Camarillo, CA, Laura McCarter of Moorpark, CA and Cynthia Markus of Charlotte, NC; two step-grandchildren, Todd Jordan (Olga) of Pt. Hueneme, CA and Lynn Duffy (Scott) of San Diego, CA; nine great grandchildren; and her nephew, Tere Hadlock (Linda) of Fremont, CA.
Visitation will be held on Monday, May 1, 2017 from 3:00 pm until 6:00 pm, at Ted Mayr Funeral Home, 3150 Loma Vista Road, in Ventura. A memorial and celebration of Lorayne’s life will take place on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, 11:00 am, at Ventura Baptist Church, 5415 Ralston Street, in Ventura.
The family wishes to give a special thank you to her wonderful neighbors, to the Community Memorial Hospital ER and ICU doctors and nurses for their wonderful care during her stay, and to the Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurses/Hospice for their wonderful care during her final days with us.
Published in Ventura County Star from Apr. 29 to Apr. 30, 2017
From President Sue Ramsey:
I started working for Southern California (then Counties) Gas Co. in September 1967–50 years ago this year! Lorayne worked in the Oxnard payment office. While we didn’t work in the same building, we did know each other and had many phone interactions. After SoCo and SoCal Gas merged in 1971, they eventually closed the main office where I worked and opened a new one in Santa Barbara. For many years thereafter, we held Ventura Division ladies dinner reunions. I believe the last one was on December 8, 1980, which sticks in my memory because it was the day John Lennon was killed. That was the last time I’d seen Lorayne up until she showed up as a prospective member at one of our tent meetings in 2011. I didn’t know she was coming and she didn’t know I was a member! I had the privilege to initiate her as a member in January 2012. Her ancestor was Pvt. Morgan Drum, Co. H, 132nd PA. After his discharge in 1863, he and his family moved to the Los Olivos area of Santa Barbara County, CA. Drum Canyon is named for him.
Lorraine & I at her initiation, January 13, 2012
Some of you may remember our field trip to Drum Barracks 2 years ago. Her granddaughter Shannon Pineda & great granddaughter Amanda Pineda, also our tent sisters, drove Lorayne down to join us in Wilmington. Many of the displays are on the second story but Lorayne was not to be deterred and insisted on climbing those stairs to take a look (with help of course). She was a trooper, that’s for sure!!
I know you will join me in extending our sincere sympathy to Shannon & Amanda, as well as the entire family.
Jan died of ovarian cancer February 23, surrounded by her family and beloved cat, Wally. Up until a week before her passing, she was able to enjoy her favorite activities – her genealogy study group and lunch with her former students at IHOP.
Jan was born in St. Joseph, MO on March 16, 1937 to Hazel and Elwyn Gibson. Raised in Arkansas and Missouri, she attended Central High (Little Rock, AK) and graduated from Joplin High in 1956. Jan attended the University of Oklahoma, was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority, and studied voice with opera singer Dame Eva Turner. Since Music was not a practical degree for a woman at that time, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Education in 1959.
Jan found her way to California through a teaching job at a junior high in Riverside but soon realized that teaching children was not the profession for her. Fortunately for all of us, Jan headed north to Santa Barbara where she studied with Lotte Lehmann at the Music Academy of the West. Jan continued singing with the local Opera Workshop and performed in many operas over the years as well as teaching voice, both privately and at Westmont College.
In 1962 Jan married William Edmund Deluccia. During her marriage to Bill (d. 1993) Jan experienced life as not many do. It was passionate, exciting, and never dull. Jan was resourceful. She cooked salmon in the dishwasher, served escargot with snails from her garden, cooked – and yes – ate crow after Bill shot it off the power line (there is very little meat on a crow, she said), and she cooked a pot roast on the manifold of her car on one of the many cross-country road trips. Adventurous, practical, clever. That was Jan.
In 1972 Jan married Preston E. Cloud, Jr. (d. 1991). This began a new adventure that took her around the world with Pres’ career as a distinguished biogeologist. It also took her to places like the High Sierras with a 40-pound pack on her back, cooking over a fire pit and sleeping under the stars before there was such a thing as a comfortable air mattress. Through her travels with Pres she experienced the highlight of her singing career in 1980 when she gave recitals in Beijing and Nanjing, China. Jan was the first American singer to give such a recital in Nanjing and was very proud that her repertoire included songs in six different languages, including Russian and Chinese!
Jan enjoyed the connection to the scientific community through Pres, always eager to attend meetings of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. She had a thirst for knowledge, which led her into her ultimate profession and passion, genealogy. She was known to exclaim, “It’s worse than dope!” “It’s the greatest detective game!” “It’s so much more fun than doing housework!”
Jan was a leader, teacher, and mentor. She had a loyal following of genealogy students who attended her classes through SBCC’s Adult Education program, a career that spanned over 20 years. As friends have remarked, “Jan was an amazing person, a serious scholar of genealogy and a teacher who inspired rooms full of acolytes.” “Her passion for genealogy was sooo infectious!” And as another friend mused, “I take away a lot of what was shared in her classes, but honestly, one of the lasting legacies she imparted to me was the friendships that were made and still exist because of her class; most of us began as strangers, but that didn’t last long.”
Hand in hand with her teaching came her fierce love of and commitment to the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society. Jan’s perseverance, visionary thinking and determination helped to create one of the strongest and most respected genealogical societies in California. For anyone who knew Jan, she was a force to be reckoned with and known for her persuasiveness. “Who can say no to Jan?!” Her deep knowledge of all aspects of genealogy, her perfectionism, her hilarious sense of humor, and her delightful stories earned her the respect and love of all who knew her.
Jan leaves a lasting legacy and passes her bright torch to her family: Sons Morgan De Lucia and Dante De Lucia (Ana Ojeda), daughter Amanda De Lucia (Viena Zeitler); step-children Lisa Cloud (Conor Hickey), Kevin Cloud, and Karen Cloud; grandchildren Nico, Julianna, Sofia, and Daniela De Lucia, Conor, Fiona, and Molly Hickey; dogs Rudy, Piccolo and Rosie; and her beloved cat, Wally.
Donations in Jan’s memory can be made to Dog Adoption and Welfare Group (DAWG), Animal Shelter Assistance Program (ASAP), and the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society.
At Jan’s request, we will be having a party to celebrate her life Sunday, March 13, 3-5pm, at Rancho La Patera & Stow House, 304 N. Los Carneros Road, Goleta, CA.
Janalee was born in Los Angeles on August 14, 1939. She attended La Puente High School and worked at Hacienda La Puente Unified School District for over 30 years.
At the time of her death on January 18, 2016, she was living in San Bernardino and was buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California.
She was the great-great-granddaughter of Private George Frank Duntley, Co. I, 102nd Illinois Regiment. She joined the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865, and was initiated into Betsy Ross Tent 40 in Huntington Park on February 20, 1952. She transferred to Laura Belle Stoddard Tent 22 on May 16, 1992. She was a member for nearly 64 years.
Emily was born in Los Angeles on July 22, 1932, the second daughter of Elijah Justin and Lucia (Jones) Hills. She grew up in Sherman Oaks and Westwood, graduating from University High School in 1950. In 1955 she obtained her RN nursing degree from Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena and in 1965 her PHN from Cal State LA. In 1967 she moved with her daughters to Santa Barbara from their home in Hacienda Heights, and began a 27 year career as a school nurse with the Goleta Union School District.
She loved model trains, square dancing, traveling, lawn bowling, her family and friends. Retiring from school nursing in 1991, she pursued her interest in genealogy, compiling the vast family history researched by 4 generations of her family. Joining the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society, she served on its Board of Directors and was President in 1998-99. She was also a 3rd generation member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, Chapter OK in Santa Barbara.
She leaves behind her husband Duane, her daughters Laura Gimby (Bev Stohl) of Watertown, MA, Linnea Gimby-Crespo of Bakersfield, CA, stepsons Eric Aasted (Erin) of VA, Mark Aasted (Rebecca) of Santa Barbara, and stepdaughter Erika Aasted of WA, her loving granddaughters Charlene Lawson (David), Kelli Crespo and great-granddaughter Kensli of Bakersfield. Her step-grandchildren include: Christopher (Tiffany), Matthew, Andrea, Steven, and Katherine Aasted. Her sisters are Metta Jane Hills of Newhall, Myra June De Voto of Santa Barbara, and the late Lucia Essig. She leaves many other loving family and friends.
A Celebration of Life will be held Sat., May 24, 2014, 11 AM at St. Mark United Methodist Church, 3942 La Colina Rd., SB. She will be buried in the Santa Barbara Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the S.B. County Genealogical Society Endowment Fund or to the P.E.O. Sisterhood, Chapter OK.
Longtime Ventura resident, Patricia Lacy Longo, 87, peacefully passed away Thursday, December 4, 2014, following a brief illness. Pati was born September 25, 1927.
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