Claremont Obituaries

Great-grandfather, cement mason, jack-of-all-trades, married 63 years Antonio Mata Garcia died peacefully, taking his last breath on Wednesday, August 21, at the age of 87. Born in Terlingua, Texas on June 14, 1937, he was the third youngest child of Rosario Garcia and Santiago Garcia. Tony spent some time in Texas, but later his family […]

Father, husband, prolific film and TV gaffer, musician Longtime Claremont resident Curtiss Bradford died surrounded by his family after a sudden illness on July 1. Curtiss is survived by his wife Deborah (née Madden) of Cape Cod, Massachusetts; daughters Emma Bradford of New York, and Fiona Bradford of San Francisco; brothers Christopher of Mountain View, […]

Paul Carroll, a member of the Claremont High School class of 1975, died peacefully of natural causes on August 15 in Alexandria, Virginia at age 67.

Longtime Claremont resident Norm Bortscheller died of heart failure on July 8. Norm was born on June 18, 1932, on a farm in Oyens, Iowa. In 1941, the family left the farm and moved to Gardena, California.

Jack Dwayne Blair, age 88, died peacefully in his home surrounded by his loving family on August 5 in Claremont. He was born March 21, 1936, in Astoria, Oregon, to parents Ralph and Anna Blair. He later moved to California where he married Pamela Blair, “his one true love, and together they raised their family,” his family shared.

Beloved matriarch, teacher, musician, was married 76 years Longtime Claremont resident Eileen Deem Jaeger died August 3 at the age of 99. She was predeceased in January 2022 by her husband of 76 years, Chester E. Jaeger, and her sister, Eva Trembly. She is survived by her children, Barbara (Michael) Cash, of Modesto, California, Jeri Jaeger, […]

Educator, mentor, inspiration to generations Don F. Fruechte, a cherished Claremont High School theater teacher for 31 years, died August 4, on his 91st birthday, in his Upland home. He was surrounded by dear friends and Brandi, the last of a long line of surviving Chihuahuas. “His dedication to his students and his craft shaped […]

Lifelong Arbol Verde resident, farmworker, nurse, devout Catholic matriarch Nellie Villanueva, a lifelong Arbol Verde east barrio resident, farmworker, nurse, devout Catholic matriarch, Padua Hills Theatre Mexican folklorico dancer, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend, has died. Once described by renowned Latina actress Alma Martinez as “the first lady of Claremont,” Villanueva […]

“There is a photo of Tom as a young boy, perhaps 11, sitting astride a large Arabian horse,” said his wife, Joyce. “He is brimming with confidence as he sits on the horse and gazes into the camera. When I met him, he already had a whole shelf full of ribbons and trophies that they had won in dressage. He was a remarkable rider.”

“On July 12, after 90 years full of adventures, purpose, service, joys, sorrows, faith, and meaning, Dr. Carol Helen Bekendam was reunited with Pete, her late husband of 64 years. She died peacefully, surrounded by her children,” her family shared.

Helen Jean Buckelew died July 10. Born June 13, 1932, Jean was raised in Oklahoma, where she met her future husband, Clyde Truman Buckelew when she was 15 years old. They married when she was 18 and he had just turned 19. For the next six years she lived with him in Virginia, Florida, and finally Memphis, Tennessee, where their son and daughter were born while he completed his U.S. Navy service. 

Innovative educator, outdoor enthusiast, ‘project ninja’ Duane Kyler Jackman was happiest when he could serve as the catalyst for another person’s success and, as a lifelong educator, he seized these opportunities. A 60-year resident of Claremont, he died at 92 on July 2, at Mt. San Antonio Gardens. Duane was born February 17, 1932, in […]

Public servant, educator, volunteer, sports fan, gardener Shirley Lola Andrews died peacefully July 9 in her home in Claremont, surrounded by her children. She was 94. The only daughter of Joseph Gordon Saunders and Lola Collette Saunders of Taber, Alberta, Canada, she was predeceased by her older brother Gordon and younger brother Reg. Shirley married […]

Loving mother, grandmother, CUSD teacher’s aide Irene Magdziarz died July 1 of complications from a stroke. She was 91. Born in Chicago in 1932 to parents George and Florence, Irene married Ray Magdziarz in 1961 and they started a family in the Chicago suburbs. In 1978, Ray’s career change brought them to Claremont, where she […]

Teacher, missionary, community health educator, public health administrator, volunteer, advocate for justice Fern Jo Kaukonen died April 5 at age 81. She was born October 1, 1942 at the family home in California Borough on the Monongahela River in Washington County, Coal Center, Washington, Pennsylvania. She was named after her two grandmothers, Fernand Carly Delbarre […]