Claremont Obituaries
Alden French (A.F.) Pixley, longtime Claremont resident and Harvey Mudd mathematics professor, died on September 23 after a brief hospitalization. He was 96. Alden was born on February 27, 1928, the third of four children, in Pasadena to Nelson Pixley, who was city controller and subsequently tax assessor and collector and city treasurer, and Lillian (Parent) Pixley.
Grandfather, lawyer, U.S. Army veteran Bruce Jordan Lance, Jr., was born December 26, 1930, and died August 30, at his home in Claremont, surrounded by his loved ones. He was married to Marilyn Ruth Baughman Lance for 68 years. Bruce grew up in Davidson City, California, the third of five children. He spent his early […]
Beloved patriarch, pediatrician, medical volunteer, around the world sailor George H. Latham, born into a military family in San Antonio, Texas in 1935, died August 29. His parents were Margaret and George C. Latham. He was 3 years old when his father died in a plane crash. His mother remarried to U.S. Army officer Jim […]
Dorothy (“Dot”) Ann Dougherty Tracey died peacefully on August 27. “She lived a long and full life dedicated to family, faith, friends, career, outdoor adventures, and community,” her family shared. “She balanced this dedication with humor and love of the beach, mountains and a healthy lifestyle.”
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 […]
Services for long-time Claremont High School theater instructor Don F. Fruechte, who died Sunday, on his 91st birthday, will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, August 13 at Todd Memorial Chapel, 570 N. Garey Ave., Pomona 91767. A full account of Mr. Fruechte’s life will appear in a future edition of the Courier.
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 […]