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.
Former longtime Claremont resident Gerry Gardner died October 19 near his home in Carlsbad, California. He was 82 years old.
Dr. John Mertens, a longtime Claremont resident, died peacefully on Monday, October 17, surrounded by family. He was 81. John was born in Detroit, Michigan on April 29, 1941, the oldest of two children, to Armand and Marion Mertens. He spent his very happy childhood exploring the neighborhoods of Detroit, often with his best friend of 70 years, Doug Francis. His family moved to California in 1959, and he graduated from Chaffey High School that same year.
‘Renaissance man in the rough’ Stewart (also known as Lan or Lanny) Farley was a Renaissance man who left this world on October 5. Stewart’s last retreat was his own chosen version of desert solitaire: a night sky full of beautiful stars and surrounded by nature. “His suffering has ended, and for that, his loved […]
U.S. Army veteran, ‘force to be reckoned with’ John William “Bloomie” Blumenfeld died November 17, 2021, in Bullhead City, Arizona, with his wife Patricia at his bedside. He was 64 years old. John grew up in Claremont and attended Sycamore Elementary, El Roble Intermediate, and Claremont High schools. He served in the U.S. Army and […]
Audrey Allen, 91, died on October 30. Audrey was born May 8, 1931, to Betty (nee Nutt) and Walter Walker in La Jolla, California. The family moved to Glendora when she was a teenager and she graduated from Citrus Union High School in 1948. She had happy memories of being a member of the glee club at Citrus, and attended many school reunions and maintained friendships from those days.
Evelyn Marion Connelly, born October 8, 1941, died peacefully October 26 with her family at her side, in Bothell, Washington.
Sheila Jennifer “Jenny” Stary died September 6, just six days before her 65th birthday.
On June 15, 2021, Patricia Margaret (Miller) Hampton, loving wife and mother of two children, died peacefully at the age of 72.
Marie Assman, 91, of Claremont, died on October 22. Marie was born September 26, 1931, to Joseph and Madeline Caruso (nee Rispoli) in Brooklyn, New York. After graduating from Franklin K. Lane High School, she worked at Abraham and Strauss in Brooklyn, where she met her future husband Charles F. Assman.
David Adam Kasakove died peacefully in his sleep on September 24 at his home in Portland, Oregon. He was 58 years old. He is survived by his brother Evan Dann McKillakove.
Longtime Claremont resident Marc Winter died peacefully at home surrounded by family on August 29. He was 69. Marc was born on July 4, 1953, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Joe and Lucille Winter. He was the second of three children. His family moved to Bend, Oregon, in 1957, where he spent most of his childhood. He had fond memories of growing up in Bend with his brother, Bruce, and his sister, Kim. They relocated to Salem, Oregon, during his junior year in high school.
Carolyn Mary Christian died on August 30 from long-term complications of COVID-19. Born in Los Angeles on June 6, 1961, to Suzanne and Otto Christian, Carolyn lived in the Claremont area for most of her life, after first visiting as a young child when her grandfather owned the citrus groves that would later become Chaparral Elementary School.
“Lillian (Billie) Louise Parrish Maguire was an extraordinary woman who lived an extraordinary life,” her family shared. Born December 13, 1930, she died at Mount San Antonio Gardens in Pomona on September 23. She was an impassioned advocate who dedicated her life to giving voice to the voiceless, with her dedication to equity and social justice targeted primarily toward children and women. On the issues facing children in particular her work and advocacy were driven by the central question she always posed, “Is it good for the children?” This question led her to engage in equity endeavors in healthcare, schools, and communities throughout Southern California.
Clara Soto Ivey, a cherished church and community leader who inspired thousands of students in her Spanish classes to see the world and who never stopped loving her native Cuba, even after becoming an American citizen, died peacefully in her beloved Claremont on September 6. She was 86.
Former longtime Claremonter Jacqueline Dunn died Friday, October 7 at her home in Oceanside, with her devoted husband of 61 years, Douglas Dunn, by her side. During her more than 40 years as a Claremont resident, Jackie Dunn was an interior designer and owner of the The Ivy House Antiques on Foothill Boulevard, as well as a therapist to many Claremont couples and families.
Longtime Claremonter, championship winning coach, athlete, traveler Raymond “Bim” Jollymour died September 23 following a brief hospital stay. He was 85 years old. “Bim” was born in San Rafael, California on April 22, 1937. His family moved to Claremont in 1949. He began golfing at the age of 12. He and his sister, Ruth Ann, […]