Claremont Obituaries
Grandmother, minister, activist, dancer After a lifetime of service and self-expression, Penelope Dawn Clark Mann, United Church of Christ minister, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and sister, died April 27 at the Pilgrim Place Health Center in Claremont. Penny was born March 6, 1942 in Clinton, Iowa. Raised in Columbus, Ohio, she attended University High School, […]
Cloisonne artist, gregarious personality, grandmother Gretchen Fassbinder, a 54-year Claremont resident, died October 1. She was 81 years old. Mrs. Fassbinder was born on March 25, 1937 in Charleston, West Virginia to Edward and Eleanor Day. The family moved to Ellensburg, Washington in 1953. Young Gretchen attended the University of Washington, where she met her […]
Minister, professor emeritus, college dean, author Philip Algot Anderson, Jr. died September 26 at Pilgrim Place in Claremont after several years of declining health. He was 96. He was born March 15, 1922 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Macalester College in St. Paul, and then a bachelor of divinity degree […]
Lifelong companions died together Professor Rolf Paul Knierim and Hildegard Emma Knierim (nee Salm) were in a fatal car accident on September 29, 2018 while driving west on Interstate 40 near Winslow, Arizona. They were 90 and 89 years old, respectively. They were both born in Germany, professor Knierim on July 8, 1928 in Pirmasens, […]
Artist, teacher, loving aunt, dedicated Christian Scientist Artist, teacher and loving aunt Nancy Orange Birch died August 24 at Claremont Manor Care Center. She was 97 years old. Nancy was born in Indiana in 1921, the first of three daughters to Vera and Verne Orange. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Ohio University in Athens, […]
Decorated US Navy veteran, engineer, hunter, pilot, artist On the one-year anniversary of his death on October 25, 2017, the family of Robert Vern Phillips remembers their dearly loved husband, father and grandfather. He was born November 19, 1928 in Fremont, Ohio, the eldest of three children. Throughout his life his given name, Robert, was exchanged with nicknames […]
Tireless volunteer, instrumental in Harvey Mudd College founding Velma Enriqueta Vergara McKelvey, a proud Claremont resident since 1959, died peacefully at her home on July 13. She was 86 years old. Velma was born in Los Angeles in 1932 to Julia Ann and Joaquin Vergara. Her mother was a direct descendant of hearty relatives who […]
Mother, Pilates instructor, dancer, choreographer Julia Elizabeth Bourne died peacefully at home September 18 surrounded by family and friends after battling brain cancer for more than two years. She was 45 years old. Raised in Newcastle-Under-Lyme in England, her love of dance was evident at a very early age. She began ballet classes at six, […]
Co-founder of Foothill Country Day School, longtime Claremonter Betty (Docker) Webb, wife of the late Howell Webb and co-founder of Foothill Country Day School, died June 5 from heart failure after 97 full years of life. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Betty Docker moved to Southern California in 1945 and took a position teaching English […]
Municipal employee, accounting professor, devoted volunteer Clarence Matthew Markham, III, age 81, resident of Newport, Oregon, died August 28, 2018. Clarence was born April 26, 1937 to Clarence Markham and Olga Hughes in Toledo, Ohio. He graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1960 with a bachelor of science in accounting. In 1971, he earned a […]
Longtime nurse, traveler, descendant of 17 Mayflower passengers Elizabeth “Betsy” Caddes died at home in Costa Mesa on September 3 after battling ovarian cancer for the past year. She was 70 years old. Born December 21, 1947 in Boston, she was raised in nearby Hyde Park, Massachusetts by parents Harry and Rachel, who began calling […]
Aerospace engineer, Cal Poly Pomona professor emeritus Former Cal Poly Pomona professor Terrance H. Tennant completed what he called his “voyage of discovery” in March 2018, when he died in Morro Bay. Mr. Tennant was born in Syracuse, New York to loving parents Herman and Mary Tennant. He was raised most of his early life […]
Traveler, theater actor, director, teacher, writer, critic Richard Hornby, who fought Parkinson’s disease for many years, died peacefully just after midnight this past February 11 due to a brain hemorrhage. He had a sweet half-smile on his face to the end, reported his wife Carol Fisher Sorgenfrei. He was 79. He was born October 25, […]
Longtime Claremont residents, together 69 years, died a week apart Forty-seven year Claremont residents George Murray Bailey, 94, and his loving wife Claire Busk Bailey, 92, shared a poignant end when they died within a week of each other, on July 31 and August 6, respectively. George and Claire moved to Claremont in 1971 […]
Grandmother, world traveler, gifted cook, entertainer Barbara Lew Riskas died with her family by her side on August 31 at the age of 86. She was born December 2, 1931 in Payette, Idaho. Her family lived in many different US cities from when she was born to her early teens. She attended Belmont High School […]
Successful wholesale rose entrepreneur Chino resident Verona E. Weeks died August 29 at the age of 102. She was born March 18, 1916, in Bentonville, Arkansas. For more than 40 years Ms. Weeks was the co-owner of Weeks Wholesale Roses. She utilized her marketing skills to grow the company over the course of 15 years […]
Great grandmother, devoted Catholic, English teacher Margaret Mary (Mackenzie) Cox died peacefully at age 99 on August 29 at her home in Claremont, surrounded by family and her caregiver, Betty Leon. She was born September 29, 1918 in Lake Linden, Michigan to parents Clarissa (Kappler) Mackenzie and Roy Mackenzie. Her family moved to Norfolk, Virginia […]