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People we remember
Biographies are where we share about family & friends to connect with others who remember them.
Pam Marks:
Frank was an entrepreneur and businessman. He had a good start early on in his career working for General Mills.
Note from Kathy Pinna - When my father graduated from San Jose State, he was sent a few telegrams offering him a job. I don't have the telegrams but I've seen them.
In any case, I was told that he was weighing an offer from San Jose State to be a professor (in the philosophy dept?) and also from General Mills. He went to work for General Mills in their corporate office in San Francisco, as a buyer for the west coast.
Per an article in the San Francisco Examiner, Saturday, December 22, 1956:
"Here are the results of the course, which holds its last session next week:
One man, Frank E. Kroetch, an ingredient buyer for General Mills, has his reading speed up to 988 words per minute. That means he would be able to read better than two columns of this length in less than a minute.
The average reading speed of the men when they started this course was about 250 words a minute. They have boosted the average to 360 words per minute now.
Robert Conlin, the man who suggested the course and got $25 for the idea, started the sessions and then dropped out. Reason: He got promoted to general flour salesman midway through the course and had to concentrate on his new duties."
My mother, sister, and I used to take him to the train in Sunnyvale every day - we lived in Cupertino at the time and it was the fastest and easiest way for him to commute. As I recall, he worked there for a few years and I was told that he was the fastest rising executive at the time. He rose to the grain manager for the West Coast in that short time and he was told that no one had ever been promoted so quickly. They said that he would be president of General Mills within 20 years.
Well, Dad thought that 20 years was too far away so he quit! My memory of those days were the perks - we were sent "food baskets", in those days food boxes of General Mills products and we were able to purchase General Mills products through a employee catalogue. I saved up my allowance - I was about 8 and it was 10 cents a week - to buy a Tiny Tears doll. I loved it when he worked at General Mills.
He had a very sharp mind and knew how to see possibilities and opportunities in front of him. As a result, he was involved in numerous industries and owned many businesses over the years.
In 1960 he was the President of his company, Data Services Corporation.
In 1961, he and his brother Fred were supporters of a new magazine to be called "Northwest" that would use color photos to promote Washington tourism.
Frank also started a car rental service called "Letz Rent-a Car" in the early 1960's
He had a business in Idaho, owning a lodge at Coeur 'd Alene and was involved in many California businesses:
President of Golden Bear Land Company in Salinas (incorporated in Nevada)
Western Inns, Incorporated
Travel Lodge in San Jose
Several 'fast-food' restaurants
Later in life, he owned a few restaurants in Washington State.
Frank was also an author - having written a few short stories, one of which was a science fiction take on The Night Before Christmas.
(Note from Kathy: Dad always wanted to be a writer. He would write on yellow legal pads - remember, this was the 1950s and 1960s - and started books on such things as his theory about who the "real" Shakespeare was. My theory is that he just couldn't sit still long enough to write an entire book. But there were lots of starts on books. He also wanted to be a lawyer and even applied to - and was accepted by - San Francisco University Law School. We ended up moving to Seattle, however, and he never went to law school.)
Daniel Pinna:
"11/10 - 11/11/19 was a great new experience for me. I was in Bakersfield at a recording studio called River Theatre at 1213 North Chester Ave in Oildale (Bakersfield) CA working on a new company with new business partners. The River Theatre opened in September 1939 and then closed around 1964/1965. It became a recording studio for Buck Owens from 1968 until 1992 when a number of artists like Johnny Cash recorded. It then became an independent recording studio from 1992 until it closed in April 2008. Since that time a new friend of mine has utilized the location for him and his band.
It was my 1st time to Bakersfield and one of my longer drives. I've only driven once longer than that and that was the time my father and I drove from San Jose to Los Angeles over to Phoenix Arizona to visit my grandmother in Sun City."
John Goodwin:
When I met Renee we became friends immediately. Renee always had the best sense of humor and was fun to be around. I always enjoyed hanging out with her and joking around. She always has a caring and sincere person who would help anyone.
When she moved to Charlottesville we would occasionally talk and run into each other but lost touch eventually. I wish we had kept in touch because she was truly on of my best friends. Rest in peace, love your Snob.
Jessica Christensen:
Nola was my Great Grandmother. She had a very sweet soul. We all miss her very much. In her older years when she had to move from Picayune to Gulfport to live with her son and daughter, she gifted me with her daylillies and amaryllis' from her flower garden. I still have to this day.
Curtis Beitans:
The Herald Sun. Melbourne 25th June 2019.
MARGETTS, Wendy Robyn.
Wendy passed away peacefully at
Maryvale Private Hospital, aged 56
years. Loving sister of Tammy, Sharon
and Russell. The Kick Arse Aunty of
Linda, Shane and Aaron.
Great Aunt to 8 nieces and nephews.
So dearly loved, so sadly missed.
Curtis Beitans:
The Argus. Melbourne. 2nd April 1941.
HOSKING. - On March 28 ( suddenly ). at Wycheproof,
Mary, beloved wife of the late James Hosking,
The Anchorage Towaninnie, and dearly loved mother
of Wilmot ( Mrs. M. G. Nalder, Swan Hill ), John ( Peak
Hill, N.S.W. ), William ( Griffith, N.S.W. ), Rhoda ( Mrs.
F. G. Margetts, Cowangie ), Victor ( dec.), Evelyn ( Mrs.
T. D. Pryse, Wycheproof ), Earle ( Towaninnie ), Ruby
( Mrs. R. J. Bartram, Nullawil ).
Aged 78 years.
Ramon Garcia:
Happy Mother’s Day!!! - Kanella was like a grandmother to me. She would pick me up after school, take care of me while my parents were working. I will never forget her being there at every single life event, even when my own biological grandparents couldn’t be there.
She would help with my homework as much as she could. If not she would have her daughter Lorraine assist with the day’s assignment.
One thing I will always remember her by will be by her cooking and how she would make me help her in the kitchen. It was so much fun and therapeutic.
You see this is not something that I could share with my own biological grandmothers, so I treasure to this day those special moments. She was to me, what you call in the Italian-American culture, my nonna.
Although my life had a different path in store for me, there has always been a passion for the kitchen and the art of creating a meal from scratch no matter how many dishes nor utensils are involved in the process. Cooking with passion and for the reward of a potpourri of rich aromas seeping out of her 2nd story apartment and into the hallway and stairs of the 5 story tenement building in Washington Heights.
Thank you for all the great memories.
Your favorite kerata (colloquial Greek term loosely meaning ‘rascal’),
Ramon L Garcia
Erica Walls-Davis:
Sharon Denise Walls - Sharon Walls,
Sharon D Walls, was born on May 12, 1976 to late Rosie Lee Walls-Williams (Mother) and Wille Martin Haynes (Father). Sharon leaves behind 3 beautiful daughters Ashley Walls, Kiarria Walls and MiKieshia Douglas. Sharon is one my sister six siblings , and was a very beautiful person who always brought greatness when she was around. I miss her so much, she was a great big sister and friend. I always called her my little black bird.
Fly high black bird!!! You will never be forgottened...
Love Always,
Your Sister
Erica
Richard Domagalski:
Richard Beyer - Educator in St. Mary's College, Moraga, Ca. Master's Program in Confluent Education. - Brillant man always stretching his thirst for knowledge and his students. He had a Fullbright Scholarship to study in India and was a Trainer for Werner Erhart in EST called the Training for many years. His wife Carol also an Educator together had two sons Neil who was one of my students at Synergy Independent Studies School in Walnut Creek, Ca. The first of its kind in California with many schools to follow and still educating children by building a curriculum around the student. Neil while still in school at age 12 got Cancer and was gone in 3 weeks. Neil was focused on time left and organized his favorite things in life and gave them to his friends while still here. His parents Carol & Richard organized a Celebration of Life for Neal and his follow students & parents lead the way to acknowledge the incredible life and contributions Neal had made and the Difference his life made. This event left an indelible mark on me as an educator and not yet parent in life. Jeff the other son was not interested in education per se but life experiences tugged on him. After Neil passed Jeff took the family BMW 320i car apart in the garage and rebuilt it bolt by bolt. His sense of sound was remarkable as upon completion of rebuilding the entire car. He drove it too Concord BMW Dealership and met with the service manager and owner for several hours and was hired on the spot. Afterwards they paid for him to attend BMW School and graduated top of class and was soon head mechanic for many years to come.
Richard & Carol parted as unfortunately lots of couples do even brilliant conscious one's struggle with loss of a child so deeply loved.
Richard Beyer was drawn to more self-discovery looking for support of losing Neil. He decided living on the land was drawing on him and soon was living on 125 ac in Alder Point, Ca. he bought with partner Richard Evans. A very talented artist who he met and was looking to commune with the land also. In the past I would take my younger son Joel - who I took into the wilderness most of his young life - to visit and he would walk downhill through the very wooded forest about a mile to fish in the Eel River. Of course, coming back was another story.
This man was my Master Teacher when I was getting my Teaching Credential in Secondary Education and afterwards my Master's in Confluent Education. I learned more about life/passion/forgiveness from this exceptional human being. He would always say... Know You Are Loved.
Thank you - Friend
Dana Poplees:
Relative? - I’m looking for my great grandfather’s siblings
Stephen Andrew Poplees.
It seems he changed his name around 1917 when he entered World War I draft
Popolizzo.
It’s pretty horrible how on every document the name is spelled differently
I’m assuming he has some siblings that we don’t know about
Stephen Sardi:
Dreams - My brother and I would share our dreams, especially if they seemed funny, or if something unusual happened in them. But mostly, they were wishful thinking on our part about what our futures held, things we eventually hoped we would own, or places we might visit that we had learned about in school.
We learned about the Caribbean, the deep blue waters, the white sands -- and the pirate's treasure we were sure we would find if only we could get there. Our interest was heightened when we learned that Charles Island, off the coast of Milford, CT, had been a stopping point for Captain Kidd and that he may have buried treasure there, according to local legend.
My brother had a dream about how one day, when he got older, he would buy Charles Island -- and he and I would go out there and find the treasure we were sure was hidden there. In his dream, he told me, the evidence was there because he found a sand dollar seashell at Silver Sands, the nearby beach. I was so caught up in his dream that I felt sure he HAD to be right, and I looked forward to it eventually happening.
Of course, that could not happen. The legends were real, but we didn't stand a chance of finding anything, not even the sand dollar shell that are native to tropical waters.
Charles Island has an interesting feature -- at low tide, there is a tombolo (sandbar) that allows people to walk over to the island and stay for a short while until the tide starts coming in again. We knew about this, but it's hard to be an explorer when your life is tied up in school and work. Although I've walked there in recent years, Paul and I never did, so the best he could do was admire the island from afar -- and settle for dreams of pirate gold.
I don't know if we perceive when our last days and nights are upon us. I can only hope that the night before he died, my brother had a dream where his wishes came true -- where he found the buried treasure, and enjoyed the rest of his life knowing he had achieved a great accomplishment.
As an adult, I've been to where he and I dreamed of going -- it is as beautiful as we both imagined. The palm trees, the white sand, the blue water -- all there. I hope his dreams that night -- April 24, 1981 -- matched the reality of the beautiful things he missed out on.
During one of my trips there, I found his sand dollar on the beach -- and thought of him. Wherever he is, I hope his dreams come true.
David Anthony:
Cheryl Lumpkin Stovall - I have attempted to locate Cheryl for 50+ years. Finally did recently in the cemetery. She died Jan 4, 1980. I read in a 1980s newspaper edition that she died in the hospital from a brain injury. How did this injury happen? Car accident-NOT! Rumor is that a family member may have hit her.
She was a very special angel to me during difficult times in my youth in Texas. Any information will be appreciated.
Dave:)
Arielle Lynn:
My love for you will follow me to the grave. - You were my first true love and unfortunately probably the last. Its been 24 years and I still can not get you off my mind. How I wish we weren't so young and naive. You were always my forever. I wish I could have seen you grow up and what you would have made of your life. Its hurts today as bad as it did all those years ago!! I love you Pete and always will. I'm sorry.
Danielle Adair:
Always in my heart - John Pratt was my Uncle, who I felt closer to than my own parents. He was a great guy, who always made me laugh and smile. I got my silly side from him, besides my Aunt on my mother's side. lol
My Uncle John was there for me, more than any other member of the family, growing up! I used to sit on his lap when I was a little girl. I remember playing basketball with him, my dad and other Uncle Ray.
I remember my Uncle John and I would laugh and be silly & even drum on the table back and forth to the awesome music he'd jam to. And I would make him laugh when dancing with his cane. That some was fun times, and I miss him very much! He also would take me in so I had somewhere to go, whenever I was thrown out, both as a minor & adult!
My Uncle John will ALWAYS be in my heart, and a part of my life. I love him very much, and may he rest in peace. I'll see you again someday Uncle John, and when I do, we can dance and be silly together in Heaven.
