January 21, 2004

Back to the table of Contents Page

Classifieds

Palo Alto Online

Deaths

Mary Ann Sakamoto Masaoka, 88, a resident of Mountain View, died Jan. 5.

She was born Jan. 21, 1915, in Santa Barbara. She married Joe Grant Masaoka and the couple had five children together. She raised her family in their Atherton home for more than 30 years and later moved to Mountain View, staying there for the past 19 years.

She graduated from Loma Linda University in 1938 and became a registered nurse, working at Stanford University for a number of years, including a position as head ICU Nurse.

She was an active member with the Aldersgate United Methodist Church and the Japanese American Citizens League. She was not only passionate about the local Japanese-American cultural scene, but also avid about the San Francisco Giants and the 49ers.

She is survived by her sons, Dr. Grant Masaoka of Long Beach, Alan Masaoka of Carmel Valley and Phillip Masaoka of Colorado; her daughters, JoAnn Masaoka Van Atta of Menlo Park and Lynn Hartnett of Milalani, Hawaii; and seven grandchildren.

Services in her memory were held Jan. 17 at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Palo Alto.
Peter Milward

Peter Milward, 82, a longtime resident of Menlo Park and Palo Alto, died Dec. 21.

He was born Dec. 20, 1921, in Springfield, Mass. He and his parents, Nora and Benjamin Milward, moved to San Mateo when he was 2 years old. He later moved to Menlo Park and in 1989 to Palo Alto.

In February 1942, he enlisted in the Army Air Corp, and was a B-17 pilot, flying 28 missions while stationed in England. In January 1944, he had to ditch his plane in the North Sea. He was always proud of the fact that the plane floated for more than 30 minutes instead of sinking in 90 seconds. None of the crew suffered any injuries and were rescued by an English destroyer. He retired as a lieutenant colonel from the Air Force Reserve in 1969.

After working at Marsh Mclennan for more than 30 years, he retired in 1984.

Since then he took up golf, traveled and made new friends. He also volunteered even more of his time with the downtown Food Closet, Friends of the Library and at the First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto. For the past 22 years he was an active participant at the Cardiac Therapy Foundation where he had served on the board and as past president.

He is survived by his wife, Marion MacGillivray; a daughter, Marilyn (Bill) Wilson; his sons, Steven and Richard (Diane); a brother, Dick (Donna); and five grandchildren.

A memorial service was held in his honor Jan. 18 at the First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto.
Dick O'Connor

Dick O'Connor, 73, a longtime Bay Area sportswriter and official scorer for the San Francisco Giants and Oakland A's, died Dec. 18 following heart surgery.

He is survived by his wife, Joyce Passetti of Aptos; and his daughters, Kerry O'Connor of Redwood City and Erin O'Connor Tetreault of Van Nuys.

A memorial service was held in his honor Jan. 15 at Stanford Memorial Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorial donations be made to the Spartan Foundation, San Jose University, #1 Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192.
Alice Anne Roberts

Alice Anne Roberts, 83, died Jan. 14 at her residence at The Hamilton in Palo Alto after a battle with Parkinson's Disease.

She was educated at DePauw University, where she met her husband, Frank H. Roberts, who is a retired partner from the San Francisco law firm Pillsbury-Winthrop.

In 1951 they moved to Palo Alto, where she was a leader in local musical and cultural activities. She served as president of the Council of the Arts of Palo Alto, the California Music Center and the Stanford Music Guild. She was also a founder of the Stanford String Quartet, now the Ives Quartet.

After her three children had grown up, she became an avid world traveler, visiting such places as Katmandu, Nepal; Khartoum, Sudan; and Tbilisi, Georgia. She also often visited the Austrian music centers of Salzburg and Vienna.

She is survived by her three daughters, Patricia, Judy and Margaret, her sons-in-law, Bill Foster and David Bentley, and two grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at The Hamilton, 555 Byron St., at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24. In lieu of flowers the family suggests contributions be made to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Office of Philanthropy, 795 El Camino Real, or the Parkinson's Institute, c/o Heather Chester, 1170 Morse Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089.
Jessica Lynn Saal

Jessica Lynn Saal, a longtime resident of Palo Alto, died Jan. 16 -- her 34th birthday -- of complications from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, a condition she developed early in life. The crippling condition failed to keep her from pursuing an education and being involved in community activities.

She was the daughter of Harry and Carol Saal of Palo Alto. She was born in 1970 in Palo Alto.

She graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1988 and earned a degree in Asian studies from Tufts University in 1992, as well as a master's degree from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in 2002.

She was a leader in the community and a role model for others. As a member of the Executive Board of the Arthritis Foundation, Northern California Region, she actively supported legislation relating to funding for arthritis research and availability of prescription-drug benefits for arthritis patients.

She also volunteered on behalf of the Jewish Community Federation and New Bridges to Jewish Community, helping with sponsorships and entertainment for the annual "To Life!" Jewish cultural street festival.

Saal performed with the Mission Valley Choir and sang at family gatherings. An avid world traveler, she explored Mexico, Bali, Spain and Japan. She enjoyed bringing people together -- by organizing parties, watching foreign films and cooking -- and loved playing with her black Labrador, Brutus.

"Jessica carried her burdens with grace, so that others hardly knew how challenging life was for her. She focused on helping others through her own lessons and abilities, and she changed people and institutions forever," said her father, Harry Saal of Palo Alto. He said she inspired people with her admirable spirit, courageous strength through the difficulties of her illness, and determination to enjoy life in spite of obstacles she faced.

In addition to her parents, she is survived by her brother, Nate Saal of Palo Alto; and grandmother, Edith D'Esopo of West Hartford, Conn.

In lieu of flowers, to honor Jessica's memory, donations may be made to The Jessica Fund, a memorial fund in support of the new Campus for Jewish Life in Palo Alto, and sent to The Jessica Fund, c/o the Campus for Jewish Life, 5150 El Camino Real, Suite 11D, Los Altos, CA 94022.
Kurt Steiner

Kurt Steiner, 91, political science professor emeritus at Stanford University, died Oct. 20 of pancreatic cancer.

He was born in 1912 in Vienna, Austria, earning a law degree from the University of Vienna. He immigrated to the United States after the Nazis seized power in Austria.

An accomplished linguist, he headed Berlitz language schools in Cleveland and Pittsburgh until he joined the U.S. Army in 1944. He studied Japanese at the U.S. Military Intelligence School and served in the Far Eastern war zone and the military government in Tokyo, Japan. After the war, he served as a prosecutor in the war crime trials in Japan. He remained in Japan until 1951, serving as chief of civil affairs under Gen. MacArthur and helping draft Japan's post-war constitution.

After leaving Japan, he earned a doctorate degree from Stanford in political science in 1955 and joined the faculty, teaching comparative politics and Japanese politics. He retired in 1977.

He wrote several books on Austria and Japan, receiving numerous medals from the Austrian government for his work. In 1990, the University of Vienna awarded him an honorary doctorate in social and economic sciences.

He is survived by his cousins, Clyde Steiner of San Francisco and Grace Davis of Palo Alto. A memorial service will take place March 6, 2004, 11 a.m. at the Stanford Faculty Club, to commemorate the lives of he and his late wife, Josepha "Kitty" Steiner. Funds are being collected for a memorial bench on campus. Donations may be sent to the Steiner Bench Fund, 420 N. McKinley St., #440, Corona, 92879-6504.

Alexander J. Varone

Alexander "Al" J. Varone, 74, a longtime resident of Palo Alto, died Jan. 1 in Browns Valley.

He was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and joined the U.S. Navy when he was 17 years old. He served his country for 21 years. He moved to Palo Alto with his family in 1964, and worked for AT&T after his retirement from the Navy. He was a longtime member of The First Church of Christ Scientist in Palo Alto.

He is survived by his sons, Ron Varone of Rohnert Park and Rich Varone of Middleton, Idaho; daughter, Cheryl Allen of Browns Valley; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Services have been held.
Elise Valerie Watkins

Elise Valerie Watkins, 89, a longtime resident of Palo Alto, died Jan. 11.

She was born in Baltimore, Md., June 17, 1914. After her prep school days at Roland Park Country School she attended Smith College from which she graduated in 1936 Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She spent her junior year at the Sorbonne in Paris.

Elise continued her studies at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. There she met her husband, James T. Watkins IV. They were married in 1938. After Jim's discharge from the U.S. Navy in 1946, the Watkins returned to Palo Alto and Jim joined the Stanford faculty as assistant professor of Political Science. Their home in Professorville, where they shared their lives with so many friends and students, is the same in which Elise died peacefully, with loved ones at her side.

For many years Elise was an active volunteer at Allied Arts. But in 1954 the career that she loved, and which enriched a multitude of lives, began. Through 1970 she regularly escorted groups of Stanford students for summers in Europe.

She served as travel counselor for Sequoia Travel Center housed in Tresidder Union until 1985, and organized and led tours for the Committee for Art at Stanford for more than two decades. Characterized as a "walking encyclopedia," she loved to teach as well as travel, and her legacy will live long in those who sought her counsel.

Following her tenure at Sequoia she founded Watkins Ward Travel. She retired at the age of 85 to her Emerson Street home in Professorville, which was a home away from home for generations of Stanford students. An avid gardener and gourmet cook, she delighted in entertaining her friends of all ages.

The establishment of the James T. Watkins IV and Elise V. Watkins Professorship in the School of Humanities and Sciences, and the first appointment to this distinguished chair was celebrated in October 2003 at Stanford.

Elise is survived by many beloved friends, godchildren and namesakes. Jim predeceased Elise in 1982. Other survivors include nieces and nephews: Eleanor Watkins Laney of Dallas, Texas; Dr. Robert Preston Watkins, Jr. of Port Angeles, Wash.; Jennifer Watkins Bales of San Jose; Harry S. Watkins, Jr. of San Diego; Virginia Watkins Green of Olympia, Wash.; Richard R. Jones, Fred Jones and Beth Jones Elkins, all of Baltimore, Md.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, March 3, at 4 p.m. at Stanford's Faculty Club, Stanford University. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Professorship fund are appreciated. Please direct correspondence to Stephen Player, Office of Development, Stanford, CA 94305. E-mail splayer@stanford.edu or phone (650) 725-5509. Or a gift may be made to the Elizabeth Gamble Garden Center, 1431 Waverley St., Palo Alto, CA 94301.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.