March 17, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

Deaths

Ruth Moscrip Cronkite, 87, a longtime kindergarten teacher in the Palo Alto School District, died Aug. 12, 2003, in Kansas City, Mo.

Born in Fresno, she graduated from Merced High School and received a bachelor's degree in education from San Jose State University in 1939. She retired in 1976 after some 35 years teaching in the Bay Area, Alaska, Guam, Thailand, Japan, Vietnam and England.

An intrepid traveler, she circled the globe seven times, photographing and chronicling her experiences for publication. She held a private pilot's license, worked for the Red Cross in England during World War II, and saw exhibitions of her photography held in Tokyo.

She is survived by a daughter, Pamela Evans of Kansas City, Mo.; a sister; and many nieces and nephews. Former students, colleagues, and friends are invited to a memorial celebration of her life on March 21 in Palo Alto.
Deloris Jane Gallagher

Deloris Jane Gallagher, 73, a longtime resident of Portola Valley, died Jan. 17 at Kaiser Hospital in Redwood City.

Born in Palo Alto in 1930, she moved with her family to a small farm in Napa when she was 6. She lived most of her adult life in the Peninsula area, and since 1958 she resided at the family home in Portola Valley.

After attending San Jose State University, where she met her future husband, John Gallagher, she worked as a graphic designer/publications specialist for General Electric, Vidya Corp. and the Stanford Research Institute. She then retired to pursue her lifelong interest in art.

She was noted for her paintings of the Peninsula and for a book of her art, "California in Solitude and Silence," published in 1999. Her artwork also appeared in the 2003 book, "A History of Portola Valley, Life on the San Andreas Fault," written by Nancy Lund and Pamela Gullard.

She was involved for many years in the Portola Valley Art Gallery and was the founder of the Cultural Arts Committee of Portola Valley. In 1999 the Town of Portola Valley honored her as Volunteer of the Year.

She was also a board member of the Committee for Green Foothills. She was associated with the Menlo Park Water Color Society, Santa Clara Valley Water Color Society, International Artists Society and the Society of Western Artists.

She is survived by her daughter, Michelle Gallagher of Sacramento; her sister, Sally Sellar Reed of Ross, Calif.; and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of her life will be held Sun., March 21, at 1 p.m. in the Portola Valley Town Hall, located in the historic schoolhouse at 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley.

In lieu of flowers, contributions are welcomed for the Jane Gallagher Memorial Arts Fund, in care of Bank of America, 2180 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025; the Committee for Green Foothills, 3921 E. Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303; or any charity.
Thomas R. Harrison

Thomas R. Harrison, a resident of Menlo Park, died Feb. 22.

Born in San Mateo, he was a track-and-field star at Los Altos High School and San Jose State University, from which he received his bachelor's degree in History and Physical Education. He received a master's degree in Education from San Francisco State University.

In 1963, he joined the Peace Corps and spent the next 10 years in Africa and Europe. When he returned, he took over his family's silversmith business, Peninsula Plating Works, in Palo Alto. In 2001 he moved the business to San Carlos and sold it to return to teaching, substituting in the Palo Alto and Sequoia Union High School districts.

He co-founded Foundation of the Future, which raises funds for projects at Menlo-Atherton High School. He chaired the city's Parks and Recreation Commission and coached many of his children's sports teams over the years.

He is survived by his wife, Mavis Harrison; and two children, Sarah and Jonathan. Services have been held. Donations in his memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, 1650 Amphlett Blvd., Suite 100, San Mateo, CA 94402.
Kenneth Herman

Kenneth Herman, 83, a resident of Los Altos Hills for more than 50 years, died Feb. 23.

Born in Glenview, Ill., in 1920, he was a World War II veteran, during which he served in the Pacific theater, earning a Purple Heart.

During recent years he suffered from macular degeneration and became active at the Blind Center of the Veterans Administration in Palo Alto. He served as president of the Blind Veterans Association twice.

He will be remembered as a man who loved the sun and as one who had a positive attitude.

He is survived by his brother, Clyde Herrmann; daughters, Prudence Minnehan of Alamo, Calif., and Jennifer Dervis of Boston, Mass.; son, Scott Herman of San Jose; four granddaughters and two great-grandchildren.

Donations may be made in his name to the American Cancer Society.

Services have been held.
Richard "Dick" Norfleet

Richard "Dick" Norfleet, 64, a 30-year resident of Palo Alto, died March 11.

He was born in Coffeyville, Kan., to Norton Harold Norfleet and Virginia Grace Gilmore Norfleet. He graduated from Field Kindley High School, attended college on an ROTC Naval Scholarship and graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

He served in the U.S. Navy from 1963-72, including three tours of duty during the Vietnam War. After leaving the Navy, he attended the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey. For 15 years, he was a manufacturing engineer at Raychem Corporation.

In retirement, he was a member and past Commander of American Legion Post 375, a volunteer at Stanford Hospital Escort Service, the Palo Alto Public Library and Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic.

He is survived by his wife of 19 years, Cathy Norfleet of Palo Alto; his daughter, Shannon White of Palo Alto; his sister, Margaret Bauer of Kansas; two nephews, John Bauer and Clinton Bauer of St. Louis, Mo.; and a niece, Anna Dresner of Hilo, Hawaii.

He will be greatly missed by his family and many friends. Services have been held. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Salvation Army.
Marjorie Redfield

Marjorie Speidel Redfield, 79, a resident of Mountain View, died March 7 at her daughter's home in Oxnard. She had been fighting lung cancer for more than a year.

Mrs. Redfield (Marge) lived most of her adult life in Palo Alto and Los Altos Hills. She was born in Iowa City, Iowa.

She graduated from Palo Alto High School, attended Colorado College in Colorado Springs and Mills College in Oakland.

She is survived by a daughter, Pamela Schlotter of Oxnard; three sons, Joe Edy of Danville, Jonathan Edy of Monument, Colo., and Chris Edy of Santa Rosa; and a brother, Merritt Speidel of Palo Alto.

A memorial service will be held in her honor Thu., March 18, at 2 p.m. at the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, 950 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of the Valley.
Philip V. Schneider

Philip Vanderbilt Schneider, 69, a 40-year resident of Menlo Park, Feb. 11.

He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. A stockbroker and independent insurance agent, he was a member of the Sequoia Union High School District Board of Trustees, president of both the Redwood City and Menlo Park Rotary Clubs, and secretary of the Menlo Park Club, where he pioneered the use of computers.

He was a Rotarian for more than 43 years, beginning with the Milpitas Club, and active in the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church as usher and deacon.

He is survived by his wife, Susan Schneider of Menlo Park; two sons, Philip Schneider of Cincinnati, Ohio, and George Schneider of Littleton, Colo.; and four grandchildren. Services have been held. Burial will take place on April 2 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Edgerton Scott II

Edgerton "Edgie" Scott II, 60, a longtime resident of Menlo Park, died Feb. 22 from complications of a heart attack.

He was born in Oakland, Calif., to Edgerton and Lily Bell Scott. He grew up in the greater San Diego area with the majority of his years spent in La Jolla where he especially enjoyed surfing, playing tennis and hanging out at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club.

He was one of the top-ranked junior tennis players in California and won several major tournaments as a junior player. After attending high school at La Jolla High, he went on to attend the University of California at Berkeley where he lettered in tennis and graduated with an associate bachelor's degree in economics with a minor in physics. Also while at Cal, he fell in love with Sandy and they were married on Sept. 16, 1965.

After graduation, he went to work for Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco and, later, in Los Angeles. In 1984, he became the president and founder of BNP Venture Capital, the U.S. venture capital arm of Banque Nationale de Paris. In 1992, he moved to Imperial Bank where he founded the Emerging Growth Division. Most recently, he had joined Lighthouse Capital partners as managing director where he led multiple investments in emerging growth companies.

He is survived by his wife, Sandy; his brother, Kelly; four children, Edgerton III "Tucker," Doug, Jenny and Diana; and one grandson. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Coast Community Library, Attn: Renovation Fund, P.O. Box 808, Point Arena, CA 95468; or to the charity of the donor's choice.
Pauline Straka

Pauline "Polly" Ada Keever Straka, 89, a resident of Palo Alto, died Jan. 25.

She was born April 26, 1915, in Allentown, Pa., the daughter of Paul and Ada Keever. She graduated from Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pa., and taught at Clayton Farms, a school for delinquent girls near Philadelphia.

She married Frank Gordon Straka in Philadelphia in 1937. The couple lived briefly in Des Moines, Iowa, before coming to California in 1943. They had two sons, Paul Straka and Donald Frank Straka.

Her husband was the financial officer for the Palo Alto Co-op for many years, while she taught English at Ravenswood High School in East Palo Alto.

The two loved nature, hiking in the California wilderness and taking trips to national parks. She loved writing and took several adult courses at Stanford. She was also a member of the American Association of University Women. She was active in the Palo Alto monthly meeting of the Quakers since 1947. She was preceded in death by her husband and her two sons.

She is survived by three granddaughters, Lindsay Straka, of Boulder, Colo., Carrie Reed, of Cameron Park, Calif., and Kimberly Wellman, of El Dorado Hills, Calif.

Services have been held.
Crayton M. Thorup

Crayton Milton Thorup, 91, a 55-year resident of Palo Alto, died March 7 of cancer.

He was born Aug. 19, 1912, in Hayward, Calif. He was a teacher at Jordan junior high school in Palo Alto. He would often receive letters from former students, which were a great reward to him.

He was a World War II veteran, having served in Europe in the Army Air Corps as a reconnaissance photographer. He also enjoyed playing guitar or piano in the base "swing band" while stationed there. Music and photography became his lifelong hobbies.

He attended San Jose State for bachelor's degree and received his master's degree at Stanford University. He married his high-school sweetheart, Lois Oliver, and was happily married for almost 50 years before she died of cancer at 78.

He is missed by his two sons, their families and his friends.

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