Publication Date: Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Deaths
Deaths
(July 07, 2004)
Suzanne L. Brown
Suzanne L. Brown, 89, of Mountain View, died June 27.
Born in Pittsfield, Mass., on Feb. 12, 1915, she was the daughter of Xavier and Jeanne Wendel.
She was the wife of former Pittsfield City Councilman Roy F. Brown. They met while Roy was working with the CCC in the Pittsfield State Forest, and married in 1935.
She enjoyed cooking and entertaining and developed a repertoire of delicious recipes. She also had a life-long love of learning handcrafts and studied everything from basket weaving to cake decorating, becoming accomplished in whatever she tried.
In her 50s, she began painting and won numerous awards for her New England landscapes. While living in Pittsfield, she was an active member and officer of the Pittsfield Art League.
She and Roy moved to California in 1984 to be near their daughter and grandchildren. She continued painting, joining the Los Altos Art Club.
She was a member of the Collina Chapter 69 Order of Eastern Star in Pittsfield and of the Palo Alto chapter of the Order of Eastern Star in California. The Palo Alto chapter presented her with the Rob Morris Award for service.
She is survived by her daughter, Jeanne Ichnowski of Palo Alto; brother, Rene Wendell of Pittsfield; "sister-in-heart," Marguerite "Mimi" Strizzi of Pittsfield; two grandchildren, a cousin and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held in her honor Saturday, July 10, at 2 p.m. at the Palo Alto Masonic Lodge. Burial will be alongside her husband at Alta Mesa Cemetery in Palo Alto.
Roger R. Cowger
Roger R. Cowger, 65, a Palo Alto native, died June 2.
He graduated from Palo Alto High School and majored in music at both San Jose City College and San Francisco State University. He was a musician by trade, entertainer by heart.
He began playing the piano at age 10, writing original compositions at 11, and by 13 was playing bassoon with the California Youth Symphony. He played with the symphony for two years.
He discovered theater while a student at Palo Alto High School. He took musical director positions and conducted scores.
While at San Jose City College, he did not let go of music. He co-wrote the school fight song and hymn. At San Francisco State his budding interest in folk music lead to the creation of "The Noblemen." Though this group played many local clubs, his second folk group, "Saturday's Children," was a bigger commercial success.
Started in 1961, "Saturday's Children" released an album for ABC Paramount and toured nationally. They played clubs, local television stations and colleges. Once he returned to Palo Alto, he started a career of entertaining restaurant diners as a pianist.
Between 1966 and 1997, he played many restaurants throughout the area. He started at Palo Alto's L'Omelette and moved to Dinah's Shack in 1969. In 1970, he started playing the Prime Rib Inn and developed his comedic side.
He even took his show to hotels such as Rickey's Hyatt. While on stage at the Radisson Inn Sunnyvale in 1997, he suffered a heart attack and collapsed. He lost his left leg due to complications, and soon after lost his right leg. He never played in public again, and he feared he would no longer be able to play the piano.
Yet, the Mechanical Engineering Design Division at Stanford University took him on as a project. Working in conjunction with the company PianoDisc, they developed a device that allowed him to pedal the piano. He kept playing for family members even through his health problems.
He is survived by his brothers, Ronald Cowger of Granite Bay, Calif., Jeffrey Cowger of Fremont, Calif., and Christopher Cowger of Palo Alto; a cousin Sherry Haiflich of Mountain View, Calif.; and nieces and nephews. A celebration commemorating his life is planned for a later date.
Julian Espar
Julian Espar, 85, a 16-year resident of Palo Alto, died June 14.
Born in Detroit, he worked as a construction executive there for many years and is credited with introducing many of today's standard practices in Detroit's residential and commercial building industry.
He was instrumental in the start-up of the international firm, Kaufman and Broad, and was the first to build racquetball courts in Michigan.
After retiring to Palo Alto, he served as a volunteer coordinator of the Los Altos senior repair services for several years.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Sadie; his sons, David and Timothy; daughter-in-laws, Sheri and Rebecca; and three grandchildren.
Marjorie Liebes
Marjorie Brown Liebes, 100, a resident of Portola Valley, died June 25.
A native of San Francisco, she graduated from Girl's High School and attended Mills College.
She kept a small farm in Hillsborough during World War II where she raised chickens and a Guernsey cow to feed her family. She survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
She is survived by her son, Sidney; son, Stephan; six grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; niec,e Ruth Shavel; and nephe,w Lloyd. Services have not yet been scheduled.
Donations in her honor may be made to NCPHS Foundation for the Sequoias Portola Valley Health Center Project, 1525 Post St., San Francisco, CA 94109; or to a charity of your choice.
Miriam Miloradovitch
Miriam A. "Mimi" Miloradovitch, 98, a longtime resident of Atherton, died June 19.
Born Aug. 9, 1905, she was an interior decorator and taught interior design in the Sequoia Adult School District.
She was the proprietor of The Complete Decorator in Ladera and of The Petrovo Gallery in Woodside.
She is predeceased by her husband, Colonel Vladimir Petrovo-Miloradovitch, and son, Alexander. She is survived by her son, Patrick of Walnut Creek; a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.
No services will be held.
E-mail a friend a link to this story. | 
