Publication Date: Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Deaths
Deaths
(July 28, 2004)
Robert Buss
Robert Buss, 91, a longtime resident of Palo Alto and Los Altos Hills, died July 5 at his home in Los Altos Hills.
Born in Provo, Utah, in 1913, he moved with his family to Palo Alto at age 10 and graduated from Palo Alto High School. He earned his bachelor's degree from San Jose State College with honors, then his Ph. D. from Stanford in Electrical Engineering. While at Stanford he met his future wife, Eugenia. On Aug. 12, 2004, they would have celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.
During World War II he worked for the armed services at Harvard University in top-secret counter-radar, then spent nine months in Italy as a civilian technical observer.
After the war, he and Eugenia moved their growing family to Evanston, Ill., where he taught at Northwestern University. In 1951 they returned to the Bay Area, building their home on a hilltop in Los Altos Hills.
He was associate professor of Electrical Engineering at Stanford, teaching and doing research until 1967. He then worked for several electronics companies until his retirement at age 75. He was a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Purissima Hills Water District, serving for 45 years until age 87.
Music was a very important part of his life. Gifted with a beautiful bass-baritone voice, he sang in the choir at First Congregational Church of Palo Alto for more than 40 years and, with Eugenia, went on six European performing tours with the choir.
He is survived by his wife, Eugenia of Los Altos Hills; daughter, Katherine Buss of Berkeley; daughter, Jennifer Barron of Weston, Conn.; son, Dr. Richard Buss of Jackson; son, Stephen Buss of Palo Alto; daughter, Laura Van Hook of Rocklin; sister, Helen Halsey of Jersey Island; 12 grandchildren; one step-granddaughter; three great-grandsons and one step-great-granddaughter. Their eldest child, Margaret Finney, passed away in September 2003.
Memorial services will be held Saturday, Aug. 14, at 1 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Palo Alto, 1985 Louis Road, Palo Alto. Memorial gifts may be donated to the church organ fund.
Viola Cunningham
Viola Eunice McNichol Cunningham, 69, a longtime resident of Menlo Park, died July 17.
A native of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, she immigrated to the U.S. in 1962 in search of a better life.
The mother of two, she worked at Stanford Hospital where she served as the lead operating room instrument technician. She was a strong presence and matriarchal figure in the Nicaraguan community. She welcomed newcomers by mentoring them, finding jobs and a place to live and providing emotional and financial support.
She enjoyed gardening, cooking and spending time with her family and friends.
She is survived by two daughters, Alicia Fonseca and June Campbell; one sister and brother-in-law, Pritle and Marian Cummings; three stepchildren, Carew, Victor and Rose Cunningham; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Services have been held.
Juanita C. Eckland
Juanita C. Eckland, 82, a longtime resident of Palo Alto, died July 18.
She was born April 6, 1922 in San Francisco and moved to Los Altos and later Palo Alto, where she graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1940. She attended Heald College.
She married Herbert Eckland in 1941 and worked at Hewlett-Packard as a secretary and line inspector. She also worked at Sutter Packing Co. preparing canned fruit for the war effort.
She joined the Palo Alto Rebekah Lodge, where she was a member for 55 years, and served as Noble Grand of the Lodge. She joined the West Bay Opera Guild and sang in the chorus for several years.
She was a very good seamstress and made many of her own clothes. She also enjoyed painting.
She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Herbert Eckland of Palo Alto ; two sons, Ralph and John of Palo Alto; and two grandsons of Palo Alto.
No services will be held, at her request.
Jessie B. Meachem
Jessie B. Meachem, 75, a 44-year resident of East Palo Alto, died July 10.
Born Oct. 6, 1928, in Rutherford County, Tenn., she excelled in academics and graduated from high school at the age of 16. In 1951 she graduated from the Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn., with a degree in nursing. She worked as a registered nurse for 35 years and retired from Sequoia Hospital after 24 years.
She is survived by her two daughters, Carol McFadden of Stockton and Linda Nannette White of East Palo Alto; a son, Morris (Pete) Butler of Menlo Park; and eight grandchildren.
Services have been held.
Evalyn H. Parsons
Evalyn H. Parsons, 92, a 64-year resident of Palo Alto, died July 14.
She was a grade school teacher in Virginia and a longtime volunteer at Stanford Hospital.
She is survived by her children, Patricia, John and Alan Parsons; brother, Alfred Hughes of Williamsburg, Va.; five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Services have been held. Donations may be made to Pathways Hospice Foundation, 201 San Antonio Circle #104, Mountain View, CA 94040.
Frank Lambert Vlaming
Frank Lambert Vlaming, 85, a 36-year resident of Menlo Park, died July 16.
Born Sept. 5, 1918 in the Netherlands, he enjoyed participating in sports including soccer, sailing and ice-skating. He met his wife, Ypie Mollema, on a biking expedition in 1948. They married in 1951. He worked in a bank after the war and also acted in local plays.
In 1955 the couple took their two young children, Conrad and Clare, to seek a better life in the U.S. They first moved to South Dakota but relocated to Modesto, California. His first job in the area was as a beekeeper. The couple then had their third child, a daughter.
The family moved to Menlo Park in 1968 and joined the First Congregational Church, where he became a mainstay of the Church Choir for 35 years. The family enjoyed camping down the coast of California. He and Ypie also helped raise foster children in the 1970s.
In 1971 he began a job in the machine shop at Raychem. He retired in 1983 but later took jobs as a limousine and "Meals on Wheels" driver and also volunteered at the blood bank.
He loved gardening, soccer and football and enjoyed cheering on Stanford's team from the stands. He and Ypie traveled numerous times to Holland for weeks and sometimes months at a time.
He is survived by his children, Conrad and Clare Vlaming and Jane Poulsen; and four grandchildren.
Services will be held July 31 at 1 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Palo Alto, 1985 Louis Road, Palo Alto.
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