Deaths Deaths (January 19, 2005)

John Blair Chown

John Blair Chown, 77, a 39-year resident of Los Altos Hills, died Dec. 28 after a 16-year battle with Alzheimer's disease.

He was born March 23, 1927, and lived in California since he was an infant. He received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California. He worked as a research engineer and lab director in the same research lab at SRI International from 1954 to 1989. He was able to leave work behind and enjoy family, friends and travel -- near and far.

He was a talented handyman, doing everything from repairing plumbing, appliances and automobiles, to building furniture and constructing a wine cellar. He enjoyed good food and making and drinking good wine. He enjoyed life and responded to most positive suggestions with an exuberant, "Why not!"

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Ramona Sue Chown of Los Altos Hills; daughter, Nancy Loughmiller of Gresham, Ore.; son, Tim Chown of Los Altos Hills; and four grandchildren. Private services have been held.

William C. Lazier

William C. Lazier, Nancy and Charles Munger professor of Business, emeritus, at Stanford Law School, died Dec. 23.

A highly respected figure in business and investment law with decades of corporate experience across a range of industries, he graduated from Stanford in 1957 with a master's degree in business administration after graduating from Grinnell College in 1953.

An expert in the law and practice of accounting, he returned to Stanford in 1982 to lecture at the Graduate School of Business, where he taught management of smaller companies and real estate for the next 11 years. Drawing on his Business School teaching experience, he became a lecturer in accounting and small-business management at Stanford Law School in 1990, and was named to the law school's Nancy and Charles Munger Professorship in Business in 1993. He became emeritus in 2002. At the time of his death, he was developing a new accounting course for 2005.

Lazier was the general partner of Bristol Investment Co., which he founded in 1971. He began his career in 1957 as a tax manager at Arthur Andersen & Co., and received his certified public accounting certificate in 1959. In 1964, he became executive vice president of Lightcraft of California, and in 1969, executive vice president of the United States Filter Corp.

Since 1986, Lazier had been a trustee of Grinnell College, and for six years he served as its board chair. He served on the boards of numerous other corporations and organizations, including Diamond Rentals, American Security Products, Yes Reading, BUILD, Interplast, SCRMA and the Stanford Bookstore.

He is survived by his wife Dorothy Lazier of Menlo Park; his son David Lazier of Glendale, Calif.; daughters Linda Escalera of Newport Beach, Calif.; Ann Mahowald of Dallas, Texas; and nine grandchildren.

Services were held on Jan. 6 at Memorial Church on the Stanford University campus. The Lazier family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Stanford Law School, Crown Quadrangle, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford, CA 94305-8610.

Carne Linder

Carne Linder, 86, of Menlo Park, died Jan. 5.

She was born May 20, 1918, and resided in San Mateo County for more than 80 years. She grew up in San Mateo, and graduated from San Mateo High School in 1936 and Stanford University in 1940. She had a successful travel agency in San Mateo, retiring and moving to Menlo Park about 12 years ago.

The loves of her life were her church and Stanford. She was very generous to Stanford, and has had a scholarship named for her. She arranged trips for the university, particularly "Sentimental Journeys" for the members of the class of 1940.

She was an active member of the Stanford Historical Society. She was one of the first two women inducted into the Serra Club of San Mateo, a Catholic lay organization devoted to fostering vocations to the priesthood and religious life of the Catholic Church.

She never married and is survived by a nephew, Ian Wade "Buzz" Linder, and his wife, Barbara, of Saratoga; niece, JoAnne Marie Arrouzet, and her husband, Ted, of Paradise; niece, Susan Kelly, and her husband, Ron, of Marysville; and several grandnieces and grandnephews. Her brother Wade preceded her in death.

A funeral mass was held. Burial was at Holy Cross Cemetery in Menlo Park. Donations may be made in her honor to the Lucille Packard Children's Hospital, 770 Welch Road, Suite 350, Palo Alto, CA 94304; or the Serra Club of San Mateo, P.O. Box 1107, San Mateo, CA 94403.

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