Deaths Deaths (August 17, 2005)

Joseph Rafferty

Joseph F. Rafferty, 82, of Menlo Park, died July 29 at Lytton Gardens Skilled Nursing Center in Palo Alto.

He is remembered as a man who loved God, his Catholic faith, his family, and his country. Friends knew him as "Big Joe", and he treasured and sustained these friendships all his life through his generous and humorous spirit. Others remember him by the way he entertained and dined with family and friends. He and his wife were well known for their incredible parties and warm hospitality.

He attended Fordham University and Hamilton College, but his education was interrupted by World War II, when he proudly served in the Naval Air Force. After the war, he entered the field of men's apparel, where he held prominent positions with Kaiser Roth and Cooper's Inc. (Jockey International). In 1961, he came to San Francisco with Phillips Van Heusen Corporation. He retired in 1988 as the senior vice president of Manhattan Industries.

He is survived by his wife, Janet; his son, Andrew of Dublin, Calif.; his daughter, Ann Tootill of Mercer Island, Wash.; his daughter, Christina Sciammas of Cupertino; his daughter, Mary Haroun of Morris Plains, N.J.; his sister, Evelyn Rafferty of Mountain View; and six grandchildren and 13 godchildren.

Donations may be made in his memory to St. Peter's Prep, 144 Grand St., Jersey City, NJ 07302.
David Sjostrom

Davis Gordon Sjostrom, 73, a longtime resident of Menlo Park, died peacefully July 20.

He was born in Lawrence, Mass., in 1932, but was raised in Winchester, Va. He graduated from the Lawrenceville School, N.J., and was a 1955 ROTC graduate of Colgate University in Hamiliton, N.Y.

He served as the second lieutenant and captain in the U.S. Air Force where he worked as a management analysis officer until 1958. Later that year, he began his successful business career with Procter & Gamble Company.

By 1960 he had joined Lehn & Fink as a grocery product sales manager until 1964, when he took a job as a district manager with the Dole Processed Pineapple Company. He rose up the ladder, earning promotions in regional sales and national sales.

Finally in 1972 he was promoted to vice president of sales, a position he held until 1992. In 1974 he graduated from the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School executive program. He continued as vice president of sales until 1992 and worked as an active consultant for Dole until 1996. After that time he became a partner in an import/export company.

Known as an avid golfer, he served as president and board member to the Northern California Golf Association in 1995. He also served as president to the Sales and Marketing Executives Association of the Bay Area for many years and was an active member on the board of the Grocery Manufactures Association of San Francisco. Despite his community involvement, he never missed his grandsons' little league games and always found time to support the Boy Scouts of America.

He is survived by his sisters, Jane Sjostrom Wyman of Sterling, Va., and Nancy Sjostrom Williams of Richmond, Va.; children, Doug Sjostrom of San Carlos, Calif., and Lesli Sjostrom of San Francisco, Calif.; son-in-law, Jean Hagan; two grandsons and many nephews, nieces and grand-nieces.

Memorial services have been held. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Peninsula Humane Society or the Boy Scouts of America.
Vivina Songcayawon

Vivina Alar Bravo Songcayawon, 66, a resident of East Palo Alto for more than 30 years, died July 26 of diabetes.

She is remembered for her fighting spirit and pointed wit, even in the face of her disease and growing blindness.

She was born in 1939 in Barbaza, Antique in the Philippines, where she graduated from the Antique Tario Lim Memorial High School. Next, she pursued a bachelor's degree in elementary education at the University of San Agustin in Iloilo City, Philippines.

Immigrating halfway across the globe, she landed in Stockton, Calif. in 1963 where she split her time between the San Joaquin Valley and the growing jobs in the Bay Area where she worked in many floral nurseries. With the growth of Silicon Valley, she also worked in electronics for such companies as Fairchild.

In 1972, she moved to East Palo Alto where she spent the rest of her life. She cared for her late mother, father and sister, as well as her son, Maxwell. She also often cared for her six nieces and nephews.

As well as caring for family and friends, she maintained a beautiful garden of honeysuckle, fuschia, geraniums, mustard greens and chayote squash. Her kitchen was full of warmth, and her sons, nieces, and nephews would squabble over her Rice Krispies treats and homemade bibingka.

She is survived by her son, Maxwell; her three brothers, Aquilino, Hugo, and Feliciano; and her three sisters, Hermosa, Louise, and Elvira.

Services have been held.
Anna Rose Taylor

Anna Rose Taylor, 95, known often as "Rosie", died July 31 in Palo Alto.

Born and raised in San Francisco, she was a graduate of Girls' High School and U.C. Berkeley. She wed Samuel Taylor in a marriage that lasted 61 years. In 1948, they moved to Palo Alto where they raised their three daughters and were active members of the Palo Alto community.

She is survived by her daughter, Betty Meltzer of Palo Alto; her daughter, Peggy Gunton of Bethlehem, Penn.; her daughter Jane McCoy of Ocean Ridge, Fla.; and eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to Channing House New Health Center, 850 Webster St., Palo Alto, CA 94301; or the Palo Alto Community Fund, PO Box 50634, Palo Alto, CA 94303.
Thomas Vitto

Thomas Anthony Vitto, 26, died unexpectedly Aug. 3.

He was born Oct. 17, 1978, in San Diego, Calif., and lived in Boston and Philadelphia before moving to Palo Alto. In 1997 he graduated from Palo Alto High School and later attended Foothill College, Gavilan College and the College of San Mateo.

With distinctive culinary ambitions, he worked in the restaurant business and flirted with the idea of going to culinary school. In his spare time, he played video games, worked with computers and enjoyed films and Mexican culture.

He lived in Zacatecas, Mexico, while participating in an educational/cultural program sponsored by Gavilan College. Before his death, he was looking forward to a trip along the Mexican Riviera.

His friends and family will miss his sense of humor, his easy-going nature, his generosity and willingness to help others.

Memorial services have been held. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to Interfaith Hospitality Network, a rotating homeless shelter, in care of the Congressional Church of San Mateo.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]