| Community Pulse - Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Deaths
Elinor Baer
Elinor Van Everen Baer, 94, a resident of Los Altos, died Sept. 30 of natural causes.
She was born in Pocatello, Idaho. She moved to Palo Alto with her husband, Walter Baer, in 1943 and to Los Altos in 1961.
She enjoyed family gatherings with grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren from the Bay Area and around the world.
She is survived by her daughters, Beverly Liston of Los Altos and Barbara McDonald of Eugene, Ore.; and son, Brad Baer of Menlo Park.
Duncan Govan
Duncan Govan, 84, professor emeritus of urology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, died Sept. 28 after a prolonged illness.
He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was awarded his medical degree from the University of Manitoba in 1948 and spent three years there in a general surgery residency, followed by a year in gynecology.
He moved to the University of Chicago for a residency in urology in 1954. He also worked in Vancouver, British Columbia, with a physician's group before being invited to work at Stanford in 1961.
He was one of the original faculty of Stanford's medical school after it moved from San Francisco to Palo Alto in 1959. He served twice as acting chief of staff at Stanford Hospital.
He became professor emeritus in 1988 but continued to see patients until 1993. He served as deputy chief of staff at the hospital from 1989 through 1992 and served as acting chief of staff in 1992 and again in 1995-96.
He is survived by his wife, Eileen Patricia Goven of Portola Valley; six children; and many grandchildren. A celebration of his life in planned for Nov. 30.
Louise Hartog
Louise Flora Hartog, 85, a longtime resident of Palo Alto, died Sept. 11.
She was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. After graduating from college she worked for a newspaper in Holland. She married Jan Jozef Hartog in 1948 and moved to the United States in 1954.
She moved to Palo Alto in 1957 and was a member of the First Congregational Church of Palo Alto and later of First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto.
She received a degree in German with a minor in French from San Jose State University. She occasionally taught at the German American School in Palo Alto. She also enjoyed knitting, crocheting, hiking, camping and reading.
She is survived by her daughters, Ellen Hartog of Palo Alto, Joy Olson of Seattle, Wash., Annette Hartog of the Netherlands; and three grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, Nov. 10, at 2 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto, 1140 Cowper St., Palo Alto, CA 94301.
William Keehn
William G. Keehn, 86, a Mountain View and Portola Valley resident, died Aug. 25.
He was born and raised in Iowa and graduated from Iowa State University.
His career as a chemical engineer took him to Monsanto in St. Louis, Boeing in Seattle, to DeAnza College and to Hewlett-Packard in Palo Alto, from which he retired in 1993.
He served the Mountain View Public Library as a commissioner and volunteer for many years and participated in literacy programs.
He loved to read, listen to classical music, see films, visit all varieties of ethnic restaurants and hike, especially in the redwoods and in Switzerland.
He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Kathleen Keehn of Portola Valley; brother, Richard Keehn of Racine, Wis.; sons, Andrew Keehn of Seattle, Wash., and Thomas Keehn of Vashon Island, Wash.; daughter, Janet Davenport of Kennewick, Wash.; three grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
Margaret Straka
Margaret Morris Straka, 72, a longtime resident of Palo Alto, died Sept. 28.
She was born and raised in Oklahoma City, Okla. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts in 1956. Soon after graduation she married Donald Straka and moved to California, living in Los Altos, Stanford and Palo Alto.
She raised three children, was active in the arts and co-founded the opera company Scholar Opera. Later, she had an active career in real estate, working for Alain Pinel Realtors in Woodside and Menlo Park.
She is survived by her sister, Harriet Howell of Redwood City; son, Charles Kruger of Irvine, Calif.; daughter, Beth Curran of San Carlos; nephew, Justin Howell of Soquel, Calif.; and five grandchildren.
Memorial gifts can be made to Healing Environments, 3461 Sacramento St., San Francisco, CA 94118 or www.healingenvironments.org
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