Deaths Deaths (June 22, 2005)

Pauline Allen

Pauline Boldt Allen, 91, a 68-year resident of Palo Alto, died May 30 in San Mateo.

She remained in Palo Alto to raise a family with her late husband, Benjamin Graves Allen, and work for the Palo Alto Unified School District, where she was employed for 15 years. She was a self-described "late-bloomer" who became a prolific water colorist in her 80s and studied -- and then taught -- Internet technology in a pioneering Stanford University program regarding the adoption of technology by seniors.

She is survived by her daughter, Barbara Dawson of Palo Alto; son, Roger Allen of Warren, N.J.; sister, Ruth Cates of San Mateo; and six grandchildren.

Leon Bostic

Leon Bostic, 79, a longtime resident of Palo Alto, died June 12.

He was born July 2, 1925, in Anniston, Ala. He served in the Air Force during World War II. He retired from the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital, where he worked for 25 years. He was also an insurance agent and worked for the water department in East Palo Alto.

He is survived by his five sons, Teman, Charles, Michael, Tabbert and George; three daughters-in-law; and 13 grandchildren.

A memorial service was held June 19. A funeral was held June 20.

Rosaria Furneri

Rosaria A. Furneri, 92, a resident of Atherton, died June 3.

She was born in Philadelphia, Pa., and spent her childhood in Sicily, but had raised her own family in the Atherton area for the past 60 years. She was deeply devoted to the Italian Catholic Federation.

She is survived by her daughters, Niki Mustart and Connie Hayes; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

She was entombed at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma. Donations in her memory may be made to an orphanage of the donor's choice.

Joan Hunter

Joan Phyllis Bowman Hunter, 79, a 23-year resident of Palo Alto, died April 14.

She was born in Longview, Texas, in 1926, the daughter of professional baseball player Alvah "Abe" Bowman and Thelma Cook Bowman. She attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she developed her life-long love of chemistry and research. She was married in 1949 to Morgan Hunter and divorced in 1960. She raised two children, Colin Hunter, now CEO of Orion Multisystems in Santa Clara, and Valerie Hunter, a radiologist in Portland, Ore.

As an electron microscopist for 25 years, she created the first three-dimensional model of the Golgi body. When her first grandchild was born, she moved to Palo Alto, where she worked for 11 years at the Pritzker Laboratory at Stanford.

She liked to give a year of Friday-night babysitting as a baby-shower gift to lab friends; the children of one family remember her fondly as "Aunt Grandma Joan."

She is survived by her son, Colin Hunter of Atherton; daughter, Valerie Hunter of Portland, Ore.; and three grandchildren.

A celebration of her life was held June 18 in the garden of her Palo Alto home.

Gain John

Gain Allen John, 90, an 85-year resident of Palo Alto, died May 18.

He was born March 1, 1915, in Seattle, Wash. At the age of 5, he moved to his grandmother's house in Palo Alto, which remained his primary residence for the remainder of his life.

He attended Channing, Addison, Walter Hays Elementary and Palo Alto High School. While attending Paly, he set the Northern California record for the 100-yard dash that stood for more than 30 years. Following graduation from Paly, he attended Stanford University where he studied business.

In 1933-34, he took a year off from Stanford to run the Amazon River with his high school friends Arthur Post and the late Edward Strong. The three canoed from the headwaters of the Rio Negro, into the Amazon, and eventually to the Atlantic Ocean in Brazil.

Following graduation from Stanford, he served in the Army Air Corps from 1940-45. After the end of World War II, he was an accountant for several companies in San Francisco and on the Peninsula. After his formal retirement, he continued to prepare income-tax returns until forced to quit by bad health in 2003.

He was an active member of the community. He was involved in the Palo Alto Historical Association and production of the book, "Palo Alto: A Centennial History." He also volunteered at Gamble Gardens and was a member of the First Congregational Church Historical Society.

He is survived by his son, David John of Menlo Park; daughter, Barbara John of Laramie, Wyo.; daughter, Katherine John of Santa Cruz; two granddaughters and his "Big Dog," Dakota. He was preceded in death by his wife of 48 years, Jane M. John, in 1998.

A celebration of his life will be held July 6 at 3:30 p.m. at the Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Peninsula Open Space Trust, 3000 Sand Hill Road, Suite 155, Menlo Park, CA 94025.

@smalhead:Alice Malquist

Alice Niven Malquist, 73, died June 11 at her Menlo Park home following a nine-month battle with ovarian cancer.

She was born Oct. 31, 1931, in Tampico, Mexico, to Malcolm and Katarina Niven. She was raised with her siblings in Mexico City, but they spent much of their family vacations and holidays on their cattle ranch in the jungles of Mexico at Micos.

She had a love and talent for learning. While attending the American School, she studied diligently. She learned Spanish, French, Latin and English, and earned straight As. She was chosen valedictorian of her graduating class. Upon graduation from the American School she left Mexico City to attend Stanford University, where she planned on a pre-med education studying biology.

Soon after entering Stanford she met her future husband, Grant L. Malquist. They married about on Dec. 30, 1950, in her home and then in an evening ceremony by the Pastor of the Union Church. They moved to San Mateo to start their lives together.

She was an active member of the Menlo Park Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints where she served in many teaching positions. She put her love and expertise for genealogy and leadership to great use as the first director of the Family History Center at the Menlo Park Stake Center. She was historical secretary for the Silicon Valley Personal Ancestral File Users Group and chief financial officer for her husband. She was a beloved friend and confidant.

She is survived by her husband, Grant L. Malquist of Menlo Park; daughter, Carolyn; son, Kenneth; and four grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held June 30 at 11 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ Chapel ,1105 Valparaiso Ave., Menlo Park. Internment services will be held at Alta Mesa Memorial Park.

Ann Porta

Ann Margaret Porta, 91, a resident of Palo Alto, died May 31 in Redwood City.

Born May 18, 1914, in San Francisco, she spent most of her life in Palo Alto, where she raised her family and was a devoted member of the St. Thomas Aquinas Parish.

She is survived by her daughter, Kathy Dodd of Reno, Nev.; son, Fred Porta of Santa Cruz; daughter-in-law, Pauline Prather of Redwood City; sister, Marjie Rogers of Morgan Hill; niece, Pat Powell of Morgan Hill; five grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

A funeral mass was held June 8 at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Palo Alto. Burial followed at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Los Altos.

Nicholas Sprinkel

Nicholas Lee Sprinkel, 57, a resident of Woodside, died May 12 in an airplane accident in the Ruby Mountains of northeast Nevada. He was flying with his close friend and pilot, Robert Harris Howard.

Born Feb. 13, 1948, as the eldest son to Norman L. Sprinkel and Christine Paras Sprinkel, he grew up in various parts of the country. He graduated from Granger High School, West Valley, Utah, in 1966 and later went on to receive his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Utah in 1970.

He eventually married Pauline Lau and the couple had twin boys in 1992. Despite his wife's death in 1998, he continued to raise his sons successfully, participating in their sports programs and even aiding as a coach.

Even as a full-time parent, his other interests included a construction-supply business and real estate and high-tech venture investment. He also had many close friends in the Bay Area, Salt Lake City, Singapore and Lake Tahoe.

He is survived by his sons, Sean and Matthew; mother, Christine; brother, Greg; and a large extended family that includes nieces and nephews. Other family members include his sisters-in-law, Andrea, Judith and Kaithleen; and brother-in-law, Michael.

Memorial services have been held. Internment will take place at a later date in a private ceremony at Alta Mesa Memorial Park.

In lieu of lowers, memorial donations may be made to Tsunami Relief, c/o Nettie Wong, 60 Prospect Road, Woodside, CA 94062.

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