Deaths Deaths (January 18, 2006)

Phyllis Kaye Adams

Phyllis Kaye Adams, 75, died peacefully on Jan. 3 in Palo Alto of a brain tumor.

Originally from Rochdale, England, born to Emily and Herbert Adams, she moved to Brazil as a young child. At 16 she came to the United States. She lived in Palo Alto and Menlo Park for the past 33 years.

She was an artist and teacher. She earned a master's degree in fine arts from San Jose State University and a bachelor's from San Francisco State University. She loved art, music, dance, poetry and people. She was a quiet thinker, active in movements including social justice and civil rights. She loved nature and was an advocate for the environment.

A loving daughter, partner, mother and grandmother, she was preceded in death by her partner of 18 years, Robert Gimblin; her son Mark Wilson; and step daughter Katherine Cooley; and brother, Howard Adams. She is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth Thomas of Menlo Park; stepdaughters, Clare Cooley of Mill Valley and Janette Wernick of Belmont; stepson, David Cooley of Newport Beach; nephew, Keith Adams of Palo Alto; niece, Susan Hardaway of Wichita, Kan.; four grandchildren and eight stepgrandchildren.

A memorial service was held Jan. 7.

Bob Dietrich

Bob Dietrich, a 50-year resident of Los Altos, died Dec. 12 after a short illness. He was 84.

Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he grew up in the small farming community of Richmond, Kan. He served as a medical corpsman during World War II, and while he was stationed in San Diego, he met President Franklin D. Roosevelt. After the war, he attended Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio, where he met his future wife, Joan. He earned his master's degree at UCLA and served as the director of occupational therapy at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Menlo Park for almost 30 years. He showed his dedication to the veterans by taking them to Stanford University and 49er football games on the weekends during his off hours.

He was a leader in Boy Scout Troop 33 for many years and relished spending time outdoors with his fellow leaders and the scouts. A devoted member of Los Altos United Methodist Church, he also loved family and helped make holidays special. He never forgot and loved to tell about his Midwestern roots, and also the pioneer legacy of his family, who came from Germany and built a log cabin on the plains of Kansas.

His is preceded in death by his son, Lynn Dietrich, and is survived by his wife, Joan Dietrich of Los Altos; his son, Gary Dietrich, and daughter, Kerrin Diedrich, both of Sacramento, and two grandchildren.

Jenny Ruth Goldberg

Jenny Ruth Goldberg, 61, a longtime Palo Alto resident, died Dec. 25.

She was born April 29, 1944, in Lincoln, Nebraska, and came to Palo Alto as a small child. She graduated from Mayfield Elementary School, Terman Junior High School and Palo Alto High School. She attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and graduated from University of California at Berkeley. She lived in St. Paul, Minn., New York City and Princeton, N.J., before returning to Palo Alto in 1986.

Her favorite times were spent with her children and grandchildren. She loved the outdoors, especially the ocean and Yosemite National Park. She was happiest walking a dog at the Baylands. She was a loyal Giants fan from the times he moved to San Francisco in 1958. Her other interests included photography, reading, writing poetry and collecting children's books.

She is survived by her mother, Laurel Luebs of Palo Alto; her daughter, Risa Morris of Los Angeles; her son, Daniel Goldberg of Redono Beach; her two grandchildren; and three sisters, Barbara Luebs of Los Altos, Margaret Luebs-Goedecke of Boulder, Colo., and Nancy DuPuy of Santa Clara.

Services have been held. Memorial donations may be made to the Friends of the Palo Alto Library at P.O. Box 41, Palo Alto, CA 94302-0041 or the Palo Alto Humane Society at P.O. Box 60715, Palo Alto, CA 94306.

William Kent

William Kent, 69, a former longtime resident of Menlo Park and most recently of Moab, Utah, died Dec. 17 of a heart attack.

He was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1936. He moved to New York City with his parents as an infant. After earning a bachelor's degree from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, N.Y., he moved to California in 1959 and earned a master's degree in mathematics from San Jose State University.

He worked for IBM as a computer programmer for 20 years and then worked at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories as a database designer. He was actively involved with professional organizations and delivered presentations at many international conferences, notably Very Large Databases conferences. He retired in 2000 to pursue his dream of living in Moab, Utah.

He was a photographer and author of the book, "Data and Reality," and numerous technical papers and essays. He was a true lover of nature and was dedicated to environmental conservation, especially in the red-rock country of Utah. He owned the Petra Gallery in Moab and was devoted to promoting the arts in his community.

He is survived by his children, Karen Rutel of Logan, Utah; Tikva Janetjoy Kohn of Monsey, N.Y.; and David Kent of Gaithersburg, Md.; brother George Kent of Honolulu, Hawaii; grandson Jason Rutel of Logan, Utah; and former wife Barbara Kent of Menlo Park, Calif.

The funeral has already occurred. Arrangements for a memorial service are pending. Memorial contributions may be sent to the Sierra Club, National Resources Defense Council or a similar environmental organization.

James Manabu Momii

James Manabu Momii, 84, of Menlo Park, died unexpectedly on Jan. 8.

He was born in Alameda, Calif. in 1922. By profession, he was a horticulturist who started Jamo Nursery in 1962 in San Jose, specializing in carnations. He became a horticulturalist at the time because he wanted to buy his wife flowers, but could not afford to purchase them. In addition to carnations, Jamo Nursery also grew walnut and apricot trees.

His hobbies included travel, solitaire, ironing and spending time with his grandchildren. He was a die-hard 49ers fan and was known for his strong and forceful personality. He enjoyed traveling to visit family in Singapore, Hawaii and Seattle.

He is survived by Fumiko Momii, his wife of 54 years, of Menlo Park; and daughters Joanne Tomoko Fung of Tracy, Calif.; Susan Kisa Hartman of Menlo Park; and Beverly Keiko Miller of Redmond, Wash.; and six grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his son, Timothy Ken Momii.

A funeral service was held Jan. 14.

Elizabeth Anne "Betty" Roberts

Elizabeth Anne "Betty" Roberts, a Mountain View resident, died Jan. 1 after a short illness. She was 63.

Born in San Francisco, she moved at a young age to San Carlos, where she spent most of her life. She attended both high school and college at the University of Notre Dame in Belmont, Calif., where she received her bachelor's degree in mathematics. Afterwards, she worked in management at Pacific Bell. In 1989 she married Donald Roberts.

Her passions included volunteering at Villa Siena Retirement Home in Mountain View and spending time with her grandson.

She is survived by her husband, Donald Roberts of Mountain View; her son, Rob Elliott of Kihei, Maui, Hawaii; and her grandson, Terran Elliott.

Services were held Jan. 9.

Boris Dimitry Small

Boris Dimitry Small, longtime resident of Palo Alto, died Dec. 27 after a short illness. He was 95.

He was born in 1910 near Moscow in the Soviet Union. At a young age, his mother took him and other children across the border through Siberia and China to escape the Bolsheviks. In 1936, he immigrated to Seattle, Wash., where he met his future wife, Jean.

In 1937, they married in San Francisco and moved to Palo Alto in 1939, where he became a jeweler and jewel artist. He was also a member of the city's chamber of commerce.

An arts aficionado, he loved painting and sculpting in addition to crafting jewels.

He is survived by his wife, Jean Small of Palo Alto; and his daughters, Nina La Dow of San Francisco and Linda Hubbard of Richmond, Calif.

Services were held privately.

Janet Stenger

Janet Stenger, longtime resident of Menlo Park, died Jan. 1 after a short illness. She was 90.

She was born Jan. 23, 1915 and raised in Port of Spain, Trinidad in the British West Indies. She married Daniel Glen Stenger and in 1941, moved to Miami, Fla. Due to her husband's job at Pan America World Airways, they lived in many places around the world. When he became ill, she moved to Menlo Park in 1981 and had lived there since.

She had many interests, from sports to music. However, family played the largest role in her life.

She is survived by her daughter, Jo-Anne Stenger of Menlo Park.

A memorial mass was held Jan. 3.

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