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Alameda Sunwww.alamedasun.com
May 21, 2015
Local Deaths
Louise June Mediati
Aug. 30, 1941 – May 8, 2015
Resident of Alameda
Louise June Mediati of Alameda, live with unconditional love and
passed peacefully on May 8, 2015, courage despite the odds. She will
with her daughters by her side, be dearly missed.
after a short illness.
Louise was preceded in death
The daughter of June and by her parents and her baby son,
Charles Cavalli, she was born in Frank. She is survived by her chilOakland on Aug. 30, 1941, and was dren, Gia Boscacci, Ellen Cavalli,
a lifelong Alamedan. She graduated Christine Mediati, Nicholas Mediati,
from Encinal High School in 1959, and Gregory Mediati; grandchildren
married Frank Mediati in 1960, and William and Sara Boscacci, Noah
dedicated her life to raising her and Fiona Meeks, and Benjamin
children and caring for those she Heath; brothers Charles and Steven
loved.
Cavalli; sisters-in-law Helen and Eva
She worked as an Activities Cavalli; sons-in-law Bill Boscacci
Assistant for Crown Bay Nursing and Scott Heath; many nieces,
Center, her compassion a source of nephews, and cousins; and her
comfort to the residents. A devout beloved dog Lily.
Catholic, Louise was selfless and
A funeral mass celebrating
generous, always putting the health Louise’s life was held May 13 at
and happiness of her loved ones St. Joseph’s Basilica. Donations
before her own, even when she in Louise’s memory may be made
faced many challenges.
to Friends of the Alameda Animal
Louise had an infectious love of Shelter and Children’s Hospital
flowers and gardening, was a gifted Oakland.
artist and guitarist, and was active
Greer Family Mortuary and
volunteering at school and in the
Cremation Services FD 1408
church. She demonstrated how to
greermortuary.com 865-3755
Laimonis (Ben) Ilgvars Berzins
Oct. 26, 1927 – April 29, 2015
Resident of Alameda
Laimonis (Ben) Ilgvars Berzins, ily. He was always the life of the
passed away in Alameda on April party with his distinctive Rodney
29, 2015, at age 87. Laimonis was Dangerfield looks and humor. He
born on Oct. 26, 1927, in Valka, loved Bay Area sports, especially
Latvia, to Janis and Pauline Berzins, the Oakland A’s and the Oakland
and was a long-time resident of Raiders. He was a member of the
Alameda.
Oakland Raiders Booster Club and
Laimonis is survived by his wife, a Cal Bears Booster. Laimonis was
Lija Berzins of Alameda, his son, the Treasurer for the Northern
Peter Berzins and his wife, Deanna, California Latvian Lutheran
of Alameda, and his grandson, John Church. He will be missed greatly
Berzins. He was preceded in death by friends, family, and neighbors.
by his son, Raymond L. Berzins (in
Memorial donations can be
2001). Laimonis had an aggressive made to the American Cancer
form of Sarcoma cancer.
Society, Alameda County.
Laimonis was a military veteran
Condolences may be made to
of World War II and the Korean the family at www.greermortuary.
War. He was a retired business com
owner of Golden Gate Die Casting
Greer Family Mortuary and
in Oakland. Laimonis loved life,
Cremation Services FD 1408
people and most of all his famgreermortuary.com 865-3755
Judy Ann Perata
Sept. 3, 1948 – May 3, 2015
Born in Oakland, to the late and she was laid to rest next
John and Madeline Perata on Sept. to her parents at Holy Sepulchre
3, 1948, Judy Ann passed away on Cemetery in the Holy Spirit
May 3, 2015, at her home at the Mausoleum.
Hillside Senior Care in Fremont.
In lieu of flowers, donations in
Judy Ann is survived by her lov- Judy Ann’s memory may be made
ing sister, Darleen Sherman; broth- to a charity of your choice.
er-in-law Jerry Sherman; nephews,
Condolences may be offered to
Joshua (Jennifer) Sherman and the family at www.greermortuary.
Matthew Sherman; and the Ting- com.
McLaughlin Family.
Greer Family Mortuary and
A funeral mass was held at
Cremation Services FD 1408
St. Philip Neri Catholic Church
greermortuary.com 865-3755
Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Saunders
Elizabeth (Betty) Saunders, nee
Huot, was 92 years young when she
passed away May 6,
2015.
Betty worked for
several years for the
Los Angeles Times
before moving to
Oakland where she
became an executive assistant at
Kaiser Aluminum.
When
she
retired in 1988, she
moved to Alameda
and remained here
for the rest of her life, living next
to her beloved lagoon. Betty was
an independent and classy woman
who enjoyed traveling with her
many friends. She was also an avid
San Francisco Giants and Oakland
A’s fan. During her time in Alameda,
Betty volunteered
with the Red Cross
and at the Alameda
Museum as a
docent, a position
she loved.
Betty had six
brothers and sisters, all of whom
predeceased her
— she is survived
by several nieces
and nephews.
At
her
request, there will be no memorial service; nonetheless, she
will be remembered fondly by
many neighbors, friends and
colleagues.
James Elwood Pingree
Feb. 28, 1925 ~ May 9, 2015
Resident of Alameda
James Elwood Pingree was born his backyard — he rarely missed an
in Alameda on his mother’s birth- Oakland Athletics game.
day, Feb. 28. He was the fourth
An ever-supportive grandfaof four brothers, who all grew up ther, he had many years showering
on the Island and picked up their attention and affection on his five
father’s love of baseball. After grad- grandchildren: Ian (Vici) Crane, and
uating from Alameda High in 1943, Rebecca, Mary, Laura and Isaac
Jim enlisted in the Marine Corps and Pingree, and great-grandchild,
served in the Pacific through the Alexia Crane.
end of World War II.
He died at his home in Alameda
After the war, he came home to on May 9, about three months past
Alameda and he soon met and mar- his 90th birthday and about two
ried Virginia Stone. He spent the rest months shy of 68 years of marriage.
of his life with her. Together they
Jim is survived by his wife,
raised four children: Mike, Janet, Virginia Pingree; their children,
Bobby (deceased) and Cynthia.
Mike (Elena) Pingree, Jan (Gavin)
Jim worked as a lithographer in Gill and Cynthia Ferreira, as well as
the Oakland Printing Pressmens’ their five grandchildren and soonUnion No. 125 for more than four to-be two great-grandchildren.
decades. In retirement, he applied
Family and friends are invited to
his years of working with color in attend a memorial service on Sunday,
lithography to the hobby of mak- May 31, at 11 a.m. at Greer Family
ing stained-glass crafts. His beauti- Mortuary and Cremation Services,
ful stained-glass creations proudly 2694 Blanding Ave. in Alameda.
adorn his home and the homes of his Condolences may be made to the
loved ones. He also spent his retire- family at www.greermortuary.com.
ment enjoying the game of baseball
Greer Family Mortuary and
— whether in the stands, watching
Cremation Services FD 1408
television or listening to the radio in
greermortuary.com 865-3755
11
Borislava ‘Boba’ Stankov
Longtime Resident of Boulder, Colo.
Borislava “Boba” Stankov, for- four decades together they travmerly of Boulder, Colo. died peace- eled to more than 40 countries. fully at home in Alameda holding
In the spring of 2013 Boba
the hand of her husband, Robin.
and Robin moved from Boulder
Born in Itebej, Yugoslavia, on to Alameda to be closer to their
March 30, 1943, the daughter of daughter Marina. Boba fell instantVelimir Stankov
ly in love with
and Dragina Ruzic
Alameda. She loved
Stankov,
Boba
the warmth and
moved with her
openness of the
family to the city
community, the
of
Zrenjanin,
wonderful neighYugoslavia followbors and the natuing the end of World
ral beauty of the
War II. After high
area. She especially
school, she left
loved taking long
Zrenjanin to attend
walks along Crown
the
University
Beach. of Belgrade in
Boba was an
Yugoslavia where
adventurous and
she received an undergraduate generous spirit with an infectious
degree in mathematics.
and quirky sense of humor and
Boba went on to obtain a mas- beautifully expressive blue eyes.
ters degree in meteorology from She gave great parties, which
Colorado State University at friends and family still recall
Fort Collins, and in 1998 a Ph.d decades later. Boba loved her
in Climatology from Macquarie career, all types of music, a good
meal, a great glass of wine, travel
University in Sydney Australia.
In the early 1970s Boba left Fort and above all, her many friends
Collins for Boulder to seek her and family.
Boba is survived by her lovfame and fortune as scientist. Along
the way she fell in with a group of ing husband of 37 years Charles
counter-culture types and ex-grad “Robin” Hodge Jr., their beloved
students, many of whom became daughter Marina Jaqueline Stankovlife-long friends and members of Hodge, devoted brother Dr. Lazar
her extended “Colorado Family”.
Stankov, Ph.D, and his partner
In Boulder, Boba worked for Jihyunn Lee, Ph.D, her father inmore than 30 years as research law Charles Hodge Sr., brother and
scientist in the field of meteorology, sister-in-laws David and Maggie
which included eight years at the Hodge, Tamara Jackson, Sharla
National Center for Atmospheric and Gregory Thompson, and Eric
Research (NCAR) and 22 years at the Hodge. Also, many nieces and
National Oceanic and Atmospheric nephews including: Naumi, Isa,
Administration (NOAA). Her work Kimberly, David-Michael, Zeke,
primarily focused on developing Sophie, Rusty, RandalI, Gregory,
methods for more accurately mea- William and Benjamin survive her.
suring changes in temperature
The family will hold a small priand humidity at lower levels of the vate gathering in Alameda followed
earth’s atmosphere. by a celebration of Boba’s life in
In the fall of 1977, she met the Boulder during early fall 2015. The
“Second Greatest” love of her life, family is requesting, in lieu of flowher husband of 37 years Robin ers, donations be made to your
Hodge. In 1980, following an eight- favorite charity.
hour delivery, Boba was introduced
Finally, Boba, Robin and Marina
to the “Absolute Greatest” love of would like to thank all family,
her life, her daughter Marina. In friends and healthcare professionMarch 2009 Boba and Robin both als who provided great support and
retired and began “seriously” trav- comfort through these final days of
eling. Over the course of almost Boba’s beautiful life.
Melinda Taplin
An inveterate traveler, joyful
dancer, and lover of life, Melinda
Taplin began her journey to Heaven
on April 8, 2015. In hand was the
dance card she’d prepared for her
first boogie with friends and family
who had paved the way for her.
When she departed this Earth
she left behind George Moniz,
beloved husband
of 23 years, her
brothers, Stephen
(Sylvia) and Bill
(Sharon) Taplin and
their children Adam
(Antonia), Emily,
Carolina, Drew and
Alison, and her
three grandnephews, Eddie, Alex
and Ben Taplin. She
also left behind her
extended family
of Taplins, Gaylords, Kingslands,
Monizes and Wights and a cast of
hundreds of friends.
A service honoring Melinda
will be held on Sunday, June 14,
in Alameda. Those who wish to
attend should contact [email protected] to receive further
details and please RSVP no later
than Monday, June 1.
Condolences may be expressed
at: www.legacy.com. Donations in
Melinda’s memory may be made to
Island Cat Resources and Adoption
(http://icraeast bay.org) or to the Dr.
Susan Love Research Foundation
http://dslrf.org/actwithlove.
Melinda was born on May
15, 1949, to fifth-generation
Californians Alice Gaylord Taplin
and Kenneth Llewellyn Taplin. The
Taplin and Lewelling families settled in the Napa Valley in the 1800s.
Melinda shared a bucolic childhood with her siblings and cousins,
and made many friends throughout
high school, where she became
enamored with France on a trip
organized by her French teacher,
Ava Wilson.
Melinda attended college in
Chico, where she became longtime
friends with Nancy (Long) Brandt,
before transferring to Cal, where
she earned a lifetime teaching credential. At Cal, she helped pioneer
school-sponsored communal dorm
living at Davis House, which held
its 44th reunion this winter. Though
Melinda’s health was failing, her
smile shined bright at seeing many
friends that she had kept throughout the years. All in attendance
were amazed that the spirit and
joie de vivre were still shining as
bright as ever.
After a post-college year in
France, where she taught English
and made many lifetime friends,
including Anne-Marie, Dominique,
and the Cacouaults, she moved back
to the U.S. and came to Alameda.
She began her career with the EPA
and advanced from secretarial work
to staff development to a management position in grant administration. She was proud to have devoted her work life to
improving the environment.
She met her
husband, George
Moniz, in 1990.
Both felt so lucky
have found in each
other a best friend,
soulmate, partner,
and companion for
their lives’ journey.
After retirement,
Melinda, always a
water-bug, formed a yet another
group of dear friends in an aquaaerobics class she enrolled in after
hip surgery.
Always devoted to her family,
she was the best wife, daughter,
sister, aunt, cousin and in-law anyone could imagine. She treated her
beloved nieces and nephews as if
they were her own children.
Without expecting gratitude
or recognition, Melinda spent
most weekends during the declining years of her elder relatives
and parents in St. Helena, making
sure they were well cared for,
loved and entertained. She also
visited elderly relatives of her
many dear friends, even when
she was undergoing treatment for
her own illness.
She always had a card and gift
for every occasion — her bulging
address book attests to the number of friends she made and maintained over her lifetime. If there
was a theme to Melinda’s life, it
was weaving a tapestry of rich
friendships across many generations and walks of life, introducing
people who enhanced each other’s
lives from California to New Jersey,
Washington D.C., Arizona, Ohio,
Rhode Island, France, Germany,
Italy and beyond. Her true gift was
teaching generosity and kindness
in the best way possible — by
example.
Melinda was called many
names in her lifetime, Melinda,
Lindy, Matilda Tapwater, Tilda,
Mel, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, and wife but most often,
Friend. Her bright smile is indelibly imprinted on the hearts of all
who knew her. See more at: http://
memorialwebsites.legacy.com/
melinda/Homepage.aspx
Cat Lost Near Corner
of Otis, Broadway
Paid Announcement
T
he Alameda Sun received the following message
regarding this lost cat: “Please help us reunite
with our pet, Earl Grey. He is a three-year-old
cat with fluffy grey fur, a white underbelly and a very
large fluffy tail. He is a large cat, approximately 15
lbs. He was last seen in our yard near Broadway and
Otis on Thursday, April 30, in the early afternoon.
We are offering a reward for information leading to
his return. Please contact Troy at (206) 678-2995 or
Marcie at (206) 512-9988 if you have seen him or
have any information.”
Briefs: On local news
Continued from page 1
For more information or to
download the application, visit
alamedawomenartists.org.
The deadline to enter is Saturday, Aug. 15.
Golden Gear Nominations
Open Now
Rhythmix Cultural Works has
opened nominations for the second
annual Golden Gear Awards given
to three East Bay artists.
The chosen three will be recognized by the organization for their
outstanding contributions in three
categories: visual arts, performing
arts and arts education. Winners
will receive their awards at Rhythmix’s Wine, Women & Song Spectacular on Saturday, Aug. 22.
Nominations are open to the
public. To nominate an artist, one
must visit Rhythmix’s Golden Gear
website at www.rhythmix.org/golden-gear-2015.html. Click one of the
three boxes, visual arts, performing
arts and arts education, then enter
the name of the artist, what medium the artist use, which East Bay
city does the artist live and/or work
in, why the nominator is choosing
the artist and the artist’s website or
portfolio link.
Nominations will be accepted
until Friday, May 29.
Harvey Milk Day Celebration
Taking Place Tonight at AHS
Sun Staff Reports
The sixth annual Harvey Milk
Day in Alameda will celebrate the
strides that the city has made in
affirming LGBTQ rights over the
past two decades and amplify
the voices of Alameda youth as
they chart the future. The event
is sponsored by the Harvey Milk
Day 2015 Planning Committee and
will take place in the gymnasium at
Alameda High School, this evening,
Thursday, May 21, from 6 to 8 p.m.
This year’s keynote speaker
will be educator Victoria Forrester,
a former teacher at Earhart
Elementary School. Forrester faced
a parent protest and a lawsuit in
1997 when she responded to her
students’ questions and engaged
in a conversation in her classroom
about Ellen DeGeneres’ decision to
come out on national television.
The Alameda Unified School
District (AUSD) stood in support
of Forrester and has continued
to advance the rights of LGBTQ
families and students. The school
district adopted a K-5 anti-bullying
curriculum in 2009 that included an
LGBTQ lesson.
Other highlights of the evening
will include dance performances
by both Alameda High School and
Encinal High School students and
the Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s
Chorus, as well as presentations
by the winners of the Harvey Milk
Poetry and Poster Contest and
members of Gay Straight Student
Alliance.
Alameda’s Harvey Milk Day
Celebration is part of a statewide commemoration honoring
the activism of Harvey Milk, the
nation’s first openly gay politician.
Sponsors include AUSD and the
City of Alameda Social Services and
Human Relations of Board. This
evening’s reception will be hosted
by several Alameda faith communities.
For more information contact
Rev. Laura Rose at 522-6012.
Obituary? Write to [email protected]
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