In Memoriam: Madera’s deaths of 2016

Every year brings both death and new lives. Below should be most of the local losses written of in The Madera Tribune in 2016.

January 2016 Two ag leaders, Petrucci and Galleano, are dead (Jan. 6 issue) — Two well-known Madera County agricultural leaders have died within days of each other. Joe Galleano, 84, died Jan. 2 and Dino Petrucci, 85, died Jan. 4. Famous for his barbecued tri-trip and his farming, Petrucci died on Monday after a long illness. He was honored as both a Young Farmer in the 1940s and as Senior Farmer in 1999. He and his late brother, Enzio Petrucci, farmed together in the Howard District to this day.

Local rancher Wissler dies (Jan. 20 issue) — Elizabeth Brooke Mordecai Wissler, local rancher and member of one of Madera County’s most prominent pioneer families, died Friday in her home of natural causes. She was 87 years of age. She was the granddaughter of George Washington Mordecai, patriarch of “Refuge,” the Mordecai Ranch, and one of the founding fathers of Madera.

Other deaths: Donald Scott Kirby (Jan. 1), Salvador Mendoza Sr. (Jan. 1), Gwendolyn “Gwen” Craig (Jan. 2), Virginia Ruth Esparza (Jan. 2), Bette S. Wells (Jan. 3), Eddie J. Martinez (Jan. 4), Billy “Gene” Arter (Jan. 6), Manuel Freitas (Jan. 10), Theresa Mato (Jan. 10), Lena J. Petrucci (Jan. 10), Robert “Bob” A. Johnson (Jan. 11), Ernestine “Tine” Dearing (Jan. 12), Charlene Lavon Kinkade (Jan. 14), Annie Faye Freeman (Jan. 15), Audrey Deniz (Jan. 17), James “Jimmy” Allen Kline (Jan. 17), George Payne (Jan. 20), Charles “Chuck” Douglas McGregor (Jan. 21), Sidney Huntley (Jan. 23), Clovis Norma Bursey (Jan. 25), Ola Fay Hall (Jan. 25), Jose Luis Lambaren Banda (Jan. 27), Dr. Charles “Chuck” Douglas McGregor (Jan. 27), Nina Lee Brosi (Jan. 28), Maxine Marie Logoluso (Jan. 28), Hector Monreal (Jan. 30), Ron Tyndal (Jan. 30), Sylvia Der Torosian (date unlisted)

February 2016 Inmate firefighter killed in accident (Feb. 27 issue) — The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced Friday that an inmate firefighter injured this week in the Mulholland brush fire has died. Early Thursday, a boulder rolling down a hill struck Shawna Lynn Jones, 22.

Rieping dies at 80 (Feb. 27 issue) — Theresa “Terri” Rieping, longtime director of religious education at St. Joachim Catholic Church, died in her Madera farm home around 7:25 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22 after battling Alzheimer’s disease for more than six years. The Vatican awarded her the Benemerenti Medal for exceptional service in 1996.

Other deaths: Jose Angel Armendariz (Feb. 1), Johnny “Popo” Montelongo (Feb. 2), Sharon Maureen Buchanan (Feb. 7), Efigenia “Mary” Hernandez (Feb. 7), Tom Arellano (Feb. 8), David Yslas (Feb. 8), William “Bill” Weber (Feb. 8), Nathan W. Hammonds (Feb. 9), Marion Ayala (Feb. 11), Evelyn Shein (Feb. 11), Elbridge “Al” Peart (Feb. 13), Melinda Butcher (Feb. 15), Florine Aurelia Guillemin (Feb. 15), Dirk Jan Vlot (Feb. 17), Charles “Charlie” Andrew Gray (Feb. 20), Henry G. Velasquez (Feb. 20), Albert Garcia Flores (Feb. 22), Clyde Lee Nelson (Feb. 23), Donald Leonard Mercer (Feb. 24), Ronald Lee Chaffin Sr. (Feb. 27), Jean Eva Maderious (date unlisted)

March 2016 Restaurateur Robert R. Mariscotti dies at 92 (March 16 issue) — Robert Rasmeo “Bob” Mariscotti, 92, died on Sunday in Fresno of cardiac complications. He and his late wife, Helen, with their son, Chris, operated The Vineyard Restaurant in Madera. Helen passed away in 2009 after 55 years of marriage.

Other deaths: Kenneth Michael Buchta Sr. (March 9), Maria Catalina Perez (March 9), Annabel A. Humphrey (March 11), Viva “Vera” Evans (March 12), Dorothy Lee Farinelli (March 12), Susan B. McCullough (March 13), Judith “Judy” Ann McDonald (March 13), John Arthur Moss (March 13), Stephanie Rae Saravia (March 13), John “Jack” H. Costa II (March 14), Darwin “Doc” Smith (March 15), Fernando “Fernie” Aguirre (March 17), Evelyn Ducoff (March 17), Charles William McNally (March 18), Rodney A. Roseling (March 18), Veda Mae Chiaramonte (March 20), Ruth Walls Moore (March 20), John “Bill” Overstreet (March 20), Harold G. Giomi (March 24), Concepcion Rodriguez (March 24), Terrance “Terry” Richard Alexander (March 28), Marie Lowe (March 30), Evelyn Louise Manfredo (March 30), Paula Bonifacia Vasquez Miranda (March 31)

April 2016 Deaths: Leonard Owen Hollier (April 1), Edwin Hugh Waldron Jr. (April 1), Maria Rondin (April 2), David Ovalle Vasquez (April 2), Darren Jay Anderson (April 4), Mark Guinn (April 4), Noah M. Valdez (April 6), Julie Gleason McCully (April 8), Michael Palacioz Rodriguez (April 10), Lionel Lawrence Rogers (April 13), Peggy Louise Petrucci (April 14), James L. Brosi (April 16), Paula Annette Music (April 16), Edward D. Kincheloe (April 18), Nasaria Nancy De La Cruz (April 19), Clayton Ernest Dart (April 22), William Dean Dotson Jr. (April 23), Faye Phillips (April 23), Maria G. Rodriguez (April 23), Richard Allen Brown (April 25), Eva Maria Pira (April 26), Maria Del Carmen Leal (April 27), Ola Toschi (April 27), Phyliss Ann David (April 29), David Armstrong (April 30), Charline Watson (April 30)

May 2016 Columnist Leon Emo dies at 67 (May 14 issue) — Madera Tribune columnist Leon Emo has died. He succumbed at 2:35 p.m. Friday at St. Agnes Hospital in Fresno. He would have been 68 on May 27. He graduated from Madera Union High School, served in the U.S. Army, married high school sweetheart Viola Sanderson, and – among other jobs through the years – worked for the Madera parks department and The Madera Tribune. He was active in the Elks Lodge, Friends of Rhyolite, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Breakfast Lions.

Other deaths: Augustine Santiago Ramirez (May 1), Dianna Parksion (May 3), Jose Jesse Martinez (May 4), Irene Ashton (May 5), Roy Lopez (May 7), Barry Kerman Crow (May 8), Rodney Marvin Rolison (May 8), John Wesley Harrell (May 9), Jean Konkol (May 9), Jean Whitaker (May 9), Stephanie Sophia Mendoza (May 12), Rafael Alvarez (May 13), Paul George Dodd (May 13), Phyllis Jeanne James (May 13), Beatrice Zapata Lucero (May 13), Thelma Hendrickson (May 14), Nadine Antoinette Hernandez (May 14), Edgar Solorzano (May 15), Esolastica Lopez Camarillo (May 17), Filadelfa Mendez (May 17), Lloyd Wells (May 19), Rod De La Rosa (May 21), Jean Macaluso Whitaker (May 22), Donnie Lue Sweetin (May 27), Bina Rose Boitano (May 28), Bryson Oliveira (May 28), Johnny F. Carabajal (May 30), Candida Claudio (May 30)

June 2016 June deaths: Martha Henrietta Bitter (June 2), Ramiro Garcia Chavira Sr. (June 2), Eldon Ray Miller (June 2), Lisa Roybal (June 4), Nell Evelina Sherrod (June 5), Glenn Dale Waldhart (June 6), Gilda Giampaoli (June 7), Augustine Diaz (June 9), Frank Leland Garner (June 11), Clyde Edward Jones (June 12), Elvira P. Jimenez (June 14), Leonardo Amezola-Ochoa (June 15), Mary Jane Baldrica (June 15), Marcellino Hernandez (June 16), Josie Serrano (June 18), Marjorie Lue Warner (June 18), Royce “Boots” King (June 19), Ernest Linford Folk (June 20), Bessie “Irene” Helm (June 21), Margretta Schleich (June 21), Marie P. Hardin (June 22), Lyman Francise Nicholas (June 22), Sheryl C. Foster (June 24), Loraine Meeks (June 25), Lewis Penner (June 27), Paulina Garibay Castillo (June 28), Nick Mendoza (June 29), Linnie Marie Richardson (June 30)

July 2016 July deaths: Paul Lewis Milor (July 3), Susan Rae Krone (July 4), Seth “Poo Poo” Reyes (July 5), Pauline Marie Chandler (July 7), Ruth Smith (July 9), Jeannie Cheatham Bayless (July 10), Karen Harbart (July 10), Daniel Louis Engelhaupt Jr. (July 11), Florence Marie Lyon (July 12), Moya Vlahos (July 12), Robert Adm Krieg (July 14), Isabel Razo (July 16), Kenneth Mark Tigson (July 17), Edward Emery Avery (July 19), Gloria Ochoa (July 23), Kay Sorenson-Fischer (July 24), Alfonso Peter Hernandez Jr. (July 26), Wayne Wisner (July 27), Larry A. Cervantez (July 30), Kathryn Gene Mudge (July 30), Robert Allen Whitehead (July 31)

August 2016 Civic leader Jack Perialas dies at 86 (Aug. 17 issue) — Longtime Maderan and civic leader John “Jack” Perialas, 86, died Aug. 13 in Madera of a long illness. He and his wife owned a downtown office supply store, Madera Stationers, for 20 years. He held a seat on the Planning Commission and was director of the Industrial Development Commission.

Other deaths: Gloria Orta (Aug. 5), Victor S. Salazar (Aug. 6), Jeffrey A. Myers (Aug. 7), Janet E. Medley (Aug. 9), Barbara J. Garner (Aug. 10), Harry Williams Robert Lockhard III (Aug. 10), Gino J. Petrucci (Aug. 10), Joann Enriquez Montemayor (Aug. 12), Brian Toby Tyler (Aug. 12), Margarita Martinez (Aug. 13), Martha Elizabeth Nash (Aug. 15), Emily Ann Barnett Koskovich (Aug. 17), Oren Clark Hatfield (Aug. 18), Richard Laird (Aug. 20), Peggy Sue Bartley (Aug. 22), Lucy M. Samarin Dornan (Aug. 24), Elizabeth B. Arroyo (Aug. 25), Clifford Leland Hale (Aug. 25), T. Jean Burmer (Aug. 30)

September 2016 Sheriff’s Deputy Chuck Reiring honored (Sept. 10 issue) — A dramatic show of support with about 30 uniformed law enforcement officers turned out on Friday to say goodbye to one of their own. Retired Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Chuck Reiring died Sept. 3 at age 68. During his 32 years with the Madera County Sheriff’s Office, Reiring worked as a jailer, a Chowchilla-area deputy, Valley Patrol watch commander and K9 handler.

Madera musician Oklin Bloodworth dies (Sept. 21 issue) — Local musician Oklin Bloodworth, 66, died Sept. 11 after a battle with cancer. The son of the late Oklin and Fannie Bloodworth, he was born in Forth Worth, Texas, in 1950. He was a Madera resident for 62 years and played and sang at children’s events throughout the San Joaquin Valley.

Other deaths: Michael “Terry” O’Neal (Sept. 1), Donald G. Pitman Jr. (Sept. 2), Jame Isaac Aaron (Sept. 4), Maria Benita Armendariz (Sept. 6), Rev. John B. Huerta (Sept. 6), Mary Cantu (Sept. 8), Betty Lyon (Sept. 12), Arthur Byron Alvarez (Sept. 13), Esther Bishel (Sept. 13), Pat Butler (Sept. 13), Miguel Santiago Martinez (Sept. 13), Mary Esqueda (Sept. 14), Donna Fae Wilkinson (Sept. 17), Delsie Eldora Siebert (Sept. 19), Olga Marie Garcia (Sept. 20), Martina M. Mullins (Sept. 21), Mary Ann Zaragosa (Sept. 21), Joe Guadalupe Alvarado (Sept. 22), Antonia Johanna Kophoff-Mulder (Sept. 22), Marian Lane Herrick (Sept. 22), Daniel Harlow (Sept. 24), Grace Evelyn Long (Sept. 26), Christian Mange (Sept. 27), Lorraine Krebs Bennett (Sept. 28), Maria Eugenia Ruiz (Sept. 28), Ethel Marie Arthur (Sept. 29)

October 2016 Business and community leader Lori Pond succumbs to cancer (Oct. 26 issue) — Madera community leader, businesswoman and humanitarian Lori Pond has died at 53 after a battle with cancer. She was chief financial officer of the Sherman Thomas Ranch for 25 years. In 2010, she bought the Valley Pistachio Country Store and made it thrive. She is also credited with saving the San Joaquin Valley Paleontology Foundation from financial distress at a key point in its development.

Fuel oil dealer Lawrence Tesei dies at 94 (Nov. 5 issue) — Growing vegetables in his yard and tending the flowers his wife Margaret loves is how the late Lawrence Tesei would unwind after a long day providing area growers and others with the fuel needed to run their tractors. Tesei died Oct. 24 at the age of 94.

Other deaths: Moses Hughlin Hubbard (Oct. 1), June Malick (Oct. 2), Elizabeth Whatley (Oct. 2), David Zapata (Oct. 2), John William Schlumbohm (Oct. 3), Ellet Walter Shoemate (Oct. 6), Sherman Bohard (Oct. 11), Ignacio “Nacho” Rodriguez (Oct. 18), Clemencia M. Belmontes (Oct. 20), Brenda Harlow (Oct. 22), Dennis Adam Meisner Sr. (Oct. 25), Ronald Lloyd Evans (Oct. 26), Richard Lawrence Speelmon (Oct. 26), Hazel Dean Price (Oct. 27), Monica Maciel Bain (Oct. 28), Genevieve Flint (Oct. 30), Jimmie Carl Davis (Oct. 31), Gerald Ellis Scheffing (Oct. 31)

November 2016 Duane Furman dies at 89 (Nov. 16 issue) — Duane Earl Furman, one of Madera’s most highly regarded leaders, has died at the age of 89. The longtime educator and indefatigable booster of many of the community’s charitable efforts died on Saturday of natural causes. Among many roles in his life, he served as Madera Unified School District’s first superintendent.

Other deaths: Juana Elisalde (Nov. 6), Martha L. Lizak (Nov. 9), Ron Nash (Nov. 10), Eladio Saldivar (Nov. 11), Mardell Nash (Nov. 13), John T. Rohl (Nov. 16), Paul “Wayne” Eddy (Nov. 19), Ronnie Moore (Nov. 21), Joe M. Arroyo (Nov. 22), Adolf Tamberi (Nov. 22), Ruben Tello Garza Jr (Nov. 27), George A. Helton (Nov. 28), Bob Winchester (Nov. 28)

December 2016 Deaths: Mary Lee Scheidt (Dec. 1), Trinidad Segovia (Dec. 1), Robert Chairez (Dec. 2), Josephine Sagouspe (Dec. 3), Billie Sue Anderson (Dec. 3), Randy Lowrance Parsons (Dec. 4), Eli Maxwell Goodrum (Dec. 6), Nancy Honeywell (Dec. 7), Frances “Kika” Zamilpa (Dec. 9), Lillie Beckett (Dec. 10), Candice Joy Smith (Dec. 11), America Itzel Delgado Salazar (Dec. 17), Phillip Cruz Bernal (Dec. 18), William Morrison (Dec. 18), Francisco Pimentel Valdez (Dec. 18), Arlene June Leoni (Dec. 19), Jim Stiles (Dec. 19), Virginia Louise Luna (Dec. 20), Filomena R. Freitas (Dec. 23), Joe Chamblin (Dec. 24)