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Leatha Myrtle Stransky
Leatha Myrtle Stransky, 81, died July 29, 2004, in Paradise.
Leatha was born on Oct. 18, 1922, in San Juan, Texas. She grew up in the San Jose area and graduated from San Jose High School. She moved from Morgan Hill to Paradise 11 years ago to be near her son and grandchildren.
Leatha was a bookkeeper for 28 years at Sears & Roebuck Co. After retiring, she and her husband liked to travel with the Elk’s Lodge “Roadrunners.” She enjoyed watching her grandchildren play Little League baseball, tending to her rose garden, and spending time with her dog Murphy.
Shis is survived by her sons Craig Stransky of Paradise and Donald Sherwood of Roseville; brother James Smith of San Jose; grandsons Matthew Stransky of Paradise and Donald Sherwood of Sacramento; granddaughters Sabrina Stransky of Paradise and Sheri Sherwood of Roseville; and four great-grandchildren.
She was the daughter of the late James and Carrie Smith.
Graveside services were at noon today, Aug. 6, at the Santa Clara Mission Cemetery.
Mary J. Marchetti
Mary J. Marchetti of Morgan Hill died Aug. 2, 2004. She was 93.
Mary enjoyed fishing with her late husband, Frank C. Marchetti. After retiring, she and Frank traveled throughout the United States before settling in San Martin. She will be missed dearly by her cousins and friends.
She is survived by cousins Henry Marchetti of Salinas, Mary Rocchi of San Jose and Rosie Mammini of San Martin.
A memorial service takes place at noon on Saturday, Aug. 7 at The Kingdom Hall, Morgan Hill.
Burial took place at St. Mary Cemetery, Gilroy. Arrangements were under the direction of Habing Family Funeral Home.
Lester T. McKee
Lester T. McKee, 61, died Aug. 1, 2004, at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose.
He was born in Napa and lived most of his life in Santa Clara County. He was a resident of San Martin. He worked in construction, in a family-owned business, driving trucks for over 40 years. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1960-64 and attended South County Pentecostal Church. Lester was also a professor at Gavilan College in Gilroy for a brief period.
He is survived by his wife, Mary McKee of San Martin whom he married earlier this year in Reno, Nev.; stepchildren Rachal Zamora of Manteca, Ruth Hine of Beaverton, Ore., Margaret Robles of San Jose, Caroline Quintero of Gilroy, Abel Robles of Sacramento, Sarah Ibanez of Gilroy, Ezekiel Robles of Gilroy, Mark Robels of Austin, Texas, Mary Helen Cervantes of Gilroy, and Fidel Vargas of San Diego; and many grandchildren.
Friends can pay their respects after 3 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 9, at Black Cooper Sander Funeral Home in Hollister.
Funeral services take place at 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 9, at the funeral home. Pastor Paul Carrasco of South County Pentecostal Church will officiate.
Interment is planned at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery
in Gustine.
John Huning
John Huning died in his Aromas home on July 16 after a long battle with cancer. He was born in 1938 in St. Louis and moved to Garden Grove CA in 1950. He graduated from Orange Coast College in 1958 with an Associate of Arts Degree. He attended San Jose State College, where he completed his BA and in 1964 he completed a MA in History.
Huning served in the US army and the Army Reserves in the 228th Military Intelligence Detachment during the Viet Nam era.
In 1965 Huning began his teaching career at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill. In the late 60s he and fellow teacher Jerry Logan developed the Individual Learning Module Program, later renamed Kleine Schule, (KS). It was in KS that Huning innovative and unique style of teaching really shone. He continually challenged students to do their best by blending independent study with the traditional classroom experience. In recent years Huning received numerous e-mails from past students expressing the impact he had made on their lives. Many wrote how he inspired them to look at the world in different ways and thanked him for believing in them. Outside the classroom Huning coached the Live Oak Junior Varsity Football Team to win their league championship in 1968.
Huning retired form the Morgan Hill Unified School District after 33 years of service.
Huning had many diverse interests. He was a craftsman building his own home in Aromas and after retirement took up auto restoration. His was famous for his gourmet cooking and often served as a guest chef at several restaurants in San Juan Bautista. He also traveled extensively to Cambodia, Europe, China, Mexico, Alaska, Thailand, and the Philippines.
Huning leaves his brother James Huning and sister- in-law Diane Huning of Washington DC, an aunt and several cousins.
Services were handled by the Neptune Society.
Emmett W. Smith Sr.
Emmett W. Smith Sr. died July 26, 2004, in Gilroy. He was born 78 years ago in Drew County, Ark.
Mr. Smith, a Morgan Hill resident since 1959, was a masonry contractor who generously donated his time and skills to various projects throughout the community.
A complete obituary was published in the July 30 edition.
Mr. Smith was buried Aug. 4 at the San Joaquin National Cemetery
in Gustine. A 21-gun salute and flag presentation were performed by the VFW. Also, the state Assembly adjourned in his honor last week and adopted a memorial resolution presented by Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez.
Dave Gordon
Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department detective Sgt. Dave Gordon, 47, a 19-year veteran of the department, died Wednesday of a sudden heart attack during his daily workout at a Bay Area gym.
It was completely unexpected, said his partner, Sgt. Dean Baker.
Since 2001, Gordon joined Baker in investigating homicide and robbery cases. In South County, the cases they were working to solve included a pair of home-invasion robberies from November outside Morgan Hill and Gilroy and a “mob hit” attempted murder in January 2003 in the Hecker Pass area.
Gordon had previously been a field training officer, teaching deputies fresh out of the academy, and had served on the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team, equivalent to a SWAT team.
Gordon lived in Castro Valley in the East Bay and was an ordained lay minister at a church in Fremont. One of the first things Baker mentioned about his partner was a “deep faith in God,” something Baker shared.
“He loved this work and he was doing it because he felt strongly this is where God wanted him,” Baker said.
Lisa Marie Dougherty
Lisa Marie Dougherty died July 31, 2004, at the age of 46 following a lengthy illness.
Lisa will be missed by her husband, Randy; son Jeff; parents Alfred and Josephine Gutierrez; sisters Joanna Sanchez, Magi Thomas, Christy Lawless and Sandi Gutierrez; brother Tony Gutierrez; and her many nieces and nephews.
Along with her many accomplishments in life, Lisa has a loving family to always keep her close.
Private services were under the direction of Habing Family Funeral Home.
