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Robert Lee Gaither
Robert “Bob” Lee Gaither, born Jan. 5, 1933, in Stillwater, Okla., died peacefully in his home in Morgan Hill on Dec. 3, 2002, surrounded by his loved ones.
Bob was a retired mechanic whose real passion was playing country music on his guitar.
He is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Dorothy; children Steve and wife Brenda Gaither of Sonora, Gale Hunt and husband Fred of Antioch, Terrie and husband Joe Barnes of Morgan Hill and Jerry Gaither of Napa; grandchildren Scott Hunt of Morgan Hill, Shyliene Hunt of Gilroy, Eric Gaither of Atascadero, Ryan Gaither of Atascadero, Tamara Barnes of Morgan Hill, Joseph Barnes of Morgan Hill and Samuel Gaither of San Ramon; great-grandchild Taylor Ann Cervantes of Morgan Hill; siblings Harold Gaither of Redding, Wilbur Gaither of Madera and Wayne Gaither of Chowchilla.
His parents, both deceased, were Jess and Gladys Gaither of Madera.
A memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2002, at Habing Family Funeral Home, Gilroy.
The famikly asks that any donations be made to the American Cancer Society.
Ruth Ellen Jones
Ruth Ellen Jones died Nov. 5, 2003. She was 84.
She was born on Aug. 19, 1919, in San Jose to Frank Lester and Edna Hubbard who came by covered wagon from Iowa, via the Oregon Trail, to Santa Clara County in 1863. In 1883, her grandparents Frank and Retta Hubbard, built a house and barn in Halls Valley. The ranch was sold to the Grant family in 1926 and is now known as the Grant Ranch State Park.
Ruth and John moved from San Jose to Morgan Hill in 1964 where they started the Llagas Creek Christmas Tree Farm as well as co-founded Frazier Lake Airpark outside Hollister. Ruth retired from the tree farm in 1999 but continued to travel and enjoy visiting with friends and family, crossword puzzles, soap opera's and pizza.
Ruth graduated from San Jose High School and was married to the late John W. Jones, a former chief of the San Jose Fire Department.
She and John had three children Cheri A. (Ben) Scales, William T. Jones and Susan (Ronald) Raasch; five grandchildren, Jeff (Nicole) Scales, Jennifer (David) Gillmore, Adam Clark Jones, Ashley Raasch and Helen Nicole Jones.
Ruth also is survived by a great-grandson Colin John Scales; sister Lucille E. Browder; and her lifelong friends Evelyn Staples, Betty Ann Corona and Lynn Goshia.
At her request no services are planned.
Arrangements were under the direction of Johnson Funeral Home, Morgan Hill.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made to The San Jose Firefighter's Widows and Orphan's Fund or The American Lung Association.
Connie L. Johnson
Connie L. Johnson, born Nov. 6, 1944, died Nov. 18, 2003, in Morgan Hill.
Connie loved her grandchildren, family, a multitude of friends and, of course, decorating for the holidays.
Connie is survived by her husband, Norm Johnson; children Brian (Shirley), Brenton (Elsy) and Brice (Denyse); grandchildren Danielle, Brandon and Brenton II; her mother Fern Guthrie; sisters Susan (Mac) Graham and Goldie (Ken) Ferguson; and other family members all of Oakdale.
She was preceded in death by her father, Floyd Guthrie.
Visitation will be Monday, Nov. 24, 3-6 p.m., with a family tribute at 6 p.m., at Johnson Funeral Home. Graveside services will be Tuesday, Nov. 25, at noon, at Oak Lawn Memorial Park, 431 North Sierra, Oakdale.
Nick Borina Sr.
Nick Borina Sr. died Nov. 10, 2003, at his home.
Nick was born on July 4, 1919, in Osojnik, Dalmatia, (Croatia) Yugoslavia, a village on the outskirts of Dubrovnik, to Pasko and Cvjete Borina, eventually being a brother to a family of nine siblings. At 18, Nick and his brother, John, ventured to America on a sea vessel in 1937, docking in New York’s Ellis Island, eventually traveling to Watsonville, where his father’s brother, Uncle Nicholas, had large business and apple orchard operations in Watsonville. There, Nick and John began their life in America, sharing a home with Uncle Nicholas’ family, consisting of two daughters, who later became prominent members within the Santa Cruz County community.
While living with their Uncle Nicholas, the two young brothers worked diligently and hard in the apple orchard’s packing house and in the orchards, while simultaneously attending school. Eventually, Nick and John accumulated sufficient funds to place a down payment on their first orchard in the Pruneridge Avenue area, where they began their lifetime careers of property and orchard management, while harvesting a variety of fruits.
In early 1942 after Pearl Harbor, Nick was drafted into the U. S. Army, serving in the 697th Field Artillery Battalion, and Regimental Headquarters Company, 401st Glider Infantry, 101st Airborne Division as a paratrooper Private 1st Class. One day, while an Army glider was experiencing difficulty and was about to crash after splitting in half, Nick bravely jumped out of the plane, falling into a tree, sustaining several fractures. This heroic act saved his life as several others from the glider perished. Nick was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in late 1943.
As the years evolved, Nick met Jackie Milina at a wedding where Jackie was a secondary invited guest (at an aunt’s urging), and months after the meeting the two were married on Nov. 14, 1948, in San Francisco and would have celebrated 55 years of married life together on Friday, Nov. 14. Jackie became a part of the household that Nick and John shared (John later married), working diligently inside the home, while partaking in the harvesting and packing of the fruit. A large orchard was eventually subdivided into homes along Borina Drive (named after Nick and John) in west San Jose.
In the early 1950s, Nick and Jackie’s first child was born, Julie (husband Mark), followed by Florence, Mary Ann and Nick, Jr. in subsequent years. Nick continued to harvest fruit for commercial markets through the years, more as a nature hobby, in Morgan Hill and San Martin, as he simultaneously invested and managed commercial and residential business properties centralized in the west San Jose area.
Nick Sr. was a very intelligent businessman in managing his investments. Nick had long-standing membership in the Slavonian-Benevolent Society and the American-Dalmatian Society. He definitely was a very simple yet multi-faceted man who enjoyed nature. He especially enjoyed harvesting fruit and watching his trees and orchards thrive as a result of his labor. Throughout the years, Nick loved animals and always had farm animals, dogs and cats by his side, a relationship with a very special connection to the beauty in all of nature, along with a disposition which was very conducive toward fostering a warm relationship with all of the pet animals he came in contact with. A mutually fond and cordial relationship grew and was nurtured daily with his dog, a King Charles Cavalier, who traveled frequently to Morgan Hill with Nick and his daughter Julie up to the time of his death.
Nick Sr., was a very special and devoted husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather of six, brother and brother-in-law, uncle to several nieces and nephews, cousin and friend of many, will be forever remembered, with fond memories cherished. As he cared for the well-being of others, may the angels care for him now for he will always be among them and he will always be in the hearts and memory of all who have known him.
Services have been held in Los Gatos.
Mary C. Filice
Mary C. Filice, 99, died Nov. 23, 2003, in Gilroy.
Mary was the matriarch of the Filice family. She was the wife of one of the owners of the San Martin Winery and also Filice Family Estates involved in land holdings. She was a wonderful homemaker, cook of great Italian cuisine. She will be missed by all those who knew her. She was a great lady.
She was survived by daughters Theresa Bruni and Clara Cimino; sons Bruno Filice and Frank Filice, Jr.; 13 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren; and one great great grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Frank C. Filice.
Funeral Mass will be at 7 tonight, Nov. 25, at St. Mary Church, Gilroy. Visitation will be from 3-6 p.m. Tuesday at Habing Family Funeral Home, Gilroy.
The family asks that any donations be made to St. Joseph's Family Center or Sacred Heart Community Center.
William E. Erickson
William E. Erickson, 93, died Oct. 27, 2003, in Morgan Hill. Services took place this morning at Lima Family Santa Clara, 466 N. Winchester Blvd. Internment was private.
Virginia R. Wood
Virginia R. Wood died unexpectedly at her Gilroy home on Monday, Nov. 24, 2003. A native of Santa Clara, she was 74.
Wood was born and raised in Sunnyvale. She attended Notre Dame, Belmont High School and San Jose State University. The greatest joy of her life was her grandchildren. She moved to Gilroy in 1964.
Wood was a substitute school teacher in the Gilroy School district for many years and was a teacher’s aide at Glen View School. Then she went into real estate in 1974 and became partner/broker in Connell Realty, Gilroy. She retired in 1994 and traveled with her family for many years. She was a past member of South County Realtors Association, California Association of Realtors and a founding member of the Theatre Angels Art League, Gilroy.
She was the wife of Fred O. Wood, former longtime city administrator for Gilroy. Other suvivors include their children Loni Wood-Lautenschlager of Nashville, Tenn., Andrea Wood Habing of Gilroy and Angela Rose Wood of Gilroy. She was the mother-in-law of Brent Lautenschlager of Nashville and Jim Habing of Gilroy; grandmother of Natalie Kretz, Bryan Kretz, Alyssa Habing and A.J. Habing, all of Gilroy, and Nathan Lautenschlager of Nashville; sister of Stanley Alonso of Sunnyvale; aunt of Robert Alonso of Gilroy, Richard Alonso of Sunnyvale and Carol Alonso of Washington.
She was the daughter of the late Rose & John Alonso.
Vigil is at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 28, at Habing Family Funeral Home, Gilroy. Services begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 29, at the funeral home followed by Funeral Masss at 10 a.m. at St. Mary's Church. Entombment will follow at Gavilan Hills Memorial Park.
The family asks that any donations be made to the Gilroy Foundation/Gilroy Cultural Center.
