Search Archived Marriage Records
Ian Melville Thomas
Dr. Ian Thomas (1935 - 2010),
a retired Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory (LLNL)
chemist (1983-2000) and consultant
died at home Monday, March
1, 2010, after a valiant struggle
with cancer. He surrounded by
loved ones.
Prior to his career at LLNL,
Ian worked for 20 yrs at Owens-
Illinois Inc. in Toledo, Ohio. Ian
was an inventor of the Sol-Gel
anti-reflective coating, which
was first successfully applied to
the Nova laser and is now used on
every high-powered fusion laser
in the world today.
Ian shared many hobbies, his
favorite being home-consumption
wine making. During the
annual harvest in his back yard,
“Chateau Melville” came alive
each year with family, friends
and neighbors helping to pick and
crush grapes, all the while enjoying
being around Ian to learn the
chemistry and art of wine making
from a man who made it all
seem so easy and fun. His wines
won several awards. His hobbies
seem to link him to the outdoors,
whether it was experimental
boat and model aircraft design,
or gardening; his hydroponics
garden grows an assortment of
near perfect tomatoes.
As a lad during WWII in
England, Ian attended the highly
regarded Repton School. This
was followed by a BS in 1956
and PhD in 1959, both in chemistry,
from the University of
London. Ian came to the United
States in 1960, but will always
be remembered as a true English
gentleman.
Ian is survived by Deborah,
his wife of 48 years, three daughters,
Mary, Margaret and Elizabeth,
and seven grandchildren
with one more on the way.
A “Final Farewell” is scheduled
for Thursday, March 4, 2
- 4 pm at Callaghan Mortuary
Chapel, Livermore. Friends and
family are welcome. In lieu of
flowers, the family requests donations
in Ian’s memory to Hope
Hospice, of Dublin.
M. Alison Council
Alison (Goodman) Council
Passed away peacefully at her
home in Ripon on May 28,
2009 at the age of 47 after a
lengthy battle with metastatic
breast cancer. Alison was born
in Walnut Creek, California on
July 27, 1961 to Alex and Ola
Mae Goodman. She was raised
in Livermore and graduated from
Granada High School in Livermore
in 1979 where she served
as Head Cheerleader. While in
Livermore she participated in the
Miss Livermore pageant, where
she was named Miss Congeniality,
which is no surprise to anyone
who knew her.
She graduated from San Jose
State University in 1983, where
she majored in Marketing. Alison
loved music and was the only
non-music major to be accepted
as a member of the San Jose
State University Choraliers. a
prestigious choir that performed
all over the world. She also performed
as a member of the San
Francisco Symphony choir, as
well as the Clay Pipers, a musical
dance group. She married
her husband Warren in 1986 and
they moved to Ripon in 1994,
where she immersed herself in
the community and her children’s
activities.
While she was experienced in
marketing and promotions, Alison
found her true passion when
she began working with special
needs high school students as a
special education instructional
aide at Beyer High School in
Modesto. She exposed her students
to all aspects of life, taking
them to Giants games and teaching
them how to recycle. .
Alison became a tireless advocate
and fund-raiser for the
American Cancer Society, leading
teams in the annual Ripon
Relay for Life. At the 2008
Relay for Life event, she was the
keynote speaker at the luminary
ceremony, sharing her amazing
story of the various “angels” in
her life. Also in 2008, Alison
started a campaign to “Paint the
Town Purple”, an effort involving
downtown merchants and
shopkeepers to show their support
for finding a cure for cancer.
This campaign continued in 2009
in Alison’s honor.
Alison was an active member
of Calvary Reformed Church in
Ripon, where she directed the
children’s choir and participated
in the hand bell choir and the
Praise Team.
Alison is survived by her
husband of 23 years, Warren
Council, her children Lauren
and Brian, her mother, Ola Mae
Goodman of Ripon, her brother
Steve Goodman of Livermore,
and many nieces, nephews and
cousins. Her father, Alex Goodman,
preceded her in death.
A public visitation will be held
on Thursday, June 4 from 5 – 7
PM at Deegan Ripon Memorial
Chapel, 111 S. Palm Ave., Ripon.
A Memorial service will be held
on Friday, June 5 at 10:30 AM at
Calvary Reformed Church, 741
W. Second St., Ripon, followed
by a reception hosted by church
members. A private graveside
service will be held beforehand.
In lieu of flowers donations in
Alison Council’s memory may
be made to: UCSF Foundation
(work of Dr. Melisko), Carol
Franc Buck Breast Care Center,
UCSF Box 45339, San Francisco,
CA 94143-0339.
Janet Lynn Macur
Livermore resident Janet Lynn
Macur died of breast cancer on
May 26, 2009, after a courageous
eight year battle. Her positive
outlook and sunny disposition
were an inspiration to all who
were fortunate to know her. She
was born August 25, 1947.
Janet enjoyed reading, traveling,
and gardening, but most of
all, she enjoyed her family.
She is survived by her husband
Randy, daughter Amy (Bret), son
Mark (Alison), grandchildren
Ben and Gracie Dupuis and Andrew
and Lilah Macur; parents
Mike and Edna Whitfield; siblings
Jo Ann Dankwardt (Gary),
Bob Whitfield (Jennifer), Bonnie
Sensibaugh, and Bill Whitfield;
parents-in-law Ted and Elma
Macur; brothers-in-law Roger
Macur (Sherrill), Michael Macur
(Lynn), sister-in-law Mary Ann
Tremelling, and nine nieces and
nephews. She was preceded
in death by her nephew Scott
Dankwardt.
A memorial service was held
May 30th in Pleasanton.
In lieu of flowers the family
requests donations to Hope Hospice,
6500 Dublin Blvd., Suite
100, Dublin, CA 94568-3151.
Arrangements by Graham-
Hitch Mortuary.
Christopher Alan Headley
Christopher Headley was
born on December 25, 1960 in
Hayward, CA and passed away
on May 20, 2009 in Livermore
at the age of 48. Christopher, a
lifetime resident of Livermore,
played Little League baseball as
a child and attended Livermore
High School. He worked for
AC Transit for 11 years and at
Berkeley Farms as a Journeyman
HD mechanic for five years.
Christopher was an avid fisherman
and hunter and enjoyed
fishing Salmon, Tuna, Trout, and
Halibut. Christopher also served
in the United States Marine Corp
as a sergeant in the 3rd Battalion:
Platoon 3036.
Christopher was preceded in
death by his mother June Headley
in 2008 and brother Brian Headley
in 1997. He is survived by
his wife Daisy Headley whom he
married in 2007. Christopher is
also survived by his two children
Nino and Martin (Joanne) as well
as a sister and a brother, and one
grandchild Jomar, and numerous
other relatives.
A Chapel Blessing Service
was held May 30 in Livermore.
Arrangements by Callaghan
Mortuary.
