Tag archives: in memoriam

Peter Clark always chose good, and “quietly” did good, never publicly sharing his many good deeds for others. The Montecito Journal’s society tribute to Peter was excellent, however I feel compelled as his decades’ long “jazz mom friend” to add to this exceptional man’s legacy from observations and what he shared over coffee near his […]

Dingle is a quiet port town along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, a little cove for some 2,050 people best known for its resident dolphin, Fungie. But on this particular night in 2005, it was another fun guy that captured the hearts of locals and the dozens of Santa Barbarans that had made the trek to […]

You sensed straight away that he was more than a nice guy; something other than a rail-thin, tall soul in a plaid shirt and jeans, looking to lend a hand. Though Steven Berg, who passed away on May 31, worked hard to convince you that he was just a regular gruff Joe, it was a […]

Jeanne Thayer never felt comfortable on a pedestal, ever since she was a young girl, too tall and lanky to feel like she belonged at the center of attention. Modesty followed her like a shadow, from her self-perceived awkwardness of youth into the awareness of her own privilege as a young adult. She lived a […]

It is with great sadness that the family announces the passing of Rosemary Phyllis Looney after a brief illness. She was born in Norwood, Massachusetts, on December 20, 1926, and passed at home in Carpinteria on June 8, 2021.  She is survived by her daughters Sharyn Plunkett (Richard) and Sheryl Ford of Carpinteria, and Cynthia […]

Charles Lowell Ward, Jr., passed away peacefully on June 15, 2021, from complications of heart disease. The Houston native was preceded in death by parents Judy and Charles Ward, Sr., as well as brother Jeffrey S. Ward, Sr. He leaves behind nephew, Jeffrey S. Ward, Jr., grandnephews Tyler, Mason and Braden, and longtime business ally, […]

Stan grew up spending summers at the Malibu Beach Club on Long Island, where he watched adults play gin rummy. His appetite for learning games was insatiable. As a young boy, he devoured books on poker, gin, bridge, and blackjack. He was allowed to run a poker game in the basement of his home, his […]

The Santa Barbara wine industry — and the wine world as a whole — lost one of its superstars when Jim Clendenen died over the weekend. He passed away at his home in Buellton, in his sleep. He was 68. Wine aficionados who did not know him personally certainly knew his wine, especially his flagship […]

Karen Earp, manager of the Biltmore, hosted a media bash at the beachside hostelry’s Ty Lounge for local scribes to welcome the Four Seasons hotel’s re-opening after five months of closure due to the catastrophic mudslides in January. “It is so good to be back!” enthused Karen. “There was a lot of cosmetic damage, and […]

Popular Santa Barbara charity The Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation threw its first ever California Clam Bake at Stearns Wharf. The maritime masticatory moment, which was expected to raise $50,000, kicked off at the Natural History Museum’s Sea Center, with canapés by Miso Hungry, before moving to the Harbor Restaurant, a tiara’s toss away for a […]

On a personal note, I remember banking billionaire Matthew Mellon, who died in Cancun, Mexico, at the all-too-early age of 53, as he was about to enter a drug rehab facility. Matthew, whose aunt was Bunny Mellon, a good friend of the late Jackie Kennedy, admitted to a $100,000 a month OxyContin habit, which he […]

William “Bill” Presbury Patterson was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to John Hawkins and Katherine Keyes Patterson. He attended Roland Park School, Polytechnic High, and graduated from Lehigh University in 1937 with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. Married in 1937 to his next-door neighbor and childhood sweetheart, Bill and Virginia (“Ginny”) were blessed with a 75-year […]

Karen left our world on February 27, 2018. She passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by her many friends and family and near her special garden. Karen was born October 13, 1946, to Arthur G. Stuckenberg and Clara (Juergens) Stuckenberg in St. Louis, Missouri. Arthur was a real estate developer and created the Williamsburg […]

Jack Cantin, 17, of Montecito, California, is presumed dead after being missing since the Montecito mudslides, which occurred January 9, 2018. His mother, Kimberly Cantin, and his sister, Lauren Cantin, were injured in the mudslides in which his father, David Cantin, 49, and his dog, Chester the Irish Setter, were killed.  Jack was born in […]

On a personal note, I mark the untimely passing of the irrepressible beret-wearing Archie McLaren, founder of the Central Coast Wine Classic. Archie, 75, who hosted the KEYT-TV show, Wine Country, for two years, had been battling pancreatic cancer at his rainbow-colored home in Avila Beach, where I last saw him before Christmas, when I […]

Dave Cantin, 49, of Montecito, California died suddenly as a result of the Montecito mudslides that occurred January 9, 2018. His wife, Kim, and daughter, Lauren, were injured in the mudslides and his son, Jack, 17, remains missing.  David was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on May 7, 1968, and spent his early years in […]

On a personal note, I mark the passing of two great dames. Santa Barbara mystery writer Sue Grafton, whose alphabet series of novels were bestsellers, left us for more heavenly pastures aged 77 after a courageous two-year battle with cancer, ending her alphabet at Y. And in New York, Anne Slater, known for her signature […]

Starting out the New Year, I always make it a tradition to recall a few special people who passed away in the last. So, here are those who died in 2017 that I especially want to remember. This is a highly personal and random list, as it is every year. Usually I include those who […]