Tag archives: in memory

John W. McIntyre
By Montecito Journal   |   March 8, 2022

On Monday, January 3, 2022, the world lost a thoughtful, principled, energetic, loyal, and loving man. John W. McIntyre’s passing will be felt by the many people whose lives he touched, but none more than his adoring wife and three admiring daughters who were by his side at their forever home in the hills of […]

Justin Bruce Forrester
By Montecito Journal   |   March 8, 2022

Justin Bruce Forrester was born in Santa Barbara, California, on July 16, 1999 and passed away in Santa Barbara on February 22, 2022 at the young age of 22. Justin was a fun-loving and good-hearted young man who had family and many friends who loved and adored him. Justin attended Montecito Union School where he […]

DeAnna Joy Wassom. Timeless. Ageless. Gone too soon!
By Montecito Journal   |   February 22, 2022

DeAnna peacefully passed on the morning of January 30. Her partner of 18 years, Michaela Morgan, was by her side, and their “baby” fox terrier Chanel was at her feet. I have lost the love of my life… We never talked about her passing as we focused on living and celebrating the daily “wins” no […]

Reitman Was Righteous
By Les Firestein   |   February 22, 2022

I reconnected with showbiz vets James Widdoes and Tim Matheson on the passing of Ivan Reitman, the prolific director and producer and founder of the wildly successful production company The Montecito Picture Company. All four of us (including Reitman) are connected through the National Lampoon, a magazine where I was once editor but which has […]

Rest in Peace, Ivan
By Richard Mineards   |   February 22, 2022

On a personal note, I remember Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, who has died at the age of 75 at his Montecito home, formerly part of the legendary 70-acre El Mirador estate near Westmont College. Reitman first made his mark producing the irreverent college fraternity film National Lampoon’s Animal House with John Belushi in 1978. A […]

Louise Larson Darlington Levine
By Montecito Journal   |   February 15, 2022

In sorrow we announce that Louise Levine died peacefully in her Rivera home on January 22, 2022. She was born to Jared and Dorothy (Larson) Darlington in Patterson, New Jersey, on August 13, 1946. She grew up in Ramsey, New Jersey, graduated from Ramsey High School, attended Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas, for two […]

RIP, Desmond
By Richard Mineards   |   January 18, 2022

On a personal note, I remember Desmond Tutu, South Africa’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist for racial justice and LGBTQ rights, who died at his home in Cape Town aged 90. I met the Anglican Archbishop in 2011 at a reception at the beachfront Montecito home of the late Nancy Koppelman and found him unfailingly charming. […]

The Community Cornerstones We Lost in 2021…
By Montecito Journal   |   January 4, 2022

The arts, entertainment, sports, and philanthropic worlds were hit hard along the South Coast this year, losing the likes of philanthropist Lee Luria, musician Peter Clark, beloved polo club icon Charles Ward, and the Metropolitan Theatres’ owner Bruce Corwin. It was a tough year, but also a reflective one that allowed us all to appreciate […]

Aristides Burton Demetrios, 1932-2021
By Montecito Journal   |   December 28, 2021

Aristides (Aris) Burton Demetrios was born in Lincoln, Massachusetts, on February 17,1932. He was born to a family of celebrated artists. His father was classical sculptor George Demetrios, who was a student of Bourdelle and had studied with Rodin. His mother was Virginia (Jinnee) Lee Burton, a celebrated author illustrator of children’s books, including “Mike […]

Jesse Alexander, 1929-2021
By Montecito Journal   |   December 28, 2021

Jesse Alexander, 92, a photographer who documented the golden age of motorsport, passed away on December 14, 2021, in Santa Barbara. He was comfortable and at home, with his beloved wife, Nancy, by his side, holding his hand. Jesse was born on April 15, 1929, in Santa Barbara to Florence Louise Lyman and Junius Beverly […]

D. William Wagner, Human and Legal Rights Champion
By Montecito Journal   |   December 21, 2021

D. William (Bill) Wagner, 78, passed December 7, 2021, at home in Santa Barbara, surrounded by his wife and sons. Bill was born to Earl and Lois Wagner in Dixon, Illinois, and raised in Sterling, Illinois. A lifelong love of language and people led him from consecutive statewide debate championships for Illinois in 1960 and […]

23Strong Memorial Finds Its New Resting Place
By Nick Masuda   |   December 14, 2021

Susan Venable can’t help but get choked up a bit, as the mental images that come from weeks of helping clear out other people’s homes amid natural tragedy are something that will stick with her for the rest of her life. As an artist, the Montecito Debris Flow was chockful of visual reminders, but none […]

A Place to Celebrate the Lives of Those We’ve Lost
By Nick Masuda   |   December 7, 2021

For Sharon Byrne, gazing at the 15-foot tree that stands in the grassy knoll in front of Pierre Lafond in the Upper Village has a new significance in 2021. For the first time, a silver star will have the name of a loved one on it for Byrne — for her father, who passed away […]

Fond Farewell
By Richard Mineards   |   November 16, 2021

On a personal note, I remember fellow gossip Liz Smith, who left us in New York at the age of 94. I first met the irrepressible Texan in 1978 when I became gossip columnist on Rupert Murdoch’s newly launched Star magazine, when she scribed at the Daily News, eventually becoming an on screen regular on […]

A True People Person
By Gwyn Lurie   |   November 16, 2021

How would you feel if you lived with Multiple Sclerosis for more than half a century and, in an unrelated incident, suffered an organ failure that necessitated a new kidney donated by your son? If you were Bruce Corwin, you’d feel overwhelmingly grateful. Corwin was grateful to have survived everything life threw at him, grateful […]

Staying Civil
By Richard Mineards   |   October 26, 2021

Former corporate attorney and Harvard Law School graduate David Gersh has published his seventh book, The Whisper of a Distant God, an historical fiction of the Civil War. “It explores a little-known battle in that war and the struggle with duty, honor, and compassion by the Union commander’s wife, Louisa Canby, which made her the […]

Remembering Robertson “Bob” Short
By Sharon Byrne   |   October 12, 2021

The Montecito community sadly lost one of its greatest Benevolent Godfathers (and there are a few running around here) in Bob Short. A force to be reckoned with, Bob left a great legacy for Montecito. You may not have known him – or known him well – so we want to take a moment and […]

Bob Short: A Community Icon
By Sharon Byrne   |   October 5, 2021

Bob Short, an icon and pillar of the Montecito community, passed this week. While we all adjust to the news, we will be visiting with his friends and family in the coming days to do a much longer piece on his remarkable life and significant contributions to Montecito next week. But, for now, please know […]

Quite the Sendoff
By Richard Mineards   |   September 28, 2021

Montecito music man Peter Clark, who moved to more heavenly pastures at 87, was remembered in suitable style by his widow Gloria Clark on what would have been their fifth wedding anniversary at the Montecito Club. The iconic English-born pianist rose to fame in the 1950s appearing on Australia’s Amateur Hour at 17 and appearing […]

Quite the Deal
By Richard Mineards   |   September 21, 2021

Opera Santa Barbara has come up with a most novel way to sell tickets to fans after the pandemic lockdown. Artistic director Kostis Protopapas has announced that a limited number of tickets for this season’s productions will be available to patrons on a name-your-own-price-basis. The name of this new initiative, made possible by a grant […]