Tag archives: in remembrance

Sheila Lodge Was a Hero
By Thomas Reynolds   |   August 4, 2026

Sheila Lodge, the first woman mayor of Santa Barbara and its longest-serving, died on July 8 at age 97. She probably will always be Santa Barbara’s longest-serving mayor, since term limits now restrict her successors to two terms. She is less known all the way over in Montecito, which is not part of Santa Barbara […]

Remembering Mayor Lodge and More Letters
By Montecito Journal   |   July 21, 2026

I have so much admiration for Mayor Sheila Lodge. I can’t imagine Santa Barbara without her. The impact she had was as deep as the love she shared for our community. In fact, the profound way she shaped our city, decade after decade, is unmatched.  Sheila was the first mayor I knew as a child, […]

Dr. Bronte Herbert Reynolds: December 14, 1939 – October 20, 2025
By Montecito Journal   |   November 25, 2025

Dr. Bronte Herbert Reynolds, most recently of Solvang, California, passed away on October 20, 2025, at the age of 85. Born in Ross, Marin County, California, on December 14, 1939, Bronte lived a life filled with purpose, creativity, and dedication to education and family. He is survived by his beloved wife of 50 years, Lillemor […]

David Carpenter: March 24, 1939 – July 21, 2025
By Montecito Journal   |   August 19, 2025

David Carpenter passed away on July 21, surrounded by family and loved ones. He was 86 years old. Dave was born on March 24, 1939, in Ft. Wayne, Indiana; the fourth of five children. Valedictorian of his high school (North Side High School), he went to the University of Michigan on scholarship where he received […]

Sandra Nelle Ventress: October 30, 1962 – March 22, 2024
By Montecito Journal   |   April 1, 2025

Unforgettable Irresistible Gracious Compassionate It’s been a year Miss you with every breath Yours Forever – the Paperboy

Elizabeth (Betsy) H. Edwards: December 21, 1928 – January 23, 2025
By Montecito Journal   |   February 18, 2025

Betsy was born on December 21, 1928, in Chicago, Illinois, to Elizabeth Sifers and George Phillips Hollingbery. Raised in Illinois, she and her family were active in the Glencoe Union Church, instilling in her a strong sense of community and service from a young age. She attended Central School Elementary in Glencoe, IL and New […]

Betty Mann Doutt: January 14, 1932 – January 10, 2025
By Montecito Journal   |   February 18, 2025

Betty (Bachman) Mann Doutt passed away on January 10, 2025, in Santa Barbara, California. Betty was born in Lewistown, Montana, on January 14, 1932. After her graduation from Fergus High in 1950 she married Peter Aycrigg and moved to Berkeley, California to attend UC Berkeley, remaining in the Bay Area until 1969. During the 1950s, […]

Remembering Karim Aga Khan
By Richard Mineards   |   February 18, 2025

On a personal note, I remember Karim Aga Khan, who just died at his estate in Portugal at the age of 88. The vastly rich religious head of the Ismaili sect of Islam, which has as many as 15 million members, he inherited his title from his grandfather in 1957, aged just 20, and was […]

James (Jimmy) Searcy : September 19, 1932 – January 30, 2025
By Tim Buckley   |   February 11, 2025

James (Jimmy) Searcy passed away on January 30, 2025. He was a beloved Husband/Father/Brother/Grandfather/Great-Grandfather, Uncle, and friend to so many and will be deeply missed by all who knew him. Jimmy was born in Cleveland, OH on September 19, 1932. He was the son of Frank Ellsworth Searcy and Margaret Spruit.  Jimmy was in the […]

Remembering Erin. My Friend Is Gone
By James Buckley   |   February 4, 2025

It’s painful to think, to imagine, to realize, that I’ll never experience the joy of being with Erin Graffy de Garcia ever again. She passed away – surrounded by family – at Cottage Hospital at 2:54 am on January 21 after a frighteningly short bout with cancer. To say that she’ll be missed is a […]

Patrick Manners Sullivan: February 27, 1947 – December 11, 2024
By Montecito Journal   |   February 4, 2025

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Patrick Manners Sullivan, a beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother and loyal friend who left us on December 11, 2024, at the age of 77. Patrick was born in Seattle, WA, to parents Morris and Rose Sullivan. He was the fourth child born in a […]

Stanton D. Anderson: 1941 – 01/12/2025
By Montecito Journal   |   January 28, 2025

Stanton D. Anderson, age 84, passed away on Sunday, January 12, at his home in Santa Barbara. Stan was a proud graduate of Westmont College (Class of 1962), where he was a star basketball player, setting scoring records and earning the distinction of Small College All-American. He went on to earn his law degree from […]

Brian Thomas Robertson: 09/19/1941 – 11/13/2024
By Montecito Journal   |   January 28, 2025

It is with heavy hearts we announce the loss of Brian Robertson, who passed away peacefully in his home on November 13, 2024. Brian Thomas Robertson was born August 19, 1941 – the eldest son of parents Dr. Robert Robertson and Dorothy Robertson. Brian’s early childhood was spent in La Jolla, CA, and in Hawaii […]

The 7th Annual Raising Our Light Ceremony
By Joanne A Calitri   |   January 21, 2025

For the 7th year, the lives of the 23 Montecito residents who lost their lives in the 2018 mudslides were honored in a solemn ceremony, Raising Our Light, on Thursday, January 9, outside in the Montecito Union School parking lot.  There, with the Montecito Fire Department Engine as backdrop, was the podium for the speakers […]

Howell Douglas Wood: March 31, 1932 – December 28, 2024
By Tim Buckley   |   January 21, 2025

It is with deep sadness we announce the passing of Howell Douglas Wood, known to all as Doug, on December 28, 2024, in Santa Barbara, California. Doug was born on March 31, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, to Lillian and Henry Wood. His life was marked by a passion for learning, creativity, celebration and connection. […]

Celebrating Donald McInnes
By Richard Mineards   |   January 21, 2025

The life of Donald McInnes, Camerata Pacifica’s first principal violist, was celebrated at the Music Academy of the West’s Lehmann Hall. McInnes, who studied at the academy from 1954 to 1956 and was a member of the faculty from 1982 to 2012, died in October at his home in Rancho Mirage aged 85. The UCSB […]

Raising Our Light: Montecito Comes Together for the 7th Anniversary of the Debris Flow
By Zach Rosen   |   January 14, 2025

January 9th, 2018, is a night that Montecito will never forget, yet nature has provided some unwanted reminders. In 2023, heavy rains, flooding, and evacuations all took place on the very day of the 5th anniversary of the tragic Debris Flow in Montecito that took 23 lives. Even now, as the community prepares for the […]

Eunice Haugan Fly July 5, 1937 – November 24, 2024
By Montecito Journal   |   December 10, 2024

Eunice Haugan Fly, 87, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and friend, died peacefully in Santa Barbara on November 24, 2024. Eunice was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, the daughter of Rolf and Alfhild Dalhaug Haugan, immigrants from Norway. She and her brother, Rolf, grew up in Port Chester, New York. She attended Colby Junior College for Women […]

Mary Caroline Knudtson Tilton July 24, 1928 – November 3, 2024
By Montecito Journal   |   December 3, 2024

Mary Caroline Knudtson Tilton, 96, passed away peacefully November 3, 2024, with son, Peter, and daughter, Jennifer, at her side in Bend, Oregon, her home for the past eight years. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota to parents Earl and Catharine Knudtson, Mary graduated from Washburn Senior High School and entered the University of Minnesota […]

Rocks of Remembrance
By Scott Craig   |   October 15, 2024

On the morning of March 27, 1989, Westmont students Lisa Bebout, Patty (Hallock) Crosby, Megan (Harter) Adams, Alan Voorman, and Garth Weedman drove in Voorman’s bright yellow Toyota Corolla from their camp in Ensenada, Mexico, to a nearby village. As members of the Potter’s Clay Construction Team, they were renovating a dilapidated house there. But […]