OBITUARIES OBITUARIES (December 27, 2000)

J. Emott Caldwell

Owned Caldwell's store in Woodside

A memorial service will be held Saturday, December 30, for J. Emott Caldwell, a longtime Woodside resident and owner of the former Caldwell's General Store, who died at his Woodside home December 21 after complications from a stroke. He was 84.

The service will begin at 10 a.m. at Christ Church in Portola Valley.

Mr. Caldwell was born in 1916 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, but lived in Woodside for almost 50 years.

He attended Williams College, and went to work in the advertising business in New York City, while keeping a keen interest in the family's Philadelphia jewelry business, founded by his great-great-grandfather, J.E. Caldwell.

He joined the U.S. Navy in World War II, and after earning his wings at Pensacola, became a flight instructor, and later served as pilot to Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.

After the war, he stayed involved in aviation, flying across the country numerous times in his Beechcraft Bonanza, and becoming an avid glider pilot.

Mr. Caldwell moved his family to Atherton in 1950, and acquired Neuman's General Store in Woodside. Renaming it Caldwell's General Store, he sold everything from fine wines and rib roasts to bulk nails and horse feed. He sold the store, now Roberts market, in 1960.

He served several terms on the Woodside School Board and was a longtime member of the Palo Alto Fellowship Forum. In his later years, he became involved in child development, and became a major benefactor for both the Rudolf Steiner Institute and Jane Goodall Foundation.

Mr. Caldwell sang in a barbershop quartet and in the choir at Christ Church in Portola Valley. Later, he was a supporter of the musical group Chanticleer.

He read to the blind weekly for many years, giving more than 1,000 hours to the program.

Mr. Caldwell is survived by his six children, Hannah (Haydi) Sowerwine of Kathmandu, Nepal; James E. Caldwell Jr. of Woodside; Julie C. Tave of Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Anne Caldwell of Seattle; Johnathan Anthony Caldwell of Stratham, New Hampshire; and Sarah Caldwell of Sacramento. Other survivors are 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

The family prefers contributions to Recordings for the Blind.

Doris M Bonora

48-year Atherton resident

Doris M. Bonora, an Atherton resident for the past 48 years, died December 15 in a Menlo Park convalescent home.

Mrs. Bonora, 88, a native San Franciscan, was interested in politics and worked as a volunteer for the League of Women Voters for many years. She also served as a hostess for international students attending Stanford University. She enjoyed gardening and was a member of the Menlo Park Garden Club. While her children were growing up, she volunteered at Encinal School, then a K-8 grade school, in Atherton.

Mrs. Bonora is survived by her children Janice Bonoro of Annapolis, California; Tonoy Bonora of Woodside; and Beth Bonora of Menlo Park; her sister, Bess Hagan of Yuba City; and three grandchildren, Owen Bonora Laine, Alyssa Marie Bonora and Cameron Daniel Bonora.

Memorial contributions in Mrs. Bonora's name may be made to the League of Women Voters Educational Fund, 1730 M St. NW, Suite 1000, Washington, D.C. 20036-4568.

A family service is being planned.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of John O'Connor's Menlo Colonial Chapel.

John William Sugg

Naval commander in World War II

John William Sugg (Bill Sugg), who was awarded the Silver Star for heroism during World War II, died at his Menlo Park home December 9. He was 84.

Born in Morganfield, Kentucky, Mr. Sugg attended Western Kentucky University until he joined the U.S. Navy, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant commander.

Family members say he saw action in nearly all the major battles of the Pacific, including having the harbor patrol watch in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

While his ship was under repair at Mare Island, he met Mary Jane Dennis, his bride to be, at a party in San Francisco and they were married in 1945.

Early in his business career, Mr. Sugg was a partner in a San Francisco advertising firm and later was a founder of a technology company that made ion vacuum pumps and sold them to SLAC.

He was a member of the Bohemian Club of San Francisco, Cypress Point Golf Club, The Guardsman and the Menlo Country Club.

He is survived by his two children, John W. Sugg Jr. of Menlo Park, and Raini Sugg of Sebastopol; two sisters, Barbara Stephens and Betty Orendorf of Bowling Green Kentucky; his brother Matt Sugg of Morganfield, Kentucky; and five granddaughters.

At his request, there will be no services. His family suggests that any contributions in his memory be made to the Mid-Peninsula Pathways Hospice Foundation, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025.