Obituaries Obituaries (April 06, 2005)

Joan McDonald Welch

Menlo Park resident, philanthropist

Joan McDonald Welch, a Menlo Park resident, died March 27 at age 77.

Ms. Welch was born in Oak Park-River Forest, Illinois. She earned a bachelor's degree in literature from the University of Illinois and was a member of the Kappa Delta sorority.

She lived in the Bay Area for 50 years. Along with her late husband, John Moran Welch, a former Exalted Ruler of the Elks in Palo Alto, she was a generous contributor to many charitable, religious and educational institutions, family members said.

Ms. Welch is survived by her brother, George G. McDonald of Atherton; and her sister, Betty C. Sutherland of Dallas.

A private funeral Mass was celebrated at the Church of the Nativity, with arrangements by John O'Connor's Menlo Colonial Chapel.

Jean Lauer

Land Manager at POST

Services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at the Ladera Community Church for Jean Lauer, who died March 28 at her home in Menlo Park. She was 31.

Known as Jeanie to her family and friends, she was born in Concord, Massachusetts, and moved as a young child with her family to Ladera near Portola Valley.

She graduated from Menlo-Atherton High School in 1991 and attended Stanford University, graduating in the class of 1995 with a bachelor of science degree in human biology.

Later she went to Duke University to obtain a master's degree in environmental management.

She then returned to the area to work as land manager at the Menlo Park-based Peninsula Open Space Trust, where she was an integral part of a team focused on bringing permanent protection to open lands in coastal San Mateo County.

She is survived by her parents, Allen and Kathleen Lauer of Portola Valley, and her brother, Donald, who lives with his family in Phoenix.

The Jean Lauer Memorial Land Protection Fund at the Peninsula Open Space Trust has been established in her memory and in recognition of her deep love of nature and her local landscape, family members said.

Theresa Talmadge Solomon

Traveler

Theresa Talmadge Solomon died at her Menlo Park home on March 18. She was 85.

Born in Ilo Ilo, the Philippines, she spent her early years in Cebu and Manila. She was studying to be a teacher when World War II broke out, and she was ordered to report as a prisoner to the Santo Tomas internment camp, her family said.

After liberation, she moved to San Francisco, where she met and married Jack Solomon. The two lived in Redwood City and raised their daughter, Jacqueline.

Ms. Solomon believed in the importance of education and was intensely proud of her Jewish heritage, her family said. She enjoyed travel and experiencing the customs and traditions of different cultures.

She is survived by her brother, Bill Talmadge of Daly City; her daughter, Jacqueline of Ferndale; and many nieces and nephews.

A cryptside service was held for Ms. Solomon's family and close friends on March 21 at Salem Cemetery in Colma. Arrangements were under the direction of John O'Connor's Menlo Colonial Chapel.

Family members said they would like to give special thanks to Anne Lassahn, Ms. Solomon's conservator; Maria Dizon, her caregiver; and Katie, the nurse from Pathways Hospice, whom they said helped make Ms. Solomon's last hours peaceful.

Verna Carmel Witzel

Cosmetologist

Verna Carmel Witzel, a longtime resident of Menlo Park, died at her home on March 29. She was 83.

Born in Redwood City, she attended Sequoia High School and was a cosmetologist for more than 35 years. She was an active lifetime parishioner of St. Anthony's Padua Church near Menlo Park, and volunteered at Kaiser Permanente's Redwood City hospital for more than 15 years.

Ms. Witzel was preceded in death by her husband, Wilbur.

She is survived by her sons, Wilbur and John; daughter-in-law, Jacqueline Witzel; and one grandson.

A Rosary was recited and a Mass of Christian burial held at St. Anthony's, with internment at Holy Cross Cemetery in Menlo Park. Arrangements were under the direction of Crippen & Flynn Woodside Chapel.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.