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Obituaries: Benjamin "Jack" Crow, coastside rancher, dies at 91

Benjamin "Jack" Crow, former proprietor of the historic Durham Ranch on the coastside near the Kings Mountain area, died Aug. 10 from complications from cancer. He was 91.

Mr. Crow was one of the last members of the Crow family, who established the town of Crow's Landing in the Central Valley of California. He served in the U.S. Marines during World War II. While living in San Carlos and Woodside, he worked as a building contractor. In 1961, he and his wife moved to the Durham Ranch, renaming it the BenBar Ranch.

Mr. Crow continued to work the ranch until a few years ago, according to his neighbor Mike Liebhold. He raised a variety of livestock, including steers, horses, sheep, goats, pigs even llamas. He was well liked and never too busy to share his knowledge of ranching or stop his truck on the road for a friendly chat, says Mr. Liebhold.

Mr. Crow's wife, Lorraine, died in 1995. A gathering of Mr. Crow's friends was held at the ranch Sept. 10.

Robert James Archer

Robert James Archer, a resident of Portola Valley since 1963, died Sept. 4 at the age of 84.

Mr. Archer was a native of San Francisco and served in the armed forces during World War II. He received his doctorate from Columbia University in New York City and was employed as a physicist at Hewlett Packard from 1963 to 1985.

He is survived by his only daughter, Mary Jo Archer Kloezeman. His wife, Joline Archer, died in 1998.