Obituaries

Thomas Colby Maddox

Tom Maddox of Portola Valley, a longtime economics instructor at Foothill Community College, is being remembered by family and friends as a creative, intelligent and caring individual with many talents and interests.

Mr. Maddox died July 15 of injuries sustained when he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle June 12 with a friend on Skyline Boulevard, north of Skylonda near Woodside. An ardent cyclist, he was wearing a bike helmet at the time of the accident. He was 65.

Throughout his life, he was a constant support to his family, neighbors, students and colleagues, said his sons Colby and Heath Maddox, who graduated from Portola Valley schools.

He was a skilled, self-taught carpenter, furniture and knife-maker, and delighted in creating useful artifacts from reused materials, they said.

Mr. Maddox gave his time and energy to environmental and political causes, and spent many months in Nicaragua working with “Bikes Not Bombs,” a nonprofit organization working for alternative transportation and community development. He collected donated bicycles and parts and helped construct bike shops in Nicaragua, where local people were given the skills to repair and maintain their bicycles and become community leaders.

An environmentalist, he enjoyed collecting and cultivating native plants that he used in his garden in Los Trancos Woods.

Mr. Maddox was born in Flat Rock, Illinois. He grew up in Denver, and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in international relations and a master’s degree in economics from the University of Denver. In 1969, he moved to Portola Valley.

He was known as a dedicated and gifted teacher, and taught economics for 33 years at Foothill. Besides being well-read, he was a world traveler, having spent time in Europe, Asia, South and Central America, and other parts of the world.

Mr. Maddox is survived by his sons Colby Maddox of Chicago and Heath Maddox of Oakland; two granddaughters; his father, Robert Maddox of Denver; and five brothers and sisters.

A gathering of family and friends took place July 17 at the Maddox home.

The family suggests that memorial contributions in his name be made to nonprofits he was interested in: Bikes Not Bombs, 89 Amory St., #103, Boston, MA 02119 (617-442-0004); or Heifer Project International, P.O. Box 8088, Little Rock, AK 72203 (800-422-0474).

Russell Mason

Russell Ellsworth Mason, a resident of Portola Valley for more than 50 years, died July 16 in Palo Alto. He was 85.

Mr. Mason was a clinical psychologist, a prolific writer, and founder of FI, a communications company. He and his wife, Yuri, also founded the Ethical Society, an organization promoting ethical living as a means of bettering society.

Mr. Mason was born in Washington, D.C. He graduated from Columbia College in Chicago and earned his doctorate at Purdue University. He served as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army during World War II. He practiced clinical psychology at the Veterans Affairs hospitals in Menlo Park and Palo Alto for 26 years.

His wife, Yuri, is a painter whose studio is located in their home, and Mr. Mason was dedicated to her talent. He frequently kept her company while she painted and helped with household chores so she could spend more time on her art, according to family friend Monica Olson.

Mr. Mason is survived by his wife and two cousins.

Robert Durwood Kimler

Robert Durwood Kimler, who was born in Woodside and moved to Black Mountain, North Carolina, last March to live with his twin sister, died June 12 in Black Mountain. He was 48.

Mr. Kimler received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a master’s of divinity from St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park.

He was a great lover of art, music, animals, architecture, landscaping and languages, said his family, and also was dedicated to community service.

Mr. Kimler is survived by his mother, Cary Kimler of Woodside; father Byron Kimler and his wife, Paula, of Beaverton, Oregon; twin sister Kay Kimler of Black Mountain; two brothers, Ernst Kimler of Emerald Lake and Russell Kimler of Morristown, Tennessee; and half-sister Elizabeth Jurica of Beaverton.

The family prefers donations in Mr. Kimler’s name to the Peninsula Symphony Association, 146 Main St., Los Altos CA 94022, or Friends of Filoli, 86 Canada Road, Woodside CA 94062.

Miller’s Funeral Home and Father Seabo of St. Margaret Mary’s Catholic Church in Black Mountain arranged the service. He was buried June 30 in Gut Lohne, Germany.

Joann Storum

Lived in Menlo Park, Atherton for 37 years Joann Storum, wife, mother and business woman, died July 16 after a 2-1/2-year struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the family home in Atherton. She was 71.

She and her family moved to Menlo Park in 1969 and to Atherton in 1998.

Ms. Storum learned the real estate business while her husband, Bill Storum, made the transition from working with Chevron to starting his own business in 1977. She made the President’s Club all four years that she worked at Fox & Carskadon in Menlo Park. Then she pitched in and helped her husband with his business, Auto Pride Car Wash, until 2005.

Born in Solano Beach, Ms. Storum grew up in Coronado and was chosen Miss Coronado when she graduated from high school in 1952. She worked in the Hotel Del Coronado’s publicity department and attended San Diego College for Women, now the University of San Diego.

She married Bill Storum in March 1955 when he was a lieutenant in the Navy. They lived in Washington, Nevada and elsewhere in California before settling in Menlo Park.

Ms. Storum is survived by her husband of 51 years and their four children: Ken Storum, an oral surgeon in San Diego; Bill Storum, an attorney in Chesapeake, Virginia; Steve Storum of Menlo Park, who is in the family business; and Marie Mitchell of Santa Rosa. She had 11 grandchildren.

Family and friends gathered July 22 to celebrate her life. Interment will be on July 29 in El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego.

Rudolf Bock

A memorial service for Dr. Rudolf “Rudy” Bock will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, August 5, at Woodside Village Church.

Dr. Bock died at home July 17 in the company of family and friends. He was 91.

A Woodside resident for 20 years, Dr. Bock was born in Austria, and practiced ophthalmology in Palo Alto from 1953 until his retirement.

He volunteered his medical expertise on missions to Peru, Afghanistan, Botswana, Nicaragua, Bali, Jamaica, India and Mexico.

Dr. Bock is survived by his wife, Odessa, and five children: Marianne Schlumberger of Menlo Park; Oliver Bock of Woodside; Catherine Bock of Sweden; Peter Bock of Kansas; and Michael Bock of Forrest Knolls, California.

He is also survived by his former wife, Trude, four stepchildren, 18 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Woodside Village Church is at 3154 Woodside Road, near Albion Avenue.