Richard Charles Conners
Richard “Dick” Conners of Woodside died unexpectedly on March 24. He was 71.The former owner of several Chevron stations, including those in Portola Valley and Millbrae, he had lived in Woodside for 44 years and was an active volunteer in many aspects of town life.
Mr. Conners was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, and grew up in Oakland and San Francisco, where he attended Lincoln High School. He also took classes at the College of San Mateo, and served in the Army in the Korean War.
He and his wife, Sheila, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in December. They moved to Woodside in 1962, and their three sons Michael, Matthew and Terry attended Woodside Elementary School and Woodside High School.
Mr. Conners was very active in the town and in many of his sons’ activities, including stints as Boy Scout and Cub Scout leader, coach and board member of AYSO soccer, and member of the Woodside Recreation Committee. He helped found the local AYSO league and the Rec Committee, and helped to bring the first soccer fields and indoor soccer to Woodside.
“He touched a lot of kids’ lives,” said his wife, and that effort was recognized when the Woodside Elementary School PTA named him Citizen of the Year.
He loved the outdoors, one of the things that originally attracted him to Woodside, and was a fly fisherman, golfer and hiker. He worked out at the Canada College gym nearly every day.
Mr. Conners was also known for his warm sense of humor. “He loved to joke with people and kid around,” said his wife, who remembers often seeing “that little twinkle in his green eyes.”
Mr. Conners retired in 1992, but he had loved his job running service stations “because he was helping people,” she said. He was the local coordinator for the tax counseling team at the Redwood City Veterans Memorial Senior Center and co-chair of their advisory council, and had been an arbitrator for the Better Business Bureau. And he was a loyal volunteer at the Woodside Village Church rummage sales.
His generosity toward others extended beyond his death when, as he had requested, many of his body parts, including skin, bone and his corneas, were donated.
In addition to his wife, Sheila, Mr. Conners is survived by his sons Michael of Chicago, Matthew of Kirkland, Washington, and Terry of Sunnyvale; and three grandchildren.
At Mr. Conners request, no services will be held. The family requests that any memorial donations be made to a worthwhile cause of the donor’s choice.
Karen Morris Ballantine
A memorial service will be held Sunday, April 23, for Karen Morris Ballantine, who died March 27 at her home in Sunnyvale after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was 42.The service starts at 1 p.m. at Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church, 728 W. Fremont Ave. in Sunnyvale.
Ms. Ballantine grew up in Menlo Park, attended La Lomitas and La Entrada Schools, and graduated from Menlo-Atherton High School and Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. She received a master’s degree from the University of San Francisco.
Ms. Ballantine, who was diagnosed with dyslexia, became interested in working with children with learning disabilities and behavioral problems. She devoted her career to them, working at Kainos Home & Training Center in Redwood City after college, and, most recently, the Beacon School in San Jose.
She enjoyed outdoor activities including tennis, hiking and going for a daily run. She was active at the Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church, where she taught Sunday school.
Ms. Ballantine is survived by her children, Davene and Dakota Ballantine; her mother, Margaret “Peggy” Morris of Menlo Park; brothers Roy Morris of Los Angeles, Dr. William Morris of Santa Cruz, and Kenneth Morris of Boulder, Colorado.
Memorials in Ms. Ballantine’s name may be made to the Beacon School, 5670 Camden Ave., San Jose, CA 95124.
Bruna Silvani
Memorial services to celebrate the life of Bruna Silvani will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, April 28, at St. Raymond Church, 1100 Santa Cruz Ave. in Menlo Park. Ms. Silvani died March 30 at her Menlo Park home. She was 95.Ms. Silvani was born in San Francisco and lived most of her life in Menlo Park. She graduated from Commerce High School and San Francisco Business School. For 20 years, she provided day care in her home.
She was an active member of St. Raymond Church and Bonita Parlor of the Native Daughters of the Golden West.
She enjoyed music, growing flowers and travel, but her greatest passion was children, say family members. “She held her arms open to the young and provided a safe and playful environment for all,” says her daughter, Kathryne Blair.
Ms. Silvani is survived by her daughter, Kathryne Blair of Menlo Park, and one grandson.
The family prefers memorials be made to Rosener House, 500 Arbor Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, which Ms. Silvani attended in her final years.
Lula Ann Nichols
Lula Ann (Kelley) Nichols, who was active in church and civic affairs on the Midpeninsula, where she lived for many years, died on Valentine’s Day at a Los Altos care facility. She was 95.Ms. Nichols was born in Huntsville, Texas, in 1910, and grew up in a family of 10. She traced her ancestry back to both the Cherokee and Choctaw Nations, and had European and Tunisian roots as well.
She came to California as a young woman and worked as a baker and cook in Bakersfield, Oakland, San Francisco and Marin, and lived the rest of her life in the Palo Alto area.
She was a member of the South Palo Alto Democratic Women’s Club and was one of the founders of the A.M.E. Methodist Church in East Palo Alto in the 1960s, raising money to buy the land and buildings for the church.
In her 70s and 80s, Ms. Nichols ran a board and care home in Menlo Park for disabled veterans, and in her 90s she still provided care to those in need.
Her energy was unequaled by friends half her age, and her kindness, intelligence, and sense of purpose remain unparalleled, say her friends. Staff at the Los Altos Sub-Acute Facility, where she lived for the last year, doted on her and recognized the positive effect she had on residents around her, they say. Her appreciation of life brought joy to her friends and family; she had her first cotton candy at the age of 94 and attended the final race day of the season at Bay Meadows racetrack just ten days before her death.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Edward Nichols, step-daughter Eileen Nichols, and all her siblings. She is survived by her many friends; the Nichols, Kelley, and Roddy families; and a number of cousins, grandnieces and nephews.
She was attended in her last illness by family and her good friend, Maurice Dokes.
The family requests that memorial donations be made to Pets In Need in honor of Ms. Nichols’ great love of animals.
