Issue date: September 15, 1999

Obituaries Obituaries (September 15, 1999)

James M. Campbell

James Malcolm Campbell, the first Santa Clara County planning director, died at his Menlo Park home on September 5. He was 90.

Born in Los Angeles, Mr. Campbell attended UCLA, where he took the first urban planning courses offered by the university. In 1933 he moved to San Jose, and worked as Santa Clara County's first planning director. At that time Highway 101 was under construction; the original plan was to build it through downtown San Jose. Seeing this would destroy the heart of downtown, Mr. Campbell diverted the highway to run around the city. He also proposed the then-novel idea of dividing a highway near Los Gatos to preserve a large, unusual rock formation.

Mr. Campbell served four years in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was lieutenant commander on the destroyer U.S.S. Porterfield on duty in the Pacific.

In 1946 Mr. Campbell began private practice as a planning consultant in Menlo Park. By his retirement in 1977, he had worked with 28 of California's 58 counties and more than 80 cities. Among his notable local projects were initial plans for the Town and Country Village shopping center in Palo Alto, Page Mill Road industrial park design, and the Stonestown shopping center in San Francisco.

Mr. Campbell's open space zoning plan for Palo Alto and flood plain zoning plans for Tehama County were the first in the United States. His plan for the Napa County Agricultural Preserve, which protected 33,000 acres of agricultural land from development, won the county the American Planning Association's highest award.

A resident of Woodside for 27 years, Mr. Campbell moved to Saratoga after his retirement, and returned to Menlo Park after the death of his wife, Mary Pabst Campbell, in 1992.

Mr. Campbell is survived by a son, James of Portola Valley; two daughters, Mimi Campbell of Menlo Park and Martha Johnstone of Keokuk, Iowa; and two grandchildren. No services are planned. The family suggests donations be made to the American Cancer Society.

Lydia Y. Sakurai

Lydia Y. Sakurai, a longtime resident of Menlo Park, died at her home on May 21 after having been diagnosed with leukemia two months earlier. She was 81.

Mrs. Sakurai was born in the central San Joaquin Valley, and completed her education at Modesto Junior College, attaining a degree in art.

During World War II, she was interned out of the Western Command area, as were 110,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry, and sent to Amache Colorado Relocation Center. There, she became involved in the school system and taught art.

Following internment, Mrs. Sakurai relocated to Philadelphia and worked for a silk screen company. She married Frank Sakurai in New York City, and they moved to California after he completed his duty with the United States MIS. They lived for a short time in the Alexander Isenberg family's cottage in Portola Valley until the Sakurais purchased a home in Menlo Park in 1948.

Mrs. Sakurai's first working position was as an office assistant to the then-mayor of Menlo Park, Michael Belangie. Later, she worked both at Allied Arts Guild and at home, maintaining a home-based sewing business for many years. Her volunteer interests included helping at her church, the public library, local elementary schools, Menlo-Atherton High School and Little House senior center.

After retirement, Mr. and Mrs. Sakurai became members of Little House, where she taught sewing, chaired a reading group, worked on group crafts projects and enjoyed the company of her friends.

Peninsula Volunteers' Little House and friends recently honored her by placing her name on a gold leaf on the Tree of Life plaque at the center.

Mrs. Sakurai is survived by her husband of 55 years, Frank; children Mary of Canada and Carol Aebi of Menlo Park; four grandchildren; and two grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be sent to MidPeninsula Hospice, 201 San Antonio Circle, Suite 135, Mountain View, CA 94040-9868. William 'Bill' Marques

Menlo Park resident William "Bill" M. Marques died September 6 at Stanford Hospital after a long illness. He was 51 years old.

A native of Massachusetts, Mr. Marques was a member of the Teamsters Union, Palo Alto Golf Club and NCGA Golf.

He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Pat; daughter Jeanette Marques; mother Helen Marques; two brothers and a sister.

A rosary was recited on September 8, immediately followed by a funeral Mass of Christian burial. Interment was at Holy Cross Cemetery in Menlo Park.

Donations in Mr. Marques' memory may be made to the Polycytic Kidney Research Foundation, 4901 Main St., Suite 700, Kansas City, MO 64112-2634.

Donald Roudebush

Donald A. Roudebush died at his home in Woodside on September 3 at the age of 72.

A resident of Woodside for 38 years, Mr. Roudebush worked for Ampex for 18 years and retired from GTE Wesgo after 18 years. Mr. Roudebush was very active with Stanford baseball and football, and with the Redwood City Elks Club Golf Course.

Mr. Roudebush is survived by his wife of 50 years, Virginia; sons Stephen of Pennsylvania and David of Redwood City; daughters Lisa of Fremont and Linda of Woodside; his mother Lela of Redwood City; a brother, Jack, of Belmont; and four grandchildren.

A memorial service was held on September 8 at Messiah Lutheran Church in Redwood City. Donations in Mr. Roudebush's memory may be made to Mission Hospice, 151 W. 20th Ave., San Mateo, CA 94403. John Thomson

John Thomson, an Atherton resident and native of Scotland, died September 4 at the age of 71.

Mr. Thomson was a sales representative for 17 years with the California State Automobile Association. Hewas a member of the First Baptist Church of Menlo Park.

Mr. Thomas is survived by his wife Charlotte; a son, John, of Redwood City; a daughter, Julie Kurylak, of Scotland; and four grandchildren.

A visitation was held on September 10 at the Menlo Park Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries, immediately followed by a graveside service at Alta Mesa Memorial Park. Memorial services were held September 11 at the First Baptist Church of Menlo Park.

Donations may be made to the Midpeninsula Hospice, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025; the First Baptist Church of Menlo Park Music Department, 1100 Middle Ave., Menlo Park; or the Rock Church Youth Department, 263 Escuela Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040. Jane Carter Osborn

Jane Carter Osborn died September 1 at her home in Menlo Park.

A native of Sacramento, Mrs. Carter Osborn attended the University of California at Berkeley, where she was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority.

After college, she married Clyde Hull Osborn in Carmel. Mr. Osborn died in 1995.

Mrs. Carter Osborn was a longtime resident of the Peninsula, having lived in both Palo Alto and Menlo Park. She was also a member of the Woodside-Atherton Auxiliary to Children's Hospital of Stanford.

Although Mrs. Carter Osborn spent most of her married life as a homemaker, caring for her family, she later went to work at Stanford University on an "on-call" basis.

Mrs. Carter Osborn is survived by her daughter Laurie H. Osborn of Seattle.

Donations may be made to the MidPeninsula Pathways Hospice, 201 San Antonio Circle, Mountain View, CA 94040; the American Lung Association, 1469 Park Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128; or the charity of choice. 


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