OBITUARIES

A memorial service for Susanne Smith Addicott, a Portola Valley resident for the past 35 years and an active community member, was held December 19 at Ladera Community Church.

Ms. Addicott died December 14 at her home after battling cancer for the past 18 months. She was 64.

Born and raised in Berkeley, she graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. She majored in French, and earned her Phi Beta Kappa key. In 1955, she married Warren Addicott and later settled in Portola Valley. They divorced in 1972.

"Sue was an active community member and will be remembered by her huge circle of friends as someone who really touched the lives of many," said her son, Eric Addicott. "She was compassionate and non-judgmental, had a genuine love for people and a strong interest in social justice."

Many of her friendships were made at the Ladera Community Church, where she was an active member, serving on many boards and committees. In 1971, she was appointed director of the church preschool. Later, she worked for 19 years as a technician at Stanford University Hospital.

Ms. Addicott was a woman of many interests and considered a true "jack-of-all-trades" by her family and friends. A prolific reader, she also enjoyed backpacking in the Sierra, gardening, rollerblading and breeding fish.

She is survived by her children, Eric Addicott of Redwood City and Carl Addicott Kral of Morgan Hill; grandchildren Lacey and Dylan Kral; and her brother, Kinnear Smith of Orinda.

Memorials in her name may be made to the Ladera Community Church Endowment Fund or The Nature Conservancy in San Francisco.

George A. Shaftel

Ladera co-founder

George A. Shaftel, who with his wife, the late Stanford education professor Fannie Shaftel, was a founding member of the Ladera community in the late 1940s, died December 7. He would have been 96 on December 24.

Memorial services were held December 12 in the Shaftel home on Berenda Way in Ladera.

Mr. Shaftel was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1903. His parents had immigrated to the United States from Russia at the turn of the century. He grew up in a small southern Illinois town and began his formal education at the University of Illinois.

When his father, an itinerant watchmaker, moved the family to Southern California, he transferred to the University of California, Berkeley. He received a master of arts degree in English.

Mr. Shaftel had a lifelong interest in English and literature and pursued a professional career as a writer. The initial phase, according to his son, was as a young idealistic fiction writer, producing stories for the "pulps."

After World War II, he changed career focus and began co-authoring educational textbooks and materials with university professors.

He co-authored with his wife the textbook, "Role Playing for Social Values," that became a classic in its field. The Shaftels' marriage spanned 65 years and many collaborative efforts. Dr. Shaftel, who developed theories and techniques for teaching values through social studies, died last March 21 at the age of 90.

Mr. Shaftel continued to write and work in his study until the last year of his life. He wrote in the fields of English grammar, history, health and social studies.

Mr. Shaftel is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, David and Harriet Shaftel, of Anchorage, Alaska; three grandchildren: Douglas of Chicago, Matthew, who lives in Ladera, and Becky, completing her last year at Stanford; and his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Dorothy and Hugo Nadaner of Ladera.

Memorial gifts may be sent to Stanford University "Fannie Shaftel Endowment Book Fund," #3525298, in care of Memorial Gifts, Stanford University, 31 Encina Hall, Stanford, CA 94305-6076.

Rudolph Alexander Rintala

Peninsula athlete

Rudolph Alexander Rintala died at his home in Atherton on December 11. He was 90.

Born on February 6, 1909, in Brooklyn, New York, Mr. Rintala grew up in San Francisco where he graduated from Polytechnic High School. Family members say Mr. Rintala was a star athlete in high school and lettered in four sports as a student at Stanford University. He was also elected into the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame for baseball.

Mr. Rintala graduated from Stanford in 1932 with a degree in accounting, and worked as an accountant in the steel industry for many years. From 1956 to 1974, Mr. Rintala worked as a certified public accountant.

After retiring, Mr. Rintala was active in the Sons in Retirement group, especially in that group's bowling league.

Mr. Rintala is survived by his wife of 63 years, Mary Thayer Rintala; a son William Thayer Rintala of Pacific Palisades; a daughter Katherine Rintala Glad of Arlington, Virginia; and grandchildren Mary Christina Glad, Marina Glad Brabham, Nicholas Charles Glad, Elizabeth MacKellar Rintala and Allison Thayer Rintala.

Douglas Albrecht

Former resident of Menlo Park

Douglas Albrecht, who lived in Menlo Park for 40 years before moving to Sonora about three years ago, died December 10 at his home. He was 69.

A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Mr. Albrecht worked for 37 years as an equipment installer for Pacific Bell.

Mr. Albrecht is survived by his wife, Kathy; four daughters, Mary Cummings, Michelle Albrecht, Nancy Griffin and Patty Amodeo; three step-daughters, Donna Marston, Nancy Griggs, and Janet Tucker; a brother, Richard Albrecht; and eight grandchildren.

Private services were held. Terzich & Wilson Funeral Home in Sonora handled the arrangements.

The family prefers memorial contributions be made to VNA/Hospice, P.O. Box 4805, Sonora, CA 95370; or the Salvation Army, P.O. Box 49, Columbia, CA 95310.



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