Issue date: January 12, 2000
Walter Jelich Jr.
Born in 1915, Mr. Jelich was the oldest resident of Portola Valley who was actually born there. He was an old-time farmer who worked his own land himself, and grew apples and pears and apricots that drew people from all over the Bay Area.
"He was tough. He worked every day of his life," recalls his daughter, Jeanne Ladley, who still lives up the street. "He really loved working at the ranch."
"He was a real institution, a gentleman of the old school, polite and helpful," says Bill Lane, one of Portola Valley's founders who remembers being given apples at the ranch during scout trips in the 1930s. "He was just great with kids."
Walter Jelich's story is a story of Portola Valley over the last century. His father, Walter Jelich Sr., emigrated from Croatia near the turn of the 20th century and set up farming at the foot of the hills where the Jelich Ranch still raises a few apples today.
He was followed by other emigrants from Croatia -- Skrabos, Duzanicas, Jurians -- tough, hard-working folk who farmed the valley and worked the big estates.
Amazingly, the family has stayed together, even to the fifth generation. Zelda, Walter Jelich's wife of 57 years, their two daughters and their husbands, together with three grandchildren and one great-grandchild, still live within a mile of the old Jelich Ranch in Portola Valley.
Walter grew up working the ranch with his three brothers and sister. He attended school in the historic, one-room "Little White Schoolhouse." In an interview three years ago, he remembered driving a little four-wheel racing car around the baseball field. Asked the high point in his school careers, he replied succinctly, "Girls."
The Croatian community in Portola Valley was very close and supported each other in happy and hard times. The late John Skrabo and others recalled Christmases, when the Croatians would start with Mass at Our Lady of the Wayside. They would then continue to each family's house in turn, where they would eat and drink and sing Croatian songs. "That night everyone would gather at Walter Jelich's house -- which is still beside the fruit stand for more eating and drinking and Croatian dances."
Walter Jelich later attended Sequoia High School, where he played tackle on the Cherokees football team.
About that time he met his future wife, whose father was a hay farmer outside of Redwood City where Canada College is now. Mrs. Jelich remembers after she was Redwood City's first Rodeo Queen in 1940, Walter drove with her to Salinas to compete in the California Outdoor Girl contest. She came in fourth in horsemanship, and married Walter two years later.
Walter Jelich was the kind of farmer you don't see today. He plowed fields and grew hay all over Portola Valley, including the meadow at the foot of Windy Hill and over Westridge before it was developed. "He loved his tractor," Mrs. Jelich says.
Besides managing his own orchards, Mr. Jelich took care of other orchards all over the Peninsula, from San Jose to Woodside to La Honda, for owners who couldn't care for them.
Thanks to Walter Jelich's love of children, thousands of adults from Portola Valley and the Bay Area have happy memories of visits to the ranch. For Brenda Lane, now Brenda Munks of Woodside, it was feeding the Jelich pigs. For junior trail riders, it was being given an apple as they rode by. For Eddy Cohen it was being able to ride his horse to the Jelich Ranch, and work there summers and winter weekends, and have lunches in the ranch house with the family and other young people.
"I've been riding my horse over there for 35 years," says Mr. Cohen, who operates a boarding stable on Stanford land adjacent to the freeway.
And for children in the 70s and 80s, it was visiting the Jelich ranch before Halloween to pick a pumpkin and receive an apple -- personally shined by Walt Jelich in his mechanical apple polisher -- to munch on.
Mrs. Ladley remembers that she and her sister Joyce used to take reservations for schools from all over the Bay Area to visit the ranch at pumpkin time. "Buses lined up along Portola Road. The orchard was packed with kids," she recalls. "But it got to be too much."
In recent years as Mr. Jelich has not been able to do as much, his daughter Joyce and her husband Jack Pilkington, who live at the old ranch house, have kept up the property somewhat, but the remaining orchards are old and run down. They are no longer selling apples.
Until just recently, Mr. Cohen enjoyed driving Mr. Jelich to Half Moon Bay and the Coast to visit the farms and orchards he loved so much. "Walter truly was a man of the land, and a devoted husband and father," he says.
Mr. Jelich is survived by his wife, Zelda of Portola Valley; his brother, Ed Jelich of Walnut Creek; daughters Joyce Pilkington and Jeanne Ladley of Portola Valley; grandchildren Karry Ladley, Shawn Forrest, and Frank Pilkington; and great grand-daughter Megan.
Mr. Jelich was remembered at a Rosary at Crippen and Flynn January 9, and a funeral Mass at Our Lady of the Wayside Church January 10.
The family prefers donations to a charity of choice.
Joseph 'Joe' Bettar
He had been a member of the newspaper staff from the mid 1980s to 1993.
A longtime resident of Redwood City, he has born in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania.
His four-decade ad sales career took him from the San Mateo Times to the now-defunct Sunnyvale Standard, and to the Los Altos Town Crier.
Mr. Bettar came out of a retailing background, including a stint as a Walgreen drug store manager.
According to former Almanac Publisher Mort Levine, he spoke the language of retailers, which resulted in strong, loyal relationships between businesses and the newspaper.
"His energetic and optimistic approach to sales contributed greatly to the success and growth of the Almanac", Mr. Levine added.
Survivors include his wife of 51 years, Rose; their son and daughter-in law, Brian and Isabel Bettar; a daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Dan Steingrube; daughters Jody and Vicki Silva; and a sister, Sadie Skinner. There are six grandchildren.
Ray Richardson
A 29-year veteran of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, Lt. Richardson died on January 5 of an apparent heart attack. He was 55.
Lt. Richardson is best known as the down-to-earth, determined investigator who cracked some of the Bay Area's toughest cases, including a number of high-profile homicides, according to Lt. Don Leed of the Sheriff's Office.
Locally, he was known as part of the team that tracked down the murderer of Menlo Park's Vincent Damante and Atherton's Edward Colley, both in 1996. Charles Joseph Miller was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murders.
"We're still in shock, there's no question about that," said an emotional Lt. Leed last week. "Ray was just a fantastic guy. Anybody who knew him would say that professionally, he was the best. The best."
7" ag 1-10-00
Stephen William Veitch
Mr. Veitch died January 6 at the age of 73.
He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and in the Air Force during the Korean War. He later attended Stanford University's law school and graduated in 1957.
Mr. Veitch was chairman of the board of directors of San Francisco-based Van Strum and Towne, Investment Counselors, where he worked for 40 years. He also served as chairman of the Oxnard Foundation, and was a board member of the Holt Foundation.
An active member of the Menlo Circus Club, he also belonged to the Pacific Union Club, Villa Taverna and the Napoleonic Alliance.
Mr. Veitch is survived by his wife Nancy; a son, Christopher Veitch of Balboa, California; a daughter, Julie Veitch of Carmel; a sister, Caroline Mead of Albuquerque; and three grandchildren.
The family prefers that memorial donations be made to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, 200 Pine St., suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94104.
Tod Surmon
Born in Albany, Oregon, Mr. Surmon moved to Menlo Park in 1993. He attended Stanford University, where he was a 1996 All American wrestler, rated fifth in the National Collegiate Athletic Association and first in the Pac-10 at 142 pounds.
He took first place in the Midlands Wrestling Championships, held in Chicago on December 29 and 30. Mr. Surmon was celebrating the win with friends in Las Vegas just before his death.
In 1996, Mr. Surmon earned a bachelor's degree in computer systems engineering from Stanford. He was a computer programmer at Aeris Communications in San Jose. Up until his death, he was wrestling with the Dave Schultz Wrestling Club at Stanford.
Mr. Surmon is survived by his parents, David and Linda Surmon of Albany, Oregon; his sisters, Dawn DeFord and Amber Surmon of Albany; his grandmother, Anita Surmon of Lebanon, Oregon; his grandmother, Patricia Smith of Federal Way, Washington; and his grandparents, Howard and Flora Smith of Brookings, Oregon.
Funeral arrangements were made by Fisher Funeral Home of Albany, Oregon. Contributions to the Tod Surmon Wrestling Fund can be sent to Fisher Funeral Home, 306 SW Washington, Albany, OR 97321.
Olga Williams
Born in Warrington, England, Mrs. Williams and her family emigrated to Ontario, Canada, shortly after her birth. On a family visit to England when she was a teenager, World War II was declared, effectively trapping the family in England for the duration of the hostilities. Mrs. Williams joined the American Red Cross, where she met and then married Collis "Cy" Williams, a young G.I. from California.
After the war, the Williams and their young son Curt moved to the Williams family ranch in rural Santa Clara, where their second son, Mark, was born. In 1950, the family moved to Woodside, where daughter Pam was born.
Mrs. Williams was very active in her children's lives, participating in their schooling as well as extra-curricular activities such as 4-H, scouts and community fundraising. More recently, she volunteered at the Filoli Estate's gift shop and was a member of the Women's Fellowship of Woodside Village Church.
Family members remember her as a woman of style and grace who remained loving and positive despite losing a husband and a son at an early age. She valued the love of her family, friends both near and far and the natural beauty of the hills in which she lived, family members said.
Mrs. Williams is survived by her son Curt Williams of Woodside; her daughter Pam McReynolds of La Honda; and her grandchildren Katie and Jeff Williams and Scotty McReynolds.
Services were held at Woodside Village Church. The family prefers memorial donations be made to the Northern California Leukemia Society or a local hospice organization.
Jack Bowley
Mr. Bowley lived in Atherton from 1966 to 1987, then moved to Menlo Park.
Born in San Francisco, he graduated from Balboa High School, then served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1946.
Mr. Bowley worked as a public accountant before joining Argonaut Insurance Co., where he served as treasurer, president and chairman of the board. He retired in 1974.
An avid golf and domino player, he was also a member of Brotherhood Lodge, Scottish Rite, Islam Temple, the Jesters and the Eldorado Country Club. He was a charter member of Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club.
Mr. Bowley is survived by his wife, Margaret Bowley of Menlo Park; his daughter and son-in-law, Janet and Richard Landauer of Atherton; his son and daughter-in-law, John and Adele Bowley of Menlo Park; three step-children, Gayle Hart, Keith Davenport and Anne Hampton; four grandchildren; and three step-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 45 years, Wilma Bowley.
A memorial celebration was held at the Menlo Circus Club in Atherton. Burial was at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Colma.
The family prefers that memorial donations be sent to That Man May See Inc. (UC-San Francisco vision research foundation), 8 Kirkham St., San Francisco, CA 94143-0352.
Edward B. Arntsen
Mr. Arntsen was a captain for United Airlines for 38 years, and a Woodside resident since 1961. After his retirement, he enjoyed traveling, working on mission and Christian service projects, and spending time with his grandchildren.
Mr. Arntsen is survived by his wife of 53 years Alice; his children Mary, Bob and Martha; and eight grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, his family prefers that memorial donations be made to Partners International, P.O. Box 15025, San Jose, CA 95115-0025; Mission Aviation Fellowship, Box 3202, Redlands, CA 92373-0065; or MidPeninsula Pathways Hospice Foundations, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025.
A memorial service was held at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church.
Gertrude Elizabeth Cutter
Born in Gas City, Indiana, she was the youngest of eight children. Besides living in Menlo Park, Mrs. Cutter resided in Chicago, Cincinnati and in Columbus, Ohio, where she was a member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and a volunteer for the Children's Hospital Auxiliary. She spent the last two years of her life at Willow Creek Assisted Living in Folsom to be near her family. Family members say they will miss her bright smile, kindness and joyful spirit.
Mrs. Cutter is survived by her husband William J. Cutter; her daughter Judy A. Jones of Folsom; and her grandchildren Kristopher E. Jones and Damon C. Jones of Portola Valley.
Services will be held in Folsom on January 15. The family requests that memorial donations be made to either the Make a Wish Foundation of Sacramento and North-east California, 1401 Halyard Drive, West Sacramento, CA 95691; or the Sacramento Audubon Society, P.O. Box 160694, Sacramento, CA 95816-0694.
Mae Ruby Mather
Mrs. Mather was born in Laytonville, California, and worked as an insurance agent for 30 years. She is survived by her step-son Fulton Mather of Penryn, California; and her brother Richard Bowman of Laytonville. Private funeral services were held.
Services for Julia Chupack
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