OBITUARIES

Mary Gutknecht, a past president of the Woodside Atherton Auxiliary to Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hosital at Stanford, died at her Menlo Park home March 13. She was 79.

Mrs. Gutknecht was born in Switzerland and came to San Francisco with her family when she was 3. She grew up in San Francisco, where she attended local schools. She married Albert "Jack" Gutknecht in 1941. The family lived in San Carlos before moving to Menlo Park in 1950.

A gracious hostess who frequently entertained, Mrs. Gutknecht was a gourmet cook who took cooking lessons in Europe. She was an avid bridge player. Along with her work for the auxiliary, she was an active member of the Red Cross and served on the entertaining committees of the Peninsula Veterinary Medical Association and the California Veterinary Medical Association.

She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Dr. Albert "Jack" Gutknecht; daughter Lynda Koval of Redwood Shores; son Greg Gutknecht of San Francisco; and sister Jean Levit of Oakland.

Services were held March 16 at Roller, Hapgood & Tinney Funeral Home, Palo Alto, with burial at Alta Mesa Cemetery.

The family requests donations be made to Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, 725 Welch Road, Palo Alto, 94304.

Dorothy Mae Foote Pace

41-year Menlo resident

A memorial Eucharist service for Dorothy Mae Foote Pace, a 41-year resident of Menlo Park, is planned for 3 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at Holy Trinity Church, 330 Ravenswood Ave. in Menlo Park.

Mrs. Pace died March 17 in Hayward at the age of 96. She was born in Atkinson, New Hampshire, in the home her family has occupied since 1780. The family says it traces its lineage to the pilgrims who came to America on the Mayflower.

Mrs. Pace was the widow of Frederick B. Pace. She is survived by her son, Father David T. Pace.

As it is Lent, the family prefers that no flowers be sent. Memorial donations may be made to the Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital, C/O V. Applegate, 770 Welch Road, Suite 350, Palo Alto, CA 94304; or to the San Francisco Opera, C/O Marcella Bastiani, 301 Van Ness, San Francisco, CA 94304.

Betty Sebring

Menlo Park native

Betty Sebring, who was born in Menlo Park in 1904, died March 12. She was 95.

Mrs. Sebring died at Lytton Gardens in Palo Alto, the original site of the grammar school she attended as a young girl. Her family moved from Menlo Park to Palo Alto when she was 3. In 1922 she married Harold Sebring Sr.

During the Depression, Mr. Sebring found work with the U.S. Forest Service and the family lived a rugged existence in Trinity County. The family moved several times throughout California over the next 30 years, returning to Palo Alto in 1972. Mrs. Sebring's husband died in 1997.

Services were held March 17 at the First Baptist Church of Palo Alto where Mrs. Sebring was the oldest member.

Mildred L. Plaisted

Former Menlo Park resident

Mildred L. Plaisted, a former Menlo Park resident, died in Visalia on February 29. She was 91.

Mrs. Plaisted was born in Liberty Center, Indiana. Prior to moving to Visalia in 1968, she lived in Fort Wayne, Indiana; Schenectady, New York; and Menlo Park. She was a lifetime member of the PTA, the Eastern Star and the Daughters of the Nile. In Visalia, she was active in the Kaweah Delta Health Care District Guild and St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

Mrs. Plaisted was preceded in death by her husband Guy E. Plaisted and her son, Guy E. Plaisted Jr. She is survived by her daughters, Lynn Havard Mirviss of Visalia and Marjorie Plaisted Benson of Walnut Creek; her son, Gordon E. Plaisted of Grand Canyon, Arizona; seven grandchildren; four step-grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held in Visalia, with burial in Indiana. The family prefers that memorial contributions be made to the Cancer Care Center C/O Kaweah Delta Hospital Foundation, 400 West Mineral King, Visalia, CA 93291 or to the donor's favorite charity.