Obituaries Obituaries (March 14, 2001)

Allan Tate

Investment analyst, author

A Mass of Christian burial for Allan Glencoe Tate will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 17, at St. Denis Catholic Church, 2250 Avy Ave., Menlo Park. Mr. Tate died March 9 at Stanford Medical Center. He was 72.

A rosary for Mr. Tate will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 16, at Menlo Colonial Chapel, 657 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park.

A native of Boston, Mr. Tate was the son of a vaudeville performer, and retained a lifelong interest in music. He attended the New England Conservatory of Music and also studied piano with Felix Mendelssohn's great-granddaughter in Germany. Ragtime and George Gershwin were two favorites in his repertoire. He even wrote a play about ragtime music.

During the Korean War, Mr. Tate was a code interpreter in Germany for the U.S. Army. After the war, he served as a captain in the Army Reserves.

A graduate of MIT, Mr. Tate came West in 1955 to attend the Stanford Graduate School of Business. For more than 45 years he was an investment analyst and consultant to leading mutual fund companies, banks and insurance companies, most recently as an investment consultant and broker with Portsmouth Financial Services in San Francisco. He was also president of his own investment firm, Allan Tate & Co., in Menlo Park.

Mr. Tate wrote a book regarding his business experiences, "Trading with the Titans," published in 1997, which was filled with anecdotes about his dealings with the "big boys," such as Warren Buffet.

A gregarious man, Mr. Tate had many friends and enjoyed entertaining in his home. He loved animals, especially cats, says his family. He and his wife, Jan, were members of Ladera Oaks Swim and Tennis Club for more than 25 years. They were also longtime active members of St. Denis Church in Sharon Heights, where they had lived for 36 years.

Mr. Tate is survived by his wife of 43 years, Jan; daughters, Mary Tate of Belmont, Karen Tate of Portola Valley, Laurie Bateman of El Dorado Hills, and Gigi Tate-Kidd of Ben Lomond; a son, Allan Tate of Belmont; a sister, Jesalyn Ferguson of Wilton, Connecticut; and two granddaughters.

Private burial will be held in Holy Cross Cemetery, Menlo Park. Memorials in Mr. Tate's name may be made the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Department, Sequoia Hospital, 170 Alameda de las Pulgas, Redwood City; or to Palo Alto Animal Services, 3201 E. Bayshore Road, Palo Alto. Thomas Rapp

Longtime Menlo resident

Thomas Hilton Rapp, who lived in Menlo Park for more than 40 years, died March 9. He was 75.

Mr. Rapp was born in San Francisco and grew up in Burlingame. He served in the U.S. Army in World War II and was employed as a salesman for plumbing companies on the Peninsula. Before his retirement, his territory included Northern California, Hawaii, and Salt Lake City.

Mr. Rapp and his wife, Mary, were enthusiastic tennis players and, at one time, managed the tennis courts at Sacred Heart Preparatory.

Mr. Rapp is survived by his wife of 52 years, Mary; son James of Portland, Oregon; daughters Donna Rapp of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and Kathleen Hoffman of Salem, Oregon; a brother, Albert Joseph Rapp of Boonton, New Jersey; and three grandchildren. His son, Bruce, preceded him in death.

A memorial Mass was held March 11 at St. Denis Catholic Church. Memorials to Mr. Rapp may be made to St. Denis Church, 2250 Avy Avenue, Menlo Park.

Robert Brunner

International marketing manager

A memorial service for Robert Harvey Brunner of Atherton will be held at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15, at Stanford Memorial Church. Mr. Brunner died at Stanford Medical Center March 7 of complications from a heart attack. He was 79.

Mr. Brunner, a 34-year employee of Hewlett-Packard, was involved in international marketing management for the instruments division into the mid-1980s. International travel took Mr. Brunner and his wife, Virginia, to all the continents. Many of their experiences were captured in their photographs and in Mrs. Brunner's travel books and articles. The couple gave talks on their travels to groups throughout the Midpeninsula.

Mr. Brunner also enjoyed woodworking and crafting unusual items. He fashioned a pair of oak roll-top desks for his granddaughters from wood harvested from a 150-year-old tree on family land in North Carolina. In his later years, Mr. Brunner became very interested in environmental causes, especially in western North Carolina, his wife's birthplace.

Mr. Brunner is survived by his wife of 52 years, Virginia; daughter Nancy Grove of Palo Alto; sisters Dee Campbell of San Diego and Marjorie Gootee of Albany, Oregon; and two granddaughters.

Donations in his memory may be made to the Hoover Institution, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, or The Land Trust of the Little Tennessee, P.O. Box 1148, Frankling, North Carolina 28744-1148.