Obituaries Obituaries (October 10, 2001)

Lola Elsner

Former Portola Valley resident

Lola Oliver Elsner, who lived in Portola Valley for 23 years, died October 1 at The Forum retirement community in Cupertino. She was 86.

Mrs. Elsner was born in Ogden, Utah, and graduated from the University of Missouri in 1937. In 1939 she married Paul Elsner.

Mrs. Elsner was an avid gardener "who had a special place in her heart for the many quail that roamed her hilltop home in Portola Valley," say family members.

Mrs. Elsner was active for many in years in the Woodside-Atherton Auxiliary to the Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. She volunteered at the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, and, as a member of Friends of Filoli, as a gardener and docent at Filoli.

Mrs. Elsner is survived by her daughter Paula MacQuiddy of Sunnyvale and son Lee Elsner of Redwood City; four grandchildren; and one great-grandson. Her husband, Paul Elsner, died in 1991.

Private graveside services were held at Alta Mesa Memorial Park Cemetery. The family prefers contributions to the Woodside-Atherton Auxiliary, 75 Arbor Road, Menlo Park 94025; Friends of Filoli, 86 Canada Road, Woodside, 94062, or the American Cancer Society.

Jeffrey Clarke

Former Atherton resident

Jeffrey Alan Clarke died of natural causes at his home in Houston, Texas, on September 2. He was 42.

Mr. Clarke was born in Salinas and moved to Menlo Park with his family when he was 13. He attended La Entrada School and Woodside High School. The family later moved to Atherton.

For the past 17 years he lived in Houston where he was a caterer with Aramark Corporation.

Mr. Clark is survived by his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Julius Clarke of Atherton; sister Leslie Mullins of Mountain View; aunts Yves Warren of Palo Alto and Peggy Renton of Reno; and uncle George Vasquez of Reno.

Private services were held October 6 with burial in Alta Mesa Cemetery.
Natalie Conley

Culinary Academy graduate

Natalie Conley of Menlo Park died suddenly of cardiac arrest October 1 at Stanford Medical Center. She was 49.

Mrs. Conley was a native of San Francisco. She attended San Francisco City College and Sonoma State University. She was a graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and an accomplished cook. "I always think of her standing at the stove stirring something," says her mother-in-law Mildred Conley.

A convert to Catholicism, Mrs. Conley was very active at St. Denis Catholic Church. She edited the newsletter and compiled a cookbook of recipes from parishioners.

"She was always helping out, serving coffee and donuts after Sunday Mass," says Mrs. Conley.

Natalie Conley leaves her husband Thomas J. Conley Sr.; children Ian Haddock and Linn Haddock; stepchildren Scott D. White, Thomas J. Conley Jr., and Joseph M. Conley; her mother Anastasia Bordokoff of Fremont; and brother Alex Bordokoff of San Diego.

A funeral Mass was held October 6 at St. Denis Catholic Church in Menlo Park.