Obituaries Obituaries (April 09, 2003)

Leslie Hill

Atherton artist

Leslie Stewart Hill, a longtime Atherton resident and both an artist and interior decorator, died at home March 13. She was 88.

Born October 16, 1914, in Chicago, Mrs. Hill was an impressionist painter. As an interior decorator, she was known for her country decorating style.

Mrs. Hill is survived by her son, John Randall of Atherton, and one grandson.

A rosary and vigil service were held at the Menlo Park Chapel of Spangler Mortuary, and a memorial Mass was held March 21 at the Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park.

Alberta Duncan

Former grocer

Alberta Francis Duncan of Portola Valley died April 3. She was 90.

A native of Fort Smith, Arkansas, she and her husband Ray came to California during the Great Depression and settled on the Peninsula. In the early 1960s they moved to Corvallis, Oregon, where they operated a grocery store.

Upon retirement, they returned to the Bay Area to live with their son and daughter-in-law, David and Julie, in Portola Valley.

Mrs. Duncan was preceded in death by her husband. She is survived by her three children, Nancy of Lincoln, Keith of Cincinnati, and David of Portola Valley; and four grandchildren.

Memorial services will be held at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of the Menlo Park Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries.

Dr. Frank Talarico

Menlo Park resident, physician

Dr. Frank Talarico, M.D., a 16-year Menlo Park resident and the first general resident physician at Sequoia Hospital, died March 31. He was 88.

Dr. Talarico earned both his bachelor of science degree and his doctor of medicine degree from Wayne University at Detroit, finishing his studies in 1949.

In 1950 he joined the new Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City as a general resident physician.

From 1951 to 1953, he served in an Army MASH unit during the Korean Conflict. Upon returning from the war, he had a private practice in Redwood City until his retirement in 1982.

Dr. Talarico is survived by his sons, Karl Talarico of Sunnyvale, Gregory Talarico of Santa Monica and David Talarico of Laguna Niguel; and seven grandchildren.

A memorial service was held April 4 at Alta Mesa Memorial Park Chapel in Palo Alto, with arrangements by Redwood Chapel of Redwood City.

Herman Koopmans

Horseman and dressage instructor

A memorial service will be held on April 13 at Pony Tracks Ranch in Portola Valley for Herman Koopmans, local horseman and dressage instructor.

Mr. Koopmans died February 19 in a nursing hospital in Belmont. He was 87.

Born in Amsterdam on October 13, 1915, Mr. Koopmans grew up around horses, and began riding at 3 years old.

Mr. Koopmans worked for Javasteel in the Dutch East Indies, scouting and purchasing raw materials for the company. When Japan invaded the Dutch East Indies, Mr. Koopmans became a prisoner of war and was forced to perform slave labor.

One year after the war, he returned to Amsterdam with his wife Thelma, whom he had married in Jakarta before the war. In 1955 they moved to Quebec, Canada, and five years later, California.

Mr. Koopmans began teaching at stables in San Jose and founded the Los Altos Hills Riding School. By 1970 he had moved the school, now renamed the Equestrian Institute of California, to Los Trancos Road in Portola Valley.

Mr. Koopmans' school disbanded in the late 1970s, but he continued to teach private pupils up and down the Peninsula.

Mr. Koopmans was divorced in 1977 and in 1987 he married Virginia Kean, a writer. He is survived by his wife, his son Peter, three grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.

Memorial for coach

Basketball players and coaches from past and present are invited to celebrate the career of influential basketball coach George (Bud) Presley, the former coach of Cubberly High School and Menlo College. Mr. Presley died December 21 in Redwood City.

The memorial is scheduled for Sunday, April 13, at 2 p.m. in the Menlo College gymnasium at 1000 El Camino Real in Atherton. Purdue University coach Gene Keady, a winner of six national coaching awards and six Big-Ten championships, is scheduled to speak at the event.