Obituaries Obituaries (December 10, 2003)

Carolyn Williams

Local business owner

Carolyn Williams of Menlo Park died suddenly on November 30 at Sequoia Hospital. She had been struck by a car on November 21 and was recuperating from a broken leg. She was 61 and in excellent health, say family members.

She was born in Ballinger, Texas, and graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in business administration. In 1978 she married Ernest "Bill" Williams and they settled in Menlo Park.

Ms. Williams ran her own word-processing business, Proof Perfect. She also edited several English and French publications and assisted Jeanne Gilmore O'Brien with the publication of "La Republique Clandestine, 1818-1848," published in France in 1998.

Before starting her business, Ms. Williams worked for SRI International for 17 years and traveled throughout the world.

Having developed an international taste for fine food, Ms. Williams enjoyed cooking, as well as gardening with her husband. She was an avid reader and lover of music and arts, say family members.

Ms. Williams is survived by her husband, Ernest of Menlo Park; mother Eva Calk of Menlo Park; sister Ann Storm of Denver; brother Lewis Calk of Los Altos; five nieces, three great-nephews and a great-niece.

Memorials in her name may be made to the Clinical Cancer Center at Stanford University or to the Parkinson's Institute in Sunnyvale.

Eileen Ludwig

Art collector, philanthropist

Eileen Denari Ludwig of Woodside and San Francisco died December 3 after a long struggle with lung cancer. She was 60.

A native of Manhasset, New York, she graduated with honors from the Tobe-Coburn School of Fashion in 1965 and joined Saks Fifth Avenue where, at age 26, she became the youngest buyer in the company's history.

In 1970 she married James J. Ludwig, vice president and regional manager for Saks Fifth Avenue in Northern California and moved to San Francisco. In 1976 the Ludwigs bought a house in Woodside where they spent their summers and many winter weekends. In 2002 they built a new house on their property and the former house was given away and moved.

Active in many philanthropic organizations, Ms. Ludwig was president of the San Francisco Opera Guild, a founding member and president of Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCs), and a fund-raising panel member for the Donor Circle at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

She established endowments in her name at Achievement Rewards for College Scientists to provide scholarships for science students and The San Francisco Opera Guild for educational programs. She was an honoree, with her husband, at Zoofest in 1998 and at the opening of the "New Zoo" in San Francisco in 2002.

Ms. Ludwig and her husband donated many works from their collection to African Oceanic and Americas collection at the de Young Museum and the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. With her husband, she led five animal-viewing safaris to Southern and East Africa on behalf of the San Francisco Zoological Society.

The Ludwigs were active in the San Francisco and Woodside social scenes and were season subscribers to the San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet and the American Conservatory Theater. She was a member of the Menlo Circus Club and the Burlingame Country Club.

Ms. Ludwig is survived by her husband, Jim; a daughter, Lisa Ludwig of San Francisco; two step-daughters, Nicole Ludwig McLeod of Nipomo, San Luis Obispo County, and Jessica Ludwig Kolbe of Santa Barbara; a brother, Dr. Gregory Denari of Saratoga; two sisters, Carol Saur of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Sandra Porter of St. Louis, Missouri; and three step-grandchildren.

A beautiful woman with impeccable fashion taste, she was considered one of the best-dressed women in the Bay Area, say family members.

Contributions may be made to the Eileen D. Ludwig Scholarship Fund at Achievement Rewards for College Scientists, P.O. Box 29405, San Francisco, CA 94129; or to the Eileen D. Ludwig Thoracic Oncology Fund for Lung Cancer Research at the UCSF Foundation, 1600 Divisadero, San Francisco, CA 94115.

Irvin Wentworth

Reusable forestry products pioneer

A celebration of the life of Irvin Wentworth of Menlo Park will be held at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 9, at Valley Presbyterian Church, 945 Portola Road, Portola Valley. Mr. Wentworth died December 4 at Stanford Medical Center. He was 85.

Mr. Wentworth was born in Owatonna, Minnesota. His first job was in his sister's and brother-in-law's telephone business in Minnesota. Later he was a chauffeur for the president of the First National Bank in Chicago. He received a bachelor's degree in forestry from the University of Idaho, married Nancy Pye, and they started their life together in Idaho.

In 1958, Mr. Wentworth was employed by Willamette Industries in Albany, Oregon, where he led a team that developed a composite wood panel manufacturing process that was the genesis of particle board, a staple in the construction industry. Five years later, Mr. Wentworth supervised and pioneered refinements to manufacturing facilities in Waverly, Virginia, as vice president of Gray Products Co.

Later, he sold manufacturing facilities in the building products industry for an international engineering and equipment manufacturer.

Mr. Wentworth moved his family to Menlo Park in 1968. He was known for his devotion to his family, sense of humor, and love of college basketball, family members say.

After retiring, he settled into working for his church, Valley Presbyterian in Portola Valley. He was one of the original members of the San Mateo County Convalescent Ministry and helped his wife organize the annual Stanford Hospital Heart-Lung Transplant Picnic for the last 22 years.

Mr. Wentworth is survived by his wife, Nancy Pye Wentworth; son Rick Wentworth of Stuart, Florida; daughters Mary Rose Wentworth of Ukiah, Jaynie Wentworth of Foster City, and Ginger Petersen of Hollister; a sister, Inez Smith; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

The family prefers contributions to the Inter-Lung Disease Clinic, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Stanford University Hospital, Room 3143, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA 94305-5236.

Harry Holland Jr.

Portola Valley resident

Harry Holland Jr. of Portola Valley died November 27. He was 83.

Born in Philadelphia, he attended Princeton University and Harvard School of Business. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

During his business career, he worked in the employee benefit field, retiring from the Zischke Organization in 1977.

From 1962 to 1975, the Holland family lived in Portola Valley, where Mr. Holland served as the last president of the Portola Valley Association, an organization that represented Portola Valley residents' interests until the town was incorporated in 1964.

He lived his final years at The Sequoias retirement community in Portola Valley, where he met and married his second wife, Jean Mitchell Smith.

Mr. Holland is survived by his first wife, Sally B. Holland of Menlo Park, the mother of his four sons: Harry of Menlo Park, John of San Carlos, Tom of Santiago, Spain, and Bob of Redwood City; and sister, Alice Jones of Connecticut.

No memorial is planned. Arrangements were under the direction of Roller, Hapgood & Tinney.

Elizabeth Evart

Menlo Park resident

Services for Elizabeth "Betsy" Evart of Menlo Park, who died in a bicycle accident December 4, will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, December 13, at Redwood Chapel, 847 Woodside Road, Redwood City. A reception at 2 p.m. will follow at The Acorn restaurant,1906 El Camino Real, Menlo Park.

A complete obituary for Ms. Evart will appear in a later edition of The Almanac.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.