Remembering those who passed

December 28, 2005

During 2005, Petaluma lost a number of beloved citizens, some young, some old, some nationally or internationally known, others who were quietly involved in their home community.

Spencer Dryden

Spencer Dryden, drummer for the rock band Jefferson Airplane, died at his Penngrove home on Jan. 10, 2005 of complications from colon cancer. He was 66.

Mr. Dryden joined the band in 1966 and soon it became the first San Francisco rock band to receive national attention. He played on some of the Airplane's most memorable albums, including "Surrealistic Pillow," which sold over 1 million copies and featured songs like "Somebody To Love" and "White Rabbit."

He retired from performing in 1995, and in 1996, along with other Airplane members, he was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. He had lived in Sonoma County for 15 years.

James Avati

James Avati, a respected artist who was considered a "genius" in the book cover-art world, died at his Petaluma home on Feb. 27, 2005. He was 92.

Mr. Avati was a self-taught artist who spent the vast majority of his seven-decade career creating paintings to be reproduced on the covers of paperback books. He illustrated books for such notable authors as William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, John Steinbeck and J.D. Salinger.

Although he retired to Petaluma in 1989, he continued to paint portraits and still-lifes at his home studio.

Edouard Robert

Edouard Robert, Petaluma city attorney who represented the city before the Supreme Court in its landmark residential growth control case in the early 1970s, died Jan. 25, 2005, in Reno, Nev., after a short illness. He was 86.

A World War II Navy veteran, Mr. Robert served on the U.S.S. Hornet during the Doolittle Raiders attack on Tokyo, the battle of Midway and the battle of Santa Cruz, where the carrier was sunk. He was rescued at sea and received a Purple Heart.

Named city attorney in 1956, he continued in that position for 18 years.

Vince Landof

Longtime Petaluma resident Vince Landof, an avid follower of city politics and former mayoral candidate, died March 8, 2005 after a battle with lung cancer. He was 71.

Landof and his family moved to Petaluma in the mid-1970s. His interest in city affairs grew after he was permanently disabled in a car accident. He became involved with flooding issues after a devastating flood in the winter of 1982 wrecked his home. He became known as an advocate for flood protection.

Landof launched a mayoral campaign in the 1980s but fell ill during the race and was hospitalized.

Dalia 'Dale' Messick

Dalia "Dale" Messick, creator of the comic strip "Brenda Starr," died in Penngrove on April 5, 2005. She was 98.

Ms. Messick's comic strip creation "Brenda Starr," about a confident, red-haired woman reporter, debuted on June 30, 1940 on a Sunday page, and became a daily strip in 1945. "Brenda Starr" reached 60 million readers in 200 newspapers around the world during the '50s and through the '70s.

Ms. Messick retired in 1983, but the strip continued to be written and drawn by successors and still runs in several newspapers. In 1997, she received the National Cartoonist Society's lifetime achievement award.

Margaret Ann Nelson

Margaret Ann Nelson, a descendant of pioneer families in the area, died April 29, 2005. She was 86.

Mrs. Nelson was born in Petaluma and was a member of the Gaston and Sales families that settled in the Two Rock Valley area in the early 1840s.

She worked for the City of Petaluma's finance department.

William B. Oliver

Brain tumor activist William B. Oliver died July 2, 2005 after a 10-year battle with brain cancer. He was 41.

In May, to mark National Brain Tumor Awareness Week, Mr. Oliver met with U.S. Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey and senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to talk about the urgent need for more brain tumor research.

John D. Nadale

John Nadale, a native of Petaluma and lifelong dairyman, died at his Petaluma home on Friday, June 10, 2005 at the age of 81.

A well-known dairyman and an accomplished accordionist, Mr. Nadale was also a founding member of the Wilmar Volunteer Fire Department.

George Tomasini

George Tomasini, a Peta-luma native who owned and operated several businesses, died of heart failure July 11, 2005. He was 85.

Mr. Tomasini owned Cyp-ress Hill Memorial Park for several decades, but his first venture was the family business, A.F. Tomasini Hardware Store, when he was 20. Over the years, he was also the proprietor of Tomasini Plumbing and Tomasini Travel Agency.

Jesse Reichek

Jesse Reichek, a noted painter and teacher, died July 18, 2005 at his home near Petaluma. He was 89.

Mr. Reichek taught at the University of Michigan and at the University of California at Berkeley, from which he retired in 1989 as professor emeritus.

He was an active fighter for civil rights, political and economic rights and the freedom of all people for self-determination.

A retrospective of Mr. Reichek's entire production of 3,000 paintings is on display at the Marin French Cheese Factory, 7500 Red Hill Road, Petaluma.

Darrell DeVore

Petaluma lost an inspirational teacher and the world lost a music innovator when Darrell DeVore died Aug. 9 in his beloved "Studio Um," a chicken coop he converted into a music studio. He was 66 and had been battling lung cancer.

Mr. DeVore came to California in 1967 from the Midwest and for awhile was a rock 'n' roll musician in a band called the Charlatans.

He became well known in the Bay Area for his hand-tooled bamboo flutes that he sold at arts fairs and music events. In Petaluma, he taught elementary kids about the love of music through his own program called, "Sound Magic."

Philip L. Joerger

Philip L. Joerger, former Petaluma city councilmember and Sonoma County supervisor, died Aug. 18, 2005 after a five-year battle with cancer. He was 78.

Mr. Joerger served in the Navy during World War II and later went to work on the family dairy in Penngrove for 14 years before going into business for himself.

Mr. Joerger served on the Petaluma City Council during the late '60s and on the county Board of Supervisors for District 2 from 1970 to 1974.

Lew Platt

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO and Portola Valley resident Lew Platt died Sept. 8, 2005 near his ranch home in the town of Bodega. He was 64.

Mr. Platt's first job was an entry-level position at Hewlett-Packard in Boston. He quickly rose through the ranks during his 33-year career with HP and became president and CEO of the company in 1992.

In 1999, he spun off HP's test and measurement division into Agilent Technologies. He left HP shortly thereafter and served as CEO of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates.

Clara Nelson

Petaluma resident Clara Nelson died Sept. 16, 2005 at her home. She was 87.

Mrs. Nelson was born on a farm in Minnesota and earned a master's degree in early childhood development. She taught school in Hawaii and San Francisco before moving to Petaluma.

Mrs. Nelson was an indefatigable worker for civil rights, women's rights and world peace.

Brian Earle

Noted artist and Petaluma resident Brian Earle died Oct. 13, 2005 due to complications from emphysema. He was 65.

During the 1960s, Mr. Earle was an influential figure in the San Francisco art scene. He studied under sculptor Alvin Light and began experimenting with corten steel in 1965. His art included large outdoor sculptures as well as smaller pieces.

For the past two decades he lived in a converted barn in Petaluma and owned the steel fabrication shop Hook-Up Metal Works -- specializing in handcrafted pieces for kitchen and garden.

Steve Buffo

Steve Buffo died on Nov. 1, 2005 at the age of 93.

A native of Kansas, Mr. Buffo moved to Petaluma in 1959 and purchased Petaluma Liquors, which was located on Kentucky Street. He ran the business until it was destroy-ed by fire in the early '70s.

Alfred J. "Al" Pedroni

Alfred "Al" J. Pedroni, a Petaluma native and co-owner of Pedroni's Delicatessen for more than 67 years, died suddenly from an aneurysm on Nov. 1, 2005 in Auburn. He was 95.

Mr. Pedroni graduated from St. Vincent High School. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Leonidas Papageorge

The man who brought the flavors of his native Greece to Petaluma, Leonidas ÒLeoÓ Dimitrios Papageorge, died Nov. 21, 2005. The co-owner of PapasÕ Taverna was 63.

Born March 2, 1942 in Greece, Mr. Papageorge was a professional soccer player. He came to California in 1966 and started his own soccer team along with opening his first restaurant.

Mr. Papageorge and longtime companion Lana Sutton opened Papas' Taverna on Lakeville Highway at Gilardi's Marina in 1991.

Leon Barlas

Leon Barlas, who owned and operated of a poultry ranch and Barlas Feeds for more than 69 years, died on Dec. 5, 2005. He was 91.

"He was a good businessman," said his brother, Izzie Barlas. "He was manager of Barlas Farms, which was at the time was the largest poultry operation ever in Petaluma."

Mr. Barlas was also president of Barlas Feeds, which did business all over the Pacific basin and Asia. The company was founded by his father, a Russian immigrant, and built into a highly successful company by Barlas and his brothers, Izzie and Himmie.

Arthur Agnew

A longtime Petaluma Rotary Club member and president of Sunset Line & Twine Co., Arthur "Art" Agnew died Dec. 11, 2005. He was 93.

Agnew was an athlete in high school and college, playing baseball and basketball. In 1936, he went to work as a bookkeeper for Sunset Line & Twine Co. in the firm's San Francisco office. Sunset bought the historic silk mill at Lakeville and Jefferson streets in Petaluma in 1940, and moved its operation there 10 years later. Agnew was promoted to general manager.

He became a member of the Petaluma Rotary Club in 1951 and attended every Rotary meeting for more than 52 years.

Christina Carmelita Ramirez

An aspiring nurse with a loving nature, Christina Carmelita Ramirez died in a car accident on Dec. 13, 2005. She was 19.

Christina hoped to one day become a nurse and work with small children. She was described as someone who touched everyone she met with her outgoing and loving nature.

Greg James Kubeck

Casa Grande High School junior Greg James Kubeck died in a car accident on Dec. 13, 2005. He was 16.

Born in Greenbrae, Greg was the son of Gary and Vicky Kubeck; and brother of Michelle Kubeck of Petaluma.

Adrianna Marie DeLaTorre

A young woman with a love for drawing and creating pottery, Adrianna Marie DeLaTorre, died in a car accident in Petaluma on Dec. 13, 2005. She was 18.

Born in Santa Rosa, DeLaTorre was the daughter of Kim and Mike Young and Angel DeLaTorre.

Caj'o Phelan

Casa Grande High School junior Caj'o Phelan died in a car accident on Dec. 13, 2005. He was 16.

Caj'o was a wide receiver for the Gaucho football team and dreamed of playing college football.