Obituaries
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Elizabeth Whitmore passed away peacefully after fighting 25 years of breast cancer. She spent her last weeks surrounded by her family and friends.
She was born in Lebanon, Ohio and she was the oldest of four children. She graduated from high school and college, she went to work as a secretary for the FBI. She was transferred to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she met her beloved husband Louis Whitmore in Alameda.
They were married May 30, 1947, they had five children, 13 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.
She is survived by her beloved husband, Louis A. Whitmore; brother, Lester Engel; her children: Karen Loftus, Louis A Whitmore II, Mary Dougherty, Deborah Orgen and Beverly Whitmore; 13 grandchildren: Kristina Roberts, Patricia Whitmore, Kimberly Estigoy, Andrea Noguera, Victoria Whitmore, Joseph Loftus, Amiee Shannon Loftus, Erin Loftus, Timothy Loftus, Carl Orgen, Tabitha Orgen, Cheryl Oren and Dana Orgen; nine great-grandchildren: Jeremy Estigoy, Francisco Estigoy, Courtney Roberts, Alycia Estigoy, Trinity Estigoy, Jessica Noguera, Gabriela Noguera, Emmy Loftus and Jake Loftus; and two great-great-grandchildren: Aliyah and Ariana Estigoy.
Elizabeth was an active member or the Rebekah’s and Oddfellow Lodge, WETS, DAR and a member for Twin Towers Church.
The family would like to invite you to Elizabeth Whitmore’s service Saturday, Aug. 23, at 1 p.m. at 1411 Oak St. Alameda, followed by the celebration of her life in the social hall.
In lieu of flowers please send your contribution to the American Cancer Society.
Margaret Dana passed away after a brief illness. She spent her last days surrounded by friends, family, music, and a great deal of love.
Born in Mayslick, Kentucky, she went to school in Hollywood, where her cultural interests blossomed. She earned her B.A. and Ph.d in English from UC Riverside. As a tenured professor at California Baptist College in Riverside, she inspired countless students to think critically and love literature. After retiring to Alameda, she continued to study, read voraciously, attend opera and theater, and cherish the community at Grace North Church.
She is survived by her daughter Cathy, sons Greg and Paul, grandson Maxfield, and granddaughter Shannon. Her wit, passion, and intelligence will be deeply missed.
Friends and family are warmly invited to celebrate her life at a memorial service and gathering on Saturday, August 30, from 1 to 4, at Grace North Church in Berkeley, 2138 Cedar Street.
Resident of Alameda
Sylvia died peacefully at Alameda Hospital. She was preceded in death by her parents, Antonia and Giovanni Zanaria, her sister Linda Zanaria, her husband William James Gates and her son William John Gates.
She is survived by her daughter Carol Gates Olney Dean, her grandsons Kevin Hulbert (Tess), Phillip W. Dean, William Scott Dean (Maria), her granddaughter Natalie Devora (Lynn Wood) and great-grandchildren Jewel Devora Wood, Kyle Dean and Geraldine (Den) Hulbert.
There are countless other nieces, nephews and a myriad of friends and acquaintances both in the U.S. and Italy who remain behind to remember her fabulous Italian cooking (for which she rarely shared recipes), her gorgeous garden and her fun stories about Alameda. Among other things, she saw the Posey Tube built to replace a wooden bridge; at 16 she worked on the Midway at Neptune Beach; in the ’50s she saw South Shore and Harbor Bay (Bay Farm Island) created by dredging the San Leandro estuary (replacing the truck farms which once grew “sustainable, organic produce”).
One of her favorite stories involved her 1932 trip to Italy with her father. A brief stop in Chicago involved riding in Al Capone’s car and later meeting him, long before he became infamous.
She always involved herself with school PTAs and kept an immaculate house in which she often entertained with sumptuous dinners. In later years she traveled frequently to Italy visiting relatives in the Piemonte and Genova regions and traveling throughout Europe. In addition to being a homemaker she worked for 13 years as a bookkeeper at what is now known as Holy Names University in Oakland.
For the past 12 years, Phillip Dean was her “right-hand man” driving her around, running errands, maintaining the garden and in the past five years, serving as her daytime caretaker and supervisor of other caregivers. A benefit of that is that she was able to remain in her own home until late February of this year.
Her last few months have seen her in the Golden Age Center on Harbor Bay — her room overlooking the Bay where she could watch airplanes take off from Oakland Airport. The administrators, caregivers and clients all came to appreciate her.
A longtime colleague and friend of Carol’s shared this wonderful observation of Sylvia: “Sylvia’s strength was inspiring, and her gracious manners were always a model to follow. I’m sure she is busily arranging Heaven to make it more to her liking.” Amen.
No funeral arrangements are planned. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS), Holy Names University or a charity of your choice.
Greer Family Mortuary and Cremation Services FD 1408
865-3755 greermortuary.com
