Tag archives: in memoriam
Richard Lee Kahler, MD, FACC, beloved husband, cherished father and grandfather, and treasured family member and friend, died peacefully at home on February 21, 2022, at the age of 89. Dick was a longtime resident of La Jolla, Rancho Santa Fe, and Montecito, California, before moving to Colorado in his final decade. Professionally, Dr. Kahler […]
Aristides (Aris) Burton Demetrios was born in Lincoln, Massachusetts, on February 17,1932. He was born to a family of celebrated artists. His father was classical sculptor George Demetrios, who was a student of Bourdelle and had studied with Rodin. His mother was Virginia (Jinnee) Lee Burton, a celebrated author illustrator of children’s books, including “Mike […]
Jesse Alexander, 92, a photographer who documented the golden age of motorsport, passed away on December 14, 2021, in Santa Barbara. He was comfortable and at home, with his beloved wife, Nancy, by his side, holding his hand. Jesse was born on April 15, 1929, in Santa Barbara to Florence Louise Lyman and Junius Beverly […]
D. William (Bill) Wagner, 78, passed December 7, 2021, at home in Santa Barbara, surrounded by his wife and sons. Bill was born to Earl and Lois Wagner in Dixon, Illinois, and raised in Sterling, Illinois. A lifelong love of language and people led him from consecutive statewide debate championships for Illinois in 1960 and […]
The Montecito community sadly lost one of its greatest Benevolent Godfathers (and there are a few running around here) in Bob Short. A force to be reckoned with, Bob left a great legacy for Montecito. You may not have known him – or known him well – so we want to take a moment and […]
Bob Short, an icon and pillar of the Montecito community, passed this week. While we all adjust to the news, we will be visiting with his friends and family in the coming days to do a much longer piece on his remarkable life and significant contributions to Montecito next week. But, for now, please know […]
Peter Clark always chose good, and “quietly” did good, never publicly sharing his many good deeds for others. The Montecito Journal’s society tribute to Peter was excellent, however I feel compelled as his decades’ long “jazz mom friend” to add to this exceptional man’s legacy from observations and what he shared over coffee near his […]
Dingle is a quiet port town along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, a little cove for some 2,050 people best known for its resident dolphin, Fungie. But on this particular night in 2005, it was another fun guy that captured the hearts of locals and the dozens of Santa Barbarans that had made the trek to […]
You sensed straight away that he was more than a nice guy; something other than a rail-thin, tall soul in a plaid shirt and jeans, looking to lend a hand. Though Steven Berg, who passed away on May 31, worked hard to convince you that he was just a regular gruff Joe, it was a […]
Jeanne Thayer never felt comfortable on a pedestal, ever since she was a young girl, too tall and lanky to feel like she belonged at the center of attention. Modesty followed her like a shadow, from her self-perceived awkwardness of youth into the awareness of her own privilege as a young adult. She lived a […]
It is with great sadness that the family announces the passing of Rosemary Phyllis Looney after a brief illness. She was born in Norwood, Massachusetts, on December 20, 1926, and passed at home in Carpinteria on June 8, 2021. She is survived by her daughters Sharyn Plunkett (Richard) and Sheryl Ford of Carpinteria, and Cynthia […]
Charles Lowell Ward, Jr., passed away peacefully on June 15, 2021, from complications of heart disease. The Houston native was preceded in death by parents Judy and Charles Ward, Sr., as well as brother Jeffrey S. Ward, Sr. He leaves behind nephew, Jeffrey S. Ward, Jr., grandnephews Tyler, Mason and Braden, and longtime business ally, […]
Stan grew up spending summers at the Malibu Beach Club on Long Island, where he watched adults play gin rummy. His appetite for learning games was insatiable. As a young boy, he devoured books on poker, gin, bridge, and blackjack. He was allowed to run a poker game in the basement of his home, his […]
The Santa Barbara wine industry — and the wine world as a whole — lost one of its superstars when Jim Clendenen died over the weekend. He passed away at his home in Buellton, in his sleep. He was 68. Wine aficionados who did not know him personally certainly knew his wine, especially his flagship […]
Christina Murphy Allison died at Maravilla on August 22, 2018. Born in Brooklyn in 1939 and raised in Vancouver, B.C., she was a gifted soprano who trained in New York, claimed two Rockefeller grants, and sang with distinction with European opera companies for many years, including one memorable performance with Joan Sutherland. She came to […]
On a personal note, I remember Betty Stephens, a philanthropist and humanitarian, who has moved to more heavenly pastures at the age of 86. Betty, who came to our Eden by the Beach in 1969, would often invite me to her extravagant birthday bashes at the La Cumbre Country Club or her magnificent Hope Ranch […]
Karen Earp, manager of the Biltmore, hosted a media bash at the beachside hostelry’s Ty Lounge for local scribes to welcome the Four Seasons hotel’s re-opening after five months of closure due to the catastrophic mudslides in January. “It is so good to be back!” enthused Karen. “There was a lot of cosmetic damage, and […]
Popular Santa Barbara charity The Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation threw its first ever California Clam Bake at Stearns Wharf. The maritime masticatory moment, which was expected to raise $50,000, kicked off at the Natural History Museum’s Sea Center, with canapés by Miso Hungry, before moving to the Harbor Restaurant, a tiara’s toss away for a […]
On a personal note, I remember banking billionaire Matthew Mellon, who died in Cancun, Mexico, at the all-too-early age of 53, as he was about to enter a drug rehab facility. Matthew, whose aunt was Bunny Mellon, a good friend of the late Jackie Kennedy, admitted to a $100,000 a month OxyContin habit, which he […]
William “Bill” Presbury Patterson was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to John Hawkins and Katherine Keyes Patterson. He attended Roland Park School, Polytechnic High, and graduated from Lehigh University in 1937 with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. Married in 1937 to his next-door neighbor and childhood sweetheart, Bill and Virginia (“Ginny”) were blessed with a 75-year […]
