1970 Obituaries

Jamela Andonie Johnson

May 14, 1951 - January 6, 2000

Jamela died after a long battle with cancer. She was my best friend. We met in 8th grade at Horace Mann and remained friends through high school at Crawford. Shortly after graduation she left San Diego, eventually marrying, moving to Utah and raising a large family. She was a sweet girl and a wonderful woman. I miss her a lot. -- Roberta Goss Marino '70

Carol Arruda Watt

September 12, 1951 - September 20, 2003

My best friend in high school, who also graduated in 1970, was Carol Arruda. She married David Watt ‘71. David was in the Air Force and after getting out, they settled in Jefferson, GA. -- Sue Cleary Shive '70

  

Stephen Basko

August 28, 1952 - May 16, 2018

As a native San Diegan, Steve was loved by all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Charles Beardsley

April 1, 1951 – September 22, 2007

Bradley Blackman

December 31, 1951 – September 29, 2008

Brad passed away peacefully surrounded by his loved ones in Los Altos Hills after a courageous battle with cancer. He lived an entrepreneurial and multifaceted life, actively involved with his family and friends, business, government, and community. Brad will be forever remembered as a beloved husband to his wife Carla, a loving father to Mark, Brooke, and Jason, a compassionate son to his father Leonard, a caring brother to his sister Vivian, and a close friend to his brother-in-law Stan Nitzberg, his nephews Jacob and Levi Nitzberg, and Scott Lipton. He was predeceased by his mother Sylvia Rose Blackman and his sister Beverly Blackman Lipton '67

Douglas Brant

September 10, 1952 - July 4, 2020

Doug lived across from me on West Falls View Drive and attended Blessed Sacrament, Horace Mann and Crawford.  I recall many visits to the Helix theater for movies with Doug around 1965-66.  We liked slot cars back then too.  He was the fastest guy on the block running as well.  One guy down the street said he could run so fast because he had his own gasoline (Douglas gas stations) -- John Hermes ’70

Durwood Bruce

June 6, 1951 - January 2, 2001

  

Karon Cogdill

August 11, 1952 - August 31, 2022

Karon was a teacher and an artist of acting, mime, directing and photography. As a teacher she especially loved mentoring young artists and followed their careers with pride, no matter what field they ended up in.  She earned her BA at SUNY Fredonia in 1974 and her MFA at Trinity University at the Dallas Theatre Centre in 1979 under its legendary artistic director Paul Baker.  The first principal and artistic director of the Booker T. Washington School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Dr. Baker hired her as a consultant for the first year the school was open, in 1976-77. She served as Coordinator of the Theatre Conservatory at BTWSPVA from 2008 until she retired in 2021. She was well respected by teachers and students alike. Two theatre students from BTWSPVA were Presidential Scholars in the Arts - Asher Frankfurt and Emir Price - named and honored by the President of the United States. She earned national and local honors and awards herself, like Distinguished Teacher from the Commission of Presidential Scholar in the Arts and Master Teacher, the highest level in the Dallas Independent School District.

I was saddened to read about the death of my friend and classmate Karon Cogdill.  Karon was brilliant, kind, personable and very talented. We were in play productions together for three years and she was excellent in every role she played.  She also lived in my neighborhood and, even after we all got our drivers’ licenses, our neighborhood Walk To Crawford Group continued to walk and talk together until we all went our separate ways -- Ed Schoenberg '70

David Collins

March 25, 1952 - July 29, 2016

David passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. He was an iron worker for 32 years. He will always be greatly missed by his beloved wife, Linda; two sons; and four grandchildren. David touched the lives of many people with his kindness, generosity and friendship to all that knew him.

Jess "Bob" Colwell Jr

March 5, 1952 - December 10, 1999

My brother died from cancer. He is still very much missed by our family, especially me -- Cathy Colwell Anderson ’71

Charles Dillaha

July 28,1952 - May 19,1990

Melody Eulette Jones

March 6, 1952 - March 5, 2006

Melody passed into the Lord's hands March 5, 2006 at Denver Swedish Medical Center, one day before her 54th birthday. Melody was the beloved and loving wife of Cecil Jones for 35 glorious years, and the adored mother of Melissa Smith and April Johnson. Melody was also the proud and loving grandmother to Bailey Smith, Amanda and Abigail Johnson. Her tragic death brings great sadness as her caring and exemplary life brought great joy and love to all friends and family who truly knew her.

Fred John Friedman
(from the '69 Centaur)

May 21, 1952 - March 19, 2010

Fred passed away at Grossmont Hospital after valiantly battling cancer for over a year. He was born back east but moved with his family to Hewlett Drive, just west of San Diego State, in 1957. Fred attended Hardy Elementary, Horace Mann and Crawford before moving on to several colleges including SDSU and UCLA. He was both a CPA and an attorney, but for the last several decades until his illness, he ran the family-owned Royal Convalescent Hospital in Brawley, traveling there several times a week from his home in Del Cerro. His lifelong passion was music, and he was an accomplished guitar player. He is survived by his devoted wife Renee, who was at Fred's side during his entire illness, spending every one of well over 100 nights with him at Grossmont and Alvarado Hospitals, his sister Linda Friedman Levin ‘72,and his father, Tobias.

Cecilia Goodbody

March 31, 1951 - July 5, 2009

Cecilia was known for her poetry, her love of the Chargers (season ticket holder almost from the beginning) and the Monkees (a proud member of the Monkees Fan Club). She died suddenly and unexpectedly during surgery. She is survived by her parents Ed and Mary Goodbody, brothers Michael and Patrick and sister Anne Marie Goodbody Erlich -- Maureen Minogue Hall ‘77

Mary Gookin Hertager

August 19, 1952 - July 15, 1995

George Goules

September 1, 1952 – August 28, 2010

George passed away at his home from complications of lung cancer. He was born and raised in San Diego, and had worked at NASSCO for 34 years. He was preceded in death by his parents, Spyro "Sam" and Julia Goules, both of whom immigrated from Greece. He is survived by his son Timothy Helton, brother John and sister Connie.

Paul Governali Jr

My friend Paul died April 17, 2014 from natural causes.  He was buried May 30, 2014 at Holy Cross Cemetery not far from his father Paul Governali Sr, 1942 All-America quarterback and Heisman trophy runner-up -- John Hermes ’70

Claudia Denise Hanley

May 3, 1952 – July 5, 2007

Leslie Herrmann

February 3, 1952 - March 25, 2012

Christine Hoerger

January 1, 1952 - September 26, 1996

Daniel Hurwitz

Dan passed away April 26, 2022.  He lived in Portland, Oregon.  He was the Salutatorian for the Class of 1970.  He is survived by his twin sister Elaine Hurwitz Heber ’70 and brother William Hurwitz ’76.

James Kalleberg

April 13, 1952 - February 17, 2019

Kenneth “Kip” Kau

July 27-1952 – October 1973

Alice Komito

December 20, 1951 - September 2, 2013

Alice died from congestive heart failure.  She had many health challenges over the years, including several re-occurrences of Hodgkins disease, but was recently happy, healthy and enjoying a new romance.  Alice has two loving children, Jennifer Greene and Jonathan Berry. Alice was the front end of our beloved Colt mascot in 1969 and 1970. -- Holly Wolf Levin ’70

Charles "Chuck" Kull

November 26, 1951 - February 10, 2011

My brother passed away in his sleep. His favorite phrase, since he was four
years old was, "Hi, my name is Chuck. What's your name?" -- Jeff Kull '71

James Lindholm

August 9, 1952 - March 9, 2020

Debra Mathis

December 10, 1951 - March 11, 2018

After graduation Debbie moved to Atlanta, Georgia to be near the hub of our family. She was never married. She worked a variety of jobs, but her real passion was cake decorating and her dogs. She moved to South Carolina later in life to take care of our ill Mother and Aunt -- Ed Mathis ’66

George McGraw

March 27, 1952 - February 7, 2010

George was born in Lemon Grove, San Diego and died suddenly at his home with his wife by his side. Uncle is survived by his wife Monica and his two best friends and co-conspirators Martha and Margaret. George moved to Humboldt County from San Diego in 1973 to work with the Humboldt State Baseball program. George started working at Sears where he met many customers and co-workers. In 1982 George married Monica Baratti in their backyard. They were married July 16th 1983 because that was the only weekend that didn't have a softball tournament. In lieu of flowers please make a contribution to your local Little League Team. (Excerpted from Richard Marks' Samoa Softball blog)

  

Thomas Meza

June 25, 1952 - July 14, 2017

Tom was born in San Diego and was the oldest of seven children.  He graduated from Mesa College, obtained a Cosmetology License and then a Business Administration Degree. He was an accountant for Student Housing at San Diego State University.

Christopher Montello

February 22, 1952 -- April 16, 1993

Linda Parker Smith

Randy Peskin

September 3, 1952 - October 16, 2000

Randy died of an apparent heart attack at his home in Culver City. He built a career representing such athletes as Bob Golic, Reggie Theus, Kurt Rambis, Vlade Divac and Freddie Jones, actors Dennis Haskins and Joyce DeWitt, and such corporate clients as Raymond Weil and Harley Davidson cafe. He helped develop the television series "American Gladiators", produced numerous specials, and had sold several film and television concepts following a partnership with former "Cheers" star John Ratzenberger. In 1996 he joined B/W/R Public Relations to create a new division, B/W/R Sports, after spending a decade as founder of ProMar International, an advertising, marketing, promotions and merchandising firm. Survivors include his mother, Norma Peskin of San Diego; sister, Joyce Caballero of Fullerton; and brother, Harold Peskin of Escondido.

Brian Porcher
(No photo in annual)

March 21, 1953 - March 4, 1995

Gordon Posthumus

August 13, 1952 - November 2, 2007

Most Rev. Gordon Peter Posthumus was the Prior Provincial of the Order of the Reformed Catholic Church and led the St. John the Beloved Chapel in East Grand Rapids, Michigan. He served as the Church's Vicar of Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs and oversaw the development of new parish communities in the midwest. He was consecrated a bishop of the Church by the Most Rev. Phillip Zimmerman, the Presiding Archbishop of the Reformed Catholic Church, in 2006. In addition to his church work, he was employed as a computer consultant by Hart & Cooley in Holland, Michigan. In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son Gerrit Posthumus, his wife Tamera of Grand Rapids; brothers Bruce Posthumus ’66 of Wyoming and Hal Posthumus ’62 of California; and a sister, Mary Posthumus VanKampen ’59 of Colorado.

Hartwell Ragsdale

Skip passed away January 25, 2018.  He was a phenomenal drummer and member of the groups Power and Rising Sun.  He was the heart and soul of Hollis Gentry and Nathan East.  His father was founder of Ragsdale Mortuary, one of the largest funeral parlors in San Diego.  I am so sorry for this loss, as he officiated over the funerals of my grandmother, mother and sister.  This is a great loss as Hartwell was one of the most gregarious members of the Crawford alumni community.  When you were with him you always believed that you were the most important person in the world -- Bruce Hanley

Ron Roche

July 13, 1952 - November 16, 2016

 

Rose Anna Sardo Floquet

Passed away August 7, 2023

Jeff Smith

February 25, 1952 - February 20, 2013

I regret to relay the news of the passing of my good friend Jeff. He had been living in Sacramento for the past 10 years or so, with wife Kathy, daughter Grace, and son Todd. Tentative plans are for a memorial in San Diego, some time in March.

Randy Smith

October 15, 1951 – July 3, 2010

Randy passed away at home in the presence of his family. Randy started his own company in 1975, eventually to become RMS Builders, Inc., and in later years also worked as a superintendent for other construction companies.

Lynne Snyder Jungk

June 7, 1951 - November 27, 1993

Lynne was born and raised in San Diego. She lived in the Rolando area until we were married in 1972. After graduating from Crawford she worked for what was then Crocker Bank for a number of years. When Jeffrey was born in 1976 she became a stay-at-home Mom. We were blessed with Adam in 1984. Lynne's life revolved around her family and a few close friends and I don't think she would have ever wished for anything more. We enjoyed a number of road and camping trips before and after the boys were born and were able to take several trips to England and Scotland to visit relatives on my side of the family. In addition to our two sons, Lynne is survived by her sister Debra Snyder Ramm ’70 -- Ralph Jungk ’66

Alfred Torres

Passed away December 6, 2011

  

Tony Vergara

January 8, 1952 - March 18, 2022

Tony died from complications following an Aortic Aneurysm Repair.  Tony graduated from Grossmont College with an AA degree in Biomedical Technology.  He was a life-long learner who advanced in his career with Hewlett Packard/Agilent/Phillips Medical Systems, where he held many roles, including Customer Engineer, Solution Architect, and Senior Technical Consultant.  At the end of his career, he was a National Manager for the Medical Products Division. Many colleagues have recognized him for being the best in the field.  Tony was an Eagle Scout who loved mentoring his son, nephew, and great-nephews into the Eagle Rank.   He had a servant's heart. He worked quietly, without the desire for recognition, doing things that would make life easier for people. These activities included: Scouting, Youth activities, rebuilding homes after Hurricane Katrina, being a super donor at the San Diego Blood Bank, packaging food for third world countries, volunteering at Palomar Hospital, and numerous Faith-Based programs, including Operation Christmas Child. He cherished the opportunity to serve his family in any way: making coffee, washing dishes, remodeling, and repairing the home, and being a faithful husband, father, and grandfather.

Pamela Wayne Grubb

May 29, 1952 - December 29, 2006

Pamela was born in San Diego, California. She dedicated her life to the service of others through nursing and the field of health care. Pam was a loving Mother to Erika, Wife to Carl, Daughter to Roy and Gail and Sister to Rex and Lance. Pam received her Associates of Arts in Nursing from Grossmont College in 1973. In 1980 she went on to receive her Bachelors in Health

Linda Zawacki

September 1952 - June 7, 2014

Linda was born in Chicago and moved to San Diego when she was 13. After high school Linda served four years in the Air Force to help pay for her college degree.  She graduated from California Polytechnic Institute with a degree in mathematics and engineering.  After college she was hired by Martin Marietta in Lompoc, CA, as a software engineer on NASA’s space shuttle program.  In 1984 she moved to northern Virginia to work on the company’s FAA contract.    She finished her career with Lockheed Martin as a VP and project manager in April of 2008, receiving many awards along the way. She will be especially missed by her spouse and partner of 28 years, Carol Lefevre.