Contra Costa Gazette
April 2, 1970Martinez - Leroy W. Beede, former president of Bank of Martinez, died yesterday. He was 87.
The son of Contra Costa County pioneers, the late Mr. and Mrs. Henry F. Beede of Antioch, Mr. Beede first entered the banking business in Marin County in 1910. In 1918 he came to Martinez as the first assistant cashier at the old First National Bank, now Martinez branch of Wells Fargo Bank.
In 1940 he moved to the Bank of Martinez where he served as president until it was taken over by the Bank of California. Mr. Beede served as vice president for the Bank of California Martinez branch, He retired Jan. 1, 1953.
Mr. Beede was a 50 year member of the Masonic Lodge of Antioch, the Royal Arch Masons and the Eastern Star. He also was a former Martinez school board member.
He is survived by his widow Winifred Bassett of Martinez, and three daughters, Mrs. Winifred Van Orden of Martinez, Mrs. Carol Milne of Palm Springs and Mrs. Margaret A. Frishholtz of Seattle.
Mr. Beede also leaves a brother, Ralph of Antioch; two sisters, Mrs. Nellie Kelly of Antioch and Mrs. Ramona Cortner of Oakland, six grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
Alameda Times-Star
July 9, 2005JOHN J. CORTNER 1917 - 2005 - Passed away peacefully on July 1, 2005, with his loving wife of 59 years, Lillian, by his side.
A longtime resident of Fremont, John spent his working life with Glenmore Homes, continuing to stop by their offices until the very end.
John is survived by his wife, Lillian and daughters, Lisa (Doug) Hall and Sallie (Phil Hunter) and grandsons, Jake (Jessica) Ballweber and Aaron Ballweber.
John was a graduate of Cal Berkeley and served in the U.S. Army during World War II in the South Pacific for four years. He was an avid gardener and accomplished woodworker/craftsman and a serious boating enthusiast his entire life. He was a true gentleman and a friend to all. He will be greatly missed by everyone whose life he touched.
San Francisco Chronicle
April 28, 2019Cathryn June Brash
June 26, 1926 March 9, 2019Resident of San Francisco Cathryn "Cathy" Brash, a life long resident of San Francisco, after battling an internal infection and severe chronic health conditions, succumbed on March 9, 2019 at Saint Mary's Medical Center while being supported by family, friends, and a valiant medical staff at the age of 92 years.
Cathy was born June 26, 1926 in San Francisco to Cedric Brash and Elsie (True) Brash along with her identical twin sister Corinne.
She and her sister were raised with their older brother William "Bill" Brash during the Depression in Alameda with her mother and revered Aunts Harriet (Sigrist) and Dagmar (Rothwell) before returning to San Francisco to attend Lowell High School (1943), Lone Mountain (USF) College (1947) and the University of California, Berkeley (1958). All predeceasing her in death. She earned her teaching credential beginning her long career in the San Francisco Unified School District starting at Francis Scott Key Elementary School before finishing many decades as an English Literature teacher and Guidance Counsellor at Lowell High School, her Alma Mater. In addition, she concurrently taught evening English Literature courses at the University of San Francisco.
Family, close friends and their families, and her Catholic faith were the center of Cathy's life. She is survived forever in loving memory by nephews Ramsay Mashy (Ronda), James Mahshi (Rena), William Mashy (Cathy), nieces Cathryn Mary Mashy, and Christine Mashy, as well as brother in law George Mashy (Corinne), and by many grand nephews and grandnieces.
Cathy led her life with gusto and gallantry. Her favourite delights in life were family heritage; English Literature as distinguished by her many trips to Great Britain and Ireland; the Arts and Sciences as featured in her trips to London's legendary theatres, life long season ticket holder to the San Francisco Opera and Symphony companies, California Academy of Sciences, and Smithsonian Institute; language as represented in long held studies in Latin and her Latin Club; her Lowell Alumni (Lowell Alumni Association Board Director Emeritus); Catholic Liturgy; sports as an avid San Francisco Seals (baseball), Giants and 49ers as well as the Warriors, USF Dons, and Lowell High School Cardinals; and her pet dogs (Brigadoon and Penny).
U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010
Name: Merrill Haskell
Birth Date: 6 Feb 1892
Death Date: 10 Nov 1988
Cause of Death: Natural
SSN: 005146626
Branch 1: NAVY
Enlistment Date 1: 3 May 1917
Release Date 1: 28 Dec 1918
____
Maine, Military Index, 1917-1920
Name: Merrill Haskell
Birth Date: 6 Feb 1892
Birth Place: Portland, Maine, USA
Military Roster: Roster~Coast Guard
Serial Number: Ens Prov
Residence Place: Portland
Comments: Enrolled: USNRF New York City, May 3/17. Sea 2c; CQM. Served at: Naval Aviation Det Mass Institute of Technology Cambridge Mass Oct. 9/17 to Apr. 13/18; Naval Aviation Det Akron Ohio Apr. 13/18 to June 3/18. Aptd: Ensign Prov May 25/18. Record of Serv: June 4/18 to duty US Naval Aviation Det Akron Ohio; June 7/18 Det Naval Aviation Det Akron Ohio to Naval Air Sta Chatham Mass; Aug. 3/18 Det Naval Air Sta Chatham Mass to Naval Air Sta Rockaway LI NY; Oct. 15/18 Det Rockaway LI NY to Naval Air Sta Pensacola Fla. Inactive duty Naval Air Sta Pensacola Fla: Dec. 28, 1918.
____
U.S., Navy and Marine Corps Registries, 1814-1992
Name: Merril Haskell
Military Year: 1918
Military Country: USA
Rank: Ens
Ship or Station: Rf 1St Naval Dist, naval air Sta, Chntham, Mass (Instrn)
Maine Sunday Telegram (Portland, ME)
January 12, 2025NEW GLOUCESTER - Owen Haskell, 96, of New Gloucester, Maine, passed away at Strawberry Meadows Farm with his family by his side on Dec. 26, 2024.
Owen was born on Sept. 8, 1928, in Portland, to Merrill and Grace Ware (Holbrook) Haskell, who lived at Gilman Manse on Route 88, Yarmouth, Maine. As a child he attended multiple schools including Waynflete, Underwood School, and Eaglebrook School, spending the summers at Camp Timanous in Raymond. He graduated high school from Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., in 1946 and continued on to college at Yale University graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Civil Engineering in 1950.
His career started in Corvallis, Ore. working for Cornell, Hayes and Merryfield Consulting Engineers, but he was soon drafted into the U.S. Army and stationed at Fort Ord, Calif. and Fort Eustis, Va. He was honorably discharged as a Korean War Veteran in January 1952. After the Army, he returned to Maine where he worked in the construction field for Sanders Construction Corporation (1953-62) and Fred I. Merrill Construction (1962-64) which included several interesting projects: a dam on the Androscoggin River in Berlin, N.H.; Mason Station Unit 5 in Wiscasset; Wyman Station on Cousin's Island in Yarmouth; the first electrically heated high school in Maine located in Bucksport; and the broadcast tower in Raymond which was the world's tallest architectural structure at the time. In 1964 he founded Owen Haskell, Inc. Land Surveyors working as a land surveyor and civil engineer until he retired in 1989. Noteworthy projects he completed while in private practice include surveying for Jordan Marsh at the Maine Mall (1968-70), survey layout for Portland Jetport runway expansions (1967- 1980's), layout for the Cumberland County Civic Center in 1975-76, and layout for the I-95 expansion between Millinocket and Houlton (1977-78). Owen Haskell, Inc. Surveyors remains in business today and is based in Falmouth.
Owen was an expert outdoorsman and enjoyed hiking, mountain biking, cross country skiing, camping, canoeing, and fly fishing. He took many canoe trips with his family and friends to the Allagash and St. John Rivers between 1940-1990. Owen was inspired by his Great Uncle William Brooks Cabot, who explored Labrador and documented his adventures in the book In Northern Labrador (1912), making four canoe trips to Labrador between 1989-92. He introduced the outdoors to his children taking them on hikes in the White Mountains and numerous "blueberry expeditions" on the Baldface Circle Trail in Evans Notch. Other memorable trips included Isle Au Haut with his wife Jean in 1974, Mt. Jefferson with his wife Beryl in 1991, and a week in the Wind River Range, Wyoming with his son Will in 1982.
Owen was an avid skier from age-4 into his 70's. He learned ski jumping at age 11, was a member of the Yale downhill ski team from 1949-50, was a member of the Sugarloaf Ski Club, and competed in downhill and slalom races between 1953-58. In 1984 he started competitive cross-country skiing and participated in citizen races throughout New England until 2005. He also raced in five World Masters competitions, highlighted by a third-place finish in the 70-75 age group at the 1999 World Masters in Grindelwald, Switzerland.
In 1971, Owen and his family moved from South Freeport to Strawberry Meadows Farm in New Gloucester, adding farming chores to his daily work. Every summer two or more weeks were dedicated to cutting and baling hay for the animals. Owen also planted a large vegetable garden and many battles were waged against the critters that liked the garden as much as he did.
Elaborate flashing light systems, electric fences, radios, and even sleeping out next to the sweet corn patch were some of the methods he employed to try and save the sweet corn from the racoons. In 1991 Owen designed and constructed a timber framed barn using a handmade gin pole to lift the beams into position. His timber frame barn housed a woodshop where he made many projects that are cherished by his friends and family.
Owen was predeceased by his sister, Lucy Brooks Haskell (d. 2006), three spouses, Suzanne King Chatellier (d. 1961), Jean Elise (Ackerman) Schwarz (d. 1980), and Beryl Louise (Oliver) Manson (d. 2010), his daughter Willow Ann Schwarz (d. 2017), and most recently his grandson Herb M. Hyder (d. 2024). He is survived by two daughters, Amy L. Schwarz of Valemount, British Columbia, Canada and Margaret M. Haskell of New Gloucester; his son and daughter-in-law, William C. and Veronica M. Haskell of Raymond; his three grandsons, Ray O. Hyder and Joseph J.A. Hyder of British Columbia, Canada, and Jack C. Haskell of Biddeford; and a niece and three nephews.His friends describe Owen as resilient, kind, respected, stoic, independent, generous, and smart. The family expresses their gratitude to his many neighbors who would stop in to say hello and visit, and especially to Tim and Marie Reimensnyder who assisted Owen with many projects around the farm and invited him to dinner on many occasions. The family expresses heartfelt thanks to Tim Reimensnyder and Sandy Crowell who provided part-time home health care during the past year, and to Barb Ames for cooking Saturday night suppers for many years.
Sun-Journal (Lewiston, ME)
December 29, 2010FALMOUTH - Beryl Louise Haskell, 77, died Dec. 26, at Sedgewood Commons, surrounded by her family.
She was born Jan. 6, 1933, in Orange, N.J., the daughter of William and Marguerite (Harris) Oliver. She grew up in Livingston, N.J., graduating from Orange High School in 1951. Beryl went on to graduate from the University of Vermont, with a degree in zoology in 1955, and was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority.
In 1955, she married Dan Wells Manson of Grosse Point, Mich., moving to Appleton, Wis., then to Saffle, Sweden in 1958. While living in Sweden, she visited England, Norway and Denmark, returning to the United States to live in Maine in 1960, where she has been a resident for the majority of her life. On Jan. 8, 1993, she married Owen Haskell in the living room of Strawberry Meadows Farm in New Gloucester.
She enjoyed traveling, making trips to Germany and France. Following her marriage to Owen Haskell, she traveled to Switzerland and Italy to support Owen as he competed in the World Cup Seniors cross-country races. The trip to Switzerland required the racers and support teams to helicopter into the race area because the roads were impassable. Beryl also made two special trips with her sister, Judy, one to visit her niece, Jill Boynton in Prague, Czech Republic the other a trip sponsored by Vermont Public Radio to Brussels, Amsterdam and London focusing on live performances of classical music and opera.
Beryl loved the outdoors, especially hiking, completing all the Presidential peaks in the White Mountains, most of the major peaks in the Adirondacks, as well as the Carter and Mahoosuc Ranges of Maine. She canoed the complete Allagash Wilderness Waterway. She was an avid cross-country skier too. In 1991, she and Owen took the train to Sept Îles, Labrador, Canada, where the train only comes once a week, to go bushwhacking and canoeing with only compass and map.
Beginning as a small child, she spent summers in Lake Placid, N.Y. at Camp Undercliff, a summer music camp run by her parents. Later when Camp Undercliff was converted to a family camp, it still remained her favorite place on earth. She worked as an educator and librarian: developing an educational business called Ergo, to support teacher's ability to provide enrichment education in regular classroom settings. She co-owned a catering business called Butter and Eggs in the 1980s. She was a member of Karen Miller's Aerobic Dance Team for 10 years, performing at assisted and senior housing in the Greater Portland area until her health declined.
She is survived by her husband of 17 years, Owen Haskell of New Gloucester; daughters, Jean Manson Waite and husband, Gregory, of Bethel, Elizabeth Anne Manson of Brunswick and Katherine Manson Webster, M.D. and husband, Currin, of Cumberland; stepchildren, Willow Schwarz of Woolwich, Margaret Haskell of Brunswick, Amy Schwarz of Canada, and William Haskell of Raymond; she was the much beloved Nana of Charlotte and Jason Ridlon and Lea Webster; and the great-grammie of Abygail and Ashleigh; she is also survived by her life-long best friend and sister, Judith Oliver Boynton of Keene, N.H.; her stepmother, Frances Lynch Oliver; stepsister, Sandra Oliver; stepbrother, Jeffery Oliver, all of Bloomington, N.Y., and William Oliver Jr. and wife, Denise, of New Jersey; and cousin, Sue Anne Smith of Los Gatos, Calif.
She was predeceased by her parents, William and Marguerite Oliver.
The San Diego Union-Tribune (CA)
December 11, 1997When Dr. Roland Graeme Brown retired in 1989 as a general surgeon at Kaiser Foundation Hospital, he was no more anxious to leave than the medical staff was to see him go.
"He didn't want to give up his patients," recalled Dr. Maurice Alfaro, medical director at Kaiser. "And he was so well-liked, we didn't want to see him leave."
So Dr. Brown spent the next five years as a part-time surgeon at Kaiser. Not until 1994 did he finish a medical career that spanned 50 years.
He was 75 when he died of cancer Dec. 4 in his Spring Valley home.
Dr. Brown joined Kaiser in San Diego as a general surgeon in the mid-'70s, leaving a vascular surgery practice he had shared with another San Diego physician for 17 years.
"His partner died of a heart attack," said his wife, Lillian, "and (Dr. Brown) decided not to continue the practice."
During his 37 years of medical practice in San Diego, Dr. Brown served as an assistant clinical professor at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and was president in 1968 of the Society of General Surgeons.
He also was active in the San Diego historical and zoological societies and the San Diego Aerospace Museum.
Dr. Brown began his medical career in the Army in 1944 after graduating from Amherst College in Massachusetts.
He was trained as a surgical technician at Walter Reed Army Hospital, then was assigned to a general hospital unit in northern France, where he treated German and American patients wounded in World War II.
After his discharge from active duty in 1946, Dr. Brown completed his medical studies at the University of Minnesota.
He served an internship at County General Hospital in Los Angeles, then became a resident in general surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where his father, Donald H. Brown, was investment manager.
Dr. Brown moved in 1955 to San Diego and entered his vascular surgery partnership two years later.
His hobbies included following the San Diego Chargers, tennis, boogie boarding, skiing and sailing.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by a daughter, Bonnie Sabb of San Diego; three sons, Tom Brown of Santa Monica, Stephen Brown of San Diego and Timothy Brown of Rose Hill, Kan.; two stepchildren, Melony Schroh of Monterey and Jason Parker of El Cajon; a sister, Alison Buhr of Denver; and four grandchildren.
72656. George Ellingwood Donnell
The Long-Islander
July 4, 1957George E. Donnell who owned the Northport Hardware store on Main St. in that village, died in the Physicians Hospital, Jackson Heights, June 27.
His wife, the former Sylvia Snowden ; passed away last December after an illness for many months.
The deceased was born in Northport on September 23, 1896. the son of Harry E. Donnell and Ruth Robinson Donnell, and had lived at Eatons Neck all his life.
Surviving are his father, Harry E. Donnell, a sister, Mrs. Sarah D. Ward, and two brothers, Arthur and Richard.
The Long-Islander
January 3, 1957Sylvia Donnell died December 28th in the Nursing Home in Centerport after a lingering illness. She was born Feb. 19, 1905 in Maine. For many years she lived on Eatons Neck Road, Northport, and was an energetic worker for Community causes.
She is survived by her husband, George B. Donnell, and her parents, George S. and Charlotte Sumner; two sisters, Mrs. Ralph O. Born and Mrs. Charles Buchanan, of California.