Archived Obituaries

In loving memory of Betty Mae Messier, preceded in death by her husband, Edmund, married for 53 years. Mother of Barbara Collins and son-in-law Patrick of San Jose; Brian and daughter-in-law Patricia of El Dorado Hills; Michael and daughter-in-law Trina of Tucson, Arizona; and Krsi Morton and son-in-law Phil of Morgan Hill. Grandmother of Paul, Emily, Marc, Jeff and Arthur; and great-grandmother of Ethan. Devoted owner of "Joey" and "Alfie". Betty was born in Oshkosh, WI, and recently relocated back to Morgan Hill after being in Amador County for 20 years. She was active in the Amador County Ladies Auxiliary for many years. Betty will be remembered for her artistic qualities, love of gardening, shopping, and her unconditional love. We will miss her forever!

Wanda Styron of San Juan Bautista, cultural and political activist and real estate sales representative, died on Tuesday, April 17, at the San Jose Medical Center, from injuries sustained in an auto accident on Wednesday, April 11, 2007. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, April 22, at 2:00 P.M. at the Grunnagle-Ament-Nelson Funeral Home in Hollister.

Geoffrey Raymond (Geoff) Cooke was born in Nottingham, England. He and his family immigrated to the USA in 1959. Geoff died from a massive stroke on April 18, 2007. Agnes, Geoff's wife of 60 years, their sons; Ian, Bob and Glen, their wives; Ivanowa and Bertie, were with him when he passed.

Wanda L. Styron of San Juan Bautista passed away Tuesday in San Jose. A full obituary will appear in the newspapers later in the week. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Grunnagle-Ament-Nelson Funeral Home.

Norabelle Wright of Salinas passed away on April 12, 2007. She was 99 years of age at the time of her death. She was born on March 3, 1908 to Jerry Wright and Grace Braden Wright. Norabelle was a native of Hollister, CA..

Surrounded by his family, Tad peacefully passed away on April 16, 2007 following a brief illness. Tad moved to Gilroy with his family in 1967, and attended local schools. He was a member of Gilroy High School, class of 1970. He moved to Tracy, CA in 1984, where he was an ironworker. Tad is survived by his 5 children, Jami Wilson of Davis, Lyle Wilson, Morgan Wilson, Zoee Wilson and Lucas Wilson, all of Tracy.

Louise T. McDonald died in Hollister on April 16, 2007. She was born in Tres Pinos, CA and lived in San Benito County most of her life.

Walter L. Rabenorth passed away at the age of 79 on Wednesday morning at his home in Hollister. A full obituary will appear in Thursday's newspapers. Arrangements are under the direction of Grunnagle-Ament-Nelson Funeral Home

Jose E. "Gordy" Rodriguez, Jr., on April 13, 2007 in Phoenix, Arizona, our beloved brother entered into a life of eternal peace. Gordy is survived by his two daughters; Maryanne Rodriguez of San Diego, CA and Stephanie Rodriguez of Modesto, CA. He was the only son of Jose & Maria Rodriguez of Gilroy. He was the grandson of Elisa Benavidez of Hollister, brother of Rose Mejia and Rachel Rodriguez, both of Gilroy, loving uncle of Nicholas Saldana, Juan Moreno, Samantha Moreno, Marky Mejia and Michaela Sanchez. He was a proud native of Gilroy. He joined the Army National Guard at the young age of 17. Gordy was a well accomplished tattoo artist as well as a machinist. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Preceded in death his grandparents; Sabino Benavidez, Jose E. Rodriguez Sr., and Guadalupe Rodriguez; and his cousins; Pete Benavidez & Efrain Rodriguez.

Passed away Saturday, April 14, 2007 in a hospital in Redwood City, CA. She was the wife of Alvireno Martinez of Gilroy, mother of Elizabeth Martinez and Sonia Rodriguez, both of Gilroy, and Corina DeLeon (Andrew) of Hollister, grandmother of Frank Espinoza (Audrey), Alex Espinoza, Ruby Dimas (Raul), Emily Reyes, Jenevieve Ramos (Wally), Robert Aguirre, Gabriella Lopez, Joshua Badillo, Jesse Badillo (Sara) and Dora Sanchez (Edi), great-grandmother of 27.