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Services were this week for electrical engineer and designer Alex “Max” Guevara, 33, who died Oct. 27 in Modesto.

Born in French Camp, Mr. Guevara lived in Lathrop most of his life before moving to Modesto five years ago. He worked for Medical Vision Industries Inc. and was instrumental, start to finish, in the design and engineering of the Liteport, a tool used to illuminate the inside of the body cavity during surgeries. He was master designer of the Headlight, a battery-operated tool for surgeons, and a few weeks ago completed a prototype of a smaller Mini Headlight. Co-worker Matt Macht described him as a genius, brilliant in their field of design, creativity and engineering.

Outside of work, Mr. Guevara enjoyed spending time in the outdoors, camping, fishing and hunting. He loved music and was the life of a party. He loved his truck. He also enjoyed working on projects, taking things apart and putting them back together.

The godfather of many beloved children, he lived life to the fullest and helped others whenever he could. He will be remembered with a warm smile on his face, full of love for his family and friends.

Mr. Guevara is survived by his mother, Martha Guevara of Lathrop; siblings, Juan Guevara, and his wife, Valerie, and Maria “Lupe” Guevara-Lozano, and her husband, Joe Lozano, all of Lathrop, Marco Guevara, and his wife, Leticia, and Jorge Guevara, and his wife, Dolores, all of Manteca, Daniel Guevara of Tracy and Michael and Brenda Gonzalez of Lathrop; 16 nieces and nephews, Mimi, Sophia, Juan Jr. “Fats,” Diana, Santino “Tino,” Melina “Mina,” Marrisa “Tunie,” David, Marco, Mateo, Aneesa, Dominique “Gorda,” Mia “Lola,” Jorge “Nicko” and Nathaniel “Nate”; and a great-niece, Aylise.

He was preceded in death by his father, Juan Guevara, who died in 1988.

Services were Monday, Nov. 5, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Lathrop. Burial was in Tracy Cemetery, 600 E. Schulte Ave., in Tracy. P.L. Fry & Son Funeral Home of Manteca handled arrangements.

Memorial contributions in Mr. Guevara’s name may be sent to Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel, 16200 S. Cambridge Drive, Lathrop 95330.

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Bernice Smith
Jan. 22, 1915 — Nov. 2, 2007

 A graveside service will be Saturday, Nov. 10, for longtime Manteca resident Bernice Smith, 92, who died Nov. 2 in Manteca.

Born in Los Angeles to Shelah and Anna Rains, Mrs. Smith lived in Manteca for half a century. She enjoyed being a homemaker and gardening, and she cherished her family above all else.

Mrs. Smith is survived by 16 nieces and 12 nephews.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 46 years, Roy Smith; siblings, Evelyn Wilson, Roberts Rains and Helen Pasaro; and a niece, Ginger Lange.

Saturday’s service will begin at 3 p.m. at Park View Cemetery, 3661 French Camp Road, in Manteca.

Memorial contributions in Mrs. Smith’s name may be sent to the Community Hospice of Modesto, 4368 Spyres Way, Modesto 95356.

Mario Jimenz Chavez Sr.

Mario Jimenez Chavez Sr., 55, of Manteca, a tow truck driver for Vern’s Towing, died Nov. 1 in Manteca. Services were Wednesday, Nov. 7, at First Baptist Church, 715 E. North St., in Manteca. Burial was in East Union Cemetery. Cano Funeral Home in Stockton handled arrangements.

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Services were Oct. 18 for Homer Ross Hilburn, 81, who died Oct. 12 after a brief battle with lung cancer.
Born in Tulsa, Okla., to Merman and Myrtle Hilburn, Mr. Hilburn moved to Manteca in the early 1950s with his wife, Bettejean, and their two young daughters.

He worked as an inspector at Sharpe Army Depot in Lathrop, and at home, he was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was a life member of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry.

He was an avid bowler and fisherman, a talented pool player and a card shark who never turned down a friendly game of cribbage.

Mr. Hilburn is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Bettejean Hilburn; daughters, Elizabeth Elaine Richey, and her husband, Steve, Marilynne Kay Stone, and her husband, Ken, and Patricia Pappentus, and her husband, Tom; granddaughter, Sarah Renee Perry, and her husband, Benjamin, and two other grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and all six of his siblings.

Services for Mr. Hilburn were conducted at Park View Memorial Chapel, 3661 E. French Camp Road, in Manteca.

Memorial contributions in Mr. Hilburn’s name may be sent to his favorite charity, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

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Joanne Medeiros
April 29, 1948 — Oct. 25, 2007

Services will be today, Nov. 2, for homemaker Joanne Medeiros, 59, who died Oct. 25 surrounded by family at her Manteca home.

Mrs. Medeiros was born to Earl and Mercedes Taylor in Inglewood. She was raised in Pleasanton and lived in Tracy five years before spending most of her adult life in Manteca.

Mrs. Medeiros was a homemaker who took great joy in being the best wife, mother, and “Nana” for her family. She knew how to make people laugh and always welcomed everyone to her home. A born planner, she loved organizing lists and getting people together for a party or a group trip.

She spent her life taking care of her loved ones, and in return, she saw an outpouring of love and care from her family and friends in her final days.

Mrs. Medeiros is survived by her children, Debbie Sousa, and her husband, Fernando, and Mike Parker, and his wife, Tona, all of Modesto; siblings, Earl Taylor of Atascadero and Jeff Taylor of Washington; grandchildren, Steven Mattos, Nichole Parker, Garrett Mendoza, Garrett Parker, Jessica Parker and Meghan Parker.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Earl and Mercedes Taylor, and brother Rick Taylor.

Today’s service will begin at 11 a.m. at P.L. Fry & Son Funeral Home, 290 N. Union Road, in Manteca. Burial will be private in St. John’s Catholic Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mrs. Medeiros name may be sent to Community Hospice of Modesto, 4368 Spyres Way, Modesto 95356.

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Marge Abbott
May 12, 1923 — Oct. 21, 2007

Services were this week for travel enthusiast Marge Abbott, 84, who died Sunday, Oct. 21, at Doctors Hospital in Manteca.

Mrs. Abbott was born to Charles and Mollie Lauderbaugh in Charleroi, Penn., and went on to live in Manteca 45 years. After graduating from high school in 1942, she joined the U.S. Marine Corps and was stationed at Camp Pendleton during World War II. She married U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Albert Abbott on Dec. 23, 1944. After serving on Treasure Island in San Francisco, her husband retired from the military in 1956, and the couple moved to Manteca.

In Manteca, Mrs. Abbott worked for Sadies Styling Salon for 10 years and then was a lab technician at Spreckles Sugar Plant for five years. After her husband died in 1973, she toured Europe for two months. She lived in Virginia and worked at the Pentagon for two years before returning to the West Coast and taking a job as housemother at the University of the Pacific Tri-Delta Sorority. She later moved to San Diego, where she worked as a housemother at San Diego State, and then Santa Cruz where she lived with her daughter, Linda Bartolo, and her husband, Don, and worked for Wapples Pharmacy.

In 2004, she returned to Manteca and took up residence with her granddaughter, Lauri Vidal, and her husband, Jose. In one of her last excursions, Mrs. Abbott enjoyed an Alaskan cruise with other Manteca seniors in May 2006, where she and her friends won their first pinochle tournament.

She will be remembered as a woman who treasured her family and loved life.

Mrs. Abbott is survived by her children, Barbara Brown, and her husband, Ralph, and Don Abbott, all of Utah, Jerry Abbott, and his wife, Carolyn, of Stockton and Linda Bartolo, and her husband, Don, of Palm Springs; sister, Grace Meikle of Charleroi; 21 grandchildren; and 37 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Albert H. Abbott; brothers, Jerome Lauderbaugh and Roy Lauderbaugh; and a sister, Eleanor Eatinger.

Services for Mrs. Abbott were Thursday, Oct. 25, at P.L. Fry and Son Funeral Home, 290 N. Union Road, in Manteca. Burial will be in Park View Cemetery in Manteca at a later date.

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Francis ‘Mike’ Bauman
April 10, 1956 — Oct. 20, 2007

Services will be Saturday, Oct. 27, for truck driver Francis “Mike” Bauman, 51, who died Oct. 20 at his Manteca home.

Born in Beloit, Wis., Mr. Bauman lived in Manteca for 30 years. He worked more than three decades as a truck driver for various companies, most recently driving for NFI of New Jersey. He loved his job and took great pride in it.

He also enjoyed playing darts and billiards, fishing and having barbecues. He was an avid NASCAR fan and loved watching the San Francisco 49ers.

Mr. Bauman was always there for anyone who needed him, doing favors for friends and family without question. His daughter was by far the most important thing in his life; he loved her unconditionally. Family members say he will be remembered as a great friend, a loving husband and a wonderful father and will be deeply missed.

He is survived by his wife of one year, Barbara Bauman of Manteca; parents, Francis and Norma Bauman of Sacramento; daughter, Alexandria Bauman of Manteca; stepdaughter, Breena Luber of Manteca; sister, Chris Valley of Orangeville; goddaughter, Kristy Kennedy of Sacramento; best friend, Dusty Miller, and his wife, Janna, and their children, all of Manteca; and close friend, Debbie Riegle of Manteca.

Saturday’s services will begin at noon at P.L. Fry and Son Funeral Home, 290 N. Union Road, in Manteca. Burial will be in East Union Cemetery, 1035 N. Union Road.

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Trena Griffin Kelley
March 14, 1921 — Oct. 21, 2007

A celebration of life service will be today, Oct. 26, for former Manteca mayor Trena Griffin Kelley, 86, who died Sunday, Oct. 21.

Mrs. Kelley was raised in north Texas and lived most of her adult life in California. She lived 14 years in the Sierra Nevada foothills community of Fricot Ranch School before moving to Manteca in 1966. She lived the past six years at New Hope Care Center in Tracy because of a long illness.

A former councilwoman and mayor of Manteca, Mrs. Kelley was widely known for her civic and charitable activities. She was particularly active on behalf of senior citizens and children. A woman of faith, she was for many years a member of Sequoia Heights Baptist Church in Manteca. She will be remembered as a great woman, wife, mother, grandmother, citizen and human being and will be deeply missed by those who knew and loved her.

Mrs. Kelley is survived by her husband of 61 years, Jack Kelley; children, Dan Bruton of Dimmit, Texas, Miles Kelley and Lori Tubbs, both of Manteca, Kalleen Corley of Oceano, Kathleen Skudstad of Grants Pass, Ore.; siblings, Reba Kinnison of Tracy, Kelley McCabe of Oklahoma and Mary Braddock, Jim Griffin and Jay Griffin, all of Texas; 14 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Her parents, Hugh and Ruth Griffin, and her brothers, Bud Griffin and Floyd Ray Griffin, preceded her in death.
Today’s memorial will begin at 11 a.m. at Sequoia Heights Baptist Church, 1050 S. Union Road, in Manteca. Burial will be private.

Contributions in Mrs. Kelley’s name may be sent to New Hope Care Center’s Trena Kelley Memorial Fund, 2686 Buthmann Ave., Tracy 95376.

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Joy Frances Reyna
April 5, 1943 — Oct. 22, 2007

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated today, Oct. 26, for homemaker Joy Frances Reyna, 64, who died Monday, Oct. 22, at Doctors Hospital in Manteca.

Born in Crawley, Mrs. Reyna lived in Manteca for 30 years. She enjoyed cooking and spending time with friends and family. She loved her grandchildren dearly and enjoyed attending their football games. She also loved the ocean and picked wild blackberries in Coos Bay, Ore., which she canned for her children.

Mrs. Reyna is survived by her husband of 45 years, Richard Reyna Jr.; mother, Clara Marie Villadores of Stockton; children, Richard Reyna III, and his wife, Danielle, and Eddie Reyna, all of Manteca, and Loretta Bertao, and her husband, John, of Valley Home; two sisters; two brothers; and grandchildren, Ashlyn and Bailey Bertao.

Her father, Eddie Villadores, and sister, Elizabeth Jones, preceded her in death.

Today’s Mass will begin at 1:30 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 19399 E. Highway 120, in Ripon. Burial will be in St. John’s Catholic Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mrs. Reyna’s name may be sent to the St. Patrick’s Catholic Church New Construction Fund, 19399 E. Highway 120, Ripon 95366.

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Nick Alves

Aug. 5, 1962 — Oct. 14, 2007

Services will be observed Saturday, Oct. 20, for sports fan Nick Alves, 45, who died Saturday, Oct. 14, in Manteca.

Mr. Alves was born in Castro Valley and graduated in 1981 from American High School in Fremont, where he lived for 35 years before moving to Tracy in 1997.

Mr. Alves worked as a receiver for Leprino Foods in Tracy the past seven years. In his spare time, he enjoyed working out and playing golf, and he was learning to salsa dance.

An avid sports fan, he followed the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders, and he loved to barbecue and play with his dogs, Buddy and Precious. He was also an organ donor. He will be remembered as a loving uncle, brother, brother-in-law, father and son.

Mr. Alves is survived by his wife, Kay Alves of Tracy; parents, Ronald J. Alves Sr. and Elaine (Liel) Alves of Valley Springs; stepchildren, Shelly Miller and Dustin Miller, of Tracy; twin sister, Nanette L. Alves of Livermore; brothers, Ronald Alves Jr. of Arizona and Richard Alves, and his wife, Michele, of Manteca; nieces and nephews, Tanya, Jason, Robert, Nichole, Jerimy, Edward, Mikayla, Monique, Dariuse and Domonique; and three grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Manuel Alves.

Saturday’s prayer service will begin at 11 a.m. at P.L. Fry and Son Funeral Home, 290 N. Union Road, in Manteca. Visitation will be observed from 1 to 5 p.m. today, Oct. 19, at the funeral home. Burial will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Hayward.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Mr. Alves’ name may be sent to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 1177 California St., Apt. 209, San Francisco 94108.

 

Jerry Don Dunbar

Sept. 11, 1939 — Oct. 10, 2007

Services were this week for avid traveler Jerry Don Dunbar, 68, who died Oct. 10 in Modesto.

Mr. Dunbar was born in Prescott, Ariz., and spent most of his youth and adult life in Manteca. After retiring in 1994 from Verizon after 28 years of service, he and his wife spent eight years traveling the country in their recreational vehicle. In 2002, they settled in the Sierra Vista-Hereford region of southern Arizona.

A graduate of Manteca High School’s Class of 1957, Mr. Dunbar spent four years serving in the U.S. Navy. He was a member of the San Joaquin Valley Motorcycle Club, Valley Road Riders, Cochise County Range Riders Four Wheel Drive Club, SV Poker Club, and Veterans of Foreign Wars in Sierra Vista, Ariz.

He enjoyed being active, especially four-wheeling, fly fishing and traveling. He also liked to play poker and studied astronomy and geology.

Mr. Dunbar is survived by his wife, Patricia Dunbar; son, Jim Dunbar of Poulsbo, Wash.; daughter, Cynthia Gay of Manteca; sister, Jamie Dunbar of Telegraph, Texas; grandsons, Jesse Dunbar of Ohio, Jerry Dunbar of Washington and Joshua Gay of Manteca; granddaughters, Tonya Gay of Manteca, Jolene Frymier of Palms and Jamie Dunbar of Washington; and a great-grandson, Nathaniel Morris of Manteca.

Services for Mr. Dunbar were Saturday, Oct. 13, at P.L. Fry and Son Funeral Home, 290 N. Union Road, in Manteca. Burial was in Sierra Vista.

 

Margie Smith

Feb. 10, 1925 — Oct. 16, 2007

A graveside service will be today, Oct. 19, for homemaker Margie Smith, 82, who died Tuesday, Oct. 16, in Manteca.

Mrs. Smith was born in Antlers, Okla. She lived in Castro Valley for two decades before moving to Manteca 19 years ago.

A loving and giving person, Mrs. Smith adored her family and cherished her grandchildren. She enjoyed gardening, cooking and doing crafts and loved nothing more than having family over for holiday gatherings. She was well known and loved among her friends at her care home, whom she considered her second family.

Mrs. Smith will be remembered as a good, kind and generous person who was helpful to everyone. Family members say she will be dearly missed and will always have a special place in the hearts of those who knew her.

She is survived by her children, Ray Parker, and his wife, Sherry, of Texas, Joseph L. Smith, and his wife, Sharon, and Steven Smith, and his wife, Joyce, all of Livermore, Darlene Snyder, and her husband, Bryan, of Manteca and Emily Kelly of San Leandro; brother, Jack Weiche, and his wife, Lanie, of Arizona; grandchildren, Alvin and Boyd Parker, Thomas, Scott, Sandy, Kelly and Jason Smith, James and Melissa Snyder and David and Tina Kelly; and nine great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Boyd Smith.

Today’s graveside service will begin at 1 p.m. at East Union Cemetery, 1035 N. Union Road, in Manteca.