By Irene Brooks

Irene Brooks died March 13 at her Los Altos home. A native of Nevada City, she was 58.

Mrs. Brooks was a product specialist for Amdahl. She cared for her 94-year-old aunt, Helen Rempel.

Mrs. Brooks is survived by her husband, Michael Brooks of Los Altos; sons Mark and Arthur Brooks and daughter-in-law, Jill; granddaughters, Megan and Shannon Brooks; and aunts Iris and Helen Rempel.

Maise W. Wong

Maise W. Wong died March 20. A native of China, she was 87.

Mrs. Wong lived in Japan and Honolulu before moving to Mountain View. She was an active member of the Calvary Assembly of God Church.

She is survived by her husband of 70 years, Ward S. W. Wong; sons, Kenway of Mountain View and Kennan; and grandsons, Anson and Aaron.

Eddie Giron

Eddie Giron died March 23. A native of Arizona, he was 62.

Mr. Giron was a self-employed furniture refinisher.

Mr. Giron is survived by his children, Pearl Silva and Vincent, Steven, Edward and Irene Giron; siblings, Bonnie, Mike, Nick, Mat and Manuel, and three grandchildren.

Hortense DeLan Ware

Hortense DeLan Ware died March 29. A native of Philadelphia, Pa., she was 95.

Mrs. Ware attended Florida State College for Women (now Florida State University) and was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority. She was a Girl Scout leader, a Gray Lady at the Ft. Thomas, Ky., Army Base during World War II, and was active in the Episcopal Church her entire life.

A longtime resident of Miami, Fla., Mrs. Ware was a member of the Miami Pioneers Club and survived the infamous 1926 hurricane known as “The Big Blow,” the strongest storm ever to hit Florida until Hurricane Andrew.

Mrs. Ware was preceded in death by her husband, Randolph F. Ware. She is survived by her daughter, Diana Ware Collins, of Mountain View; grandchildren, Catharine Collins Kristian of Los Altos, Randoph W. Collins of Healdsburg and Robert W. Collins; and 4 great-grandchildren.

A memorial service is scheduled for noon, May 5, at Christ Episcopal Church on Border Road. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Elizabeth ‘Betty’ G. Zumwalt

Elizabeth “Betty” G. Zumwalt died April 4. She was 93.

Mrs. Zumwalt and her husband Fred resided in the Palo Alto, Los Altos area from 1949 until 1988, when they moved to Bellevue, Wash., to be closer to their daughter. Family members said Mrs. Zumwalt had a wonderful sense of humor and infectious laughter.

A graduate of the University of Kansas, Mrs. Zumwalt was a teacher. She taught high school in Kansas and at the Stanford Children’s Convalescent Center in Palo Alto. She worked as an administrative assistant in the Stanford University Registrar’s Office. Betty was a longtime volunteer for El Camino Hospital and an active member of Christ Episcopal Church in Los Altos. She loved to travel. She traveled alone to Japan in 1992 when she was 83 years old.

Mrs. Zumwalt is survived by her daughter Barbara G. LaRose; two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Fred, who died in 1991, and son-in-law Gary LaRose.

Arthur W. Kohtz

Arthur W. Kohtz died March 25. A antive of San Francisco, he was 80.

Mr.. Kohtz was a plant manager for Chevron.

He was preceded in death by his wife Jean and son Bill. He is survived by his children, David Kohtz and his wife Barbara; grandchildren, Flora, Jamie, Dawna, Stephen and Michael; great-grandchildren, Charise, Travis, Tarynn and Callie; daughter-in-law, Jane Kohtz,; sister-in-law, Diane; and niece, Debbie.

Earl A. Harris

Earl A. Harris died March 25 in Mountain View. He was 83.

Mr. Harris was an engineer at Lockheed.

He is survived by his wife Helen Harris of Los Altos and sister, Elizabeth Lawson. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Audrey Harris.

Frances Roberta Malovos

Frances Roberta Malovos has died. A native of San Jose, she was 88.

Mrs. Malovos was a teacher and counselor at San Jose High School for more than 40 years. Her life included a passion for painting. She was an artist of worldwide renown with her work exhibited throughout California and in New York, Arizona and Italy.

Mrs. Malavos was preceded in death by her parents, Andrea and Edith Malavos; and brothers, Andrew and Kenneth. She is survived by her friend Dr. Delmas Holb; sister-in-law, Kathleen Norris Malovos; nieces and nephews, Gerald Malovos, Andrew, Kenneth, Anita Chow, and Marian Konevich; grandnieces and grandnephews, Laura and Mark, Eugene and Charlene, Eric, Ian, Maria Elaena, Sonja, Andres, Alexis Cristina and William.

William Bascom Woodward

William Bascom Woodward died March 25 in Mountain View. A native of South Carolina, he was 80.

Mr. Woodward was an engineer for Litton.

He is survived by his wife, Evelyn D. Woodward; children, Bill Woodward of Los Altos, Jim Woodward, Ann Sullivan and Louise Woodward; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Virginia Nielse-Gradiska

Obituaries run on a space-available basis. All items will be edited for length and newspaper style. Notices must be typed and include name of the deceased, death date, age, place of birth, occupation, club affiliations, service date, connection to Los Altos, Los Altos Hills or Mountain View and names of surviving family members. Please include a contact name and phone number. Mail obituaries to Town Crier, 138 Main St., Los Altos 94022; fax 948-6647; or e-mail lindat@latc.com.

Virginia Nielsen Gradiska died March 31, while vacationing in Africa. A native of Chicago, she was 65.

Mrs. Gradiska attended Stanford University and graduated from Northwestern University. She supported the San Francisco Opera Ballet and Symphony and the Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco.

Mrs. Gradiska is survived by her husband of 22 years, Millord; children, Karen Hust and Audrey Hust Gow; stepchildren Diana M. and Ken Gradiska of Los Altos; and seven grandchildren.