By Irene Eva Lewis
Irene Eva Lewis, a longtime Los Altos resident, died April 8. A native of Kansas, she was 93.
Mrs. Lewis graduated from Business College in Wichita, Kan. She was a member of the United Methodist Church in Los Altos, the Peninsula Women’s Auxiliary and the California Pharmaceutical Association. She was an active volunteer for the Santa Clara County Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Mrs. Lewis is survived by her grandsons, Craig and Scott Ryan; five great-grandchildren; son-in-law, E.S. Ryan; and sister, Lois E. Roehr. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Joyce A. Ryan.
Friedl Semans
Friedl Semans, a former Los Altos Hills resident, died April 8. She was 92.
Mrs. Semans was the wife of Hubert Semans, former president of Foothill College in Los Altos Hills for whom the library is named.
Mrs. Semans enjoyed interior decoration, cooking and entertaining faculty and friends.
Her husband Hubert died in 1994 after 59 years of marriage. Mrs. Semans is survived by her daughter, Friedl Bell.
Natalie Skelsey Cranwell Jervis
Natalie Skelsey Cranwell Jervis died April 15. A native of Washington, she was 69.
Mrs. Jervis graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles, where she was involved in many organizations.
She spent many years as a flight attendant with Pan Am.
Mrs. Jervis was preceded in death by her first husband, James Cranwell, in 1971 and her second husband, Joel Jervis, in 1997. She is survived by her sister, Jacqueline Sheppard; children, Michelle Walters, Tamra Hunter, Katharine Cranwell and Edmund Cranwell; stepchildren, Russ and Chandelle; grandchildren; great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Jean Skinner Spencer
Jean Skinner Spencer, a longtime Los Altos resident, died April 16. She was 80.
Mrs. Spencer attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She was a passionate follower of political events and human rights issues. Mrs. Spencer married her high school sweetheart and accompanied him to France at the conclusion of World War II. She later joined the Market of the Flea, donating her time to support the Retarded Children’s Guild.
Mrs. Spencer was the widow of Robert Selfridge Spencer. She is survived by her children, Gail Rinard, her primary caregiver, Valerie Spencer, Christine LaVerne and Lynne Lee and her husband Kevin; grandson, Jonathan Rinard and his family, Emily, Andrew, Daniel, Jennifer, Karyn, Tim, Bryan and Kelly; her brother, Emmett Skinner and his wife Ann.
Bernice Yvonne Nefstad
Bernice Yvonne Nefstad, a 37-year Los Altos resident, died April 7.
Mrs. Nefstad touched many lives through her family, friends and church. She dedicated much of her life to working at various churches throughout the South Bay.
Mrs. Nefstad is survived by her husband of 51 years, Russ; children, Christine, Victoria, Mary, Anne and Margaret, Stephen and John; her mother, Cecelia Verde Eaton; and 13 grandchildren.
Jessie Purcell
Jessie Purcell died April 12 in Mountain View. A native of California, she was 83.
Mrs. Purcell was the widow of LeRoy O. Purcell. She is survived by her daughter, Meredyth Purcell of Mountain View; siblings, Bill, jack, Earl and David Kirk.
Ann Crandall Bingham
Ann Crandall Bingaham died April 21. A native of La Canada, she was 70.
Mrs. Bingham attended Stanford University. She was a longtime member of Foothills Club, Peninsula Volunteers. She worked in real estate and was a certified financial planner.
Mrs. Bingham is survived by children, George Bingham Jr.; Elizabeth Bingham Mease of Los Altos and Sara Bingham Mallory; four grandchildren; siblings, Bradford Gove Crandall and Richard Robbins Crandall.
Elena ‘Dodie’ Kubby
Elena “Dodie” Kubby, founder and director of the Head Start program in the Mountain View School District, has died.
Mrs. Kubby dedicated much of her life to working with children, the disabled and the elderly.
She worked as a counselor at Los Altos High School and as an instructor at Foothill College’s Disabled Student Department, leading classes in the Sit and Be Fit exercise program for the elderly at Palo Alto Commons, Lytton Gardens and Villa Siena. She was a also a water aquatics exercise instructor at The Spa of Los Altos and Reach.
She was active in Congregation Beth AM, serving as co-charwoman of the membership committee with her husband. She was a member of the Beth AM volunteer choir and the Beth Am Women’s Group.
She served on the board of the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Somoma Counties, Brandies Women and leader of walking routes of Stanford for the Fitty Plus Fitness Association.
She was volunteer for Villa Montalvo music concerts and ushered for Stanford Lively Arts.
Mrs. Kubby is survived by her three children, Lisa Kubby, Mitchel Adler, Lisa Delouise Kubby and his wife, Raychel Kubby Adler, and Mitchel Adler and her husband; two grandchildren, Dylan and Elliott Brannon; her surrogate mother, Doris Kapraun; and her husband of 47 years, Lee Kubby.
Frederick ‘Duke’ Campbell
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.
Frederick “Duke” Campbell, a former Los Altos resident, died March 22, six days before his 85th birthday. He was a native of Tacoma, WA.
Mr. Campbell had a 37-year career as a pilot for Pan American World Airways. During that time, he flew everything from clipper ships to 747s. He was in the ROTC and Army Air Corps during World War II and was a key participant in the Pan AM Clipper Pioneers.
Mr. Campbell is survived by his wife, Vera; children, China, Fred and his wife, Kelly, Candy and her husband, Jean, Dick and his wife Claudia, Pat and Carol and her husband, Tim, sister, Pat Burrus; and 11 grandchildren.
