Obituaries

Laura J. Barton, age 78, of Mountain View, California, left us on April 3rd.

Laura was born in Detroit, MI, on September 3rd, 1942. She graduated from Wilson High School, in Portland, Oregon, class of '60, then later continued her education receiving a BS in Business Management from the University of San Francisco in 1985.

Laura was married to David Barton in 1962 with whom she had two sons, Kenneth born 1964 and Wesley born 1966.  They were together 10 years.

By the end of the 1960's Laura had become a regular performer and singer with the South Bay Area music and drama scenes.

By the time of her spinal cord injury in 1978, she had worked as Music Coordinator for the City of Palo Alto Arts Department. been Publicity Director for TheatreWorks Silicon Valley and a partner in Barton-Griswold Publishing which designed and manufactured music theory learning games. She had also been singing in the choir at Trinity Lutheran Church where she was a long-time member, and teaching a mid-week class on Christian Growth.

Ken passed peacefully on April 10, 2016. As a child, Ken enjoyed hiking with his dogs, Greta and Progress, publishing his own local newspaper “The Los Angeles Reflector,”  and family camping trips with his younger brother, and best friend, Wesley. In the spring of 1948, Ken received a BS in Physics from UCLA. He continued his studies and, in the spring of 1954, he received a PhD in Physics. Ken graduated magna cum laude and was the valedictorian, speaking at the ceremony for all UCLA PhD graduates that year. After graduation, Ken moved back East to work at Bell Labs.  During that time he met Carole, who would become his dear wife of 33 years.  

In 1960 Ken and Carole moved to the Bay Area. Ken worked in the Physics Department at Stanford University. Along with his own research, Ken mentored PhD students. In his later years, Ken worked at SRI. In 2015, Ken retired after a long and distinguished career as a physicist.  Ken had a wide range of interests and knowledge, a true renaissance man. He was also kind and caring. As a member of the Lions Club, Ken volunteered his time and effort to serve the community and, as a HICAP counselor, he educated seniors about Medicare. 

 July 10, 1922 – March 31, 2021

Lona passed away peacefully at home after a long illness. 

Lona was born in Nashua, Montana and grew up in Chiloquin, Oregon before moving to Klamath Falls, OR.  She moved to San Francisco in the early 1950’s to pursue a position with the Foreign Service (State Department) as a secretary.  Her first post was in Thailand and second in Brazil.  After each three-year assignment, she traveled extensively before returning to the U.S. and moving to Sunnyvale in 1960.  She continued her travels until last year. 

She married Donald E. Weed in 1969 and they moved to Oak Creek in Palo Alto, where they lived until moving to Los Altos in 1994.  Donald passed away the following year. 

Lona was preceded in death by her mother, Rose Osborn, sisters Fern Vernon, Audrey Mocabee and Shirley Perkins and her brother, Lawson Martin. 

Lona’s family meant everything to her.  She is survived by grandsons Alexander (Fiona) and Spencer Weed, by great-grandchildren Jack Anderson and Zelda Weed and by stepsons, Steven (Kathleen) and Ken (Kathy)Weed; nephews Jerry (Cathy), Terry (Teresa), Kent and Todd (Denise) Perkins and Jeff (Vickie) Martin.  She is also survived by nieces Karen Consbruck (Mike), Cynthia Mocabee, Prudence Hanky (Don) and Lisa Smith (Joe) and by her sister-in-law, Joanne Martin.

Janet McClure Lyman (1925-2021) 

Janet McClure Lyman, a resident of Palo Alto for more than sixty years, passed away peacefully of natural causes at age 95 on March 18^th, 2021, in Petaluma, California, where she had lived since 2018.

Janet came to Palo Alto from the east coast. She was born on October 9^th, 1925, to Thomas Harvey McClure and Ada Gibson McClure (neé Titus) and grew up in Pelham, New York with her older sister Barbara. She attended Wheaton College, from which she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a minor in English and German and went on to earn a certificate from the management training program at Radcliffe College (a graduate program for women which was shortly thereafter absorbed into Harvard Business School).

November 25, 1928 - March 19, 2021

Resident of Los Altos

Beloved and treasured father, "Grandad", great grandfather and friend, passed away peacefully on March 19th

after years of living with lymphatic leukemia.

Jack was born in Denver, Colorado, and he was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Jo, and by his 

parents Mary and Louis Noll. He is survived by his loving children: Kris (Alex) Ingram, Chuck Noll, Lorrie Noll, his adoring grandchildren: Brooke (Alex) Jigger, Tyler (Cassie) Ingram, Brayton Noll, Caitlin (Andrew) Mitchell, Connor Wood, Aidan Wood, and his great grandchildren Georgia and Jones Jigger.

A resident of Los Altos for 47 years and an active member of the St. Simon Parish Community for over 60 years.

Remembering an Exceptional Champion for Equity and Community

Joan R. Platt (1945-2020)

Together, YMCA of Silicon Valley board, staff, and community recognize and celebrate the life and legacy of Joan Platt. Joan passed away in November 2020 with family by her side in London, England. Joan was actively involved with YMCA of Silicon Valley for more than thirty years, serving as an advocate for youth, board member, Heritage Club member, and naming donor of the Lewis and Joan Platt East Palo Alto Family YMCA. 

With her husband Lew, Joan established the Joan Platt Heritage Child Development Endowment Fund in 1991 to provide resources for vulnerable children and their families to participate in the Y’s programs and services. In 2016, Joan created the Caretha and Ken Coleman Endowment Fund to honor her good friend and co-volunteer, Caretha Coleman, and her husband, Ken.