Obituaries

June 17, 1921 – October 14, 2018. Long time Los Altos resident Mary Jane (Herby) Beck, has passed away after a long battle with dementia, and a short skirmish with pneumonia. She was 97. Mary Jane was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She was also a writer, a poet, a musician, an animal lover, a self-proclaimed women’s libber before there was such a thing and she was always up for an adventure. Born in Jamestown, New York, to Irene and Charles Herby, she proudly played clarinet in the Jamestown High School Marching Band. She went on to get a degree in International Relations from Mt. Holyoke College, and shortly after, landed a job as a newspaper reporter for the Rochester Times Union in Rochester, New York.

Estelle Newcomb passed away suddenly and peacefully from respiratory failure on October 18, 2018. Prior to becoming a recent resident of Palo Alto, she was a longtime resident of Los Altos and Pleasanton. Pre-deceased by her husband, Peter, and son, Steve, she is survived by her daughters, Caroline and Lucie, extended family and many friends.. Canadian by birth, Estelle, who became an American citizen, was known for being a kind, thoughtful contributor. She truly loved helping others. She was active in local charitable organizations wherever she lived. Her prior projects include the founding of the Livermore-Amador Symphony Guild and 40 years of volunteer leadership with the Mulberry Branch of Oakland Children's Hospital Auxiliary. Small in stature, great in heart, long on impact, Estelle will be remembered and cherished always. A Memorial Mass will be held locally in the coming months.

1/Jan/1921 - 12/Oct/2018 Bob Stutz was born and raised in Corvallis Oregon. On graduating from Oregon State in 1943, he entered the Naval Reserve Officers program, and was commissioned an Ensign in September. Diagnosed with TB just prior to overseas deployment, he spent most of 1944 in a Navy TB ward. This was a defining period of his life. For on seeing too many mostly healthy men give up, decline and die, he determined to "keep moving", and succeeded for over 70 years. On release, Bob entered the Biochemistry PhD program at U. Wisconsin, where he could also be under the treatment of noted TB specialist Dr. Helen Dickie. On 1/July/1945 he married Mary Awdry Radcliffe of Klamath Falls, Oregon (12/June/1922 - 8/Dec/1997).

Passed away peacefully at Stanford Hospital on October 24th, 2018 at the age of 61, surrounded by her loving family and friends.  Missy was born on November 12th, 1956 in Palo Alto, California to Barbara and Dick Lutz, a fourth generation Californian. Missy grew up in Los Altos Hills, she attended Los Altos High,The University of Oregon and received a degree in Marketing at San Jose State. She was a member of Delta Gamma sorority. After graduation Missy quickly climbed the ladder of the corporate world, working in marketing communications for Cisco and then HP.  In a time where women were not as prominent in the workplace, Missy constantly demanded respect from colleagues and clients which allowed her to have a very successful career in the tech industry.