Obituaries

Accomplished and innovative dentist, Dr. Philip “Phil” Hordiner passed away peacefully in his sleep at 2 AM Friday, March 15th at his Los Altos, California home. He was 86 years old. Phil is survived by his daughter Kim Hunter, son-in-law Larry Gordon, grandson Jordan Etem, and his brothers Dr. Michael Leonard and Charles Hordiner. Much loved by his family, professional staff, and patients, Phil was born October 31, 1932 in Flushing New York, the eldest son of Esther and Nathan Hordiner. He received his formal education at the University of Arizona, Tucson and Northwestern University Dental School in Chicago. He arrived in San Francisco in 1958, opened his own dental practice in The City in 1960 before retiring 40 years later.

Helen was born on August 5, 1925 in Massena, NY to Louise and Bernard Dobbins. Helen passed away peacefully March 23, 2019 at Sunrise Senior Living in Sunnyvale, Calif.    She had a rather turbulent childhood - losing her mother at the age of eight - losing their farm to fire and living through the depression. Helen moved to Washington D.C. after high school and became a secretary - eventually working at the Chamber of Commerce and the Pentagon. Helen loved to paint and attended art school in the evenings. Later in life she received several awards for her 'Still Life oil paintings’. She also loved to read and write poetry.  Helen met her first husband John Louis Lapp in San Francisco when she moved out west.  'Johnny' as she liked to call him was working and going to school. He eventually taught Biology and was considered a Naturalist for his love of the out of doors and birdwatching.

Dave Wasmuth, age 94, died at home on March 9th of Pulmonary Fibrosis. He was surrounded by his loving family: Marilyn, his wife of 66 years, his children, Ann Fauth, David (Susy), and Bill (Jean), and his grandchildren Bryan and Haley Fauth, and Nikki Wasmuth. He was born on July 29, 1924, in Indiana, where he lived until going into the Navy Air Force during World War II. He was rewarded with an Air Medal six times, as well as the Distinguished Service Cross and a Purple Heart. After the war he received a degree from Miami University of Ohio, following in the footsteps of three brothers. He next worked for General Motors, where he met Marilyn. He and Marilyn were married on June 21, 1952.

Elizabeth Hubbard King Hoblit passed away on March 8th, 2019 at the age of 102. She was born January 16th, 1917, Berkeley, California. Her mind was keen until the end when her increasingly fragile body gave out. Elizabeth was predeceased by her husband, Harold Foster Hoblit, of 54 yrs. She is survived by her son, Gregory King Hoblit (Debrah Mullowney Farentino Hoblit) and daughter Margaret (Markey) Allerton Hoblit (Alan Roger Efron), and granddaughters Kendra Hoblit Mittermeyer (Sean Surdovel), Sophie Taylor Hoblit, Molly Kate Adams, Eve Elizabeth Efron (Chris Murray) and April Helen Efron. No memorial service is currently scheduled but donations can be made to: The Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project c/o Mary Prochnow 164 Main Street Los Altos, Calif. 94022

June 18, 1946 – March 1, 2019 Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba to Emily and Felix, Bob was the youngest of eight children and lived the first twelve years of his life in a two-bedroom house with his seven siblings. Bob grew up an avid player of hockey, basketball and soccer and was a committed student earning a B.A., Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of British Columbia and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in the same field from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, while also winning the United Kingdom’s national basketball championship. Soon thereafter, he married the love of his life, Roberta, and began his career in the telecommunications industry at Bell Northern Research, spending five years in Ottawa, Ontario.

Vince Sevely was born in a ranch house in Mountain View, California in 1929 to John and Anka Sevely who had emigrated from Yugoslavia (now Croatia) in search of a better life. His parents, after saving enough money, had bought their own ranch in Mountain View where they raised apricots, plums, and cherries. Vince worked on the ranch in virtually every capacity and was driving a tractor before he was licensed to drive a car. Although only Serbo-Croatian was spoken at home, Vince learned English quickly in grammar school, eventually skipping a grade. He attended Bellarmine College Preparatory and then Santa Clara University where he first received a political science degree, followed by a law degree.