Obituaries

Howard Lowell Neff, born December 26, 1941, passed away at his home on October 2nd, 2019 surrounded by his family. Before meeting and marrying Sheri, the love of his life, Mr. Neff was proud to have served three years in the United States Army. Howard and Sheri were married for nearly 49 years. Howard’s allegiance to family was his number one priority including his nieces and nephew. He was a farm boy from Indiana where his parents, Thelma and Lowell Neff, taught him life’s important lessons – hard work, responsibility and integrity. These are the very attributes that took him from the farm to Dartmouth College and onto challenging jobs at Johnson & Johnson, Consolidated Aluminum and Applied Materials where he worked for 23 years. Howard Neff was named to Senior Executive staff and served as Group Vice President, Applied Materials, Inc. of Global Operations and Planning, Interconnect Systems and Modules Product Business Group. The most recent position was Group Vice President Applied Materials, Inc., President and Chief Operating Officer, Applied Komatsu Technology.

Former Junior High School Librarian Former Los Altos resident Gertrude “Trudy” Marie Johnson passed away September 26, 2019, in Thousand Oaks, California. She was 96 years old. Trudy was born on July 19, 1923 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Iowa State Teachers College in 1945 (now the University of Northern Iowa). In 1946, she married her beloved Elmer Johnson with whom she shared 62 wonderful years. In 1957, the family moved to Los Altos, California. She went on to become a second grade teacher in the Mountain View School District, and then after earning her Library Science Degree, became a Librarian at Covington Junior High School. In their retirement years, Trudy and Elmer enjoyed traveling in their motor home, which included frequent outings with the Palo Alto Elks Club group, “The Wheelers.” 1997 was the year that the Johnsons moved to Westlake Village, California to be near their daughter and her family. She is survived by her son Doug, daughter Judy, and four grandchildren, Erik, Kirsten, Brett and Ryan.

Jeanne Fisher Chandler of Los Altos Hills, CA, an accomplished painter, classical pianist, gourmet cook, and gardener-extraordinaire, passed away peacefully with her daughters at her side September 11, 2019. Jeanne was born on April 29, 1933 in Edmond, Oklahoma to Roy and Mildred Wallis Fisher. Her grandfather, Dr. Jonas Wakefield Fisher, participated in the Oklahoma Territory land run in 1889. She graduated from Edmond High School, attended Scripps College, and graduated from the University of Oklahoma. A gifted artist, her creative talent began at an early age and was a driving force throughout her life. She played drums in her high school band, studied and played classical piano and guitar, and was a theater major and homecoming queen in college. She married Stephen Sanders Chandler, III in 1955, moved to Marblehead, MA, where they sailed the coast and she performed in summer stock theater.

April 5, 1922 ? August 25, 2019 Perhaps she was born with her competitive nature. After all, she won that initial race with her sister to be the first born of the twins. And perhaps her competitiveness was further honed by checkers games with her grandmother (Catherine Rogers, nee Lynch) and chess matches with her father (John E. Pearson). Is it any wonder that she eventually came to run her own business that produced games of skill, coordination, strategy, and chance? The Pearson twins began Twinson Company while in high school in Kansas City, Missouri, at Notre Dame de Sion (which presented Connie with the Outstanding Alumnus award in 2014). However, the business was put on hold when the twins attended Marymount College in Los Angeles. After graduation in 1942, Connie joined the accounting department at Douglas Aircraft. She quickly made her mark there when she developed an innovative process in the payroll department. She then completed aerodynamics courses at UCLA and Cal Tech and went to work as a mathematician for the Preliminary Design Department. Following the war, her skills contributed to Douglas’s guided missile program. After the war, the Pearson twins were set up on a blind date with the LeBaron brothers.

Helena Howard Cole, a long-time resident of Los Altos Hills and descendant of the San Mateo/Hillsborough founding Howard family, died Thursday the 1st of August, 2019, in her own home in which she lived for 61 years. Born in 1924 in San Mateo, California, to Helene and Joseph Henry Poett Howard, Helena grew up with her beloved sister, Joan, in San Mateo. During the 2nd World War, Helena attended the Branson's School for Girls in Marin County in the late 30's and early 40's. After graduating, she went on to follow her dreams of farming at Kimberton Farm in Pennsylvania. Helena married Nathaniel Parker Cole III on June 21, 1944 and they built their own home, naming it Full House Farm. 

Mary Katherine McCarthy, known as Mary Kay by friends and loved ones, peacefully ascended to heaven on September 23, 2019 in San Francisco. Mary Kay was a born in San Francisco on March 3, 1934, and spent most of her childhood in Berkeley, California. As a young adult, she attended Stanford University, earning both a bachelor’s and a graduate degree in education. Upon graduation, Mary Kay married William H. McCarthy. Together, she and Bill had eight children and eventually settled in Los Altos. Mary Kay became a cherished member of the community, contributing years of service to others. Mary Kay was the longest working member of the Assistance League of Santa Clara county where she chaired a program for blind children called TAGS (Take a Giant Step) and helped create an apartment complex for people recovering from serious illnesses at Stanford.