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Joe R. “Paa Joe” Martinez died peacefully at his Winters home on Oct. 14, 2007. Born on March 10, 1921 in Cement, California to Juan and Juana Martinez, he was 86 years old. He served in the US Army during World War II, where he saw combat in Normandy, Rhineland and the European African Middle Eastern Campaigns.
After leaving the Army, he farmed in Winters and also worked at Travis Air Force Base as a civil service employee. He was a member of the Winters VFW Post 11091 and Club Iberico de Espana.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Juanita; daughter and son-in-law, Laura and Robert Paschoal of Winters; son and daughter-in-law John and Christine Martinez of Yuba City; daughter and son-in-law Cynthia and Carl Stillwell of Winters; son and daughter-in-law Ruben and Jeanie Martinez of Loveland, Colorado; 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Winters Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Sutter Hospice Foundation, 2800 L Street, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA, 95816.
Mont Ray Spencer of Winters passed away at his home on Saturday, Oct. 13, 2007, at the age of 58. He was born in Poplar Bluff, Missouri on May 27, 1949. He worked for Sysco Food Services of San Francisco for 27 years and for Sexton Food Service. He loved boating at Lake Berryessa, at the Spanish Flat Resort.
He is survived by his wife, Patsy, of Winters; daughter, Irene Mildred Nickleberry of Vallejo and son Monty Ray Spencer of Daly City; grandson Isiah Nickleberry and granddaughter Gabriella Spencer; many friends and co-workers.
A graveside service is planned at the Russian River Center, 940 Low Gap Road, in Ukiah on Oct. 18 at 1 p.m.
José ‘Joe’ Melendez-Soto passed away on Friday, Sept. 28, 2007 at the Courtyard Healthcare Center in Davis, at the age of 88.
He was born in Santa Maria Del Oro, Durango, Mexico on March 19, 1919 to Blas and Belen (Soto) Melendez, who have predeceased him. He had been a Yolo County resident for over 47 years.
He served one year in the Mexican Army, then entered the United States Army in 1943, serving in WWII. During this time, he was awarded the American Theater Service Medal, Hood Conduct Medal, Asiatic Pacific Service Medal and the Victory Medal. He was honorably discharged in 1946. Upon completion of military service, Mr. Soto spent two years at Washington University, and spent the next 47 years farming in Yolo County. He was a member of VFW, past master of the Masonic Lodge Landmark Buckeye No. 195 and past master of Athens-Silveybille No. 201.
Surviving Mr. Soto is his spouse of 63 years, Dora Maria Soto; sons Gerald Melendez-Soto of Roseville, Frederick Soto and sp1ouce Gail of El Dorado Hills, William Soto and spouse Vickie, Joseph Soto and spouse Evangelina, and Richard Soto and spouse Heidi, all of Sacramento; daughter Mary Van Buren of Winters, and Betty Silva and spouse Leo of Sacramento. He is also survived by sister Lupe Bazua; 15 grandchildren, Clara, Quint, Lenox, Rosalyn, Tina, Daniel, John, Whitney, Austin, Lucina, Yeigi, Tomika, Stacie, Kellie, and Terra; and nine great-grandchildren.
A memorial service is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 14, at 2 p.m. at Yolo Masonic Lodge, 1655 Da Vinci Ct., Davis, CA. A private burial will take place at a later date, with military honors presented.
Memorial donations in Mr. Soto’s memory may be made to the Scottish Rite Masonic Center for Childhood Language Disorders, 6151 “H” St., Sacramento, CA 95819, to the Trust Account of Sherise Silva.
Kraft Bros. Funeral Directors of Woodland, CA. Is assisting the family with arrangements. Inquiries may be made by calling 662-4658.
Barbara L. Devlin of Winters passed away at Vallejo Kaiser Hospital on Sunday, Oct. 7, at the age of 78. She was born in Roswell, New Mexico, and is longtime Winters resident. She enjoyed playing Bingo and was a supporter of St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. She worked as a nurse at Yolo General Hospital, and was the manager of the Short Stop in Winters.
She is survived by her children, John Howerton of Woodbridge, Virgina, Paula Russell of Winters, Charles Devlin of Clarksburg, Tom Devlin of Virginia, Dennis Devlin of Vacaville, Pat Devlin of Kelseyville and Mike Devlin of Oregon; two brothers, Tony Hartman of Reno and his wife, Trisha, and Jim Hartman of Marysville, and his wife, Patricia; 13 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Paul Devlin, in 1982.
There will be a gathering at the family home on Mermod Place on Friday, Oct. 12, at 2 p.m. for anyone who wishes to attend.
R. Drew Putty. Resident of Sacramento, CA for 40 yrs. Native of OK City, OK. Born Feb. 17, 1922, passed away Sept. 13, 2007. Survived by wife of 59 yrs., Enola “Andy” Putty, children Jill (Jay) Shepherd of Winters, Brian (Alyshia) Putty of Fair Oaks, Kim (Michael) Cimino of Pembroke Pines, FL, and Roger (Amy) of Gold River, grandchildren Jenaye/Jeremy Shepherd, Brieana/ Darren/Kayla Putty, Michael Cimino, and Rachel/ Scott Putty, and nephew George Andrews.
Drew graduated from Stanford University in 1947 w/a B.S. in Mech Engr. After four years of employment he returned to Stanford University for his MBA and graduated in 1953. While at Stanford he lettered in tennis, playing singles for the Stanford tennis team. In the midst of his college education Drew was called into action and served in WWII from 1942 to 1945 in OCS and became a 1st Lieutenant in the 20th Armored Div. Ord. Drew enjoyed a 29 year career with IBM as a sales and marketing manager. During his career with IBM he held positions in San Francisco, Sacramento, Omaha, Washington DC, Frankfurt Germany, Riverside, returning to Sacramento where he retired from IBM.
Drew was a 40 year member of Arden Hills Tennis Club and Sierra Arden UCC. Tennis became his life sport, having started at the early age of 12. As a junior player he reached a ranking of No. 2 in the State of OK. Drew loved the outdoors, gardening, camping, skiing, golfing, traveling and spending time with his wife, children, grandchildren, and pets.
He was an avid follower and cheerleader of his wife’s painting and piano playing. Drew was committed to family, his # 1 priority. He made sure family was cared for and always together.
We’re thankful for the many fantastic and silly memories, memories that will live in our hearts forever. Drew—devoted husband, dad, granpa, and friend—will be missed dearly. Special thanks to UCD Cancer Center staff and Home Health Care. Drew was a fighter in everything he did and never gave up hope in battling cancer. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the UCD Cancer Center or American Cancer Society.
Jeffery Gilstrap, 55, died on Friday, Sept. 14, 2007 of natural causes at his home in Davis. Born in Woodland, he grew up in Davis and Santa Cruz. Family members say he lived an uncomplicated life, gave generously and touched the lives of many. He was a child of the ‘60s and insisted upon marching to his own drummer until he died. For over 25 years Gilstrap ran both AM PM Taxi and the Davis Taxi Company, serving the public in Yolo County and beyond.
He is survived by his sister Geyne, niece Ella, surrogate mom Jackie and devoted friends, David and Alex.
An informal gathering of friends, family and the public-at-large will take place from 12-2 p.m., on Sunday, Oct. 28, at the Redwood Grove near the corner of A Street and Arboretum Drive on the UC Davis campus. Parking is available nearby in Lot 5. Attendees are asked to bring a favorite story about Gilstrap to share.
Donations may be made in his memory to the Yolo County SPCA, P.O. Box 510, Davis 95617.
Harry “Butchy” Lawrence Fredericks Jr., died Sunday Sept. 23, 2007 at Woodland Memorial Hospital at age 85.
Mr. Fredericks was born in Ross Dec. 26, 1921 to Mr. and Mrs. Harry Fredericks Sr., and had been a lifetime Winters resident. He was also a lifetime rancher, attended two years at UC Davis and spent one year dredging with the Navy Sea Bees. He was a school board member, past Master of the Masonic Lodge, VFW, founder of the Amateur Radio Club and Landmark Buckeye No. 195.
Survivors included Mr. Frederick’s wife of 61 years, Joan E. Fredericks, sons, Harry Fredericks III and wife Renae, Jim Fredericks and wife Joan and Bret Fredericks, grandchildren, Tera, Adrienne and Adam, three great grandchildren, Payton, Macy and Caden, nephews, Bill, Steve and John Fredericks, and niece, Vicky Murphy. He was preceded in death by his parents.
A funeral service was scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 29 at McNary’s Chapel, 458 College St. Burial will take place at Woodland Cemetery
. McNary’s Chapel of Woodland is assisting the family with arrangements.
Clifford Lafayette Birdwell passed away on Sept. 15, 2007. Born in Heavener, Oklahoma, to Robert Lee and Adeline Birdwell on March 7, 1936, he was 71 years old.
He grew up in Winters from 1946 to 1954, and graduated from Winters High School. He served in the military in Texas and Alaska. While in Alaska he met and married his wife of 44 years, Karen. He is described by family members as an amazing and loving husband, father and grandfather. He enjoyed woodworking and cooking. Family members say he touched the lives of everyone who had the privilege to meet him, that his smile could light up a room and warm a heart, and that his personality and sense of humor were one of a kind.
He resided in Renton, Washington for 41 years before moving to Orting two years ago to be closer to his family. He is survived by his wife, Karen Birdwell of Orting; children and their spouses, Bruce Birdwell of Kent, Washington, Beverly and Dale McChesney of Texas, Stacey and Mark Clark of Enumclaw, Washington, Mike and Kandy Birdwell of Orting, Washington, Donna and Steve Adams of Bonney Lake, Washington, and Dave and Ginny Ross of Federal Way, Washington; mother, Adeline Birdwell of Idaho; sister and brother-in-law Bertie and Chas Keith of Idaho; 16 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father, Robert Lee Birdwell, and grandson, Daniel Gradin-Clark.
Services were held on Friday, Sept. 21, at 1 p.m. in The Summit Church located in Enumclaw: 920 Roosevelt Ave Enumclaw, Washington.
Ronald J. Richardson passed away at home on Sept. 7, 2007 due to heart failure with his wife, Kathy by his side. He left this earth with a peaceful state of mind, says a family spokesperson. Born on June 2, 1947, he was 60 years old.
He grew up in South Carolina and moved to California in 1985 and has resided here since. He loved fried chicken and was a huge fan of Nascar. He was very dedicated and involved for many years as a recognized leader in his church, community, and family. He served in the military from 1966-71 in the US Marine Corps and Navy in Vietnam. He served as Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church in North Highlands for 10 years, and formerly served as Senior Pastor of Mission Beth’El in Grass Valley and at First Baptist Church in Winters.
He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Kathy; daughters and sons in law, Amy and Terry, and Laura and Robert; son and daughter in law Ryan and Sara; two unborn grandchildren; brothers Jerry and Charles; mother Grace; many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father, Almon, and his older brother, Almon Jr.
According to a family spokesperson, “He leaves behind an entire church family, and although his spirit will live on forever in the hearts of many. He enjoyed life to the absolute fullest and with his feisty character always encouraged others to do the same. He instilled values and integrity in all that knew him. His quick wit and incredible sense of humor will be an immense comfort to those he left behind.”
Visitation took place at East Lawn Sierra Hills Mortuary & Memorial Park on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 3-8 p.m. He was honored at a funeral service at the First Baptist Church in North Highlands on Wednesday, Sept. 12, at 10:30 a.m.
