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Joseph Renick Hoover
Joseph Renick Hoover, a retired cotton farmer, promoter of soil conservation, sports lover and a member of Rotary International where he was honored as a Paul Harris Fellow, died of cancer at the age of 74.
“Easter came early this year,” said the Rev. Philip Jones at the memorial service at Pro-Cathedral Episcopal Church of St. Clement, where Joe had been a lifelong member and served on the vestry. “Joe was an Easter Man — a man who was loving, who loved life, and celebrated life.”
Joe was born in El Paso July 13, 1924. As a child he rode on a Dudley School float in the first Sun Bowl Parade.
His early education began at Dudley Grade School. He attended El Paso High where he played football and basketball. In 1941 he attended Texas A&M as a member of the corps, where his schooling was interrupted by World War II. Joe served in the Army as a first lieutenant in an armored cavalry division. After the war, he returned to A&M and graduated in 1947 as an agricultural engineer.
On March 30, 1948, he married Mary Hardie Cunningham.The Cunninghams and Hoovers were longtime friends, but to trap Joe, Mary had to take up golf instead of tennis.
They lived on the family farm near Fabens. Joe loved farming his 1,800 acres of cotton and pecan trees and loved to entertain friends at the farm. He served on the boards of the El Paso Valley Cotton Association, and Tornillo Cotton Oil Company.
He loved the activities of his children, which included kids rodeo, tennis tournaments, motocycle racing, and skiing. Molly and Jodie were on the Cloudcroft ski team, but it was Joe who won the Ski-Tee two times.
Among other things Joe loved were: sports at UTEP, having football and basketball season tickets every year, golfing with friends and his wife, Mary, with whom he golfed for years in couples tournaments in the Southwest.
He loved playing bridge with Mary as his partner. He reached the level of Sectional Manager. He also loved daughter Molly’s being Sun Queen in 1968, twenty years after participating himself as escort to Anna Louise Jagoe.
He loved his family. His parents, Louisana and Robert T. Hoover, kept their grandchildren on weekends at their house on 711 Cincinnati St. The house was given to UTEP in 1963 to be used as a residence for its president.
And he loved his church friends.
Joe was a 50-year member of Los Viejos, where he was known as “sweet old Joe.” He was president of Coronado Country Club for two years, served on the El Paso Hall of Fame Committee, as well as on the board of Northgate National Bank.
He loved his bridge friends. Louis Scott, a coffee klatch buddy, said, “His presence always added something to the group. I remember he could never finish a joke because he was laughing so much. He was a fine friend.”
As a golfing friend, Bill Squires said, “He was one of the most loyal guys I’ve ever known.”
Lifelong friend Frank Gorman said, “He was straight forward, loyal and unassuming — just a great guy.”
Joe died April 1. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Molly Hoover Smith, and grandson, Reed Hardie Smith. Survivors include wife, Mary, of 51 years and two days; son Joseph Renick Hoover Jr. and wife, Chellie; brother R.T. Hoover Jr. and wife Sandra; sister Louann Hoover Feuille and husband Rickie; brother-in-law Arthur Gorman; four grandsons, Renick Smith, Bradford Smith, Matthew Hoover, Jake Hoover; and 21 nieces and nephews.
His body was cremated and ashes scattered over the gardens at St. Clements.
“I was always first in his life,” said Mary, “We had nothing but good times together. Joe was my best friend and did lots of things other men might not do, like fixing my breakfast every morning, acting as a wild man in the Fabens Carnival, being a dancer in the El Paso Junior League Follies, and my line-dancing partner. He took real estate lessons with me so I could be an agent, and helped me a lot in my work.”
Charlie Maccarrone
Charlie Maccarrone went to church on Good Friday evening, April 2, to pray for his coach who was seriously ill, not knowing that he had already died at 4:30 that afternoon.
It was midnight when he returned and his mother, who works as a receptionist at Cathedral High said, “You know Coach died today.”
After a few moments in shock Charlie said, “This is really a very special day for Coach to die.”
The funeral at St. Patrick’s Cathedral was packed to capacity, with 200 to 300 people waiting outside. The service was conducted by Bishop Armando Ochoa. The bishop referred to the beauty of the Easter lilies, saying they reminded him of Leo, a man of great compassion, fortitude, gentleness, with a genuine love for people.
Leo spent most of his life as a swimming coach. Throughout his career a number of incidents were told and re-told until they became known as “Leo Stories.”
For example, Michelle Maccarrone, a student at Loretto Academy, which shared Cathedral’s pool and coach, came to swim one morning at 7 a.m.
“Someone had thrown a goldfish in the pool,” she said. “I didn’t want to get into the water with a fish. Along came Leo, who grabbed the fish and swallowed it. ‘Now get in that water and swim,’ he shouted, and we wasted no more time.”
Leo was born June 1, 1957, in Richland, Wash., the 10th of 12 children — seven boys and five girls. His father, Anthony Cancellare, was an Army lieutenant colonel and his mother was Gloria Boucher Cancellare. The family moved to El Paso in October of the year he was born.
When he was old enough to attend school he spent his early years at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, Edgar Park Elementary, Magoffin Middle School, and Irvin High School.
He began to notice Vera Kaleri who was born in Brazil but had come to the United States at the age of 3. They met at Irvin High School when they took a course in math together and started dating Oct. 25, 1974. He finished his college course at UTEP in May of 1979 and they were married on Dec. 22 of that year. They went to Mazatlan, Mexico, for their honeymoon.
“Let me tell you about an incident,” his wife Vera said. “You asked for a different picture. The one I’m giving you is the first and only time Leo grew a beard. The children and I made a trip to Sao Paulo, Brazil, and stayed six weeks. He grew the beard while we were gone. When we returned, the children were anxious to see their daddy. He jumped from behind a wall and they did not recognize him.”
Leo began his career as a swim coach with the El Paso Aqua Posse. Then he heard the principal of Blessed Sacrament School make a plea for teachers.
“He decided to give back to the community some of the things he had received,” Vera said. “One day he was jogging past the school in shorts and T-shirt, stopped and applied for a job, and was accepted on the spot.”
He stayed there two years. In 1986 he became coach and science teacher at Cathedral High, was made assistant principal in 1992, and became principal in 1995.
His greatest attribute, according to his wife, was his honesty.
“Leo was the most positive person I have ever met,” she said. “He was the kind of person who seemed to get the best out of everyone.”
Nancy Maccarrone summarizes: “He stepped down from being principal on Jan. 5. He attended his last basketball game between No. 1 Bel Air, and No. 2 Cathedral. It seemed that Cathedral would lose the game.
“During the third quarter Leo walked out on the court. The boys went crazy shouting. The referees did not recognize him. Leo put up his hand and led the boys in yells. It was just awesome! During the last quarter they scored over 30 points to win by 7 points.
“At the end of the game, George Rincon, one of the cheerleaders, put Leo’s son Vito on his shoulders and ran around the court. The boys gave Leo a standing ovation and burst out with the school song.”
He was preceded in death by his mother, Gloria Cancellare, and his brother Willy. He is survived by his wife of 19 years, Vera Cancellare; his children, Sarah, Emily and Vito; by his father, Anthony Concellare; sisters Mary Ann, Rita, Leslie, Antoinette, Isabel; and brothers Joseph, Michael, John, Steven, and Charles.
Richard Esmond Martin
Richard Esmond Martin was known throughout El Paso as president of Martin Funeral Homes, a firm founded by his father in May 1935.
When his father died in 1947, Richard E. Martin was appointed manager by the estate. He merged with Service Corporation International in January 1975. This year the firm celebrates the 64th year of serving El Paso, now with three locations.
Richard was born on July 28, 1927, in New York City where his father was a Wall Street broker. His parents were Richard William Martin and India Bailey Kerr Martin. Richard had one sister, 5 years younger than he.
In 1932 his parents moved to Lubbock, where his father had bought a funeral home. His parents divorced when Richard was 5 years old. He stayed with his grandparents on a ranch near Muldoon, Texas. His grandfather was a judge and his grandmother was one of the first graduates of Baylor University.
He was only 14 when he came to El Paso. When given a choice of living with either his father or mother, Richard moved to El Paso where his father had bought a funeral home. He attended El Paso High School and become a member of the ROTC. After school and on weekends, he drove an ambulance for the mortuary. As a reward his father bought him a Chevrolet convertible with a rumble seat.
Upon graduating in 1944 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving on board the carrier USS Wake Island. He participated in the liberation of the Philippines and the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
Juanita Gardiner, working at Bullock’s Department Store in Los Angeles, would sometimes sing and dance at the USO Club to entertain servicemen. A friend of Richard’s, on another carrier, wrote a letter in which he urged Richard to look up Juanita if he ever landed in Los Angeles. In August there was a knock at the door and she was greeted by a 6-foot, 6-inch stranger who introduced himself. In a few months they wanted to get married.
“In those days,” Juanita said, “those under 21 were still under the control of their parents. He was only 18. His mother said, ‘I’ll sign the papers. If it doesn’t work out he can always get a divorce.’”
Amidst grave warnings of ‘It won’t work!,’ Juanita, who had said she would never marry a boy from Texas, did just that, Oct. 15, 1945.
He was discharged from the Navy in May 1946 and enrolled in Eckles College of Mortuary Science in Philadelphia. Before he could finish school, they moved back to El Paso after his father died.
“Richard did not go back to college,” Juanita said. “He was self-educated. His library contains more than 5,000 titles. He was always learning something.”
On July 17, 1971, Richard was pronounced a Knight of Saint Gregory of the Civil Class by Pope Paul VI, Supreme Pontiff — the highest honor bestowed on a Catholic lay person. He was a member of 3rd and 4th degree Knights of Columbus. Other memberships were held in B.P.O. Elks, charter member of Sierra club, Sertoma club, and the El Paso Sheriff’s Posse.
“We have nine children,” Juanita said, “and all love to ride horses.”
“Every weekend we would all get on our horses and ride up and down the river,” said his daughter, Trudy.
He belonged to numerous organizations: The Navy League, Association of U.S. Army, the U.S. Naval Institute, the Navy Tailhook Association, the Air Force, and Marine associations.
He was a member of the Texas Funeral Directors and served two years on its board. He was a member of the advisory board of the Hotel Dieu Medical Center (Daughters of Charity Hospital) and a charter member of the board of directors of the Stanton Medical Building, acting as president until it was dissolved in 1988.
Other memberships included the Sheriff’s Association of Texas, the Quarter Century Club, the Catholic War Veterans, El Paso County Historical Society, and American Legion (Post No. 36). He was a 45-year member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
“He was a true gentleman,” Juanita said
Martin died Feb. 18, at age 71. A funeral mass was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
He was preceded in death by his sister, Jane Arnett; daughter Michelle Buckner; and son Edward Matthew Martin. He is survived by his wife, Juanita; sons Richard, William, and Paul; daughters Trudy Laffler, Cathy Laffler, Therese Brown, and Carson Nichols.
Robert Crane
Robert Crane, a doctor, humorist, educator, musician and humanitarian, unselfishly shared his talents with the El Paso community.
Charles Newman writes: “He belonged to the Mended Hearts of El Paso and volunteered to drive me to one of their monthly meetings. Dr. Crane had two heart-bypass operations himself so was qualified to make hospital visits to pending-bypass patients at William Beaumont Hospital.”
Bob was born March 11, 1928, in Atlantic City, N.J. His parents were William Crane and Luba Davidson Crane. His early years were spent in Atlantic City, with interests centered in playing drums. He enrolled in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and graduated with B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering. During that time he formed a music group called Techtonians.
He later worked with Sperry Gyroscope Co. Bob married in the early 1950s, but was later divorced. He earned his doctorate in bio-medical engineering from Brooklyn Polytechnical Institute in 1974.
In 1977 he decided to take a two-year course at Universidad Autonoma de Cuidad Juarez, commuting from El Paso. He met Jonny Scott Upton in El Paso while attending college.
“The first thing Bob always did when he came to a new town was look for a Unitarian-Universalist church,” said Jonny. “At the time I was president of the Board of Trustees. He saw me standing alone and came over to talk.”
He finished his course in 1979, but before he could return to New York he had his first heart attack in February of that year and had quadruple-bypass surgery. Jonny and Bob were married Nov. 21, 1982. Their united family included three sons. They left El Paso when Bob went to the Bronx to do his internship.
“I tired of the rigors of residency in internal medicine,” he said, “and I accepted the position as director of clinical research for the International Division of Sterling Drug Inc.”
The family lived in Manhattan and Crane worked at Sterling Drug for six years. They moved to Albany in 1987 where he had his second heart attack.
His job with Sterling-Winthrop required a lot of worldwide travel.
In 1989 Bob decided to take early retirement and return to El Paso. He and Jonny began to do volunteer work. Jonny still reads for the Lighthouse for the Blind two days a week. Bob became an avid member of SWIPCC (the Southwest International Personal Computer Club) and the Center for Life Long Learning at UTEP. He became editor of “The El Paso Ticker,” a newsletter for members of the Mended Hearts Association, which position he held for seven years. The publication received an award of excellence in July 1998 from the association’s national office.
His favorite word was “witzelsucht,” which is defined in a medical dictionary as “a morbid tendency to pun, tell bad jokes and pointless stories while being oneself inordinately entertained thereby.”
“I have witzelsucht,” he said. “I don’t suffer from it, but those around me do.”
Helping with a program called project MEDS (Medical Education Designed for Seniors) was one of his main interests.
Newman said of the MEDS work: “The name brown bag was used to describe their visits to senior citizen centers where he would have interested persons bring all their medicines to him in a brown bag so he could run a computer program that showed the interactions of each medicine.”
Robert Crane died Jan. 7 of acute pancreatic cancer. The memorial service was held at the Unitarian-Universalist Community on Byron Street. Jonny’s mother, Hazel Williams, had died on Jan. 6, so there was a combined funeral.
Both were cremated and their ashes are to be scattered over camp Thunderbird in the Gila National Forest near Silver City.
Robert Crane is survived by his wife, Jonny; and sons Kendell T. Crane, a high school band director in Oneonta, N.Y., and Eric Scott Kangas of Detroit. Another son, Randall L. Crane, died in 1987.
“The best thing about Bob,” Jonny said, “was that he was totally honest. You always knew what he thought. I think one of his greatest achievements was becoming an M.D. at the age of 50.”
Kenneth Charles Brown II
Fourteen hundred persons attended the memorial service for Kenneth Charles Brown II, 18, who died from cancer March 5. Between 900 and 1,000 were youths, the majority of them from Eastwood High School.
Since the funeral was on a Tuesday, permission slips were given by the administration of Eastwood High and a bus shuttling service was provided to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Sumac Street.
“They stood around in quiet groups,” said Kenneth’s mother, Vickie. “They were respectful, well-behaved, and well-mannered. We owe a debt of gratitude to Juni Mathews, principal of Eastwood High School. She played an important part in Kenneth’s life, paying honor to him, and seeing that he was able to graduate. He will have a graduation certificate at the ceremonies this spring. His name will be called out then there will be a moment of silence.”
Kenneth was born Sept. 21, 1980, son of Charles Earl Brown, a coach at Montwood High School, and Vickie Cardon Brown, a USI Mentor with the Socorro school district. Kenneth has four sisters and one brother. He was named for his grandfather, Kenneth Charles Brown, (K.C.) who spent 31 years as a baseball coach for El Paso and Austin high schools.
“Kenneth was a wonderful athlete. He loved sports,” his mother said. “He played soccer, football, basketball, participated in swimming and played some tennis. But his greatest love was football, so he became a manager.”
Mrs. Brown referred to a plaque called “The Real Trooper” Award presented to Kenneth Jan. 19 at a basketball game. It says “Given in behalf of Eastwood High School Athletic department, its teams and players in recognition of your devotion, dedication and sacrifice to Eastwood High School Athletics.”
His father, Charles Earl said, “It is a great privilege to be a father. There is something to be passed on from a father to a son ..it is a sense of manhood, of self worth, of responsibility to the world around us.”
Kenneth spent kindergarten and first grade at Aledo, Texas, where the family lived from 1983 to 1987. When he was 10 years old he was diagnosed as having medulloblastoma (a malignant tumor at the base of the brain). When told that he needed a blood transfusion Kenneth said, “If I could get my daddy’s blood I would know everything about football.”
When asked if he was afraid he said, “If I can have my dog Tator and Cousin John with me I wouldn’t need anything else.” The tumor was successfully removed. During that time the Candlelighters, a cancer-victim support group, helped Kenneth through the ordeal.
“Then seven years later it reappeared.” Mrs. Brown said. “Chemotherapy and radiation became necessary. Dr. Jerry Swaney, a pedriatic oncologist, became an integral part of our lives.”
In high school, Ken selected sign language as his foreign language course. At his memorial service two of his sisters and a friend did a song ‘Angels Among Us’ in sign language.
His youngest sister, Amanda said, “Kenneth never gave up in whatever he did. I will never forget his attitude toward life. He was always determined that he would get whatever he was doing, done.”
In earlier years Kenneth was a Cub Scout and was working toward becoming an Eagle Scout at 13, but he chose to wait. With the help of his Uncle Mike Mullen, an El Paso dentist, he finished all his paperwork to become an Eagle Scout two days before he was 18. His project was to publicize the need for platelet blood donations, and getting people to give.
“He reached an incredible number of people who did give and they kept on giving in memory of him,” Mrs. Brown said.
One of his lifetime friends, Steve Regan said, “Two of the greatest honors in my life were paying tribute to Kenneth and helping to carry his casket.”
Kenneth was buried in his Scout uniform with his Texas A&M baseball cap and the Eastwood letterman’s jacket on his left side.
Survivors include his parents, Charles and Vickie Brown; his brother Donald Taylor Brown; his sisters Kimberly Marie, Kristen Michelle, Jennise Anne and Amanda Renee Brown; and his grandparents, John and Flowers Lupo.
His sister Kristin wrote a long poem in honor of her brother which contains this stanza: “You are my hero, and I wish I could be just like my little brother and have that light inside me.”
Gladys Ellen Lundy Fox
When Gladys Ellen Lundy Fox reached her 100th birthday Oct. 23, she was treated to a party at White Acres Good Samaritan Village where she had lived since its opening 15 years ago.
Wife of colorful Christiaan (Chris) Petrus Fox, former El Paso sheriff who was named “Mr. El Paso” by the Chamber of Commerce, she served the community in her own way through the El Paso Woman’s club as president from 1944-45, as director of the Pan American Union (now Pan American Round Table), and chairman of Las Comadres.
“Gladys was the grandest lady I have ever met,” said Diane Brown, staffer at White Acres. “She was a lady through and through — a lady of style and grace. She was dearly loved.”
She was born Oct. 23, 1899, in Hawthorne, Calif., a suburb of Los Angeles. She had one sister and one brother. When she was 3 years old her mother and father were divorced. Her mother decided to move closer to her parents in El Paso. Almost immediately Georgia met a handsome man, John Lundy, and a wedding followed. Gladys attended Lamar Elementary school.
One grade-school friend, Gladys Fagan, who also lives at White Acres, said, “I lived on St. Vrain and we would walk home from school together, sit in the porch swing and study. There was a vacant lot nearby and we would sometimes go there to play baseball with the boys.”
El Paso High School was new when she graduated in 1917. She met Christiaan P. Fox, who graduated two years before and had joined the Marines during World War I. They were married in her mother’s home in July 1919.
Gladys worked as a secretary to Allen H. Hughey, then principal of El Paso High School. She kept her job for many years, through World War II when her husband returned to the Marines.
After he came back, Gladys quit working and began to raise their family of three children: son Chris Jr., and daughters Nan and Posey. She was interested in all the business ventures of her husband, his first being the Fox Transfer Company.
“She really loved working with the Mexican women in the Round Table,” said her daughter Posey. “She made a lot of friends across the border.”
She also was an honorary member of the Fort Bliss Officers’ Wives Club.
In 1967 a room at the Officers Club was named for Chris Fox when he and Gladys contributed a set of paintings to the club.
Husband Chris did much work for the government as West Texas Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army.
“Mother got very involved in entertaining,” said Posey. “She was a social butterfly.”
Her garden was kept flowering by her husband who loved to plant roses and gladiolas. She often held catered garden parties for close friends.
“They loved to travel,” Posey said. “One of her fondest recollections was going to London to meet Queen Elizabeth,” when a certificate of recognition for Chris was presented on Sept. 6, 1961, by Order of the British Empire and a medal given at the Court of Saint James. The ceremony was repeated by the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., on June 8, 1962.
“My brother was buried in Belgium, having been killed in World War II,” said Posey. “He served with the 69th Infantry Division and was a first lieutenant.”
Later Bert Williams, then mayor of El Paso, raised the American flag on Scenic drive in memory of Chris Fox Jr.
“I remember my mother as a busy, busy lady,” Posey said. “I was the youngest child. She was a good mother and a wonderful wife to Daddy who was a great man. They were quite devoted. He absolutely adored her.”
Gladys died March 1, after playing bridge with her friends the day before.
“She just went to sleep in her wheel chair, a wonderful way to go,” said Posey. “It was the wish of both my father and mother that only graveside services be held.”
Services were held at Restlawn Cemetery on March 2.
White Acres provided a memorial service led by a volunteer non-denominational minister Rev. Allister Sinclair. She was pre-deceased by her husband Chris in 1983 after 66 years of marriage; by her son Chris Jr. and daughter Nan F. Peterson. She is survived by daughter, Posey, and husband, Dan Smith; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
