Shirley Duggar

Shirley Jean Shindler Dugger passed away on Monday, Sept. 3. Shirley was born and raised in San Diego, but being the daughter of a naval aviator, the service life took her family to Virginia, Florida and Panama while growing up. Shirley graduated from San Diego State University with a major in physical education. While in college, Shirley and some girlfriends spent spring break in Laguna Beach, where she met Thomas La Vern Dugger. Affectionately referred to as “Dugger,” he and his friend Jake Jacobson were lifeguarding at Main Beach. Shirley and Dugger struck up a love that lasted a lifetime. After graduation from college, Shirley went with her family to live in Florence and Trieste, Italy. While there, she skied Corina and beached at Sistiana. As fate would have it, Dugger wooed her back so they could be married.  For over 25 years, Shirley and Dugger raised their family in Laguna Beach.

After Dugger passed and their four children were grown, Shirley moved to Oahu, Hawaii, where she spent over 20 years. She loved the islands and the lifestyle, wearing shorts and flip flops year-round, and walking Waikiki’s busy boulevards and watching fireworks and parades from her lanai. She enjoyed sharing these experiences with her good friends Eli Alexander, Juanita Westgaard, and Rod and Sandy Riehl, and many others.

Shirley’s friends and daughters were able to share fond memories before she left this earth to her next journey. She was a tea room model, a Hollywood extra, worked for Dilley’s book store and enjoyed her days working at Neiman Marcus. She loved to travel and some of her favorites were Tahiti, Indonesia, Switzerland and Rio. She had a very long, healthy and independent life and she will be missed dearly by all who knew and loved her.

Shirley is survived by her daughters Carol Dugger Moore, Stacy Dugger and Sally Dugger; her son-in-law Tony Lythgoe; and her two grandsons, Adam and Shane Dugger Lythgoe. She is now in the loving arms of her husband Dugger, son Dan, and her dear friend Bea Miller Becker who proceeded her in passing by just a few weeks.

In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for donations made to the “Dugger Family Memorial” c/o Laguna Beach High School Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 1569, Laguna Beach, CA 92652. This family scholarship is awarded annually to a graduating senior who has demonstrated traits of honesty, integrity and friendliness that were exemplified by Shirley, Danny and Dugger.

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David French, designer craftsman specializing in exotic hardwoods and a 27-year veteran of the Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach, passed away peacefully at his home in Mission Viejo, California on Friday, Oct. 5. David is survived by his wife of 38 years, Denise French, and 34-year-old son, Drew French, along with Drew’s wife, Kelly, and his 3-month-old granddaughter, Brooke.

David was lot of things to a lot of people, but to all who knew him, he was hilariously funny, lacking any and all filters, oftentimes offensive and blunt, but always honest and unabashedly himself. He was the lifelong soulmate of his wife, whom he loved more than any human being could possibly love another. To his son, he was the most dedicated, engaged, and proud father for which any child could hope. To all, he was the one person that could manage to offend every single individual at a party throughout the course of an evening, but walk away more loved because of it.

David was born on Nov. 25, 1942 in Bell, California, where he was raised by his loving parents, Dudley Lynn French and Edith French, as the eldest son of four children—Dan French (brother), Don French (brother), and Dorrene French (sister). After his service in the United States Army, David moved from Bell to San Clemente in the late ‘60s, where he began his 30+ year career as an artist.

David first entered the Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach as an exhibitor in 1979 at the age of 36. David’s self-stated approach to his work was straightforward:

“Does form follow function, or function follow form? Ninety percent of the time in my work, there is a function that must be fulfilled. The challenge is to put a new form on it. My life/design philosophy equates to simplicity—clean lines, simple shapes, beautiful materials.”

Underpinning this philosophy, however, was David’s iconoclastic impulse to shed light on the absurdity of what he saw as pretension in the art world, and to turn one’s eye from the self-celebrating to the self-deprecating. His approach to his art was the same as his approach to his personal life: keep things honest, simple and irreverent.

Local artists—such as Dan Skaggs, David’s friend since kindergarten and long-time exhibitor in the Festival of Arts—would be the first to tell you that while his stated artistic focus was on exotic hardwood, irreverence was his true medium.

For example, For My Lady was one of David’s iconic pieces that he would display annually at the Festival of Arts. Masterfully cut from several different exotic hardwoods, his sculpture was designed to capture the beauty of femininity in the most minimalistic and pure form of the Madonna. Clean. Simple. Beautiful.

At least on the surface.

Housed inside of For My Lady was a sex toy—a vibrator that David would leave constantly running in veritable silence—expressly designed to cause people to jump back in surprise when they touched his artwork…a pet peeve of his.

This was his version of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain. To him, celebrating an idealistic form of perfection was idolatry, and his way of challenging this modality was to recreate it in its most honest, pure form… then, quite literally, insert something primal to break it down to its unglorified, undeified—yet still beautiful—human form. Frankly, he wanted it to piss you off. Then he wanted you to think about why.

“People are too damned serious,”he would say.

Irreverence was indeed his true medium.

While he designed several enduring pieces for Road & Track magazine, custom items for San Juan Hills Golf Course, and has a cabinet on display in the permanent collection of the Festival of Arts, his most important contribution to the artist community of Laguna Beach was not his work, but rather his approach to the artistic process, his infectious humor, and his raw honesty. This is what made him such a strong presence at the Festival of Arts, and what made him so loved amongst his peers, friends, and family.

His was a love for life and a passion for laughter that will be sorely missed in the art community here in Laguna Beach. No one will ever be able to replace him, but his spirit will live on in the memories of those who loved him.

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Ann Richardson

Ann Caroline Grover Richardson passed away peacefully on October 30, 2018, in the company of her loving husband John and her adoring children, at her home in Laguna Beach, California.

Ann was born on May 1, 1937, in Silver Spring, Maryland, to Esther and Wayne Grover. After attending college at Miami University in Ohio, she moved to California to become an elementary school teacher. She met John while living on Balboa Island, they married in 1960, and they raised their family in the cities of Redlands and Upland. They moved to Laguna Beach in 1997.

Ann dedicated her life to being a caring, Christ-like servant to her family members, her fellow members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and everyone in the community. She was a Cub Scout leader, served over 20 years on the Laguna Beach Interfaith Council and was an active volunteer at the Laguna Beach ASL Emergency Shelter, Cafe Pacifica, Laguna Beach Friendship Shelter, and Laguna Pantry. She was a conscientious citizen and voter who researched candidates and issues with great care. Everything she did was in the service of others, in order to “make the world a better place.” She accepted as a friend every person that she met.

Ann’s family and faith were at the center of her life. She taught through word and example to always “have an attitude of gratitude” for the blessings and experiences in our lives. She absolutely loved supporting and listening to her 11 grandchildren as they shared their experiences with her. She talked and texted constantly with her daughters, son, and other relatives and friends. She absolutely loved spending time with John, particularly during their daily walks near the beach and when sharing meals together each day.

She leaves a legacy of selfless service and will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by her husband John; her sisters Jane Brown and Victoria Grover; her children Sue Coe (Dave), Peter Richardson (Heather), Carrie Hall (Matt); and her 11 grandchildren Kenzie, Abbie, Aubrye, Jack, Harriet, Bryson, Porter, Henry, Jed, Zach and Taylor. She is preceded in passing by her son Grant, her sister Mary Blumenthal, and her parents Wayne and Esther Grover.

In lieu of flowers or donations, Ann asks that you take your family and loved ones out to dinner to make memories and enjoy each other’s company.

All who wish to attend a memorial service in honor of Ann are invited to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at 2:00 pm on Saturday, November 3, at 682 Park Avenue in Laguna Beach.

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Elva Irene Ashford

Elva Irene Ashford, a longtime resident of Laguna Beach, died on Nov. 5 of complications due to Alzheimer’s in Glendora.

Elva Ashford was born on Oct. 3, 1923 to Bernard and Gladys Nuffer in Santa Ana. She grew up in Orange, graduated from Orange High, and then met and married Marvin Ashford. They raised three daughters—Carolyn, Sharon (deceased) and Nancy. Together they helped plant Orange Villa Bible Church. They moved to Laguna into a home that Marvin built in 1962, which survived both landslides in Bluebird Canyon. She remained in Laguna until 2017.

Elva’s passion was God, family and friends. She loved being a homemaker. She worked for a short time in the cafeteria at Laguna Beach High School. She was an active member of the Evangelical Free Church on Legion Street in Laguna. When the church was sold, they helped plant the Evangelical Free Church in Laguna Hills. She volunteered often with her daughters’ various activities in Laguna.

She is survived by Carolyn (Ron) Lucas from Kenmore, Washington; Nancy (David) Satterberg from Glendora, California; seven grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.

A graveside service will be held at The Riverside National Cemetery (22495 Van Buren Boulevard, Riverside, California, 92518) on Wednesday, Nov.14, at 2 p.m.

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Donald Ingwerson

Donald Ingwerson, a nationally noted education reformer who headed several big-city school districts including the 1.5-million-student Los Angeles County schools, died Nov. 4 at home in Laguna Beach.

A depression-era Kansas farm boy who never thought about college until his high school baseball coach took him to visit campuses, Dr. Ingwerson rose to be awarded the National Superintendent of the Year award in 1993, in a White House ceremony. His citation was for work in the greater Louisville Ky. Jefferson County School District where he was an early proponent of computers in the classroom and earned business support for schools by linking training to the needs of the local job market, and oversaw successful racial integration reform that significantly shortened busing time for students.

Dr. Ingwerson was superintendent of the 1.5 million-student Los Angeles County school district from 1994 to 1997 and won the 1996 $25,000 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education for building a countywide educational technology project to increase student access to – and teacher training in – computers.

When asked a couple of years ago by his son, Marshall Ingwerson, how he explained his approach to life, Dr. Ingwerson answered: “I love people, and I want to see them succeed.”

When Dr. Ingwerson retired from education in 1997 he was hired to handle legislative work for Christian Science Churches in Southern California and to blog on spirituality in local newspapers, a job he held until his passing.

Born in Pawnee City, Neb., Dr. Ingwerson earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Emporia State Teacher’s College, where he supported himself by playing semi-pro baseball and as a brakeman on trains. He did graduate work at the University of Southern California and got his doctorate from the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

Dr. Ingwerson was a 25-year resident of Laguna Beach, first living in the Mystic Hills neighborhood where his home survived the 1993 Laguna Canyon fire and was featured on a CNN news report at the time, and for the past 21 years at Thousand Steps Beach.

He is survived by his wife, Lona Ingwerson, who is a Christian Science practitioner; his daughters Tanya Thomas (Mark), of Laguna Beach, who is general manager of Fashion Island, and Heidi Thompson (Justin) of Manhattan Beach who is owner of a boutique recruiting firm; his son, Marshall Ingwerson (Clara) of St. Louis, who was editor-in-chief of The Christian Science Monitor and now is chief executive of The Principia, a nonprofit that runs a Christian Science day and boarding school and a liberal arts college; six grandchildren, including two who attended Laguna Beach schools – Margaux Thomas Currie (Thomas) and Marshall Thomas; and a great-granddaughter.

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Sept. 9, 1937 – Nov. 13, 2018

Frederick Henry Vickers

A 30-year resident of Laguna Beach, Fred passed away with his beloved wife Cathleen at his side. Born in Manila, Philippines, Fred at 12 years old moved to Texas with his family. He remained throughout his life a proud citizen of the U.S. After serving in the Korean War, he came home to build a successful Bay Area construction company that just celebrated 50 years in business. Fred and Cathleen spent their years together traveling the world and enjoying their wonderful friendships in Laguna. Fred will be remembered for his endlessly positive outlook and joy of life. Fred is survived by his wife Cathleen and children Tina Adolph, Fred Vickers III, Barry Vickers, Ken Vickers, Adam Vickers and Andrew Cooper.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Fred’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org.

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1952-2018

John Thomas Hedges

Due to sudden complications from Juvenile Diabetes, John passed away Nov. 24, 2018. A Laguna Beach native, “Johnny” graduated with the illustrious LBHS Class of ’70.

Growing up, he worked at his dad’s Paint & Glass Store on Forest Avenue. After his dad’s retirement, John opened a glass and screen shop in town which he operated for 22 years.

He loved the outdoors and in his younger years he enjoyed his travels in Mexico, trips to the desert, riding the several motocross bikes he owned, and bodysurfing.  Later interests included classic cars and fishing trips with his son in the Sierra mountains.

After John retired, he liked reminiscing with friends and taking walks in town, talking to the many characters in Laguna (probably unaware that he was one of the characters, himself).

John is survived by son, John H. Hedges; daughter-in-law, Nicole Hedges; grandson, John I. Hedges; mother, Barbara Hedges; sister, Karen Howlett; and brother-in-law, Charlie Howlett.

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William Bellamy Tallant III

William Bellamy Tallant III, 72, formerly of Laguna Beach, California, died Dec. 17, 2018. He was born April 11, 1946. William was a longtime resident of Laguna Beach before moving to Northern California in 2008. Arrangements by Gobles Fortuna Mortuary.

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Paul Prewitt

Dr. Paul Prewitt

Dr. Paul Prewitt passed away on Feb. 26, 2019, at the age of 73, due to complications from Parkinson’s Disease. Paul was in the loving presence of his immediate family at the time. Paul was born in New York to Millard and Hortense Prewitt, where he spent his childhood as the youngest of four children.

Paul was a loving son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, doctor, veteran, and the kindest and most ethical of human beings, who will always be remembered and never forgotten.

Dr. Prewitt received his Bachelor’s Degree from Yale University, prior to completing his Medical Doctorate at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York. Dr. Prewitt served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, where he was stationed at Camp Pendleton in California. After his military service, Dr. Prewitt maintained a successful private medical practice in internal medicine at South Coast Medical Center (Mission Hospital) for over 33 years, where he served as Chief of Staff and was greatly respected by his colleagues and patients alike.

Paul met the love of his life during college on a blind date. Paul and Lucinda (Cindy) were married in 1967 and had two children. Paul enjoyed many passions including traveling the world, taking photographs and entering photo contests. Most important to him was the quality time spent with family and loved ones. During the last several years, Paul negated the obstacles of his disease with the loving experiences he frequently shared with his grandchildren and family.

Paul was predeceased by his father, mother, and brother Eric. He is survived by his wife Cindy of 51 years, his daughter Jenn, his son Sean and wife Thanya and three grandchildren, in addition to his oldest brother Richard and sister Anne.

A private memorial will be held at sea for his immediate family on March 26, 2019, followed by a celebration of life from 5-7 p.m. Please contact the family for more information.

Being mindful of his dedication to medicine and helping others, the family requests any donations be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation (www.michaeljfox.org) for the fight against Parkinson’s in lieu of any flowers.

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Frances Heussenstamm

FrancesHeussenstamm

Frances was a longtime Laguna Beach resident and was an enrichment teacher on over 40 cruise ships for the last decade. Besides being a world traveler, Frances was a professor of art and education at Sierra High School, Cal State Los Angeles, and at Columbia University when it was newly prestigious for a woman to have full professorship. She also was a licensed clinical psychologist for over 20 years and was an Intensive Journal instructor with over 12,000 students. She had a life full of spirituality, humor, traveling, and personal self-development. She is survived by her three sons, Paul, Mark and John, and two daughters-in-law, Leslie and Julie, along with eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Frances died on March 6, 2019, at 11:55 p.m. after 90 years of a very formidable as well as adventurous life. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, March 31, at 1 p.m. at the Unitarian Church on Cypress in Laguna Beach.

Kristin Lynn Heaton Peabody

Kristin Lynn Heaton Peabody

After a courageous decade-long battle with cancer, Kristin Lynn Heaton Peabody quietly passed in her Laguna Beach home on February 7, 2019, surrounded by her loving family. Kristin was born on England Air Force Base in Alexandria, Louisiana, on April 15, 1970—six weeks before her father was deployed to Vietnam. An Austin, Texas-raised girl who attended the University of Texas, she was driven by a fierce determination and entrepreneurial spirit, which was only outshined by her generosity and compassion for others. Kristin is survived by her husband, Wyatt Hampton Peabody; son, Heaton Wyatt Peabody (9); grandmother, Joan Heaton; mother Janice Heaton, and Ahmad Modoni; father, Brigadier General Kencil Heaton and stepmother Gayle Heaton; half-sister, Stephanie Heaton; sister, Allison Heaton Thomas and brother-in-law Joshua Thomas; and nieces Meera Eleanor (5) and Nadiya Kristin Thomas (2). Kristin was blessed with the loving care of her sister, Allison, aunts and uncles—Dr. Caryl Heaton Bryant, Stephen Bryant, Dr. Paul and Letha Heaton—who supported her in the last months of her life, as well as many family members and exceptional friends. The family would also like to thank Dr. Ezra Cohen and the extraordinary team at UCSD-Moores Cancer Center and Jacobs Medical Center for their remarkable care.

Kristin and Wyatt’s mission to expedite the cure for cancer continues at UCSD through The Peabody Fund, which they established in August 2017, having exhausted every option for treating her rare form of head and neck cancer. What began as a humble fundraising effort helped launch a first-of-its-kind personalized vaccine trial, thanks to the generosity of the Strauss family and the tireless efforts of Dr. Cohen and his team; subsequently, UCSD and La Jolla Institute were awarded $4.5 million as part of the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Moonshot initiative for patients with head and neck cancer. Kristin’s commitment to Stand Up to Cancer and Charity: Water will continue to be supported by Hiatus Spa + Retreat in Austin, Dallas, Plano, San Antonio, Ft. Worth and Houston, which Kristin created with her partners and longtime friends, Sheila and Bill Garrison. Private family services are being held in Austin and Laguna Beach. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to The Peabody Fund-UCSD, Stand Up to Cancer or Charity: Water. Finally, the family asks in honor of Kristin, that you vote—in every election—do something to protect the environment every day and stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves. And remember that every day is a gift.

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Billie Lou Quam

Billie Lou Quam, affectionately called “Mom Quam” or “Me-Mom” by her family, passed away peacefully on April 6, 2019 at the age of 92. Billie, born in Laguna Beach on October 25, 1926 to William and Mary LucilleSwitzer, grew up loving to dance and living for the beach. She was a 1944 graduate of Laguna Beach High School and remained lifelong friends with her fellow classmates. Billie met her husband, Jim, as he was shipping out to the Pacific as a US Navy medic in World War II. He vowed to return to Laguna and marry Billie when he finished his war service, and the two were married in 1944 and stayed in Laguna Beach to raise 15 children. The family enjoyed the beach, camping at O’Neil Park, and taking road trips to Minnesota to visit Quam relatives.

Billie lost her beloved Jim in 1976. When asked how she managed raising her large family after his death, Billie remarked that it wasn’t really that difficult, since there were only seven children left at home. Billie then worked as housekeeper at St. Catherine’s church in Laguna Beach to help provide for her children. Remarkably, her ability to see the positive, her tireless resourcefulness in raising her children in spite of financial constraints, and her faith in God were a hallmark of her attitude about the goodness of life. Billie’s faith kept her strong in the years after Jim’s death, especially during the greatest sorrows in her life, the passing of two of her children.

More than anything, Billie enjoyed spending time with her enormous family. She had a knack for turning the most mundane activity into a festive occasion. An impromptu gathering of 30-40 people was a common occurrence in the Quam house, and the noisier and rowdier it got the better, as far as Billie was concerned.

Billie is remembered as an accepting, welcoming, and understanding mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend. She was never too busy to make time for those who needed her wisdom, warmth, ready smile and kind words. Her children fondly recall how Mom Quam really helped raise more than 15 children, since Billie’s home was always open to their friends, providing a place of healing, compassion, and rest.

Billie leaves a tremendous legacy of family, laughter, and loving memories. Her compassion, understanding, and acceptance live on in her 13 surviving children, 46 grandchildren, and 26 (and counting!) great-grandchildren. Billie always said that she had been blessed in a multitude of ways in her life, but it is we who she left behind whose lives have truly been blessed by her.

Please join us to celebrate Billie’s life at her memorial service on Wednesday, May 8, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Laguna Beach. Following the service, there will be a public ceremony at Heisler Park Monument Point at noon and a swim out at her favorite beach, Diver’s Cove. All who remember Billie are welcome to join.

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March 21, 1934 – May 4, 2019

Charles Everts

Charles “Chuck” Everts passed away peacefully at the age of 85 at his home in Laguna Beach. He will be remembered as a kind and gentle man, loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend. He loved his long career as an audio engineer, the many adventures, and the interesting people he met and worked with over the years. His other love was photography and making large prints of the best shots, particularly of his travels. He is survived by his wife, Carol; his daughter, Carin; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He will be missed, and he will remain in our hearts forever.

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Michal Smithers

Michael Smithers died peacefully on April 30 at the age of 58, from cancer. He was at home, surrounded by his family and close friends.

Mike’s greatest joy in life was to be with his family. He was a devoted husband of 28 years to Joseph Delaney, and a loving father to Claire Delaney Smithers and Ryan Delaney Smithers.

People who knew Mike would recognize his presence from afar whenever they heard his contagious and bellowing laughter. He was a man who found the greatest pleasure in helping others and being of service. He always wanted to do the right thing and strived to make the world a better place.

Mike was born in Encino, California, and was raised in Newbury Park. He graduated from Newbury Park High School and attended San Diego State University. He was the son of Mary Woodlief and Ronald Smithers. His mother Mary raised him to be very independent, instilling in her son a strong sense of ethics. She taught all her children to cook at an early age, and she expected Michael to be able to complete his share of the chores at the end of each week. He always said he learned his strong work ethic from his hard-working mother. His first job was washing dishes at 6 a.m. on weekends at Du-Par’s Restaurant in Thousand Oaks, California. From an early age, he showed his desire to be of service through his work as an altar boy in the local church.

To support himself while getting his bachelor’s degree at San Diego State University, he worked full-time driving school buses for the college band, handicapped and local school children. Immediately after college, Mike became a successful commercial insurance broker, showing his acumen for business. His goal was always to be an entrepreneur and to choose an industry that aligned with his philosophical beliefs of doing the right thing. This goal led him to build, own and run the Goddard School in Ladera Ranch, California. For the past 17 years, his passion for always doing what was best for the Goddard kids guided every decision he made. This type of leadership and zest for life allowed the Ladera Ranch school to achieve the Circle of Excellence Honor within the National Goddard franchise.

Mike loved spending time out on his boat or floating in the warm water of Lake Mohave and Lake Mead. He was an amazing water skier and a very patient instructor with a hearty, loving laugh.

Mike is survived by his spouse, Joseph, and his children, Claire and Ryan. He is also survived by his mother, Mary Woodlief, and his stepfather, Steve Woodlief. He will be greatly missed by his siblings Dan Smithers, Carol Childers, Patti Ringo and Peter Lavaty. He has many loving brothers- and sisters-in-law, cousins, nieces and nephews who live throughout the country.

He will be deeply missed and remembered as someone larger than life…with his big smile and saying, “It is what it is.”

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Duane Bickel

Duane Lowell Bickel, 89, passed away at home in hospice on May 15, 2019, due to Corticobasal Degeneration, a rare Parkinson’s-like disease. His beloved wife, Darrcy Loveland Bickel, and caregiver, Grace, were by his side.

A native Californian, Duane was born November 16,1929, to Willie Alma Cooksey Bickel, a nurse, and Earl John Bickel, a radio patrolman with the LAPD, who died in the line of duty when Duane was 7 years old. Duane attended Verdugo Hills High School and received a bachelor’s degree with a double major in Mathematics and Physics from UCLA and an MBA from the University of LaVerne.

Duane joined Lockheed Aircraft Company as a Mathematical Analyst upon graduation, and was a pioneer in the field of Computer Graphics. He held management positions in computing, including Department Manager of Advanced Technology. He was responsible for computer procurement, notably, purchasing the first Cray supercomputer, the most powerful computer of the time; and participated in the famed ‘Skunk Works.’ We know little else of his career, as he strictly complied with Department of Defense secrecy requirements. When Lockheed merged with Martin Marietta, Duane chose not to accept a move to Georgia, and took early retirement. He was entrusted with the keys to the company’s operations in Burbank, where he turned out the lights and locked the doors for the last time.

Duane and his wife of 49 years, Patricia Mary Covick Bickel, a teacher and docent, deceased in 2002, moved from Glendale to enjoy retirement in Laguna Beach. They were members of St. Catherine Siena Catholic church and active in the community.

Duane and Darrcy Loveland, attorney, married in 2004 and celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary this month. Duane was a romantic asking Darrcy to marry him flying in a hot air balloon over Temecula with a champagne brunch in a vineyard upon landing. Duane and Darrcy enjoyed traveling the world but were always glad to return home to Laguna Beach.

Duane was fun-loving, honorable, a gentleman and a role model for his entire family. He was active in many Laguna Beach organizations and a member of both St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church and Laguna Beach United Methodist Church. He was Secretary and Treasurer of Neighborhood Watch, a presenter at Police Awards events and a member of the Exchange Club, helping to organize pancake breakfasts and purchase and wrap Christmas gifts for needy families. For over 30 years, Duane attended breakfasts weekly with his gang of men friends that he said met to solve the problems of the world. Duane also organized the annual Woods Cove End of Summer party.

Survivors include his wife, Darrcy Loveland Bickel; a daughter, Janice Fenster, and her husband Alan, of Tiburon; a son, Glenn Bickel, of Westwood; Georgia Bickel; four grandchildren: John, Henry, Peter and Madelyn Bickel of Georgia; and brother-in-law, Bill Dunagan, of Kansas, husband of Duane’s deceased sister Lorraine.

Friends and relatives are invited to attend Duane’s Celebration of Life on Friday, May 31, at 1 p.m. at the Laguna Beach United Methodist Church, 21632 Wesley Drive, with a reception to follow in the church Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, contributions are requested in Duane Bickel’s memory to any of the following: Laguna Beach Seniors, Laguna Beach United Methodist Church or St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church.

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Tony DeLap outside his home in Corona Del Mar. Photo by Laure Joliet

Tony DeLap
Nov. 4, 1927 – May 29, 2019

Parrasch Heijnen Gallery, Los Angeles, and Franklin Parrasch Gallery, New York, are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Tony DeLap at the age of 91. Born in Oakland, California, in 1927, DeLap’s 70-year-plus career continuously embodied an energetic and singular approach to unconventional painting. A lifelong resident of California, and a fixture of the West Coast art scene, DeLap had an immeasurable impact on the course of contemporary art.

Immediately following appointments as Instructor of Fine Art and Design at California College of Arts and Crafts (1961-64) and then as Assistant Professor of Fine Arts at the University of California, Davis (1964-65), where he taught and mentored John McCracken (CAC) and Bruce Nauman (UCD), DeLap was recruited by Artforum cofounder John Coplans to join the new art department at University of California, Irvine as a founding faculty member. He remained at UCI through 1991, teaching alongside Larry Bell, Vija Celmins, Robert Irwin, Craig Kauffman and Barbara Rose, and mentored Chris Burden, Marcia Hafif, Alexis Smith and James Turrell, among others.

Spatial enigmas and the use of illusionism have been at the core of DeLap’s practice since the beginning of his career. While his work shares visual similarities with Minimalism, Op-Art, and Constructivism, the artist’s lifelong fascination with magic and sleight of hand (he received a Special Fellowship at the Academy of Magical Arts in 2017) greatly influenced the illusionistic qualities present in his art. DeLap’s work, shape-shifting between painting and sculpture, defies fixed categorization with its tension and variety.

Installation view of Tony DeLap: A Career Survey, 1963-2017 at Parrasch Heijnen Gallery, Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of Parrasch Heijnen Gallery

As a close friend and mentee of John McLaughlin, DeLap represented a generation of California artists who were transitioning from spiritual abstraction to conceptual and cerebral practices. Described as “emphatically geometric” by art historian Peter Frank, DeLap’s work addresses how the interaction of flattened forms can create dimensionality and movement on static planes. As the art critic Christopher Knight noted, “Edges are a thing with DeLap. He wants to push you over them.” DeLap literally pushed the edge, leading the viewer to peer around each piece and discover more.

DeLap exhibited extensively over the course of his career, beginning with a breakout exhibition at San Francisco’s Dilexi Gallery in 1963. Following an introduction to New York art dealer Robert Elkon by their mutual friend Agnes Martin, DeLap began showing with Elkon Gallery on the Upper East Side in 1965, mounting 10 exhibitions there over the course of 19 years. The artist went on to be represented by Nicholas Wilder Gallery in Los Angeles. Parrasch Heijnen Gallery has represented Tony DeLap since 2015.

Tony DeLap sketching in his studio in Corona Del Mar. Photo by Laure Joliet

In his seminal 1965 essay “Specific Objects,” Donald Judd discusses DeLap’s work as exemplifying the tendency among artists in the 1960s to work in the space between painting and sculpture. His artwork played a key role in such landmark institutional shows as The Responsive Eye (1965: Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY), Primary Structures (1966: Jewish Museum, New York, NY) and American Sculpture of the Sixties (1967: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA).

DeLap’s art resides in the permanent collections of Tate Modern (London, UK), Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York, NY),  Whitney Museum of American Art (New York, NY), Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Los Angeles, CA) and Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts (Lausanne, Switzerland) among many others.

Parrasch Heijnen Gallery presented DeLap at the 2017 edition of Art Basel with a solo stand of historic sculpture and works on paper from the 1960s and, in the same year, held a career survey concurrently with Franklin Parrasch Gallery.

In February 2018, the Laguna Museum of Art mounted a major retrospective of DeLap’s work dating from 1961 to present, curated by Peter Frank and accompanied by a fully-illustrated publication.

It has been a tremendous honor to work with this visionary and true friend so closely over the last four years. Tony DeLap will be enormously missed. He is survived by his wife Kathy and their two children, Kelly DeLap Evans and Jack DeLap, and three grandchildren.

Tony DeLap was, for all of us who knew and loved him, pure magic.

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Omaya Hassan Charaf Johnson

Omaya Hassan Charaf Hohnson

Omaya Hassan Charaf Johnson was born in Damascus Syria, on April 23, 1923, to a Lebanese mother and a Syrian father, Hassan Mahmoud Charaf M.D. He was a physician to (and rode with) Prince Faisal of Arabia and T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia) during the Arab revolt of 1916. Omaya was the eldest of six children and grew up in a Muslim/Christian home and attended a private school run by French Franciscan nuns. Both greatly influenced her entire life.

In November of 1948, she left her home with the blessings of her parents to study in England. It wasn’t long before she was introduced to Keith Morley Johnson and they were married. In 1953, they welcomed their first child Lesley Nadia, followed 16 months later by Hilary Sonia.

After 10 years in London, a new adventure presented itself. In 1957, the family boarded the final voyage of the SS United States and sailed for California via New York.

In the 60s, they settled in Laguna Beach and welcomed their two boys, Adrian and Eric. To Omaya, the location and view of the ocean from the house was reminiscent of her grandparents’ home in the Lebanese hills and the view of the Mediterranean coast.

This was also the start of a new and very meaningful chapter for Omaya. She would begin what turned out to be 40 years of child care in her home. She loved what she did and took great pride in nurturing so many children of Laguna Beach.

Omaya was preceded in death by her husband, Keith, her brother, Fouad, and sister, Lamia. She is survived by two daughters, Lesley Nadia, Hilary Sonia, her husband Michael, and their two sons, Trevor and Dillon, son, Adrian Philip, his wife, Tanya, and their two children, Stefan and Rachelle, and son, Eric Paul.

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Darren Edward Esslinger

Darren Edward Esslinger

Darren Edward Esslinger, a longtime resident of Laguna Beach, passed away peacefully on December 13, 2018, at Hoag Hospital after a battle with cancer that began only 18 months earlier. Darren was 53.

Raised in Newport Beach, Darren excelled in football at Newport Harbor High, class of 1983, then coached High School football. He earned his BA at University of California in History and went on to achieve a degree of Law at Western State University College of Law in 2003, where he was graduated with honors.

A life rooted in Laguna history, his grandparents, Dr. Paul (Doc) and Marie Esslinger, developed land they purchased in 1943 in South Laguna across from the Montage Resort. Darren served as trustee over their estate for different periods over his lifetime and was dedicated to the preservation of their efforts, a task made complicated by litigation, but one to which he remained devoted. He enjoyed sports, travel, NYNY, organic gardening, playing guitar, and was known for his soft heart towards animals. He was loved by many and will be dearly missed.

Darren is survived by his parents, Paul R. and Beverly Esslinger, his three sisters, Cheryl, Linda and Jenifer, and his brother, (Paul) Marty as well as six nieces, two nephews, one great niece and one great nephew. He was proceeded in death by his brother, Stephen, in 2012.

A celebration of Darren’s life for friends and loved ones will take place on Saturday, June 29, at 2 p.m. at Church by the Sea in Laguna Beach, located at 468 Legion Street.

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Karol A. Kunysz

Karol Kunysz

Karol A. Kunysz passed away on Wednesday May 29, 2019 at the age of 91. Karol was born in Paterson, New Jersey, on March 26, 1928, the son of Helen and Paul Kunysz. Karol earned a Masters in Education, majoring in chemistry and physics. Before beginning his teaching career, he served two years in the U.S. Air Force. A chance encounter with Jacqueline Thielk at an Air Force dance in Houston sealed his fate. Karol and Jackie were married in Houston on June 28, 1952 and spent the next 67 years together.After relocating to Southern California, Karol taught chemistry and physics at Laguna Beach High School for more than 30 years. He was ahead of his time as he created an honors program using college physics and chemistry textbooks to better prepare his students for college and future careers. He was known affectionately as KK by his students and was just as often subjected to their pranks as they were to his. While at Laguna Beach HS, Karol dabbled in theatre, appearing onstage in several theatre department productions.

Upon his retirement, Karol took this penchant with him to Squaw Valley, California, where he wrote and produced small skits and performed in other plays. In addition to theatre, Karol spent many hours in his woodworking workshop where he built jewelry boxes, furniture and even a sailboat and sleigh. Karol was also an avid painter where he excelled in both lifescape and abstract pieces.

Karol was a devoted husband to his wife, Jacqueline, and a wonderful father to his children. He passed on a love of the outdoors including backpacking, camping, sailing, orchids, woodworking and books. He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, their six children Kathy, Lisa, Mike, Jane, Jim, and Tom, and 11 grandchildren. He is predeceased by a son, Eric, and his brothers, Paul and Joseph, and sister, Genevieve.

Memorial services will be held Sunday, June 30, 2019 from noon to 2 p.m. PDT at Driftwood Mobile Home Park Community Center, 15621 Beach Blvd, Westminister, CA 92683.

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Ralph Tarzian

Ralph Tarzian was a sculptor. He died on June 12, 2019, peacefully, at the age of 95. His family revered him as a kind and loving war hero, artist, and scholar. He and his wife, Nancy, who died in 2011, leave behind three children, six grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren. A resident of Laguna Beach since 1966, he was the patriarch of a family who relied on him as not only their moral compass, but as a source of artistic inspiration and unconditional love. He generously molded them, as well as countless students and colleagues, into the people they are today.

Ralph was born in 1923 in Fresno, California, to Leo and Sona (Boyajian) Tarzian. His younger brother, Bob, was born shortly thereafter, once the family had moved to Long Beach. His parents were both the children of Armenian immigrants; Ralph was a proud child of the Armenian diaspora. He was prone to slip into his grandparents’ native tongue with a grin and a twinkle in his eye that embodied William Saroyan’s observation: “For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.”

Ralph was born an artist, painting, drawing, and sculpting since before he could remember. Some of his earliest memories were of building sculptures from wood and paper. The walls and shelves of his Laguna Canyon studio, where he worked nearly every day until 2011, were adorned with his work spanning 90 years.

Ralph was industrious as a child and sold chickens and eggs, delivered papers, and worked in the post office, generally to fund his motorcycle or hotrod habit. He attended Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, where he was a middling student but accomplished what would be the most important feat of his life: meeting Nancy.

As she recalled, besides art, Ralph’s life revolved around petroleum: getting it and using it. Internal combustion engines almost killed him at least twice: once in a motorcycle accident that delayed his high school graduation until February of 1942, and the second time on the other side of the globe, during WWII. Indeed most of Ralph’s teen years seem to have involved near-death road trips, automobile-induced peril, and light larceny aimed at securing his next tank of gas.

Ralph was inducted into the Army in January 1943 and by the end of the year he was serving as a corporal in the Air Corps glider division in New Guinea. In 1944, while building a landing strip, he was caught between two pieces of machinery and nearly “ground up,” as he later recalled. His war was over, and he spent the next year in hospitals, first in Australia, then in California, where he finally got out of a body cast. He finished up his service in Texas, where he taught skeet during the day and ran liquor at night. Upon his return to Long Beach, he and Nancy rekindled their romance and were married in 1947.

Always industrious, Ralph soon had three children to feed: Patrick, Pamela, and Stephen. Ralph was studying art and working at the post office. The young family used $5,000 that Ralph had saved from bootlegging in Texas to buy a cottage in Paramount, to which Ralph added rooms as the family grew. The family grew and it grew, and Ralph’s career grew along with it. He became an “artist’s artist” in Orange County, treasuring and seeking out the work of his colleagues, yet always staying humble as they too sought out and treasured his increasingly masterful work in bronze and stone. In 1966, Ralph and Nancy moved to Laguna Beach and Ralph established the sculpture department at Orange Coast College, where he was a professor of fine arts until he retired from teaching in 1984.

As Ralph grew as an artist, as a carver of marble, travertine, and alabaster, and as a master of lost-wax bronze works that increasingly became sought after among collectors, Ralph and Nancy made annual pilgrimages to Pietrasanta, Italy, to work with Italian stone carvers who would become lifelong friends. He would return with more stone for his work. Ralph saw the rock from this area, first popularized by Michelangelo, as fundamental to his medium. He and Nancy travelled the world and their adventures informed his approach to sculpture. These trips and his Italian colleagues inspired Ralph and expanded his approach to sculpture. He increasingly began to show work in galleries throughout the Southland and beyond. He was a regular exhibitor at the Festival of the Arts, and served on the boards of the Laguna Art Museum and Long Beach Art Association, garnering awards for his work, public installations, and more recently, lifetime achievement recognition, including the 2010 Laguna Beach Art Alliance Art Star Lifetime Achievement award.

After retiring from teaching in 1984, Ralph began working solely out of his Laguna Canyon studio. He worked almost every day and loved the community of artists who sought him out as a mentor. His studio was a hub for grandchildren, artisans, and old friends. And if he wasn’t poring over a piece of rock, trying to unwrap the hidden figure within, or building wax figures for his next bronze, he was operating some type of heavy equipment. The board and batten walls shook when he ran his air-hammer. At quitting time, the Coors from his studio refrigerator just tasted colder, better. Ralph worked from his studio until 2011, when Nancy died. With the loss of Nancy, and a broken heart, Ralph retired from public life at 88. He still reveled in friends, the art community, and his great-grandchildren. But without Nancy, after their marriage of 65 years, Ralph had lost part of himself.

Ralph’s family, colleagues, and friends are better for having been formed by the kind and giving leader of their clan. He lives on wherever two of them meet and remember his mischievous grin, his generous spirit, and his taste for hard work and adventure. He and Nancy are on the long viaggio together; may it never end.

Ralph was an ardent supporter of fellow artists. Family and friends will be making contributions in his honor to charities that support the arts, including the Artists Fund at the Festival of Arts, a nonprofit organization assisting artists who have suffered an unforeseen hardship: www.theartistsfund-foa.org.

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Donna Anderson

Donna P. Anderson, 77, died unexpectedly on Sunday, June 16, 2019. Donna was born February 1, 1942, in Chicago, IL, a daughter of the late Frank Riley and Dorothy Tompkins. She had been a resident of Bonita Springs, FL, for the past 15 months, after 8 years in Laguna Beach, CA, and prior to that, 16 years in Green Valley, AZ.

Devoted mother, grandmother and animal lover, she loved nothing more than spending time with her family. Donna never missed a grandchild’s birthday and was always there for her three children, as well as numerous nieces and nephews, never hesitating to bring them under her wing. Her favorite past-time was remodeling and decorating her home and other properties she owned.

She attended York High School in Elmhurst, IL, where she met her first husband and started a family. Migrating through Cuyuna, MN, and Twin Lakes, WI, she divorced and then met the love of her life, the late Edward Anderson. Donna loved to dance, and Ed would take her to music venues everywhere to enjoy together. They moved to Palatine, IL, and married, and eventually moved to Green Valley, AZ, in part to support Ed’s aging parents. The couple opened a Chicago-style restaurant “Bumpers Hot Dogs” that kept them busy and engaged in the community, with plans for expansion. After Ed’s early passing, Donna moved to Laguna Beach, CA, to live with her eldest son and his family, spending several years immensely enjoying time living with three young grandsons. She eventually wanted a place of her own, and to be closer to her sister in Florida, which led her to Bonita Springs, where she took great pride in remodeling and decorating her new home so late in life.

Donna would not be complete without her dogs, which were a constant throughout her life: Shelley, Snoopy, Ginger, Spice, Holly, Alfi, Bumper, Aussie, Daisy, Maya and Heidi.

She is survived by her three married children, Michael & Amy Capelle of San Juan Capistrano, CA; Thomas & Stephanie Capelle of Nantes, France; and Michele & Steve Dine of Denver, CO; and seven beloved grandchildren: Calvin, Everett, Malcolm, Léa, Samuel, Clara, and Chloé Capelle. She is also survived by her brother, Robert Riley, and her two sisters, Harvette Gambotz and Patricia Clark, and numerous nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Mass was held on Tuesday, June 25, 2019, at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, Bonita Springs, FL, with Fr. John Rourke, officiating.

To sign her guest register or to leave online condolences, please visit www.ShikanyFuneralHome.com.

Arrangements are being handled by Shikany’s Bonita Funeral Home, Bonita Springs, FL.

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