Beatrice B. Dowd, a 43-year Los Altos resident, died Aug. 11. A native of Iowa, she was 78.
Mrs. Dowd worked as the engineering department manager at GTE Sylvania for 28 years. She retired in 1986. She was a member of the Association of Old Crows, a professional organization.
Mrs. Dowd is survived by her children, Frank and Marthe Dowd and one grandchild, Emily Dowd.
A memorial service will be held at 5 p.m. Friday at Shoup Park in Los Altos.
Sigmund Dombrowski
Sigmund Dombrowski died Aug. 4 in San Leandro.
Mr. Dombrowski served as a U.S. Navy Aviation Machinist from 1941 to 1947 before embarking on a 40-year career in the moving and storage industry. He was the founder and president of VIP Movers, Inc., a member of the Santa Clara City Transportation Club, and president and member of the California Moving and Storage Association. He was also an affiliate member of Los Altos Board of Realtors.
Mr. Dombrowski is survived by his wife, Regina Dombrowski; children, Dianne Warren, Susan Umbenhower, Cristina Kessler, Brian Dombrowski and Debra Ellis; eight grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; one sibling, Agnes Ratkowski; and several nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Aug. 11 at St. Simon Church in Los Altos.
Catherine Langley
Catherine Langley, a longtime Los Altos resident, died Aug. 2. She was 86.
Mrs. Langley was the daughter of the late Mrs. Bertha Clark and the late Ralph Clark of Lodi. A graduate of San Jose State University, she later served as an elementary teacher in Sacramento, San Carlos and Lodi.
Mrs. Langley was predeceased by her sister, Althea Graves. She is survived by her husband, T.R. Langley; stepson, T.R. Langley Jr.; grandchildren, Amy Langley and Victoria Langley.
No services were held at her request.
Ronald Bruce Bender
Ronald Bruce Bender died Aug. 5 in Mountain View. A native of San Francisco, he was 71.
Mr. Bender was the son of Sam and Tolza Bender of Mountain View. He was a graduate of Mountain View High School. He received his bachelor’s degree in business from San Jose State University and worked in business at TV Doctors in San Jose for 22 years. He was a longtime member of the Elk’s Club of San Jose, played drums with the band Sound Wizards and numerous other bands throughout his life.
He was predeceased by his son, Gregory Bender. He is survived by his wife, Margie Bender, of Los Altos; and by his daughter, Cynthia Bender Whatcott.
Graveside services were held Aug. 10 at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto.
Thomas Calafiore
Thomas Calafiore died Aug. 11 in Groveland.
A native of New Jersey, he was 51.
Mr. Calafiore was a construction worker for M.B. Taaffe Company in Los Altos Hills.
He is survived by his wife, Florence Calafiore; children, James Michael, Elisa and Madeline Calafiore; mother, Audrey Calafiore; and one sibling, John E. Calafiore.
Services were held last Sunday at the Los Altos Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries. Interment was at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Los Altos.
Mary Ellen Percy Paquette
Mary Ellen Percy Paquette died Aug. 4 in Mountain View after a long battle with cancer. A native of Tucson, Ariz., she was 59.
Mrs. Paquette worked as a private ophthalmologist in Mountain View for 30 years. Family described Mrs. Paquette as a “spectacular woman,” who knew hundreds of patients and their families personally even during a time when health care was becoming increasingly impersonal.
Because of her extensive influence on people, she was entered into “Who’s Who in the West” in 1982.
Mrs. Paquette was the daughter of G. Douglas and Mascha Percy. She attended the University of Arizona, where she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in her junior year. She completed her general medicine degree at Stanford University Medical School in 1965. After interning at the University of Iowa and spending her residency at Stanford’s Deportment of Ophthalmology, she began her own practice in Mountain View.
She married Robert Paquette, patriarch of a family-owned optical store. They spent nearly 23 years referring patients back and forth.
Mrs. Paquette is survived by her husband, Robert Paquette, of Mountain View; children Mary Kathryn Paquette and Connie Marie Paquette; stepchildren, Bonnie Garza Boney, Linda Holcroft, Daniel and Donald Paquette.
Private family services were held at the Los Altos Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries. Interment was at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto.
