In Memoriam

Notices of deaths received before April 7

To submit listings, please contact alumnae-relations@mills.edu/ mills.alumnae.relations@northeastern.edu or 510.430.2123

Patricia Hildebrand Owen ’46, May 28, 2022, in Federal Way, Washington. She owned and operated an eponymous art school and gallery in the Seattle-Tacoma area for decades.

Ann Thomas Jones ’47, January 14, in Lincoln, California. She is survived by a sister, Jeanne Thomas ’51; cousins Sara Dale Peterson ’64, Sara Lohse Carlberg ’71, and Deborah Lohse Tobin ’75; and two children.

Nadean Hart Bissiri ’48, TCRED ’49, April 28, 2022, in Napa. She briefly taught in the Farmersville area of the San Joaquin Valley with her Mills teaching credential, then moved to Lakewood after marriage. After a brief foray into modeling and acting, Nadean moved with her family to Santa Maria and returned to the classroom—but still appearing in local theater productions. With a final move up to Napa, she learned Spanish and taught it until retirement, even attending month-long immersion trips in Spanish-speaking countries, and she curated beautiful landscapes in her home garden. She is survived by a son, two grandchildren, and a great-grandson.

Marianne “Beebe” Halbert Cooley ’49, February 4, in Murietta, California. She was a lifelong piano player who always had music playing in her home, and she taught elementary school in Lynwood for 20 years. Beebe was an original homeowner in the Palmilla neighborhood of Murietta and lived there happily gardening, entertaining, and traveling for more than 30 years—and she also outlived three husbands. She is survived by two children, eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Jaine Roberts Springer ’49, February 7, in Mercer Island, Washington. As a Mills student, she interviewed Eva Peron in Buenos Aires for an assignment. In the Seattle area, Jaine belonged to Emmanuel Episcopal Church and the Women’s University Club, where she also chaired the book club, and she enjoyed playing golf at the Hayden Lake Country Club in Idaho. In recent years, she could be found walking the trails of South Mercer Island with her Sealyham Terrier. Jaine’s mother Flossie graduated from Mills in 1918. She is survived by seven children, 13 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

Barbara Bageman Hemming ’50, July 19, 2020, in Frankfort, Michigan.

Elizabeth “Betsy” Church King ’50, January 11, in Albuquerque. She was born and raised in Hawaii when it was a US territory, going to work on a pineapple farm during World War II. After Mills, Betsy returned, meeting her late husband when they both worked for United Airlines in Honolulu. Their careers took them across the mainland, but they finally settled in New Mexico in 1977. She loved the landscape and culture, volunteering for many years at the former St. Joseph Hospital. Over the recent holiday season, Betsy told her family to “pass the love forward.” Her sister Margaret Church Wendt ’52 predeceased her, and she is survived by four children and 10 grandchildren.

Nancy Kenealy Soper ’51, December 24, 2022, in San Francisco. She was a textile designer who owned and operated an eponymous firm.

Lucy “Bonney” Varney Reger ’52 , January 21, in Tinton Falls, New Jersey. After Mills, she returned home to finish her biology and chemistry degrees at the University of Nebraska. Bonney first worked at what’s now Pfizer in Detroit, which led her to the University of Michigan to pursue a master’s degree. That’s where she met late husband Paul, and they lived nearby while raising their family. After a move to New Jersey, Bonney volunteered widely, including founding an LGBTQIA+ organization, and embarked on extensive travels around the world. She is survived by five children, 16 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.

Shirley Kendall Rippey ’53, January 20, in Tigard, Oregon. After Mills, she graduated from the University of Oregon, where she met her late husband, Jim. Shirley was a homemaker to their three children, taking a particular interest in their education through volunteering in the classroom up to the school district, as well as with the Girl Scouts and the United Way. She also loved to go on adventures with her family, nurture her pets, maintain bonds with lifelong friends, and play bridge. She is survived by three children, seven grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter.

Shyrlee Wertz Stanley ’53, February 5, in Arlington, Texas. She majored in education at Mills, and she is survived by five children.

Sara “Gerdi” Hord Heath ’56, January 8, in Scottsdale, Arizona. After Mills, she graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, then joined her family ranching business with new husband Stan. The ranch sold and the couple divorced in the last 1970s, so Gerdi returned to Lincoln as a model and fashion consultant for the store Hovland-Swanson, later spending a year in Los Angeles as a personal shopper. During the Reagan administration, she was selected to the DACOWITS Committee, which traveled to US military bases worldwide to support women in the military. She is survived by two daughters, two grandchildren, and two great-granddaughters.

Martena Allard Savage ’57, March 13, in St. Ignatius, Montana. After Mills, she attended the Electronics Radio & Television Institute in Omaha, Nebraska, which led to a job with the US Air Force’s Aeronautical Chart and Information Center in Washington, DC. Martena then moved back to Montana to marry and raise her family, and she worked at the University of Montana. After her divorce, she remarried her late husband, Luke, and they lived in Tucson and Los Angeles before returning to her family ranch in St. Ignatius. Before retirement, Martena worked for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. She is survived by three children.

Alice London Bishop ’58, February 13, in Belmont, California. She earned her degree in early childhood education and worked in nursery and elementary schools in San Mateo, where she settled with her late husband, Robert, and their family. Alice also held leadership roles in her church and with the AAMC, and she was a devoted volunteer. She is survived by three children, including Gail Bishop Welter ’87; five grandchildren; a brother; and nieces Amy Bishop-Dunbar ’83 and Molly Bishop Romero ’86.

Margaret “Margi” Roberts Tomczak ’58, February 11, in Sacramento. Her life was devoted to children’s well-being. After first working as a probation officer, she moved to Sacramento to serve as the first director of foster care education for the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. The rest of Margi’s career was spent in similar roles with the County of Marin and American River College, and she held board positions with centers and councils dedicated to families and children. In her free time, she loved the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the symphony. She is survived by three children; two grandchildren; two great-granddaughters; and two sisters, including Joan Roberts Latty ’61.

Elaine Stewart Reeves ’58, January 8, in Altadena, California. She completed her college degree in music at USC, which is also where she met her late husband, Roy. For decades, Elaine sang with the choral group Pasadena Pro Musica and in the choir at the Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church. When her children were grown, she returned to USC to earn her MBA, which she used to start an HR consulting firm. Even after a 1992 medical event left her with a poor prognosis, she pushed through to continue doing all the things she loved: attending USC football games, traveling, and doting on her family. She is survived by three children and nine grandchildren.

Natalie Thomas Malin ’58, February 2023, in Mercer Island, Washington. After Mills, she graduated from the University of Washington, later earning a master of philosophy degree and teaching her own curricula on the philosophy of feminism there. In more recent years, Natalie made a name for herself as a real estate broker, and she gave her time to organizations such as the Washington State Jewish Genealogical Society, where she was on the board, and her son’s Boy Scout troop. She is survived by her husband, Robert; three children; four grandchildren; and a sister.

Sara Garvin Meadors ’59, January 19, in Fort Worth, Texas. She later graduated from the University of Oklahoma. Sara loved choral music and participated with a number of choirs, including groups that performed at Carnegie Hall and the opening of Carmina Burana at Texas Christian University. Professionally speaking, she completed 25 years of service with the General Services Administration, and she also worked in the library and religion department at TCU. Sara loved spending time on the road with her late husband, Greg, on their motorcycles. She is survived by three children, five grandchildren, and two brothers.

Marcia Laing Golden ’64, January 29, in Goodland, Kansas. She kept busy; with late husband John, who was also a Kansas state representative, she owned and operated three farms. But Marcia also ran a clothing store in the 1970s, and in the 1980s, she helped develop the cultural arts, including foreign languages, in local public schools. Her philanthropic work followed that same track, and President George H. W. Bush appointed her to the National Endowment for the Arts in 1990. The Big Easel, a replica of van

Gifts in Memory of

Received December 1, 2022–February 28, 2023

Barbara Goldblatt Becker ’63 by Patricia Yoshida Orr ’63

Linda Nelson Branson ’77 by her husband, James Branson

Lynda Campfield ’00, SES ’01, MA ’02 by Gwendolyn “Gwen” Jackson Foster ’67

Elisabeth Engan ’79 by Mary “Belle” Sammel Bulwinkle, MFA ’80

Baki Kasaplagil by Irene Crown Merwin ’67

Anita Aragon Kreplin ’63 by Michelle Balovich ’03, MBA ’18

Ann McKinstry Micou ’52 by her sister, Evelyn “Muffy”

McKinstry Thorne ’48

Alan Parrish, MFA ’04 by his sister, Kimberly Parrish

Marion Ross ’44 by Rhoda Krasner ’64

Diana Russell by Susan Massotty ’70

Eleanor Marshall Schaefer ’29 by Nicole Bartow

Mary Lois Hudson Sweatt ’60, MA ’62 by her sister, Estrellita Hudson Redus ’65, MFA ’75

For information about making a tribute gift, contact 510.430.2097 or donors@mills.edu.

Gogh’s “Vase With Three Sunflowers” that became a tourist attraction in Kansas, owes its existence to Marcia. She is survived by three children and six grandchildren.

Barbara Bradford ’70, March 24, in Monterey. She was an accomplished artist who worked with clay, watercolors, oils, and collage, and her work was displayed throughout Monterey County. Barbara also took much pleasure in her association with the Salinas French Club, and she traveled to Paris with the Hartnell College French Club. She experienced challenges with mental health throughout her life, but she found camaraderie with fellow residents at Interim, Inc. housing in Monterey and at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Carmel. She is survived by her brother, two nieces, and her great-nieces and -nephews.

Nan Weintraub Fichtenbaum ’70, March 17, in Dallas. After Mills, she earned a master’s degree in urban education from Southern Methodist University, which she used as a teacher in Dallas before and after she raised her children. Nan took seriously her responsibility of teaching American history, a subject she loved so much that she volunteered at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum despite disagreeing with his politics. Her family said that she died from “complications related to living a life of dualities, vacillating between a true class act and one uniquely badass lady.” She is survived by two children and two siblings, including sister Lynne Weintraub Kline ’63.

Sally Hinman Freeman ’83, February 20, in Brunswick, Maine. Sally was a passionate reader who worked for L.L. Bean on a seasonal basis. She is survived by two children and three siblings.

Helen Kranz Morrigan ’83, December 24, 2022, in Monterey. She worked as an interior designer, notary public, and the manager of an American Cancer Society Discovery Shop.

Beverly Lundell ’87, January 9, in Livermore, California. She came to Mills after raising her children as a stay-at-home mother. Beverly earned her degree in psychology, then studied hypnotherapy with experts in Berkeley with whom she later traveled the world to teach. She lived around the Bay Area but returned to Livermore in more recent years to be close to her family, who called her “loving, snarky, and fierce.” She is survived by five children, three stepchildren, 11 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Alan Parrish, MFA ’04, July 14, 2021, in Oakland. He came to Mills for his MFA in art after graduating from California College of the Arts. He is survived by his partner, Sarah Carlson ’01; his parents; and a sister.

Spouses and Family

Dennis Hoskins , husband of Kathleen Miller Hoskins ‘71, December 19, 2022, in Modesto, California.

Faculty and Staff

Carolyn Harper, former professor of zoology, January 11, in Union City, California.

Friends

Gordon Moore , March 24, in Waimea, Hawaii. A co-founder of Intel and the husband of Betty Irene Moore, he and his wife’s family foundation donated $4 million toward the completion of the new Natural Sciences Building in 2007, which was named after Betty in appreciation of their gift.