Transitions Births, marriages and deaths
Paul Hamilton Paul Hamilton was born in South Dakota and died in early December in Palo Alto, where he lived for more than 50 years. He was a skilled woodworker and demanded of himself as a craftsman. The part of his childhood he most fondly remembered was in Idaho. Born the fourth child of Lee and Inge Hamilton, he was a brother to his older siblings Gladys, Viola and Merlin, all of whom preceded him in death, as did his younger sister Leanne. His sister Jean survives him. At the age of 17 he volunteered for the Marine Corps, lying about
his age so he could accompany his 18-year-old best friend into the military. They volunteered one week before Pearl Harbor. In addition to the standard Marine Corps training, he volunteered and trained as a parachute trooper. He served two tours of duty in the Pacific theater, one in Choiseul and the second at Iwo Jima, where he was wounded and earned a Purple Heart. After the war was over, he became a serious student, graduating from Scripps University with a bachelor’s degree in experimental psychology. He then worked for 11 years at the Navy Electronics Laboratory, giving him the chance to do research as a deep-sea diver specializing in acoustics. He then worked for many years in the aerospace field as a human-factors specialist and was particularly valued as a writer and editor. Later he re-
turned to the field of psychology, and received a master’s degree in clinical psychology, after which he and several colleagues opened a low-cost counseling clinic in San Jose. A staunch Democrat, he took pride in his participation in the civil-rights movement when he was young, remembering sit-ins at lunch counters to lend solidarity to blacks in their struggle for equal rights. While still in the Marine Corps, he married Joanie Duryee, with whom he parented two children, Brad and Penny, both of whom he cherished. Between them they produced many grandchildren: Minka (who died in 1995), Alpin, Moses, Koa, Caleb, Ian, Forest and Satchel. Several of these have had children of their own, and he became their proud great-grandfather.
George Oswald Mckee George Oswald McKee was born in Portadown, Northern Ireland to Elsie Alexandra and Hugh George McKee. He died peacefully at home in Saint Helena, California surrounded by his family on January 13th, 2013. George is survived by his loving wife, Joan; children, Katie, Geordie, Heather and Adriana; grandchildren, Ryan, Elsie, Ali, Jack and Olivia. He is also survived by his sisters, Yvonne Dutton and Eithne Hobson, and former wife Pamela Seitz. George’s early years were spent in London, England in the midst of the turmoil of World War II. His 18 year old brother, Valentine, was killed while serving as a RAF Pilot when his plane was shot down over the English Channel. During the London blitz, George and his older sister Yvonne were evacuated to Sheerness in Southern England leaving his younger sister, Eithne, and parents in London. After three years, George and his sister were moved to Clabby, Northern Ireland to live with relatives. These childhood experiences during World War II had a profound and lasting impact on George, which ultimately sparked a lifelong fascination with World War II. His family reunited in Northern Ireland in 1945. He later attended Queen’s University Belfast (Northern Ireland) followed by University of Oxford (England). As a boy, George, affectionately known as Ossie in Great Britain, developed a love for playing both rugby and cricket. It was while playing rugby for Oxford that he first visited the United States to play against UC Berkeley. After suffering a devastating leg injury and facing post war devastation in Europe, he decided to immigrate to America. George came through Ellis Island with his cousin, Norman Ballantyne, and only $50 in his pocket. George attended UC Berkeley on scholarship and worked at the Union Service gas station on Nob Hill to make ends meet. After receiving his Master of Engineering degree from UC Berkeley, George held positions at Peerless Pump and General Mills before embarking on his career in commercial real estate in 1964. Throughout the following decades George was a prolific real estate developer, broker and prominent figure in the growth of what is known today as Silicon Valley. While at Renault & Handley, he partnered
with Raymond Handley in the development of dozens of industrial buildings in Palo Alto, Mountain View and Sunnyvale. The two were instrumental in assisting such valley pioneers as Fairchild Semiconductor, Intel, Apple Computer, Netscape and Yahoo with their early stage real estate needs. Highly respected by his peers, George was universally well liked and considered a man of integrity. Many a young broker and developer sought his counsel through the years, and George was never too busy to take the time to mentor them or lend a helping hand. George was also an active volunteer having served as a board member and past president for the Mid Peninsula Tennis Patrons, an organization that provided financial aid for local junior tennis players to travel and compete in national tournaments. In addition, George served on the boards of the Northern California Tennis Association, the Portola Valley Unified School District, the Palo Alto Club (where he was a past president) and was passionate in his support of Stanford University Athletics, the Cardinal Buck Club, the Daper Fund, and the Hoover Institute. George was known for his intelligence, his continued curiosity and his intellectual striving, but perhaps most importantly for his graciousness and kind heart. He was also known for telling a great story and regaled many with tales from his childhood and the early years of development in Silicon Valley. The hearty laugh of George McKee will live on in our memories reminding us that, although life can be challenging, we must celebrate the joy! A memorial service for George Oswald McKee will be held at 2pm on Tuesday, January 29th at Stanford Memorial Church. Please visit morrisonfuneralchapel.com for important parking information. In lieu of f lowers, donations may be made in George’s name to: Napa Valley Hospice 414 South Jefferson Street Napa, CA 94559 or: Martin O’Neil Cancer Center St Helena Hospital 10 Woodland Road St. Helena, CA 94574 PA I D
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Later in life he married Dorothea Rubinstein, becoming stepfather to her three children, Marion (married to Jonathan Salzedo), Teddy and Francis (married to Antoinette Gathy). Towards the end of his life he converted to Judaism, a choice that proved deeply meaningful to him. He was a devoted husband to Dorothea and a father to her three children and two grandchildren, Simon and Laura.
Pierino “Paul� Robbiano Pierino “Paul� Robbiano of Menlo Park, Calif., died Jan. 6 surrounded by family. He was 91. Born Oct. 19, 1921, in Palo Alto, Calif., he was an active ham radio operator, “W6PKM,� since the age of 16 and recipient of an electronics engineering degree from Stanford University in 1943. A retired employee of Varian Associates in Palo Alto following 33 years of service, he contributed much of his free time serving in the local St. Vincent de Paul group. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Mary Ann; three children, Kathleen, Paul and Angela; two grandchildren, Vincent and Joseph; and great-grandchild, Henry. He will be greatly missed. A vigil service was held Jan. 11 at St. Raymond’s Catholic Church and a funeral mass was held Jan. 12 at the church followed by committal at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Menlo Park.
Ted Wellings Ted Wellings, a longtime resident of Woodside Hills, died at his home Jan. 5 of heart failure. He was 87.
Anniversary Pat and Bill Robertson of Atherton will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary on Tuesday, Jan. 29, at a private family event. They were married in 1943, moved to the area in 1944 and have lived in the same house in Atherton for 60 years. Both were raised in the East Bay and attended UC Berkeley. Bill Robertson completed three finals on the same day of their evening wedding in 1943. They have three children, two grandchildren, five greatgrandchildren and five greatgreat-grandchildren. He was a family man, golfer, retired Navy man and businessman. He was born in Boston, Mass., to Timothy F. and Antoinette Wellings. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in June 1946. After serving 20 years in the Navy and living several places, he settled in California and started his own CPA business. He was a partner with his son, Bruce, and a financial adviser in Menlo Park. He continued to work up until March. When he wasn’t working, he and his wife Peggy loved to travel and play golf. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Peggy Gills Wellings; son, Bruce Wellings of Redwood City; daughter, Cindy Wellings Hayes of Sacramento; and son, Tim Wellings of Spring Branch, Texas. He is also survived by nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
James Marvin Wrenn
November 24, 1940 – January 14, 2013 Resident of Palo Alto Jim passed away after a battle with multiple myeloma and plasma cell leukemia and is survived by his wife of 44 years, Joan, as well as children Gregg, Becky, Colleen, son-in-law Jason Sampson and granddaughter Helena Joan. A native of Texas, Jim attended SMU before moving to Palo Alto to attend Stanford. There he received a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and met Joan Theobald, a fellow Stanford grad student. After graduating, Jim began a long career in engineering, working for an assortment of Silicon Valley companies including Hewlett Packard, Aehr Test Systems, Thermawave and KLA Tencor. An avid photographer, Jim spent many hours behind the lens snapping photos of everything from travel destinations to nature scenes to his kids’ sporting events. After an unexpected stint as a youth soccer coach blossomed into a love of the game, Jim moved from the sidelines to the ďŹ eld, becoming an active adult league player and a nationally certiďŹ ed referee and referee instructor. When he wasn’t chasing a ball around the pitch, Jim and Joan co-wrote several published articles on botanical prints and salt cellars. Community service was another keystone of Jim’s life; he was especially dedicated to supporting the Monterey Bay Aquarium and was named a Hero for Cancer Research by the Stanford Cancer Center. As a natural engineer, he never stopped building, tinkering, ďŹ xing, improving or rewiring, happily helping friends, family and strangers alike. His proudest achievement, however, was raising three wonderful children. A funeral mass was held on Friday, January 18th at 1:15pm at St. Thomas Aquinas in Palo Alto. Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Roller & Hapgood & Tinney. In lieu of owers, please consider donations in Jim’s name to the Second Harvest Food Bank (www.shfb.org), the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society (www.lls.org) or the Ecumenical Hunger Program (www.ehpcares.org). PA I D
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