Leon Luis Eymil December 29, 1942 – September 30, 2013 Former Palo Alto High School teacher, Leon Eymil, passed away on Sept. 30. He was born in Los Angeles, and settled in Los Altos. He was a linguist in the Army before attending Stanford and earning a BA and an MA in Russian Language and Literature. A celebration of his life is planned for Oct. 20 at 2:30 P.M., at PBC, 3505 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto. In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made in his memory to LPFCH, 400 Hamilton Ave, Ste 340, Palo Alto, CA 94301. supportlpch.org PA I D
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Transitions Births, marriages and deaths
Peter Hom Peter Hom, of Palo Alto, died on Oct. 3. He was 82. A Menlo Park native, he received a B.S. in accounting from U.C. Berkeley. After serving in the U.S. Army in the Korean War, he went to law school and received a J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge Law School. He later married Gloria, who
During his 15-year stint with RCA, various projects involved moves to Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey—areas blasted by brisk Nor’easters. Bill affirmed that he both loved developing new products, and disliked winter. When David Packard of HewlettPackard called in 1960, he moved the family to sunny California. Bill would work for HP for a decade. In 1973 he joined SRI International. He retired from SRI in 1990 as the senior director and vice president of the International Business Consulting Group. In the time between HP and SRI, Bill travelled and consulted, including a position as a volunteer executive helping small companies overseas. Both Marian and Bill were civic minded, Marian as a den mother and president of the Palo Alto PTA, Bill as a member of the Palo Alto Planning Commission and a board member of more than 10 civic organizations including the Kidney Foundation of Northern California, Neighbors Abroad, Kiwanis, Avenidas, and the Cardiac Therapy Foundation. They were an active, engaged pair. Bill’s greatest sorrow in life came in October of 1970, when cancer claimed 47-year-old Marian. He eventually found peace and companionship with one of the couple’s longtime acquaintances, Jane Wilbur. He and Jane married in 1985, and proceeded to travel the world together, setting foot on all seven continents. Bill will be remembered as a loving, supportive father who accepted both of his son’s major life choices and took pride and joy in their successes; for his great sense of humor and generosity; for his delight in grandchildren Trevor and Christina; and for his talent of single-handedly devouring banana splits for dinner. He is survived by wife Jane Wilbur Bloom (nee: Sybil Jane Deskins) of Palo Alto; sons David (Kathi), Richard (Becky), and grandson Trevor, all of Jackson Hole, Wyoming; and granddaughter Christina, presently attending graduate school in New Zealand. Many, many friends, two step-children and two step-grandchildren are also left to mourn his passing. Contributions in his memory may be sent to the Cardiac Therapy Foundation, 4000 Middlefield Road, Suite G8, Palo Alto, CA, 94303-4761 PA I D
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trees in his backyard. He was an active member of the First Congregational Church of Palo Alto, where he enjoyed the community and music. He is survived by his three daughters: Patricia Hoo and Jennifer Lai of Menlo Park and Leslie Hom of San Francisco. He is also V Ì Õi`Ê Ê iÝÌÊ«>}i®
Betty Ann Swezey
A. William “Bill” Bloom Long-time Palo Alto resident A. William “Bill” Bloom, retired senior director and vice president of SRI International, died October 7 at the Vi at Palo Alto’s skilled nursing center from complications of a stroke. He was 90. Bill was a blazingly smart intellectual and practical man who knew how to focus on the keys issues necessary to take technology from invention to finished product. He came to Silicon Valley when it was becoming Silicon Valley, playing a role in shaping the world we live in, whether we live in Silicon Valley or not. Bill was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on June 23, 1923, to Manuel Bloom and Esther Sydney Bloom. His father was a high school science teacher who exerted quite an influence on Bill—not only in drawing him to the sciences, but in successfully teaching tolerance for those of different faiths, ethnicity and financial status. Bill grew up in Providence alongside his brother, Benjamin, and sister, Cyrille. He was but six-years-old when the stock market crash of 1929 set off the Great Depression, further shaping his world view. It is not surprising that he became a saver with an eye always on his family’s financial security. His keen intellect surfaced early. Bill graduated from high school at age 16 and the University of Rhode Island three years later. With a degree in chemical engineering in hand, the 19-year-old barely had time to don his interview suit when the United States entered World War II. He served his country in the U.S. Navy, becoming part of the fast diminishing “Greatest Generation.” Bill’s civilian life began as an engineer for RCA in Chicago. There he met Marian Forner, a sparkling young woman from Ohio who held an electrical engineering certificate from Purdue University. Bill broke both the rules and strong convention by marrying within the same corporation and outside of the Jewish faith. The passionate young couple married in 1945 and were blessed with the birth of David in 1948 and Richard in 1952. Juggling the demands of his job and a young family, Bill earned a master’s degree from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1952 and an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School in 1954, while Marian secured a BA degree in history from Brooklyn College.
survives him. They lived in Palo Alto and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year. He practiced law for almost 40 years in Santa Clara County, where he was one of the first Chinese attorneys. He was also a fisherman, card player and sports fan. He loved spending time with family and friends, traveling the world, and harvesting the fruit
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September 10, 1921 – October 3, 2013 Betty Ann (Bischoff) Swezey, loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother and a Palo Alto resident for over 65 years, passed peacefully on Oct. 3, 2013, at the age of 92. Born on Sept. 10, 1921, in Brooklyn, N.Y., the child of an immigrant nurse and grocer, her childhood and life values were shaped by the Great Depression, President Roosevelt’s fireside chats, and the inspiration of Eleanor Roosevelt. She attended and graduated from Middletown High School where she was valedictorian, and Cornell University (with tuition made possible by scholarships) where she earned degrees in French and sociology from the College of Arts and Sciences. She was one of two Cornell freshmen to be cited by Mortar Board based on highest cumulative scholastic average. At Cornell she also met her future husband, Charles Lawrence Swezey of Goshen, N.Y., and they married on June 11, 1944. Following Lawrence’s service in the U.S. Army, the couple moved to Palo Alto in 1946, where Lawrence attended Stanford Law School and, except for a short stint in Burbank, Calif., they resided until her death. Betty Ann loved the ocean and changing seasons, holidays, poetry, languages and travel. In one remembrance she wrote about her early childhood living on a farm in Bloomingburg, N.Y. She said, “No doubt my memories are pierced with nostalgia, special nostalgia of childhood looked back upon, but I won’t give up the magic of my memories.” She was an avid doll collector and known for throwing amazing birthday parties and making holidays magical. She took many train trips over the years to visit family and friends across the country, as well as occasional trips (including a cross-Atlantic trip on the QE2) to Europe and Germany to visit relatives. But her greatest love was her family. She was always concerned about whether each was warm enough, had eaten yet, or was doing too much. In addition to raising her own children, she sponsored several foster children, and later doted on her grandchildren. She also never missed the opportunity to vote, often working the polling stations on election days. For the last seven years, she resided at the Sunrise Assisted Living Center in Palo Alto, which along with Patti Yanklowitz and her team at Palo Alto Medical Foundation, the family wishes to thank for loving care. She is survived by her husband of 69 years, Charles Lawrence Swezey, and her nine children and their families: Tim West of Novato, Calif.; Kirk Swezey of Palo Alto; Sean Swezey of Corralitos, Calif.; Blair Swezey of Healdsburg, Calif.; Erin (Dede) Swezey of Seattle, Wash; Adam Swezey of Mountain View, Calif.; Rory Swezey of Palo Alto; Megan Swezey Fogarty of Palo Alto; and Tanya Swezey Stabinsky of Tempe, Ariz.; as well as 21 grandchildren and one greatgrandchild. A celebration of her life will be held at the First Congregational Church of Palo Alto on Tuesday, Dec. 24 at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, gifts of remembrance can be made to Ecumenical Hunger Program, Abilities United, or Adolescent Counseling Services. PA I D
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