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obituaries Stanley Edward Schwartz 1923-2015
Stanley Edward Schwartz passed away Jan. 30th, 2015. He was 91. Stanley was an attorney at law. He was the founder of Legal Aid in California. He was the lead attorney representing Santa Barbara’s interests for the 1969 Santa Barbara channel oil spill, the largest in United States water at the time, and third after the 2010 Deepwater horizon and 1989 Exxon Valdez spills. He was married to Shirley Schwartz for 59 years. Stanley is survived by his children, David, Vicky, Paul, and Jerry; and eight grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley. Arrangements are under the care of Chapel of the Angels Mortuary.
Katie Chackel (Logan Livermore) of Santa Ynez, CA; Jason (Reyna) Kaufman of Santa Barbara; Danny Chackel of Philadelphia, PA, Kelly Chackel of N. Hollywood, CA, Shelby and Megan Cook of Houston, TX. Also surviving him are his great-grandchildren Kylie and Cienna Kaufman of Santa Barbara CA, and Carson Livermore of Santa Ynez, CA, sister and brother-in law Sue and Terry Broderick, and numerous nieces and nephews. Preceding Dad’s death was his wife Gretchen L. Cook, who passed January 30, 2013. We would like to thank the extremely professional and caring emergency room and ICU staff at Cottage Hospital. There will be a memorial to celebrate Dad’s life at 1 pm on Saturday, February 21, 2015, at the family home. Contact Ginger at (805) 4032895 for additional information. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Cottage Health Systems or a charity of your choice.
Thomas R. Cook
05/28/1936 – 01/02/2015
by her children George, Nancy, Peter, Kathryn and Stephen; her grandchildren Molly Castor, Max Looker, Theresa Conk, Mindy, Lonnie and Patrick Miron-Conk, and Sophia Conk; and her great grandchildren Clare and Ella Castor, and Evan, Kaylee and Lily Sereno. Clare was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, where she also graduated magna cum laude from St. Joseph’s College in June 1943. She was 1st in her class in US Navy midshipman school at Smith College. She was a USN Communications Officer at Norfolk Naval Base until her honorable discharge in April 1945. Clare received her M.A. in Education from Hofstra University in 1954 and was a secondary school teacher for 15 years. In 1980, Clare began her law practice after reading for the bar. With only 1 year of formal law school classes, she took and passed the California Bar exam on her first attempt. She practiced law until 1992 when she turned 70. She served on the Board of Directors of California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) for 25 years and the Board of Santa Barbara Community Housing Corporation for nearly 30 years. In 2010, SBCHC honored her by rededicating their senior housing community on Castillo Street as Clare Conk Castillo Homes. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in her memory to California Rural Legal Assistance or Santa Barbara Community Housing Corporation/Clare Conk Castillo Homes.
les area after beginning his career years as a young space project engineer at McCullough Corporation in Long Beach. His appreciation of beauty and form in nature led him into photography. He loved bike riding and racing as well as fishing and exploring in Baja. He enjoyed his last months in his nice cottage at Pilgrim Terrace in Santa Barbara. Up to 6 weeks ago, he could still be seen riding his racing bike around Santa Barbara. Stephen leaves behind his sister Jane Mason (Burke) of Santa Barbara, his nieces Amy Burke (Pantelleria, Italy), Virginia Bryant Case (Tucson, AZ), Tara Mason Goodall (The Woodlands, TX), and his nephew Traford Hudson Burke (Santa Barbara)—all to whom he was a very interesting and interested Uncle Steve. We will all miss his wacky sense of humor and his eccentric yet eclectic worldview. He left us still painfully shy but with a tender heart that touched many. He was preceded in death by his brother Phillip Stuart Mason also of Santa Barbara. A memorial will take place late April in Santa Barbara. R.I.P. Dear Stephen.
Lillian Kornbluth 1920 - 2015
Stephen Traford Mason 08/31/1939 – 01/26/2015
Kim Douglas 1950 – 2015
whom she gave the opportunity to develop and show their work. Those who enjoyed her gallery openings remember them as special occasions often followed by dinners in the Kornbluth’s home, where relationships were formed that blossomed into lifelong friendships for artists and clients. In 1990, Lillian sold her gallery to her manager, Sally Walker, but stayed involved as a consultant to the gallery for the next nine years. Lillian moved with Milton to Marina Del Rey, California, in 1999. She was kind and generous to all who knew her. When her youngest son, Peter, was a teenager, the Kornbluth home was the social meeting place for Peter’s friends. A house key was always kept under the front entrance door mat, and it was not uncommon for Lillian to come home from the gallery to find a group of Peter’s friends relaxing in the family den, not always with Peter present. She always made them welcome. Lillian was predeceased by her husband, Milton, who died in 1999. Lillian is survived by her adored children, Richard and Ann Kornbluth of Syracuse, New York; Peter and Story Kornbluth of Santa Barbara, California; and Janet and Eddie Tucker of Joshua Tree, California. She will be missed by her precious grandchildren Rebecca Kornbluth of Temecula, California; Jeremy Kornbluth and Catherine Delorenzo of Rockville, Maryland; Day Kornbluth and Max Pittman of Brooklyn, New York; and Natalie Kornbluth of San Francisco, California; and her great-grandchildren, Arthur and Louisa Pittman of Brooklyn, New York, and Eli Kornbluth of Rockville, Maryland.
Fred Fassett
04/15/1935 – 01/26/2015
It is with great sadness that we inform you of Dad’s sudden and much unexpected death. Dad was a loyal and devoted husband for over 50 years, a loving and supportive father, a proud grandfather and great-grandfather, a Santa Barbara Native, a Santa Barbara High School Alumni Class of 1954, a Korean War Veteran, and a 30 year plus employee of Smart & Final (retiring as manager). We are thankful for the many lessons and memories dad provided us with camping trips to various locales such as Hollister Ranch, Arroyo Seco, and Trinity Lake; Water Skiing and lake fun at Lake Nacimiento and Lake Havasu; and trips up and down the State of California for Swim Meets. Dad was a friend to everyone and always loved a good joke. Survived by his children Ginger Kaufman (Tony Barr) of Los Alamos, CA; Connie (David) Chackel of Santa Ynez, CA; and Tom (Kimberly) Cook of Houston, TX. Tom is also survived by his grandchildren
Kim Louise Douglas, Born 2-151950 in Santa Barbara, passed away after a long illness in Casper, Wyoming. She is survived by her mother Alice Douglas, sister Jena Douglas, brothers Aaron Douglas of Santa Barbara and Dudley Douglas of Oregon, and sons James and Phillip Coberly. Memorial services will be on Sunday 2-15-15, the morning of her 65th birthday, off of Paradise Road by White Rock in Santa Barbara.
Clare M. Conk
1922-2015 Clare M. Conk passed away peacefully at her home in Santa Barbara on Sunday Feb.1st. She was 92. Clare and her husband, George, marked their 70th anniversary on January 27th. She is also survived
Our Brother, Uncle, Cousin, and friend Stephen Traford Mason died quickly and quietly of a massive heart attack on January 26, 2015, at the age of 75. Born in Santa Monica on August 31, 1939, he spent most of his life in Los Angeles and, happily, was a Santa Barbara resident for the last 12 years. As a youth he attended Brentwood Elementary, Emerson Jr. High, University High, and UCLA, all in the West Los Angeles area. Steve was a huge sports fan and would have been very sad to miss the great Super Bowl this year. He was also a horse racing aficionado and spent lots of time at the Showgrounds and even more time trading stocks on his computer and carefully tending his vegetable garden. In his earlier, more vigorous years, he was a well-known photographer of classical ballet in the greater Los Ange-
Lillian Kornbluth, 94, died peacefully in her sleep from pneumonia Sunday, January 25, 2015, in Santa Barbara, California, with her family at her side. She was the youngest of four children born to Herman and Fannie Peck Hardis and is predeceased by her two brothers, Abraham and Leonard, and her sister, Ruth. A beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, she lived an extraordinary life. She was born in the Bronx, New York, where she graduated from high school and then attended Hunter College. When she married the love of her life, Milton Kornbluth, in 1940, she moved to Paterson, New Jersey, where she lived for fifty-nine years. One of her great passions was singing in the Temple Emanuel choir with Milton. Her enthusiasm for art was boundless. Lillian had been a housewife with three teenagers when she started a fine art gallery in her home. A few years later, she moved the gallery to a storefront in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, where she exhibited such important contemporary artists as Pablo Picasso, Milton Avery, Will Barnet, Wolf Kahn, Louis Kosowick, Dale Chihuly, Paul Resika, and Richard Segalman. She had a gift for discovering young artists to
Fred Fassett, formerly a longtime resident of Santa Barbara, passed away in Scottsdale, AZ, with friends and family by his side following a brief battle with cancer. Fred was beloved by thousands as a psychic, spiritual counselor, healer, and teacher. He is survived by his half-sister Helen Wagner, close friend Mark Harbitz, spiritual son Patrick Hachler, and spiritual grandson Alan Hachler. He leaves behind several distant family members and a host of friends, colleagues, and students in whose lives he played an important role. A celebration of his life will be held Sunday, Feb. 22, 3pm at Shoreline Park. For further details see www.psychicfred.com
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THE INDEPENDENT
February 12, 2015
independent.com