obituaries
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follow in the church hall. In lieu of flowers, please donate in Jim’s name to Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care, www.vnhcsb.org, Parkinson Association of Santa Barbara, mypasb.org, or Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, mtcarmelsb.com.
Earl William Clayton 05/15/32-09/19/15
Earl William Clayton, Jr., 83, of Goleta, CA, passed away Saturday, September 19, 2015. Earl was born in Cedar Vale, KS, May 15, 1932. He moved to Arkansas City, KS, as a child where he lived during his younger years, attended the local high school and the Cowley County Community Junior College. In 1952 he joined the air force and served in Korea working as an announcer for the Armed Forces Radio Network. After the service, he worked as a radio newscaster and sports announcer for various stations in Arkansas City, Phoenix and then lastly in Denver where he doubled as the announcer for the University of Colorado Buffalos football team. While working in Denver as “The Voice of the Intermountain Radio Network” he became acquainted with U.S. Senator William Armstrong, who was at that time running for his first term in Congress and his career took a turn. Earl served as his press secretary in Washington D.C. during then Rep. Armstrong’s first two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Earl subsequently decided to work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he was the anchorman for the Agriculture Update morning show. In 1981 he joined the U.S. Forest Service as public information officer for the Los Padres National Forest in Goleta, CA, where he served until his retirement in 1994. Earl was delighted and honored to marry Susan Barnhart Hatfield in 1982 by the Chaplain of the United States Senate and immediately moved her to Goleta, CA, where they have lived ever since. Earl could not believe his good fortune to live in the Santa Barbara area where after his retirement he pursued his passion for golf and was able to play almost every day of the year for nearly two decades. His intelligence, dedication to golf, passion for politics and the ability to tell a joke for any occasion will be remembered by most. But it is “The Voice”, now stilled, that will be remembered fondly and missed perhaps the most by his family. Earl is survived by his wife of 33 years, Susan; his daughter Kristyn Clayton and her children, Dani, Kevin, David and Teresa; his
son, Kent Clayton and wife Junko and their daughter, Sara; and his stepson Jeff Hatfield and wife Jeanette and their daughters, Cassidy and Emily. A memorial service will be held 2 pm on Saturday, October 24, at Santa Barbara Community Church, 1002 Cieneguitas Rd., Santa Barbara. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, lewybodydemetia.org.
Jerry Allen Zimmer 1938-2015
On Wednesday, September 2, 2015, Jerry Allen Zimmer took his last breath in the comfort of his own home, surrounded by his three daughters and his dog, Jack. Though his death gives us tremendous sadness, we also celebrate an amazing life that was lived to the fullest. Allen, aka “Zimmer,” was born in 1938 in Burbank, California, of modest and humble beginings. He found his way to Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo, where he cultivated his passion for design, earning a B.S. degree in architectural engineering in 1962. After graduation, and quite by happenstance, he answered an ad for a draftsman in 1963 and moved to Santa Barbara with his new wife, Holly Principe Joseph, to begin their new life. Ten years later, he established his own architectural firm—Architects West—where he would design countless award-winning professional, municipal and residential properties in and around the Santa Barbara area over a 40-year career. Among his proudest accomplishments was the remodeling of the Santa Barbara Public Library in 1980. This achievement propelled his career forward and paved the way for his design of many other notable buildings, including the Santa Barbara Golf Course Clubhouse, the Goleta Library, two City Fire Stations, recreational buildings at Chase Palm Park and MacKenzie Park, several buildings at Samarkand Retirement Community, several downtown City Parking structures and the award winning parking structure at Santa
Barbara City College, to name a few. Allen was a past president of AIA Santa Barbara and was instrumental in establishing the Domingo Walking Tour for the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara. In addition to designing many beautiful buildings around the Santa Barbara area, Allen also realized another of his dreams in 1977 when he built his own home in the hills of Santa Barbara where he raised his family. Allen later purchased Las Casas Arellanes—a Historic Adobe dating to the 1840s in 2002 and soon completed an ambitious effort to repair and preserve the Adobe to its original historic style. He loved this sacred space and regularly enjoyed opening it up to friends, family and the community. A measure of a man’s life can never be fully expressed in words, nor can it be described the same way for each person who knew him or was touched by him. Allen’s life is no different. He loved and lost. He laughed and cried. He succeeded and failed. He had moments of pure joy and moments of painful sorrow. He was compassionate and he was judging. He was free and he was burdened. But always, Allen was giving and passionate about life. Allen was known for incredible timing. He could offer staggering wisdom, political insight or a corny joke that would make you laugh despite yourself. He was an avid golfer and spent many happy years playing with the Los Paisanos at the Santa Barbara Golf Club. Allen was a bridge player, a lover of theater and all types of music, particularly jazz and blues. In his later years, Allen was also a voracious traveler and visited places all over the globe. Allen’s retirement enabled him to expand his eclectic interests in a variety of fields. He was proud to serve on the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury for three years, and he joined a writing class in which he reflected on his life in often humorous and sometimes poignant stories. His decades-long subscription to the New Yorker Magazine led to joining the New Yorker discussion group, where his quiet remarks following a vigorous and noisy debate by the other participants, would often bring a stunning light of insight to the proceedings. Allen’s membership in Vistas for Lifelong Learning introduced him to numerous opportunities he would have not attempted otherwise. Allen was a long-time member of the Humanist Society of Santa Barbara and an active pacifist. Allen is survived by his three daughters: Kirsten Zimmer
Deshler, Maud Zimmer and Augden Zimmer; his two sons in law Terry Deshler and Bob Demmerle; his former wife, Holly Principe Joseph; his sister, Judy “JJ” Jappay; his five grandchildren, Grace Etta, Calvin Joseph, Griffin Allen, Ibarra Isabella and Zetana Audrey; and, his dear friend and partner in all things, Shirley Diamond. Allen believed that life was not measured by the breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away. He lived his life this way, and he continues to take our breath away with the legacy he left behind. We would like, most profoundly, to thank Assisted Home Health and Hospice Care for their kindness and expert care during the final month of Allen’s life and the great support they have provided the family. We especially thank Tejsvie Pattani, RN; Kitty Glanz, MSW; and Robert Becerra, a steadfast and dedicated caregiver. We also thank Dr. Daniel Greenwald of the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara and Dr. William Koonce for their care. We would also like to express our immense gratitude to Holly Principe Joseph. Her experience as a hospice social worker for over 30-years enabled her to provide enormous support to Allen and her daughters. A memorial service will be held for Allen Zimmer on Thursday, October 15, 2015, in the Mural Room at the Santa Barbara Courthouse. The memorial will begin promptly at 3pm followed by a nearby reception. For details on the reception, please call: (805) 963-4800 or email his daughter Maud at maudz@att.net.
Shane Conran
08/15/59-09/20/15
Shane Michael Conran of Santa Barbara, CA passed away on September 20, 2015, after courageously battling brain cancer. Shane’s optimism was inspiring. He would comment during the past year that “Many other people are suffering more than I,” which is a testimony to his compassion. He was a wonderful, kind and caring person, always ready
and willing to help in any way he could. Born in Laredo, TX, on August 15, 1959, Shane was the eldest child of Philip and Margaret Conran. He attended Milford High School in New Hampshire and graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1982 with an Air Force Reserve commission. After moving to California and while employed at Ventura Valve & Fitting, Shane completed his MBA at Cal Lutheran University and obtained his instructor pilot’s license. Finishing a successful career at VV&F, he helped found Superior Fluid Solutions. He married Donna Drean in 1990, and they settled in Santa Barbara, CA. In 1997 their beautiful daughter, Michelle, was born. Shane loved nature, traveling and adventure, whether it was flying cross-country in a Cessna or hiking Mount Whitney. After his diagnosis, he was asked if he wished to visit anywhere in the world. He replied, “No,” because he was already in the place he cherished, and he was with family he treasured. Shane leaves behind his wife of 25 years, Donna (Drean) Conran, and their daughter, Michelle Conran. He is survived by his parents, Ret. Col. Philip and Margaret (Tierney) Conran; his sister, Kelly Berlo; his two brothers, Patrick and Michael Conran, and their wives; and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, October 17, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. in St. Raphael’s Church, 5444 Hollister Ave., with a reception following in the church hall. In lieu of flowers, the family has set up a trust fund for Shane’s daughter, Michelle. Donations are much appreciated and may be made by credit card via https:// www.youcaring.com/michelleconran-439203 or by check made payable to The Michelle S. Conran Trust and mailed to P.O. Box 6523, Santa Barbara, CA 93160-6523. Shane devoted his life to Michelle and would be very humbled by your kindness.
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tHe INDePeNDeNt
october 8, 2015
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