obituaries
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Jose Antonio Ortiz 03/19/92-09/16/13
3rd Year Anniversary Your presence we miss, Your memories we treasure, Loving you always, Forgetting you never. Love Mom, Gabe, Mari and Izaiah. Memorial Mass in his honor will take place Friday, September 16th at 8am @ St. Raphael's Church, followed by hike.
Virginia C. Cashman 12/24/25-08/30/16
(Gini) Virginia Christanne Cashman age 90, died peacefully in her Santa Barbara home on Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at 5:45 a.m. Gini’s life flourished with wonder and synchronicity. She had an ability to transform and create diverse connections. She could transcend humanmade boundaries of nationality, religion, race and even age. She will be deeply missed. Born on Christmas Eve, 1925 to Ed and Mary Ellen (LuLu) Kelly, Gini was the second youngest of thirteen children. Her folks were adventurous, young homesteaders who moved from Iowa to South Dakota and built a grand house, including the first electric-generating windmill in Wagner County. Her family successfully farmed corn, soybeans and wheat, and raised cattle until the tragic Dust Bowl and Depression of 1929 prompted their return to Iowa. She attended the University of Iowa where she met the love of her life, Jim Cashman, a Korean War vet, completing 16
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his law degree. On September 9, 1947, they were married in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In 1952, they moved to California and settled in Santa Barbara, where they raised a family of eleven. They enjoyed a rich community and family life that centered on beach trips and mountain camping adventures. Gini was very involved with school, friends and church activities. Summers were spent at a family cabin in Paradise and at Lake Almanor. Gini was an avid reader and lifelong learner. Shakespeare classes, philosophy, foreign travel, UCSB Art and Lectures Programs, bridge, tennis and thrift stores excited her. However her true passion was personal growth. Gini was a PRH facilitator, practicing in the Santa Barbara area for 20 years. She believed in the evolution of consciousness and the divinity of all beings. Having experienced the reality of the Depression and the Dust Bowl, she felt a lifelong commitment to make a dif difference at every opportunity. She generously supported many charities and organizations and opened her home to everyone. She was committed to her volunteer work in the early formation of Santa Barbara Hospice and co-founded the Word and Life Lecture Series and the Sophia House Meditation Group. Gini was blessed with many caring and beloved friends. She lived entranced by life’s joy and wonder and delighted in meaningful synchronicities. She trusted and lived her intuitive convictions. We will miss her magical spirit! Gini is survived by her 11 children, 20 grandchildren, 7 greatgrandchildren and treasured nieces and nephews. Her children, their spouses and her grandchildren are: Linda Williams (Geoffrey, Tucker, Darian) San Francisco, CA; Cynthia Mitchell (Jeff, Jed, Cash) Corvallis, OR; Jessica Cashman (Harold Marcuse,) Santa Barbara, CA; Tim Cashman (Linda, Angie, Kent, Scott) Gig Harbor, WA; Paul Cashman (Leigh, Katie, Molly) Santa Barbara, CA; Kelly Cashman (Katie, Luke) Simi Valley, CA; Mary Lucero (Jimmy, Dolan, Ginger) St. Maarten, Caribbean; Tom Cashman (Carla, Tyler, Kira) Irvine, CA; David Cashman (Laurie, Alexandra, Joe) La Mesa, CA; Ellen Guettler (Kevin, Gibson, Aiden) Bozeman, MT; Anne Argent (Quinn, Camron) Denver, CO. A celebration of her life will
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be held on Sunday, October 23, 2016, at the Cabrillo Arts Pavillion (“the Bath House”), located at 1118 E Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara, CA 93103 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Beatitude House; C/O Guadalupe Catholic Worker, 267 Campodonico Ave Guadalupe, CA 93434 and/or La Casa de Maria Retreat and Conference Center, 800 El Bosque Rd. Santa Barbara, CA 93108.
Fred B. Meisel 12/08/26-09/04/16 Our dear Fred Meisel passed away quietly on September 4, 2016. He lived his life by the refrain, “You can’t go wrong by doing right.” He blessed us all with his love, thoughtfulness, unselfishness, and with his ever-present humor. Fred was born on December 8, 1926 in Prospect Park, PA to Alexander and Sophia Meisel. He graduated from Prospect Park High School during WWII and enlisted in the Navy. At war’s end, Fred entered Temple University School of Pharmacy, and upon graduation worked with his uncle and his father in their respective pharmacies. When Alexander passed away in 1952, Fred seamlessly ran the pharmacy in a manner that supported his own family and that of his mother, while providing assistance for brothers Harris and Paul to attend college. In 1954, Fred married Rita Steiner. The couple had two children, Alexandra and Irene. After that marriage dissolved, Fred sold the family pharmacy, and began a career in hospital pharmacy, notably Misericordia Hospital in Philadelphia. In 1976 Fred married Judith Cohen, and in 1981 Fred and Judy moved to Santa Barbara. Fred worked first at Nogales Pharmacy, and then at Goleta Valley Hospital, while Judy initiated and developed a preschool program at Congregation B’nai B’rith. Fred and Judy truly made their home in Santa Barbara’s Jewish and civil rights communities, hosting diverse groups at their Friday night Sabbath dinners, and travelling across the country for Judy’s presentations to young people about civil rights and the Holocaust. We will all miss Fred’s wit, his wisdom, his sweetness and generosity of spirit. Fred is survived by his wife, Judith, his daughters, Irene
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Meisel, Alexandra Bricklin (and Jonathon Bricklin), his granddaughter Rebecca Bricklin; siblings Harris and Fredda Meisel, Paul and Joni Meisel; step-children Mina Cohen and Jeffrey Berenson, Michael and Soni Cohen, Debby and Sam Tucker; stepgrandchildren Aaron and Ben Cohen, Jennifer Shopsin and Seth Tucker, Elana Pesah and Yael Berenson; and nieces and nephews, and grandnieces and nephews of these families. Donations in Fred’s memory can be sent to Camp Havarim, through the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara, Congregation B’nai B’rith in Santa Barbara, or to a charity of your choice.
Mark Witold Piasecki 1938-2016
Mark Witold Piasecki, age 78, passed away on Saturday, September 10th. He was born in the Netherlands, where his father was stationed with the Polish Navy. He and his mother fled Warsaw, Poland to Scotland during WWII. After immigrating to the U.S. and settling in Los Angeles, Mark attended Loyola High School and graduated from UCLA. After college, he accepted a position as an engineer at Raytheon in Santa Barbara, where he lived the rest of his life. It was in Santa Barbara that he met his wife, Kathy. They were married in 1970 at Old Mission, Santa Barbara. A gentle and loving family man, Mark was a devoted husband, father, brother, and son. Mark is survived by his wife, Kathy, his children, Derek Piasecki (Christy), Mara Cotich (Craig), and Andrea Wiemann (John), his grandchildren, Carter, Dylan, and Chloe, his sister, Dr. Christina Puchalski, his stepfather Anthony Puchalski, and many nephews, nieces, and friends. Funeral Services will be held September 16, 2016, at 10:30am, St. Raphael Catholic Church: 5444 Hollister Avenue, Goleta.
Patrick John Drazenovich 12/04/61-09/01/16
Pat, a Santa Barbara native, died suddenly. Pre-deceased by his parents Thelma (Langlo) and George. He attended Adams School, graduated from San Marcos, where he was an outstanding baseball player and athlete. He loved sports—played tennis, golf, baseball; and games—playing backgammon and scrabble weekly, but hated the New England Patriots! His contractor's license was with Drazenovich Concrete. He was bright, perceptive, gentle, and known to many as a good friend. At the dog park daily with Nashoba and Moochie, he was a devoted dog 'dad'. All at the coffee shop every evening. He was a nice guy, a good person, an excellent friend, and he is missed. Memorial information: Tues. Sept. 20, 3-6 Tucker's Grove pot luck RSVP and info: patsmemorial@egan.org
Frances Scafidi
Death Notices Darlene M. Pitney, DOD 09/05/16 (84), Santa Barbara, CA. Walter Gelb, DOD 09/12/16 (98), Santa Barbara, CA. Barbara K. Chaney, 09/02/26-08/14/16 (89) Santa Barbara, CA.