obituaries
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Mary V. Sebastian
All are welcome to join the family on Friday, November 18th at 7:00 pm for the evening vigil and also on Saturday, November 19th at 2:00 pm for a memorial mass. Both functions will be held at St. Raphael's Catholic Church, 5444 Hollister Avenue, Santa Barbara. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mary's name to Santa Barbara Special Olympics, 15 East Carrillo Street, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, or to your favorite charity.
02/26/34-11/12/16
Mary Ann Greene 06/06/22-11/09/16 Mary Vaughan Sebastian passed away at home surrounded by family, on Saturday, November 12th at the age of 82. Mary was born February 26, 1934 to Maude ("Mickey") and John Edmund (“Ed”) Vaughan in Milwaukee Wisconsin. She grew up in Milwaukee attending St. Sebastian's grade school, Holy Angels High School and Marquette University. Mary was pre-deceased by her husband Tom and her six siblings; Bob, Tom, Patsy and Joanie Vaughan, Jean Scheiner and Nancy Sipperly. Tom and Mary met on a blind date arranged by a very dear friend; they married in 1958 and enjoyed a full and loving life together until Tom's passing in 1994. They began their journey together in Milwaukee and in 1972 were relocated to Santa Barbara, California. While juggling the lives of their kids, Mary also found time to work at Sears in La Cumbre Plaza, Pacific Coast Airlines and the Santa Barbara Airbus. Mary and Tom were blessed with four children; Patty Charest (Michel), Diane Pestolesi (Tom), Steve Sebastian (Betsy Jones) and Joni Galvan (Michael) and eleven grandchildren, Chris and Kelly Charest, Tommy, Kari (Brad Hemmerling) and Danny Pestolesi, Katie, Ben and Emma Sebastian and Riley Schoen, Sebastian and Dax Galvan. As the family grew, so did all the joyous and on occasion "crazy" family get-togethers. Mary loved to cook in quantities for everyone. She would always say, "feel free" which took many friends by surprise until they realized she was talking about the food that was left on the table! Mary and Tom were huge supporters of their kids and grandkids. From St. Plus X grade school in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin to Bishop Diego High School, to University of Hawaii and all points in between, they loved being there to cheer on their victories and to console them on their defeats. Mary enjoyed playing golf with all her good friends, especially Rosemary Shull, Kathleen Bottiani and Janelle Clark. They prided themselves on being the longest running foursome in the oldest golf tournament in the county, the Bishop Diego Bob Morelli Golf Tournament. Mary's family is very grateful for all the prayers, cards, love and support over the past year. A very special thank you to Dr. Richard Ponce and caregivers, April Noriega and Gladys Munoz. Thanks to the staff at Goleta and Santa Barbara Cottage Hospitals, Valle Verde Health Center, Central Coast Home Health and Assisted Home Health and Hospice. 18
THe INDePeNDeNT
Mary Ann Greene, 94, peacefully passed from this world on Wednesday, November 9, 2016. She was born in Santa Barbara on June 6, 1922 to Richard and Genevieve Pitman, and spent her childhood living on Valerio Street with her siblings Richard, Elizabeth, and John. She attended Santa Barbara High School and Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. In 1945 she married Air Force Captain Roy Frank Fowler, Jr., whom she met while volunteering at the Hoff General Hospital for servicemen during WWII. Together they had two children. Tragically, Roy Fowler, Jr. was killed in an accident in 1951 while training pilots after the war. Later she met Paul Anthony Greene, a home builder and co-founder of Motel 6 whom she married in 1956. They built a home on Miramar Beach and lived there together for 38 years until Paul’s death in 1994. Mary Ann loved to travel, ride horses, play tennis and bathe in the sun. She spent many happy years with her family and friends at the beach, family ranches, and favorite vacation spots in Lake Tahoe, Hawaii, Palm Springs, and Arizona. Mary Ann was a thoughtful, giving person, and volunteered as a Pink Lady with St. Francis Hospital in Santa Barbara, as well as with the National Charity League and the Santa Barbara County Cow Belles. But nothing made Mary Ann happier than being surrounded by the generations of her family. She loved her view of the ocean from her living room, and in her last years spent most afternoons watching the parade of friends and beach goers pass by. It was there that she died peacefully in her sleep as she had always wanted. Nothing can soothe our sadness, other than the knowledge that she lived a long, wonderful life, full of great experiences and loving family and close friends. Mary Ann is survived by her sister-inlaw Harriet Pitman; her eight children, Harry (Helen) Fowler, Roy Fowler III (Molissa Fenley), Craig Greene (Linda Borkowski), Peter Greene (Johanna Lambert), Danielle (Harold) Welch, Shane (Alejandra) Greene, Tony
November 17, 2016
Greene, Michelle Greene (Todd Frederick); seven grandchildren, Aaron (Mindy) Fowler, Amanda Fowler (Bobby Barzi), Paul Greene, Patrick Greene, Liana Greene, Monique Welch, and Taylor Frederick; four great-grandsons, Pierce Barzi, Royce Barzi, Benjamin Fowler, and Christopher Fowler; nieces Karin Pitman and Lisa (Craig) Peterson, nephew Charlie (Amy) Pitman, grandniece Lauren Peterson and grandnephew Caden Pitman. All are welcome to attend a celebration of Mary Ann’s life on Thursday, November 17, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, 1300 E. Valley Road, Santa Barbara, CA. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care, Santa Barbara, and Catholic Charities of Santa Barbara County.
Ernest Sturm
08/21/32-10/28/16
French novelist Crébillon fils, on whom he published three books, and contributed frequently to the debate over the importance of Existentialism, he did not confine himself to academic outlets. He published a novel (in French) and a play that was produced by the UCSB College of Creative Studies. He also translated into French two volumes of criticism by the Dean of Comparative Literature studies, René Wellek, both of which received great praise for the quality of the French prose. For his efforts on behalf of France, the French government awarded him a knighthood in the rank of Chevalier in the Order of the Academic Palms in 1991, and a year later he was elevated to the rank of Officer. The academic life, in which he enjoyed so much success, played a secondary role in Ernest’s existence to the exercise of his fundamental principle: autonomy. He prided himself on scouting out all the hidden treasures of Paris, to which he then introduced his friends. His knowledge of Santa Barbara, from Montecito to Milpas, was legendary and facilitated by slow meanderings in his car, whether the old station wagon with holes in the floor boards, or the shiny new Prius. He would also attend many musical events in the Santa Barbara area because he was an accomplished pianist and lover of the classics. Ernest was a “character” in the best sense, a brilliant mind occasionally put to the service of hilarious pranks. He was unforgettable as a mentor, a friend, and a colleague. He is survived by his wife Fuka, her son Boris, his wife Marie, and their two children who will miss him mightily.
Glen Larry Douglas 11/25/53-10/20/16
Ernest Sturm passed away in the French Alps town of Montaimont in the early morning of October 28, 2016 with his wife Fuka at his side. Born in Vienna, Ernest’s family escaped the Nazis by first moving to Bogota, Colombia, and then settling in New York City. Ernest was a graduate of Brown University (1955) and NYU Law School (1959), and practiced law in New York City and Washington, D.C. for a number of years. He then turned his attention to French literature and earned a PhD in Romance Languages from Columbia University in 1967. He joined the UCSB French Department in 1966 and retired in 2011. Ernest was one of the most popular teachers in the UCSB Humanities division and in the College of Creative Studies, attracting particularly inquisitive students to such courses as “The Power of Negative Thinking.” In 2001 Ernest was nominated by his students for an Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching Award. Everyone found him to be a mine of information on the leading figures in French contemporary philosophy and literature, most of whom he knew personally since he spent entire summers in Paris. He was also especially appreciated for the high quality of his writing. While he was the world’s acknowledged expert on the 18th-century
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On a bright and beautiful sunny Thursday afternoon, Larry canoed off to the great mountain in the sky. Surrounded by family and friends playing music, dancing and sweet Rima singing him to sleep. He was born in Santa Barbara on Nov. 25, 1953 to Eugene A. Douglas and Priscilla Elston Douglas. He is survived by his neice Elenah Elston of Laytonville, CA the Douglas-Taylor family, the O'Connell family of Santa Barbara, the Ahola family and hundreds of friends all over the planet. Larry always followed his own path and moved to Laytonville, CA 38 years ago where he created a magical life high in the hills. He spent his days farming, carving wood and stones and hanging out with his favorite friends, the deer, the bears and the lizards. In Laytonville he acquired countless friends that he considered "family." On Oct. 20 we lost a very special
man, a friend, a cousin, a nephew, an uncle, a "dad," a brother and one of the greatest mentors to us all. He will be missed each and every day. Remember Larry laughing, smiling and telling silly jokes. He wold want us to always be kind to one another and love and help eachother at all times just as he did. Thank you Larry for showing us the way! Do you know why farmers always dress up as pirates for Halloween? So they can keep an eye on their patch! Original joke by Larry Douglas told to "Windy Cuz" on a late night phone call. If you would like to keep Larry's memory alive please donate to Serenity House of Santa Barbara, or your favorite animal charity.
Kimberly “Kim” Darrell Aylesworth 05/08/35-10/17/16
Family and friends mourn the passing of Kimberly “Kim” Darrell Aylesworth on October 17, 2016, in Sacramento at the age of 81. Born on May 8, 1935 at St. Francis Hospital, Santa Barbara, to Darrell Tramblie Aylesworth and Anne (Kuhns) Aylesworth, Kim attended Harding Elementary, La Cumbre Junior High, and Santa Barbara High School, where he participated in ROTC and played clarinet and saxophone in the band. Enlisting in the US Army after high school, he was stationed at Fort Ord (CA) and Fort Lewis (WA) from 1953 - 1959, retiring from active duty as a sergeant-major and continuing as a Reserves officer for 14 more years. Kim married Eileen McKinnon in 1961, and for 27 years they raised a family of four children in Santa Barbara while he pursued a career in printing (Bellwood Printing, his own company Golden West Printing, UCSB Reprographics, and Rood Associates Printing of Carpinteria) and Eileen worked as a nurse and educator. In the 1980s and 90s Kim was an extremely active and generous supporter of the SBHS band and choir programs and of Canticle A Cappella Choir. He was also a member of the Model A Club of Santa Barbara. Kim retired from the printing life in 1995, and in 1998 moved to care for his elderly mother in Sacramento, where he logged more than 7200 volunteer hours for the Sacramento Railroad Museum, playing the role of station master with the “Monday Mafia" volunteers. Kim is survived by his four children, Allan (Brenda Riley), Kenneth, Catherine Lorigan (Paul Lorigan), and Kristin. No public memorial is planned. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sacramento Railroad Museum (www.californiarailroad.museum/get-involved/ donate) or the Santa Barbara High School Band program (http://www. sbhsbands.org/band-boosters.html).