Walter George Holland, BHS 1943

Walter George Holland, BHS 1943

Walter George Holland, passed to glory on December 7, 2019 at age 94. After graduating from Burbank High School, he answered his country’s call to serve by joining the United States Navy. Trained as a Navy pilot, he flew an Sb2C Helldiver off the USS Antietam on an extended Pacific tour at the end of WWII.

In 1947, he attended UCLA. He married my mother, Velma Regan (BHS 45) in 1951 and raised 3 children in Twentynine Palms, California, where he began his 25-year career teaching high school history, geography, and driver’s ed. Walt later became Athletic Director and Vice Principal before retiring from education and becoming a real estate agent for Sunshine Realty. 

My parents enjoyed 68 wonderful years together, traveling the USA and Canada in their fifth wheel trailer, visiting their 3 children, 7 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren. He was a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather, and will be greatly missed. Submitted by Barbara Uyeda, daughter for the Senior Bulldogs Newsletter.

 

John William (Jack) Moorman, BHS 1945

John William (Jack) Moorman, BHS 1945

Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California, Wednesday, November 15, 1995

John W. (Jack) Moorman long time Burbank resident passed away Thursday, November 9, 1995 of cancer.

He was born in Burbank on December 28, 1926. He attended Burbank schools and was a star football player, track, and was active in all school activities. He enlisted in the Air Force after high school. After he was discharged he attended USC, Occidental College and Cal State Northridge. He was employed at Lockheed for 40 years.

Jack was preceded in death by his son, Scott Moorman and his brother, Dick Moorman.

In addition to his daughter Julie, Jack is survived by three grandchildren, Garret Moorman, Nassi, Shannon Moorman and Devin Moorman.

Viewing will be held from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday evening at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills. A funeral is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Friday the 17th of November at the Church of the Hills, Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills.

 Donations may be made in Jack Moorman’s name to the Cancer Society. A scholarship fund is also being arranged for Burbank High School in Jack’s name. Forest Lawn Mortuary Directors.

 

Irene Fenn Herman, BHS 1925

Irene Fenn Herman, BHS 1925

Burbank Daily Evening Review, Burbank, California, Wednesday, February 29, 1928

Mrs. Irene Fenn Herman, wife of Henry Herman, passed away at 2:30 o’clock yesterday afternoon at Glendale hospital.

Besides her husband and infant daughter, Irene Mae, born Sunday afternoon, the deceased leaves her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Fenn, 818 East Tenth Street, this city, and two brothers, Lloyd and Hugh Fenn, of the same address.

The funeral will be held at the Little Church of the Flowers in the Forest Lawn cemetery at Glendale Friday afternoon at 2 o’clock with A. C. Fillbach in charge. The interment will be in Forest Lawn cemetery.

Mrs. Herman was born at Salem, Iowa, April 9, 1906, and had lived in Burbank for the past five years. She was a graduate of the Burbank high school in class of 1925. She was married to Mr. Herman October 7, 1926. She was a member of the local chapter of Eastern Star.

NOTE: Newspaper listed her burial at Forest Lawn, but she is buried at Glen Haven.

Suzan Cecilia Heppes Kelly, BHS 1967

Suzan Cecilia Heppes Kelly, BHS 1967

Los Angeles Times, Thursday, April 27, 2000

Suzan C. Kelly, 51, of Ventura, house cleaner. Guardian Memorial Funeral Directors and Crematory, Oxnard, California.

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Suzan was born on April 6, 1949 in Los Angeles County, California, the daughter of Bernhardt Heppes and Cecelia Piha. Suzan graduated from Burbank High School in 1967. Suzan married Douglas R. Kelly on November 29, 1969 in Los Angeles County, California. She passed away on April 21, 2000 in Ventura County, California. She was a resident of Oxnard.  We were told that Suzan died as a result of an automobile accident. May she rest in peace.

Merrilyn Sue Robinson Spilman, BHS 1961

Merrilyn Sue Robinson Spilman, BHS 1961

Ukiah Daily Journal, Ukiah, California, Monday, October 14, 1974

R.V. woman succumbs to rifle wound

Merrilyn Sue Spilman, 31, died at 10:45 last night in a Ukiah hospital, about 12 hours after she shot herself in the head with a .22 caliber rifle. Mrs. Spilman was found late yesterday morning in the kitchen of the family home in Redwood Valley by her husband, Jack Lee Spilman. She was rushed to the hospital by Ukiah Ambulance Service.

There was no note found but it is believed that Mrs. Spilman was despondent as the result of a recent accident in which she was seriously injured.

In addition to her husband, two children survive. Funeral services for Mrs. Spilman, a native of Lubbock, Texas, are pending at Eversole Mortuary. 

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Ukiah Daily Journal, Ukiah, California, Tuesday, October 15, 1974

Wednesday services for Mrs. Spilman

Funeral services will be held tomorrow morning at 10 at Eversole Mortuary for Merrilyn Sue Spilman. The 31-year-old Texas native died Sunday in a Ukiah hospital. She had lived in Redwood Valley for the past nine years.

She is survived by her husband Jack, and by two children, Tammy Marie and Stacey Sue, all of Redwood Valley; by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Robinson of Lake Isabella, California; by a sister, Mrs. Norma Wolfbauer of Northridge and a brother, Gary L. Robinson of Lake Isabella.

Officiating at services will be the Rev. Ken Hewitt. Burial will be in Ukiah Cemetery.

 

Jack Robert Lewis, BHS 1942

Jack Robert Lewis, BHS 1942

Valley Times Today, North Hollywood, California, Thursday, March 8, 1962

Burbank Pilot Dies As Plane Crashes Saugus Power Line

Services are pending today for a Burbank pilot killed when his World War II trainer struck a power line and crashed Wednesday March 7, 1962. Sheriff’s officials said Jack Robert Lewis, 38, 530 Jamestown Road, Burbank, was apparently buzzing the home of a fellow worker five miles northwest of Saugus when the accident occurred.

LEWIS, a supervisor at General Controls Company, Glendale, had taken off earlier in the single-engine plane from Whiteman Airpark in Pacoima. Lewis apparently buzzed low over the home of Andrew Jepson, 45, in San Francisquito Canyon, and had engine trouble as he changed the pitch of the props of the old trainer. The plane plunged into a hillside where it burst into flames. 

JEPSON, a machine maintenance repairman, said the plane crashed about 200 yards from his home. He ran to the house of Mrs. Kay E. Hansen, 27602 Santa Clarita Road, and she called the fire and sheriff’s departments. Lewis leaves his wife, Maurine, 40, and a daughter, Robin, 15. 

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Press-Telegram, Long Beach, California, Thursday, March 8, 1962

Pilot Buzzes Friend’s Home, Dies in Crash

SAUGUS – The pilot of a World War II training plane was killed Wednesday when the plane’s engine failed as he swooped low over the home of a friend in San Francisquito Canyon. 

According to sheriff’s deputies, Jack Robert Lewis, 38, Burbank, crashed into a hillside after diving through a 220,000-volt power line.

Edward Alexander Scheibel, BHS 1960

Edward Alexander Scheibel, BHS 1960

Ventura County Star-Free Press, Saturday, July 26, 1986

Services for Edward Alexander Scheibel, 44, Simi Valley, will be at 3 p.m. Monday at Friend of Peace Lutheran Church, Thousand Oaks, with the Rev. Peter Berg officiating. 

Mr. Scheibel died Thursday in a Simi Valley hospital after a long illness. He was born April 9, 1942, in Sun Valley, and had lived in the county eight years, coming from Tujunga. He was an insurance agent at First Interstate Bancard Company, Simi Valley. He was a member of Friends of Peace Lutheran.

Mr. Scheibel is survived by wife Judy; daughters, Tina Scheibel and Katie Scheibel, both of Simi Valley; father, Edward Scheibel of Cove, Arkansas; brother Kevin of Tecachapi; and sisters Silver Morris of Jenks, Oklahoma, and Crystal Thompson of Glendale.

Friends may call from 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Reardon, Simi Valley Mortuary.

Brian James Church, BHS 1983

Brian James Church, BHS 1983

Obituary published on Legacy.com by Metcalf Mortuary - St. George on Oct. 22, 2024.

St. George, Utah – Brian James Church, 59, passed away October 17, 2024. He was born on December 28, 1964, in Apple Valley, California to Raymond and Martha Church.

A visitation will be held in St. George, Utah on Thursday, October 24, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Metcalf Mortuary located at 288 West St. George Blvd.

Graveside services will be held in Provo, Utah on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. in the Provo City Cemetery, 610 South State Street.

William ''Bill'' Austin, BHS 1966

Junior Photo

William ''Bill'' Austin, BHS 1966

August 19, 1948 — August 5, 2024

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of William Austin, a beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend. Born on August 19, 1948, in Oklahoma, William tragically left us on August 5, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the age of 75.

William pursued a career as a Fleet Manager in the construction industry having worked for Ready-Mix retiring in 2008. He dedicated his life to his work, always striving for excellence and leaving a lasting impact on all those he encountered.

William is survived by his loving spouse, Shelia Austin, who meant the world to him. Together, they shared a bond that will continue to live on in our hearts. They started their family with the birth of son, Jay Austin and later welcomed son, David. He and Shelia also expanded their hearts with Bill's daughter from a prior marriage, Tammy Lynn Austin.

Bill loved to water ski, and was a licensed pilot loving to fly, rebuild classic cars, go to the NASCAR races, and raced his own cars at the Speedway. He and Shelia loved to dance to County music. He loved his grandchildren and spending time with them: Alexis, Briana, Hunter and Madison.

In honor of William's memory, a series of ceremonies and services have been planned. The family with receive friends and family at 3:00 PM at Davis Funeral Home, 6200 S Eastern Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89119 with funeral services following at 4 PM.

He will be laid to rest at Davis Memorial Park.

We invite all friends and family to join us in honoring William's life and legacy at these services. Your presence and support would mean the world to us during this difficult time.

May William Austin rest in eternal peace as we cherish the memories and the love he shared with all of us.

Published by the Davis Funeral Homes

Richard Edward Bedigan, BHS 1968

Richard Edward Bedigan, BHS 1968

Teacher Gets Probation in Drug Case

BY JON STEINMAN, Los Angeles Times

DEC. 19, 1997 

A Burbank high school teacher who admitted to repeated use of cocaine in school, while claiming his drug habit did not violate professional ethics, was sentenced to probation, officials said Thursday.

Los Angeles County Municipal Judge Rand Rubin conditionally sentenced Richard Bedigan, 47, to probation--an outcome that could lead to any criminal record for the Burroughs High School science teacher being expunged. Bedigan, who was the junior varsity girls tennis coach, was ordered to complete a two-year drug counseling and testing program.

Neither Rubin nor Bedigan could be reached for comment.

Bedigan has been on unpaid leave from his job since his arrest in October after he was observed taking cocaine in his Burroughs High classroom after his students had gone to lunch.

Bedigan admitted to regular use of cocaine on school grounds, according to court documents.

“He [Bedigan] does not feel that he ever violated the spirit of his profession,” according to the probation report prepared by Walter Kelly, the Los Angeles County probation officer who handled Bedigan’s case. “This writer strongly disagrees and would have grave concerns if this defendant returned to being a teacher.”

Prosecutors said probation is the normal sentence for first offenders.

“If he fails the program, if he tests positive for drug use, if he blows it at all, he’s looking at three years in prison,” said Craig Mitchell, deputy district attorney assigned to the case.

School officials said they will seek to fire Bedigan, a seven-year veteran of the Burbank Unified School District.

Mitchell called the outcome pretty standard, because Bedigan had no priors.

The city’s education code stipulates that drug use is a dismissible offense, said Bob Fraser, district director of personnel, explaining the district’s decision to begin the termination process.

A Burbank resident and 1968 Burbank High School alum, Bedigan has maintained his silence since his arrest and has kept the shades drawn at his home, a block away from Burbank High.

Edward Bedigan, Richard’s father, served as assistant superintendent of the Burbank school district for 10 years until his retirement in 1973. He died of cancer in 1992. The elder Bedigan began his career as an educator in the same high school where his son was arrested.

Bedigan’s guilty plea is the latest in a series of personnel problems faced by the Burbank school district in the last three years.

NOTE: Richard ended up turning his life around and was clean, It is not an easy task to do and very few drug users succeed. Richard's family can be very proud of him. But because using drugs did take a toll on Richard's body and later caused other health issues which led to his death. May he rest in peace.