Saturday, October 31, 2020
Kevin Charles Bass, BHS 1977
Thursday, October 29, 2020
Lenore Rita Blatt Harris, BHS 1947
Lenore "Lennie" (Blatt) Harris, age 91, lately of Glasgow, Mont., passed away Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020.
Born Lenore Rita Blatt on Feb. 1, 1929, in Chicago, Ill., to Louis Blatt (1904-1995) and Lillian Schoenkopf (1909-1977). She was raised by her mother in Los Angeles, Calif., and graduated from Burbank High School in January 1947.
She married Miles "Spike" Harris Jr (1927-1992), a Navy veteran of the Second World War, on June 9, 1947, in North Hollywood, Calif. She and Spike had two children, a daughter Daryl D "DD" (1949-1950). and a son Miles III, Tragically, DD was born with Downs Syndrome and passed away just shy of six months old. Spike and Lennie raised their son in Arleta, Calif., where they lived until Spike's retirement in 1991 and then moved to Frazier Park, Calif. They spent their years together sharing time with friends and family, camping and hunting until Spike's death in 1992.
Lennie found two great loves in her life. In 1993, a year after Spike's death she met Darrell Cole (1932-2020) of Glasgow. Lennie and Darrell spent the next 27 years together, at first as snowbirds spending their winters in California and summers in Montana and eventually staying in Glasgow, all year long, where she made many friends.
Lennie was preceded in death by her father Louis Blatt; her mother Lillian Schoenkoft- Blatt-Burton; her husband Miles Harris Jr; and daughter Daryl Harris. Sadly, Darrell Cole passed away just over a month after Lennie on Oct. 13, 2020.
Lennie is survived by her son Miles Harris III (Kim); three grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren and in her last days she kept emphasizing how proud she was of her family.
Lennie's life can be best summed up in a quote from a 26 second video she had the staff at Brookdale Springmeadows film for her when she got back from the hospital and was resigned to her fate. She said to her son "...we had a good run...". Well Lenore Rita Blatt-Harris, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, wife, aunt, cousin, life-long friend to many, Lennie, you will be missed but not forgotten. You had a great run.
A private family Zoomomorial was held for Lennie on Sept. 19. Her remains were cremated and her ashes are with her son in Ventura, Calif.
Published in The Courier, Glasgow, Montana, October 28, 2020
Monday, October 26, 2020
Alan George Hyde, Jr., BHS 1988
Alan George Hyde, Jr., BHS 1988
Alan George Hyde, Jr. was born on May 12, 1970 in Santa Barbara, California and passed away on August 6, 1986 in Burbank, California. He grew up in Burbank and while at Burbank High he was a stagehand on the school production of various play's handling wardrobe and lighting. According to his fellow classmates he was a cool dude and had a great smile. The girls thought he was good looking with his long wavy hair.
But that all changed on August 6, 1986 when Alan's body was found dead in his bedroom from a gunshot wound. The police were never able to determine Alan's death as a suicide or an accident. Some classmates believe it was a suicide and others an accident. His then girlfriend believes it was an accident because they had plan to hang out all day that day, but her father wanted her to attend a family function that day so she was meeting Alan later that day when she returned home. When she went over to his house later that god awful day she found police cars and crime scene tape at Alan's house and that is when she found out about Alan's death. She told me that Alan did have a troubled childhood growing up.
We will never really know what happened that god awful day, that is only known by Alan and God. It is not really important on how Alan died but it is important that we never forget him. He was only 16 years old but he made an impact on his classmates and still to this day they remember and honor him and his short life. They play songs that remind them of Alan, they post pictures and stories about him. One will pull out Alan's Red Sox Jacket with his name on it.
So you see Alan is gone, but he is never forgotten. If he had lived he would of graduated from Burbank High in 1988. Alan was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California. May he rest in peace.
Friday, October 23, 2020
Ralph John Costanzo, BHS 1965
Ralph John Costanzo, BHS 1965
Ralph John Costanzo was born in Buffalo, New York on December 23, 1946. He moved with his family to California at a very young age and attended Horace Mann Elementary School, John Muir Junior High School and Burbank High School. Ralph excellent in both swimming and water polo.
After graduation, he joined the United States Marine Corps which he proudly served for 3 years. His service time took him both to Viet Nam and the Philippines. When he returned, he eventually went to work for the City of Burbank and rose through the ranks until he became a Public Works supervisor. He served with the City for over 35 years and retired to Santa Clarita, California, with his wife Jackie.
On October 16, 2020, Ralph lost his battle with cancer. He was a proud man that served his country well, love his family and lived life to the fullness until the end. Not only were his loyalties with family and friends, but also with his football team, the Kansas City Chiefs. He is survived by his wife of 30 years Jackie, sons Kenneth and Jeffrey, Brothers Carl (class of 69), John (class of 73) and other family members. Services will be private.
Thursday, October 22, 2020
Marilyn Morgan Olmstead, BHS 1961
Marilyn Morgan Olmstead, BHS 1961
Dec. 8, 1943 — Sept. 30, 2020
It is with deep sadness that we observe the passing of Marilyn Morgan Olmstead, on Sept. 30, 2020. She was struck by a car while riding her bike in Davis. She was 76.
Marilyn was a professor emerita of chemistry at UC Davis, a Fellow of the American Chemical Society and the American Crystallographic Association, and an international leader in the crystallographic study of fullerenes, or “Buckyballs.” She published more than 1,100 articles in scientific journals and had been cited more than 34,000 times. Marilyn also was an extraordinary teacher, mentor and advocate for junior faculty and students.
While Marilyn’s exceptional productivity and impact are well known, fewer people know the obstacles she had to overcome as a female scientist. Marilyn joined the UC Davis chemistry department in 1969 when she was 25. By 2000, she directed one of the most productive crystallographic labs in the world and was the most published and cited member of the chemistry department, and yet she was never offered a faculty position. Finally, in 2003, when Marilyn was 60 years old, she was appointed to the faculty as a full professor.
Marilyn was born on Dec. 8, 1943, in Glendale. She graduated from Burbank High School in 1961, earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Reed College in 1965 and was awarded a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship to support her graduate studies. She received her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1969. She was the only woman in her graduating class of 40 students.
Marilyn developed an interest in science as a child. Her parents allowed her to pursue her “tomboy” interests in cowboys, stamps, rocks and insects, and when she was 8, bought her a microscope.
At 12, she obtained a general operator’s license in ham radio, becoming the youngest female ham radio operator in the U.S. She built radio transmitters and antennas and communicated using Morse code with “hams” as far away as South Africa.
During summers, she worked as a draftswoman at Lockheed and a YMCA camp counselor. She was an insatiable reader and played tennis and piano. She was also Burbank High School’s homecoming queen.
Marilyn maintained these interests as an adult. She used microscopes almost daily and built and improved scientific instrumentation. She collaborated with scientists from around the world and was a visiting scholar in Switzerland, China, Malaysia and India. She was also a host mother to exchange students from Italy and Turkey.
She spent memorable days with family and friends at her cabin at Alpine Meadows, skied at resorts throughout the U.S. and hiked mountains in a score of countries. Almost every day, she biked to work and played tennis. She was an excellent cook and was always sharing recipes and expanding her repertoire. She loved her book club, playing the piano and going to concerts at the Mondavi Center. She was kind, generous and beautiful.
Despite the mistreatment she experienced as a female scientist, Marilyn remained positive. It gave her great joy to teach, advise and mentor junior faculty and students. She constantly advocated for them, sought funding for state-of-the-art research infrastructure, and imparted the skills and guidance they needed to succeed.
She said, “My graduate students have never ceased to challenge and inspire me, and I am happy to see many of them continue in professional careers. The number of women in science is no longer that surprising, but, looking back, times have changed.”
Even after her official retirement, Marilyn continued active research and mentorship and was branching into an entirely new field of chemistry. In the words of one of her colleagues, “Marilyn truly was a pioneering spirit not only in science but also as a woman. She set an example of excellence and grace we all can aspire to emulate.”
Marilyn is survived by Alan, her husband of 53 years and her greatest champion; her daughter Janis and her children Dylan and Emma; her son Nate and his wife Erin and their children Avery and Evan; and her sister Marcia. Marilyn was preceded in death by her son Eric.
The family invites well-wishers to help carry on Marilyn’s work by contributing to the Marilyn M. Olmstead Inorganic Chemistry Graduate Research Fund.
Published October 21, 2020, Enterprise, Yolo County, California
Thursday, October 8, 2020
Henry Harrison Hayden III, BHS 1965
Henry Harrison Hayden III, BHS 1965
On the evening of September 30, 2020, Henry Harrison Hayden III (of Scottsdale) unexpectedly passed away. He was only 73 years old. Henry was born to Henry and Peggy Hayden, in Burbank, CA, in 1947. Henry's parents were very active with the foreign exchange student organization AFS (American Field Service). During his high school years, he had foreign exchange students from all over the world that lived with the family; giving him a more culturally inclusive worldview. He graduated from Burbank High School in 1965.
He was a proud alumnus of the University of Southern California (USC) and, after graduating, assisted foreign exchange students from all over the world with the (AFS) in New York City. He became a librarian at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles, CA, where he met the love of his life, Susie, whom he married in 1978. They raised two children together, Kimberly and Lindsay, in Scottsdale, where they have resided for 31 years. He was a librarian with the Arizona State Talking Book Library and with Chandler Public Library. He will be greatly missed by the thousands of readers whose lives were touched by his compassion and love for knowledge.
In his spare time, he enjoyed reading and meditation at the Franciscan Renewal Center. He also enjoyed spending time with his family. He loved playing with his grandchildren, being in nature especially the ocean, playing with his animals.
Henry is preceded in death by his mother Peggy, his father, Henry, and his mother-in-law, Betty. He is survived by his wife Susie, his daughters, Kimberly and Lindsay, his son-in-law Christopher, his grandchildren, Shealeigh, Leighanna, and Everleigh, his sisters Barbara and Dena, his nieces Lizzy and Katie, and his nephews Daniel, Travis, Hayden, and Jake. He is also survived by several cousins as well as brothers and sisters-in-law.
A public viewing will be held on Wednesday, October 7, 2020, from 5-7 pm at Hansen Desert Hills Mortuary located at 6500 E. Bell Rd with a rosary to follow the viewing. His funeral Mass will be Thursday, October 8th, at 10:30 am at the Church of Our Lady of the Angels (aka the Franciscan Renewal Center) located at 5802 E Lincoln, culminating with burial services at St. Francis Catholic Cemetery. His services will be livestreamed and can be accessed by clicking on the following link: https://youtu.be/-KORezdhfKk
Henry has met many wonderful people during his 73 years young. He loved service and he loved the people he served. He loved and will miss all of you.
Hansen Mortuary and Cemetery
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
Burr Brayton Beistle, BHS 1959
Burr Brayton Beistle, BHS 1959
October 21, 2019
78, of Larkspur, Colorado, passed away on October 21, 2019.
Husband of the late Carol Ann Beistle. Father of Laura Thompson of Sacramento, California, William Thompson of Campbell, California, Joseph Smith of Brighton, Colorado and Dawna Beistle of Salt Lake City, Utah. Grandpa of Alek, Eleah, and Alana Smith.
Private Family Graveside will be held. To leave condolence, visit ponderosavalleyfunerals.com
Published in The Gazette on Oct. 27, 2019
Tuesday, October 6, 2020
Steven Bruce Colley, BHS 1967
Reno Gazette-Journal, Reno, Nevada, Sunday, February 15, 1998
Steven Bruce Colley, 48, died February 12, 1998, at his residence. A native of California, he was born March 2, 1949, to James Howard and Katherine Lee Colley and had lived in Reno for the past three years, coming from California.
Colley was a research assistant in engineering and was a graduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno. He was a member of the Rotary club. His father preceded him in death.
Surviving are wife, Linda of Reno; mother, Katherine Colley, and sister, Kelly Vosough, both of California; and sister, Linda Forsythe, Tennessee. A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday at Morrell Hall at UNR.
Arrangements are under the direction of Reno Memorial Cremation and Burial Society. A memorial is being established with the Diabetic Education Center, P.O. Box 70023, Reno 89570