Dee Ann Dickens, BHS 1965

Dee Ann Dickens, BHS 1965

Published in The Ogden Standard-Examiner, Odgen, Utah, Monday, November 27, 1967

BYU Coed Killed In Crash on Utah Highway

LEEDS, Utah - A Brigham Young University coed was killed Sunday November 26, 1967 at 4:35 p.p. on Interstate 15 about five miles south of here when the car in which she was riding crashed out of control.

Killed wasDee Ann Dickens, 19, El Segundo, California, who was apparently returning to school following the Thanksgiving holiday.

Investigating officer, Trooper Donald Best, Utah Highway Patrol, said the victim was northbound in a vehicle driven by Robert Alton Anderson, 17, also of El Segundo. Anderson lost control of the car and it sliced off the left side of the freeway, came back onto the road and traveled off the right side and down an embankment where it rolled.

Miss Dickens was thrown from the vehicle and apparently killed instantly. Anderson suffered only minor injuries.

Christopher J. Bettencourt, BHS 1980

Christopher J. Bettencourt, BHS 1980

Christopher J. Bettencourt was born on November 17, 1962 and he passed away in Los Angeles County, California on August 10, 2007. According to a facebook post awhile back a classmate said that Chris choked on a piece of food. Chris's official cause of death from the Los Angeles County Medicial Examiner was listed as an accident at his residence due to Aspiration of Food Bolus. Christopher was just 44 years old. Gone too soon. May he rest in peace.

Robert Henry Ford, BHS 1935

Robert Henry Ford, BHS 1935

Funeral services were held for Robert Henry Ford, 87, of Chico on Monday at Newton-Bracewell Chico Funeral Home. He died Friday June 18, 2004 at a local convalescent hospital. Bob was born on March 29, 1917 in Long Beach, Calif. to Nellie and Irven Ford. 

He was raised and educated in Burbank where he graduated from high school. On June 12, 1936 he married Curtyne Van Buskirk. Bob worked for Warner Brothers and Lockheed Aircraft before beginning a 29-year career with IBM. Following his retirement in 1975, the couple moved to Las Vegas and later to Chico in 1998. Bob enjoyed fishing, photography and was an avid train buff. 

Survivors include his daughter, Bev Rozendaal of Chico; a brother, Harold P. Ford of Gaithersburg, Maryland; four grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. His wife, "Teen" and daughter, Anita Prentice, predeceased him. 

Entombment will take place next to his wife at Chico Memorial Mausoleum. Memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army or to a favorite charity in care of the funeral home, and condolences can be sent online at nbcfh.com.

Published by Chico Enterprise-Record on Jun. 22, 2004.

Shelley Rae Kirkwood Reichardt, BHS 1962

Shelley Rae Kirkwood Reichardt, BHS 1962

Published in the Albert Lea Evening Tribune, Albert Lea, Minnesota, October 31, 1977, Page 3

FAA Checking Plane Death of Former State Woman

TONOPAH, Nevada - Authorities are investigating the cause of a single-engine plane crash that killed a former Rochester, Minnesota woman and her husband during an attempt to break a world speed record last Tuesday October 25, 1977. 

The victims were identified as Robert and Shelley Reichardt of Ojai, California. Mrs. Reichardt was the former Shelley Kirkwood of Rochester.

Authorities said the 1932 Howard aircraft named "Mr. Mulligan" was flying in excess of 300 miles an per hour when it crashed on a dry lake bed near the Tonopah Airport last Tuesday. Nye County Sheriff C.J. Howard said the plane was flying low to the ground when it suddenly plummeted downward. "It pretty near disintegrated," he said.

One observer at the scene said the aircraft was making its third pass in a westerly direction when it suddenly pitched upward before crashing. Reichardt was still in the plane when rescuers reached the wreckage. His wife had been thrown from the craft. Authorities said both were dead at the scene.

Federal Aviation Administration officials are inveatigating the cause of the crash. "Mr. Mulligan" reportedly crashed 11 years ago and had been rebuilt.

NOTE: Shelley was survived by her parents, one sister LaVonne Kirkwood, and a brother Jon Kirkwood. Shelley and her husband are buried in the Nordhoff Cemetery, Ojai, California. Visit her Find A Grave memorial. 

David Goodman, BHS 1994

David Goodman, BHS 1994

This was posted on Facebook by a good friend of David 

I was devastated to hear that my old high school buddy and track teammate David Goodman suddenly and tragically passed away from a major stroke in March 2022.  David was so full of life it is inconceivable this could happen to him. He had an infectious smile and laugh that could turn anyone's day around. He had a huge heart and was always supportive and positive to those around him. He left behind his wife and his 6 year old son, who could really use our help right now.

David was a great guy! I remember hanging out with him from time to time watching Boys Basketball games at Burbank High School when I was a Senior and he was a Sophomore. He absolutely loved sports and was a very good Track and Field athlete in the Long Jump. I was a little surprised that he didn't try and take his talents in that Field event to College as he decided to enlist in the US Army instead for 4 or 5 years, but he wanted to see some of the world and he was able to do that during his time in the military. 

I actually used to call David Goodman AC when we were in High School because I always thought he looked so much like former NBA great A.C. Green who had a very successful playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and the Dallas Mavericks.

No other detailsat this time.

Paige Rodgers Parrish, BHS 1974

Paige Rodgers Parrish, BHS 1974

It is with great sadness that I report that my beloved brother, Paige Rodgers Parrish class of ‘74 passed away on July 28, 2022.

Paige was very active member of the student body at BHS, participating in student council, various musical groups and the BHS water polo team.

After leaving BHS, Paige went on to USC. There he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity and continued his love of music by singing a solo at the Hollywood Bowl as part of their Songfest festivities.

He then went on to Santa Clara law school and graduated  with a Jurist doctor degree in 1981.

He married Peggy Blake in 1984, started his law career in Pasadena, California and was a member of the Tournament of Roses for more than 30 years. He became a father to 4 beautiful children- Blake, Alexandra, Alana and Bridget. In 2021 he became a grandfather to his first granddaughter, Keaton Alexandra Parrish.

Paige fought a courageous battle against pancreatic cancer for 2  1/2 years always with a smile on his face and little if any complaints.

Paige touched the lives of many people and he will be missed dearly but his legacy to his friends and family will live on through the memories we made with him.

Posted on Facebook by his sister, Pamela

Joanna Ruth Woods Verardo, BHS 1960

Joanna Ruth Woods Verardo, BHS 1960

Joanna Ruth Verardo, 78, went home to be with her Saviour on Tuesday, November 23, 2021. She leaves behind 2 children, 5 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. Joanna was born on November 27, 1942, in Glendale, CA. She graduated from Burbank High School in 1960. She married Nicholas Verardo on March 4, 1961, and they had three children Jeffrey, Gerry and Leslie. 

In 1978, the family moved to Redding, CA and began attending North Valley Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Royal Blue. Joanna received Christ as her Saviour on March 28, 1978, and was baptized on September 24, 1978, along with her family who had also trusted Christ that year. Several years later Nick & Joanna joined Shasta Baptist Church (Pastor Mike Johnson) where they served as faithful members for many years. In 2015, Joanna moved to Westfield, MA to be near her children and grandchildren.

Joanna was an amazing seamstress and worked for several years at Fabricland in Redding. She also loved gardening. She was a devoted wife, a loving and caring mom and grandma, and lived a very selfless life. She had a wonderful sense of humor which she never lost. She loved to collect anything with hummingbirds, chickens/roosters, and snowmen.

She is preceded in death by her husband Nick, her son Jeffrey, and her sister Darlene. She will be missed by her son Gerry Verardo (Carole) of Westfield, MA, and their children and families, as well as her daughter Leslie Montoro (Jim) of Westfield, MA, and their children.

The Celebration of Life service for Joanna will be held on Saturday, December 11 at 2p at Pioneer Valley Baptist Church (265 Ponders Hollow Rd, Westfield, MA). We will also hold a service on March 19, 2022, at Shasta Baptist Church in Redding. She will be laid to rest next to her husband at the Millville Cemetery.

Betty Anne Blanchard Heitmann, BHS 1941

 Betty Anne Blanchard Heitmann, BHS 1941

EX-BURBANKER SLAIN IN NEVADA HOLDUP

A Burbank High School graduate was one of three persons killed Tuesday August 29, 1967, in the $35, 000 robbery of a bank at Overton, Nevada, a small town near Las Vegas.

The victim was Mrs. Betty Heitmann, 44, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James E. Blanchard, of 421 N. Lomita.

Mrs. Heitmann, a 1941 graduate of Burbank High School, had three daughters, Martha, 24, of Burbank; and Betty Lou, 12, and Barbara, 15, both of whom were visiting their grandmother here at the time of the slaying.

Arrested in connection with the murders of the two women clerks and the bank manager was Terry Lynn Conger, 23, a construction worker. He was arrested in Las Vegas Wednesday on three counts of murder, and held without bail.

A major search is still under way by the Clark County, Nevada Sheriff's office to find evidence in the case, including all but $2,000 of the stolen money which was found in a farmhouse.

The robbery was staged just before closing time at the one-story bank on Main Street. Investigators said "the bodies of the victims were stacked like cordwood" in the vault. They were all shot in the back of the head. 

Mrs. Heitmann's other survivors include her husband, Jack, and two sisters, Mrs. Warren Jackson, of 711 E. Harvard, and Mrs. Wayne Haggard, of Ogallala, Nebraska. 

Services for Mrs. Heitmann will be Friday in Overton.  Find A Grave Memorial

NOTE: Terry Lynn Conger, who 32 years ago killed the manager and two women tellers of an Overton Bank and stole $35,000, died Sunday September 19, 1999 due to complications from diabetes at University Medical Center. He was 55. 

He killed 30-year-old bank manager Larry Staley and clerks Vera Walkington, 30, and Betty Heitmann, 42. They each were shot in the head with .45-caliber rounds from a semiautomatic pistol.

Michael James Spindle, BHS 1967

Michael James Spindle, BHS 1967

Published by Orange County Register on June 19, 2022.

In April, dad died too soon at the age of 73. Michael James Spindle is survived by his daughter Shikera, son-in-law Daniel, granddaughter, grandson, son Nathan, brother Steve, and in the memories of the friends and family who he had such happy times with.

 When Dad turned 18, he served our country in Korea as a military policeman. When he returned, he earned a bachelor's degree from Cal State Fullerton. Dad loved cars and he started buying and flipping everything from Porsches to a De Tomaso Mangusta. He then worked in real estate in Laguna Beach for over 40 years and enjoyed mentoring many. 

Dad was selfless, calm, positive, ethical, the greatest example of unconditional love to those he loved, and the best best friend and dad ever: my hero and a role model for many. 

We are so grateful for the time that we had with him. Be at peace dad. We love you so much and will miss you forever.