Steven Heath McDowell, BHS 1959

Steven Heath McDowell, BHS 1959
75, Irvine, California

July 29 1941 - October 28, 2016

It is with great sadness that we say good bye to this gentle and beautiful man.

Steve was born in Seattle, Washington, the first son of Nathan Heath McDowell and Barbara Hall McDowell and graduated Burbank High School and the University of Redlands. He enlisted and completed USMC training in 1963 at Parris Island, South Carolina and went on to attend United States Marine Corp Officer Candidate school at Quantico Virginia graduating first in his battalion and earning the designation of Naval Aviator. In 1967, he trained as and was designated Marine Combat Fighter/Attack Pilot (Supersonic F4-B Aircraft). Steve was a certified FAA Flight Instructor, helicopter qualified, and flew over 110 combat missions in Viet Nam as a Combat Section Leader.

After his war experience, Steve immersed himself in the Southern California Real Estate Market establishing his own real estate company in Orange County. He later closed down his company to work in real estate investments nationwide with TCW Realty Advisors of Los Angeles, as well as Coldwell Banker, KBS and PM Realty Advisors in Orange County.

First and foremost, Steve was a Marine Fighter Pilot. Flying was his greatest love. If he weren't flying, he loved motorcycles, non-fiction and travel. He was an accomplished sailor. Steve was married for 26 years to Ann Nelms McDowell of Scottsdale Arizona, his greatest admirer and best friend. They had one child: a black Cocker Spaniel named Miss Pug.
Steve is survived by Ann; his mother, Barbara McDowell of Old Saybrook, Connecticut; brother, Peter McDowell and family of Rosemont, Pennsylvania; and sister, Bobbie McDowell of Plymouth, Massachusetts.

A small graveside service will be held in the Garden of Valor at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar on Friday November 11th at 11:00 am.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Steve's name to support our veterans and first responders who bravely put their lives on the line to protect our lives and liberties.

Published in Orange County Register on Nov. 10, 2016

Joseph H. Lazara, BHS 1963

Mr. Lazara was born in Rochester, NY to his parents, Samuel and Josephine Lazara. He graduated from the San Fernando Valley State College and went on to law school at Southern Methodist University.

 

He is survived by his children Wes, Alex, and Spencer, and his dear friend and companion Judy Robertson. Mr. Lazara was instrumental in the inception of the Glendale Youth Orchestra. In lieu of flowers or gifts, please donate to the GYO.

Published in the Los Angeles Times on Dec. 6, 2016

Amber Marie Stimac White, BHS 1984

Amber Marie White
November 13, 1966 - October 16, 2016

Our beloved Amber Marie White, born Pontiac, MI on November 13, 1966, ascended to a higher plain peacefully on October 16, 2016, at her home in Burbank, CA.

Born to Gale Moore and Joseph Stimac. Amber graduated from Burbank High in 1984 and married Rick White on May 4, 1991. Amber was a hairdresser at Joseph Lamar Hair Salon for over 20 years. Her cherished son, Nicholas, was born on November 24, 1993. She was also devoted to her beloved son, Shaun, who passed on June 27, 2011.

Amber is survived by her family, Gale Moore, David Stalrit, Nancy Rushing, Kathleen McLean, Nancy Stimac, and Jean Himebaugh. Her husband's family, Richard and Nancy, and Ronald, Susan, Ashley and Derek Casella. Amber's beautiful life and spirit will be celebrated at the First United Methodist Church of Burbank, 700 N. Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank, CA on Sunday, October 30, 2016, 2:30pm.

Published in the Burbank Leader, Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Attila Lesley Juhasz, BHS 1973

Attila Lesley Juhasz, BHS 1973

The Record Gazette, Banning, CA, Thursday, May 1, 2014
                  

Attila L. Juhasz passed away April 12, 2014 in Loma Linda at the VA hospital after a serious illness.
  He was born in Toronto, Canada on Feb. 28,1955 but he grew up in Burbank. He lived in Beaumont since 1997. He was a great man, a loving husband and father, and also a Vietnam veteran. He battled his illness in the last 14 years and he mostly was a stay-at-home dad.
  He was very much involved in his children’s education and in their school life and activities. He had a great heart and he always tried to help out the less fortunate. 
 He will be greatly missed by his wife, Eszter, of 16 years; his three children AJ, Attila and Elizabeth; his mother, Catherine; and his brother Csaba.

He will have full military honors during gravesite services on Friday, May 2, 2014 at 2 p.m. at Riverside National Cemetery.

James Alfred Rogers, BHS 1949

James Alfred Rogers, BHS 1949

 

James Alfred Rogers was born 1931 in Los Angeles and moved to Burbank with his family when he was 5. A proud Burbank Bulldog quarterback, he remained involved as Booster Club President when his sons joined the Burbank High football program in 1978.

 

He joined the Air Force out of high school and was stationed in Nebraska where he met the love of his life and remained married for 62 years. He graduated from UCLA and remained an avid Bruins fan. After over 40 years in management, he retired from Tube Service, a division of Reliance Steel. He loved spending time with his three children and their families, especially watching all of the sporting and dance events. His passion was football, working in the yard and watching the view from his beloved home in the Burbank Hills.

 

He is survived by his wife Angie, and children, Jennifer and husband Scott, Stephen and wife Gail, Chris and wife Shelly, and eight beautiful grandkids that he loved very much. 
                                                                     

Published in The Burbank Leader from Oct. 8 to Oct. 15, 2016

Stephen Hollis Stoll, BHS 2008

The driver of a Nissan sedan that crashed into the wall of a concrete freeway underpass in Burbank in September, killing himself and four passengers, had marijuana and more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system at the time of the crash, according to reports released by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.

Stephen Stoll, 23, and four passengers in the car - Sebastian Forero, 20; Malak Hariri, 19; Sameer Nevarez, 18; and Sugey Cuevas, 19 - were killed Sept. 28, when the car crashed into the freeway abutment underneath the 5 Freeway on San Fernando Road around 4 a.m. and erupted in flames soon after.
 One passenger, Savannah Underwood, 18, was able to crawl from the vehicle before it became engulfed in flames. She suffered a broken pelvis and other injuries but is expected to fully recover.

The driver and Nevarez, who was in the front passenger seat, were both wearing seat belts, according to the autopsy reports. The passengers killed in the backseat were not, and it is unknown if Underwood was wearing one.

There were six people in the car, which is only equipped with five seat belts.
Stoll's blood-alcohol content was 0.18 percent at the time of the crash, more than double the legal driving limit of 0.08 percent. The coroner's report indicates the four passengers who died were also highly intoxicated.
 
Nevarez and Forero had marijuana in their system, and Forero's tests also indicated the presence of the drug Ecstasy, according to the toxicology reports.Drug paraphernalia was found in the car as well, including a glass pipe, a "green leafy substance" and an empty small plastic bag with skulls on it - often associated with drug transport.

Investigators said all six had been at a house party before the accident. Responding firefighters reported smelling alcohol on Underwood's breath, according to The Associated Press.

The Burbank Police Department is continuing to investigate the solo crash but has said speed played a factor. The report noted that, by Underwood's account, the car was "traveling faster than freeway speeds on the surface street" prior to the crash. The speed limit along the stretch of road near the Scott Road off-ramp drops quickly from 65 mph to 40 at the point of the turn into the tunnel underpass. Stoll lost control of the car, investigators said, crashed through a guardrail and crashed into the cement freeway abutment. Underwood was able to crawl from the car, and a bakery delivery man heard her screams. He carried her away from the crash, and she reportedly asked him to help her friends. When he turned back to the car, he heard a series of small explosions and saw the car on fire.

 When firefighters and paramedics arrived on scene, the car was completely engulfed. All five died of a combination of injuries from the crash and the subsequent fire.The six occupants were recent graduates of area high schools, and the community was shocked by the violent crash. Makeshift memorials of flowers, candles and signs expressing grief and condolences, sprang up at the site.

Grief counselors were called to Burbank and John Burroughs high schools to help students, staff and faculty deal with the sudden loss.
The Burbank City Council observed a moment of silence in memory of the young adults in the week following the crash, with Mayor Emily Gabel-Luddy issuing a statement on behalf of the city. "A tragedy of this magnitude affects the entire community, particularly one as close knit as Burbank," she said in the statement.

Los Angeles Daily News

Alice Tirre, BHS 1966

Alice Tirre, BHS 1966

Burbank Daily Review, November 19, 1974

Alice Tirre, 26, died Thursday, November 14, 1974 in a Burbank hospital. She is survived by her mother; Emma Tirre of Burbank; her daughter, Shawn Rene Ybarra of Burbank; two brothers, Rudy of North Hollywood and Danny of Burbank; and one sister, Mary Tirre of Burbank.

Recitation of the rosary was Monday, November 18, in the Eckerman Heisman Funeral Service Chapel in Burbank. Funeral mass was celebrated today November 19, at St. Robert  Bellarmine Catholic Church. Interment followed at San Fernando Mission Cemetery.

Ralph Walroth, BHS 1933

Our beloved father, Ralph Walroth passed away in the early morning hours of July 22, 2014 at his home in Glendale following a courageous battle with cancer, he was 98.

He was born January 17, 1916 in Omaha, Nebraska the son of Ernest and Notia Walroth. Ralph is preceded in death by his parents, first wife Virginia (Lester) and second wife Eileen (Rogers).

The Walroth's moved to Burbank, California in 1923. Ralph attended Burbank High School and graduated in 1933. He then enrolled at Glendale Junior College, earning a degree in Business Administration. He was also very active in the YMCA, Junior Chamber of Commerce and especially involved in the First Presbyterian Church of Burbank - where he was a member for 86 years. In 1937 he signed on with Lockheed Aircraft and worked there for the next 41 years!

After retiring from Lockheed he began working part time at the main Glendale Library and has worked there for 31 years until his passing, and was the oldest employee of the City of Glendale.

Ralph had four children with his first wife Virginia. From 1960-1965 he raised his four children as a single Dad until he married Eileen in 1965. When all the children were grown and out of the house Ralph and Eileen moved to Chevy Chase Canyon in Glendale where they lived their lives to the fullest! Golfing, traveling and time with family filled their calendars. After Eileen's passing in 2010, Ralph moved to Scholl Canyon Estates, in Glendale.

 Ralph is survived by his children, Betty Jo Mac Caughtry (Dave), Terry Walroth (Cindy), Nancy Eke (Zoltan), and Rick Walroth (Sue); and stepdaughters, Pat Grigsby (John) and Connie Froeberg (Doug). He is also survived by his 15 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. There will be a Celebration of Ralph's Life on August 28, 2014 at 1:00 PM at the First Presbyterian Church of Burbank, 521 East Olive Ave, Burbank, CA 91501. In lieu of flowers, Ralph requested donations to his church or a charity of your choosing. 

Los Angeles Daily News,  Sunday, August 17, 2014                           

Sherry Madden Neary, BHS 1954

ST. IGNATIUS – Sherry Ann Neary, 80, died at her home Tuesday, July 26, 2016.

Sherry Madden Neary was born in Wenatchee, Washington on Jan. 9th, 1936 to Mack & Lola Madden. The family moved to Los Angeles, California when Sherry was 6 years old due to Sherry's need for a heart operation. Unfortunately the operation was not completely successful and Sherry was physically restricted from doing almost everything until the age of 14 when she had a second operation that was successful, giving her a whole new lease on life.

From 1951 thru 1954 she went on to attend Burbank High School in Burbank California where she joined various clubs, became a song-leader at sporting events and participated in the Schools Christian Club.

After High School Sherry attended Pepperdine University in Los Angeles, California for 3 and 1/2 years. On December 14th, 1957 she and Frank D. Neary eloped in order to be married in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the Mid-1960's in Placenta, California she joined a Catholic Church Group called the Legion of Mary. She and the group went door to door to talk to fallen away and troubled Christians. 

In the 1970's Sherry found her true calling. She advocated for and protected victims of Domestic Violence. She worked with the Prosecution and provided vital Court Testimonies that were able to protect women from any further Domestic Violence. She worked at Safe Shelters for the Homeless and at abused Mother's and Children's Shelters in Jamestown, North Dakota.

In 1998 Sherry and her husband Frank moved to St. Ignatius, Montana where both of them retired. However, Sherry felt she had a calling and a purpose for being here on the Flathead Indian Reservation. During her entire adult life, Sherry had been researching and acquiring all that was available about American Indian Tribes, Culture, Heritage, Traditions and Spirituality. She had a great love and respect for Indian People. Sherry and Frank together went to many Powwows and made many good Native American friends. Sherry and Frank both felt they were blessed by God because they were able to live in such a beautiful Valley with so many of God's beautiful people.

In 2014 Sherry was diagnosed with cancer at the bottom of her tongue. She opted to have a 1/4 of her tongue surgically removed in hopes that all the cancer was isolated there. Unfortunately that was not the case. She chose not to have another surgery, Chemo or Radiation because of the location of her cancer.

Frank wanted to share with the community that Sherry peacefully passed away at home in his arms. Sherry was and will always be the love of his life. She is resting now with our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, she is no longer suffering and she is finally free of pain.
 
Survivors of Sherry are: Her husband of 59 years, Frank D. Neary, Son Mark Neary, Son Keith Neary, Daughter Ann Hoggarth and Son John Neary, 16 Grandchildren and 12 Great-grandchildren. She is proceeded in death by her parents Mack & Lola Madden and her Daughter Karen Neary. 

Services for Sherry will begin with the Rosary on Tuesday, August 2nd at 7pm in the St. Ignatius Catholic Mission. On Wednesday, August 3rd her Funeral Mass will begin at 11am. 

Bryan Lee Wilkinson III, BHS 1973

February 10, 1954 - October 1, 2016

Bryan Lee Wilkinson III, who was known all of his life as Pete, passed into eternal life on October 1, 2016, in Mojave, California. He was 62 years old. A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, October 29 at 11AM, at the Burbank First United Methodist Church in Burbank, California. Pastor Sam B. Kim will officiate.

Pete was born on February 10, 1954 in Santa Monica, California, to Bryan Lee and Ruth Helen (Foster) Wilkinson. Pete enjoyed education an held an associate's degree in accounting, but he was best known for his accomplishments as a musician. He began playing guitar at age 12, and for the past 50 years played professionally, working with many notable rock bands. In addition to being an unmatched guitarist with a following of numerous fans, Pete was also a talented singer.Pete was a kind and spiritual soul, who naturally attracted admirers from around the world, both for his music as well as for his friendliness.

He possessed the great gift of talk, making new friends everywhere he went. If a wall could have talked, he would have certainly held a conversation with it!Though Pete was loved by all who knew him, he often said that the best days of his life were meeting and falling in love with his future wife, Nancy. When he saw Nancy on the day they were married, his response was simply, "Wow!" From that day forth, Pete and Nancy went on to share a bond that lasted a lifetime.

Pete's interests were numerous and varied. In addition to a lifelong love of music, he enjoyed reading, art, photography, and astronomy. He possessed a fondness for silly, bad movies as well - everything from campy 1950s sci-fi to offbeat comedies. Pete also loved to travel, with Arizona being a favorite destination.

Pete is survived by his loving wife of 26 years, Nancy Ann Wilkinson of Mojave, California; his sister, Krenn Scott of Las Vegas, Nevada; and his numerous pet birds, whom he considered his children. He is also survived by cousins, numerous nieces, great nieces, and great nephews. Pete was preceded in death by his father, Bryan Lee Wilkinson Jr., and his mother, Ruth Helen Wilkinson, both of Burbank, California. Before moving with Nancy to Mojave in 2010, Pete was a resident of Burbank for 56 years.

Published in The Burbank Leader on Oct. 22, 2016