Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Obituaries

Orrin Matheny

Orrin Matheny, a former resident of Los Gatos, died April 18 in his Willits home, where he moved in 1992 to be closer to his son and daughter-in-law. He was 85.

He was born March 14, 1913, in Exeter, Calif. After graduating from San Jose State University, he did graduate work at and received his administrative credentials from Stanford University. From 1940 through 1973, he worked at Los Gatos High School in many different capacities: business teacher, coach and dean of boys, and later vice principal and director of student activities.

According to his family, students fondly liked to call him "the man with a face of stone and a heart of Jell-o." After his retirement, he moved to Aptos, where he helped keep his neighborhood streets clean, repaired homes and often house-sat for vacationing neighbors. For his efforts, they dubbed him "The Mayor of Kingsbury Drive." Matheny was a member of Sons in Retirement and enjoyed golf and gardening.

He was predeceased by his wife of 54 years, Virginia. Survivors include his second wife, Marjorie, of Willits; son and daughter-in-law Keith and Lynne Matheny of Willits; daughter and son-in-law Kathie and George Kobayashi of San Jose; and grandchildren Jenny Matheny of Santa Rosa, Cory Fields of Boulder Creek and Matthew Kobayashi of San Jose.

James Mastrangelo

Former Los Gatan James Paul Mastrangelo died of congestive heart failure March 25 in Roseville, where he had been residing. He was 76.

Mastrangelo was born October 26, 1921, in Struthers, Ohio. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and fought in the Pacific theater at Iwo Jima. He moved to Los Gatos in 1956, where he stayed until this year, when he relocated to the community of Sun City in Roseville.

In 1984, Mastrangelo retired after a 28-year career as a design engineer with General Electric's nuclear power division in San Jose. In his free time, he enjoyed golf, bowling, fishing, local professional sports and listening to classical music. He was a longtime member of the Elks Lodge of Los Gatos and served as an usher at St. Mary's Church.

Survivors include wife Carmel Julia Mastrangelo of Roseville; daughter Kathleen Marie Somerton of Rancho Murieta; son James Anthony Mastrangelo of Campbell River, British Columbia; grandchildren Ian, Crystal, Shanna and Lavanna; brothers Billy of Struthers, Ohio, and Renaldo of Salem, N.J.; and sister Tina Geroni of Hermitage, Pa.

Memorial services have been held. Donations may be made to Charities of the Elks Lodge of Los Gatos, Attn. Floyd Reece, 105 Newell Ave., Los Gatos, 95030, or to the American Heart Association, 1 Almaden Blvd., San Jose, 95125.

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