Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Obituaries

Margarete A. Dunning

Margarete Dunning died of natural causes Sept. 1 at her Los Gatos Meadows residence. She was 86.

Dunning was born March 9, 1911, in Huntington Beach. She was a homemaker.

She is survived by niece Elaine Lindner of San Jose and nephew Gordon Lavering of Belmont. Private memorial services have been held.

Juanita Schurman

Juanita Hill Schurman died Sept. 5 in San Francisco of complications from a ruptured ulcer suffered at the Schurman Ranch in Monte Sereno.

Schurman was born in San Francisco and was a descendent of Joaquin Castro, a Spanish soldier who settled in San Francisco in 1776, and was also related to four other families who were prominent in the ranching and history of 18th- and 19th-century California. She retained portions of Spanish and Mexican land grants until her death.

Following her 1940 marriage to investment banker Jacob, Schurman began collecting art, jewelry and clothing--a hobby that would stay with her for much of her life. The Schurmans once hosted artist Georgia O'Keeffe in their home.

Schurman enjoyed maintaining the Schurman Ranch, an 11-acre fruit orchard and private arboretum nestled in the northwestern corner of Monte Sereno. She was a lifelong supporter of the San Francisco Opera, Native American rights and redwood forest conservancy. She belonged to the Francesca Club, Villa Taverna, the Burlingame Club and the State Farm Bureau.

Schurman is survived by son Jacob Gould Schurman, daughter and son-in-law Juana Schurman and Tony Ligamari, grandchildren Lucia and Michael Ligamari, sister Harrie Hill Page and nieces Susan Page and Pamela Page Galy, all of San Francisco.

Memorial services have been held. Donations may be made to St. Anthony's Dining Room, 121 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, 94102.

Anna May Minifie

Former Los Gatos resident Anna May Minifie, who had been residing in Genoa, Nev., died Sept. 6 in Salinas following an automobile accident. She was 72.

Minifie was a homemaker born Nov. 23, 1924, in Iowa. She is survived by her husband, Donald "Don" Minifie, who was the first paid fire chief of the town of Los Gatos.

Memorial services have been held, with interment at Los Gatos Memorial Park.

Frank Adams

Longtime Los Gatan Frank Terrence Adams died of a heart attack Sept. 8 at home on the Adams Ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He was 49.

Born Jan. 4, 1948, in San Jose, Adams graduated from Los Gatos High School and attended West Valley College and San Jose State University. He served as a medic in the U.S. Navy from 1969 to 1972.

Adams was a real estate agent and manager for the past 25 years. He was a life member and past president of the Los Gatos Optimist Club and president of the Adams Ranch, a family corporation.

Recently, Adams was working toward his dream of rebuilding the original houses on the Adams Ranch, which had been destroyed in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The mountain property was in Adams' family since 1881--purchased by his great-grandfather Edward F. Adams, who was also founder of the Commonwealth Club of California.

Survivors include brother David H. Adams Jr. of Los Gatos, sister and brother-in-law Gina Adams Palmer and Carl Palmer of San Jose; aunts Patricia Davis and Helen Barr, both of Berkeley; uncle Tom Adams of Wilsonville, Ore.; and numerous cousins.

Donations may be made to the Centre for Living with Dying, 554 Mansion Park Dr., Santa Clara, 95051.

Ina McSwain

Ina Leona McSwain died Aug. 29 in her Los Gatos home at the age of 91.

Born Sept. 1, 1905, in the Oklahoma territory, McSwain's family homesteaded 160 acres in what was then called the "Big Pasture," now Tillman County.

In 1936, she and a sister moved to Los Angeles in search of jobs. In 1940, she met and married Bird McSwain, another former Oklahoman. They and their family lived in Southern California for many years, settling in Los Gatos in 1994 to be closer to their sons.

"She was interested in people and what they did. She often helped others by merely listening to them and giving them encouragement. She was rarely in a down mood," recalls son Leland.

McSwain was preceded in death by her husband, Bird. Survivors include son and daughter-in-law Don and Maryanna McSwain of Monte Sereno; son Leland McSwain of South Lake Tahoe; stepson Gilbert Lee McSwain of Denver, Colo.; and niece Charletta Densmore of Waco, Texas.

Memorial services have been held, with interment at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Southern California. Donations may be made to the American Cancer Society Memorial Program, Silicon Valley/Central Coast Region, 1715 S. Bascom Ave., Suite 100, Campbell, 95008.

Mary Lou Hallinan

Former Los Gatan Mary Lou Hallinan died Sept. 16 in a San Jose convalescent home from complications of a stroke. She was 53.

Born Jan. 23, 1944, in Los Angeles, Hallinan resided in Los Gatos for many years. She worked for the San Jose Redevelopment Agency.

Survivors include son Todd Hallinan of Morgan Hill, grandson Tanner Hallinan of Morgan Hill and brother Ron Carter of Warsaw, Va.

Donations may be made to Stanford University Hospital, Stroke Research, Office of Medical Development, 770 Welch Road, Suite 400, Palo Alto, 94304.

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