Saratoga News

Col. Ernest Terrill Barco Jr.

Obituaries

Ernest Barco Jr.

Longtime Saratoga resident retired Army Col. Ernest Terrill Barco Jr. died Oct. 12 of pneumonia at the age of 80.

He was born in 1917 in Albay, Philippines, where his father was an officer in the Philippine Constabulary. The family moved when Barco was a baby but returned for several years after World War I.

Barco did most of his growing up in Gainesville, Fla., after which he attended the University of Washington in Seattle. In 1939, he was selected as a Distinguished Military Graduate and was commissioned as a reserve officer in the field artillery. He entered active service in the U.S. Army that same year.

During World War II, Barco participated in the amphibious invasion of Africa with the 3rd Infantry Division and served as assistant anti-tank officer on Gen. George Patton's staff. Barco also participated in the first assault wave on Sicily. He later served in four campaigns in France and Germany until after VE Day. For his war service, Barco received numerous decorations, including the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army of Occupation Medal and World War Victory Medal.

Upon returning to the United States, Barco wrote the first comprehensive tank gunnery manual for the U.S. Army. In various later military positions, he was senior American adviser to the Greek Army Corps, chief of supply and facilities for the U.S. Army Reserve and ROTC, commander of the 6th Tank Battalion in the Korean War and commander of the 2nd U.S. Armored Cavalry Regiment in Fort Knox, Ky.

Following his 1963 Army retirement, Barco opened Barco Realty in Saratoga. He became active in Saratoga city politics and campaigned for various candidates during City Council and other elections. He once wrote book reviews for the Saratoga News and frequently penned letters to the editor.

Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Margaret Nicklason Barco of Saratoga; daughters Louise Barco Allrich of San Francisco and Mary Kathleen Barco of Pasadena; grandchildren Sarah Louise deTuboly, Louis Nicholas deTuboly and Elena Margaret Barco; and his brother, retired Lt. Col. Barney Martin Barco of Hawthorne, Fla.

Memorial services have been held, with interment at The Presidio of San Francisco.

James Prolo

Saratogan James Robert Prolo died Nov. 3 at the age of 88.

Born Jan 28, 1909, in Randsberg, Calif., he moved to San Jose at the age of 5. His first jobs, as a young teenager, were picking fruit and cleaning and changing tires. He later worked for Oliver's Furniture, delivering and setting up items, hanging drapes and laying linoleum and carpet. He would later work for another furniture store and a department store. He also did his own contracting work.

Prolo was a member of the Carpet, Linoleum and Soft Tile Workers Union Local 12. He also belonged to Sons In Retirement (SIRS). He loved the great outdoors, backpacking and gardening.

"Dad reached out to others rapidly with a helping hand," son Donald recalled in a eulogy to his father. "He instantly attracted new friends with his manner of grace, candor, honesty, sensitivity and altruism."

Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Marie Prolo of Saratoga; son and daughter-in-law Donald J. and Joanne Prolo of Saratoga; grandchildren Laura Marie and Donald Prolo of Saratoga; and brother William Prolo of San Jose.

Memorial services have been held, with interment at Madronia Cemetery, Saratoga.

Douglas Stewart

Douglas Joseph Stewart, a longtime teacher and administrator in the Saratoga Union School District, died Nov. 25 of emphysema at the age of 79 in his Atascadero home.

Born in Philadelphia on July 24, 1918, of Scotch-Irish immigrant parents, he became a Golden Gloves boxer while still in high school. He served with the U.S. Army in the Aleutian Islands during World War II.

He attended San Jose State University on the G.I. Bill and earned a degree in education. After student-teaching in Saratoga, he was hired by the district in 1953. He later earned a master's degree at Stanford University and eventually became the principal of Saratoga's Foothill School.

He retired in 1976 and moved to Atascadero. He and his wife, the former Dorothy Cristallo, raised sheep and geese on their small walnut and apple orchard in a canyon midway between Atascadero and Morro Bay.

Although Stewart strayed far from his Philadelphia roots during his life, he always referred to himself as a "city boy."

Friends and family who came to visit him and his wife at their D & D Ranch delighted in watching this city boy work with his farm animals, and they particularly enjoyed his ritual of feeding the large band of stray cats who lived on the property and came running every night, circling around him when he brought them their dinner.

In addition to his wife, Dorothy Stewart, he is survived by two children from a previous marriage, Jack Stewart of North Bend, Ore., and Dale Bryant of San Jose, editor of the Saratoga News, and grandchildren Matt Bryant and Chris and Kerri Stewart.

A memorial service has been held.

Obituaries

The Saratoga News publishes obituaries as a community service. There is no charge, but we do require that information about the deceased be provided to us on our official Obituary Notice form. The forms are available at the Saratoga News office, 14375 Saratoga Ave., Ste. E-2, Saratoga.

We are interested in local residents or people with strong ties to Saratoga.

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