Obituaries

Teresa "Terri" Collentine, a retired sergeant and 27-year veteran of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, died May 20 at age 48. She died after suffering a seizure while snorkeling with her husband, Jim, and a friend at Ocean Cove, her husband said. An autopsy is pending.

Albert S. Walton, a longtime real estate broker and leader in West Sacramento business and civic groups, died May 11 after a stroke, his family said. He was 94.

Manuel R. Ferrales, a political trailblazer who served eight years as the first Latino on the Sacramento City Council, died Saturday.

Kenneth L. Hake, a retired Sacramento Superior Court judge, died April 25 after a brief illness, his family said. He was 71.

Robert E. Coyle, who served more than two decades as a federal judge and was the prime mover behind federal courthouses in Sacramento and Fresno, died Monday from complications of Alzheimer's disease. He was 82.

Ross Davidson, a retired Air Force colonel and combat veteran who was a longtime Carmichael civic booster and leader, died May 5 of complications related to congestive heart failure, his family said. He was 91.

Louise A. Perez, an education advocate who led a community-based organization and served on a contentious Sacramento City school board, died May 8 of cancer, her family said. She was 65.

George "Jorge" Anthony Knott was by all accounts unconventional.

Jim Hutchinson, a retired University of California, Davis, engineering professor who co-founded a Yolo County group that helps elderly residents and their caregivers, died April 26 of cancer complications, his family said. He was 79.

Shirley Ann Vaughn-Merchant, well known in the Sacramento community for her work mentoring at-risk African American women, died Monday of pulmonary fibrosis at Mercy San Juan Hospital. She was 65.

John T. Nickens Jr., a retired engineer who played the clarinet in community bands for nine decades, died April 25 at age 99.

Henry "Bud" Smith, a retired Sacramento County sheriff's deputy who served in an early community-oriented policing program, died Friday of complications related to cancer and other ailments, his family said. He was 68.

Bill Pierce, a retired college librarian and well-known master gardener who answered hundreds of horticulture questions in The Bee's Home & Garden section, died Thursday of cancer, his family said. He was 80.

Soft-spoken by nature, Martin Smith mixed bite with occasional humor in columns for The Sacramento Bee and McClatchy Newspapers, where he served as political editor for 15 years.

Dr. E. Richard Brown, a nationally recognized public health expert who compiled survey data that have helped shape California and national policy on health care, died Friday of a stroke in Lexington, Ky. He was 70.

Nick Thompson, a former truck driver who lobbied at the Capitol for the California Trucking Association, died April 18 of colon cancer, his family said. He was 51.

William B. "Bill" Staiger, a former trade group leader for the California livestock and agriculture industries, died April 13, his family said. He was 91.

Dr. Edward K. Ishii, who served generations of Sacramento patients as a dentist for more than 60 years, died April 10 of heart complications, his family said. He was 87.

George Lionakis, a prominent Sacramento architect who was an influential leader in the building industry, died Friday of health problems related to age, his family said. He was 87.

Cynthia Dall, a Sacramento singer and musician who was a favorite of the indie-rock underground scene, died April 5 in her sleep at home, her family said. She was 41.

Leon A. Woods Jr., a Sacramento resident who broke racial barriers as a pioneering African American championship player in college tennis, died April 10 of causes related to dementia, his family said. He was 86.

Ed Bent, a veteran firefighter who was a leader in establishing modern training and standards for California firefighters, died March 27 after a brief illness, friends said. He was 94.

A "celebration of life" will be held for Bee editorial cartoonist Rex Babin, who died March 30 after a year-long struggle with cancer. He was 49.

Dorothy Sue Noland, an educator who was the first woman to lead the Los Rios Community College District teachers union, died Friday of pneumonia complications, her family said. She was 97.

Paul E. Zinner, a former UC Davis political science professor who was a leading scholar on the Cold War and its aftermath, died March 17 of congestive heart failure in San Francisco. He was 90.

Thomas Kinkade, the "Painter of Light" who made a fortune as art critics scoffed at his paintings of landscapes, cottages and churches inspired by his boyhood in Placerville, died Friday at 54.

William L. Musladin, a retired Air Force veteran of three wars who led Planned Parenthood in Sacramento, died March 24 of a stroke, his family said. He was 94.

A "celebration of life" will be held for Bee editorial cartoonist Rex Babin, who died March 30 after a year-long struggle with cancer. He was 49.

Don Saner, a retired insurance executive and Sacramento sports figure who played baseball for the Cleveland Indians organization, died March 18 of Lewy body dementia, his family said. He was 78.

Johnnie Mae Conner, a retired state administrator and community activist who co-founded a concert honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., died March 26 at age 81.

There are now two ways to donate to the Sebastian Babin Educational Fund, the account established for the 10-year-old son of the late Bee political cartoonist Rex Babin.

Michael John Crowley, a retired Cosumnes River College teacher and union leader, died March 18 of cancer, his family said. He was 73.

In Rex Babin's perhaps most beloved editorial cartoon, huge hands reached down from on high to steady US Airways Flight 1549 as it floated on the Hudson River, passengers standing on its wings.

Earl Scruggs was a quiet farm boy from North Carolina who grew up to transform acoustic music with his fiery five-string banjo style.

Eleanor M. Cavitt, matriarch of a historic Northern California ranching family, died March 22 in Sacramento. She was 103.

Edward Towe, a former Montana banker whose unrivaled collection of classic Ford cars and trucks became the centerpiece of a major Sacramento automobile museum, died March 13, his family said. He was 97.

Dr. Douglas H. Yee, a Sacramento dentist who was a leader in organizations dedicated to preserving the story of Chinese pioneers in California, died March 18 of cancer, his family said. He was 62.

Dr. Edward A. Smeloff Sr., a renowned heart surgeon who developed and implanted one of the first mechanical heart valves, died Friday of respiratory failure, his family said. He was 86.

Rodney J. Blonien, a Capitol lobbyist for gambling interests who previously oversaw expansion of state prisons as a top Deukmejian administration official, died March 13 of an apparent heart attack at his Elk Grove home, his family said. He was 65.

Margaret L. Lial, a retired American River College math professor and author of textbooks taught to millions of college students, died Friday of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, her family said. She was 84.

Della Davidson, a UC Davis dance professor and innovative choreographer who merged body movements with narrative elements to tell multimedia stories onstage, died March 13 of complications related to breast cancer, her family said. She was 60.

Eva Rutland, a noted Sacramento author who wrote about her hopes and fears as an African American mother raising children amid racial discrimination in post-war California, died Thursday. She was 95.

The Rev. James E. Straukamp, a retired California State University, Sacramento, history professor who preached social justice as a Catholic priest before joining the Episcopal Church, died March 4 of Alzheimer's disease. He was 84.

Rod Blonien, a Capitol fixture for years as a Deukmejian administration official and later as a major lobbyist for gambling and horse racing interests, was found dead in his home Tuesday, the apparent victim of a heart attack. He was 65.

Zoe Morgan, a longtime Sacramento community volunteer who joined groups that promote social action, died Feb. 26 of congestive heart failure, her family said. She was 87.

Dorothy Kubel Landsberg, a Sacramento matriarch and gracious hostess of lively parties for Capitol reporters and politicians, died Sunday after a brief illness, her family said. She was 97.

Newton Steve Ekpo, a civic volunteer and pioneering leader in Sacramento's Nigerian community, died Feb. 26 of complications related to esophageal cancer, his family said. He was 60.

Mary Frances Scherer, a prominent Loomis resident and former Navy officer who sued the Air Force over gender discrimination at McClellan Air Force Base, died Feb. 27 of congestive heart failure, her family said. She was 90.

John C. Hammitt, a former Galt postmaster and horseman who was active in wagon train and community events, died Feb. 26 of heart fibrillation, his family said. He was 67.

Steve Schofer, a veteran musician who played bass for Mick Martin and the Blues Rockers, died Feb. 27 of complications from lung cancer, his family said. He was 64.