Carolyn Johnson. Courtesy photo. LAKEPORT, Calif. — Carolyn Johnson, “CJ,” passed away April 25, 2023, in Lakeport surrounded by family and loved ones after a short battle with cancer at the age of 87.
She was born in Amesbury, Massachusetts and spent most of her life in San Francisco and graduated from Balboa High School.
She later moved to Novato, then moved to Lake County to build and resided in her home in Lucerne, California for over 40 years.
Throughout her career she held many high secretarial positions earning employee of the year and a letter from then-Sen. Mike Thompson while employed with Lake County Public Works.
She retired in 1996 but continued an active lifestyle of fishing, bowling, doing puzzles, playing Mahjong, playing the organ and yard work, and her favorite place to shop was Home Depot.
CJ took pride in everything she did and had a lot of friendships that lasted a lifetime! She will be really missed, always cherished and loved, and never forsaken. In lieu of sending flowers donations can be made to Hospice of Lake County.
A celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 1, at the Nice Community Baptist Church.
Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com.
William Biggs. Courtesy photo. William Biggs Born: Aug. 11, 1942 Modesto, California Deceased: May 8, 2023
William (Bill) Biggs was the eldest of 11 children.
He is survived by four brothers and five sisters; his wife, Carol Simpson Biggs; daughter, Marty Aarreberg; son, Marshall Moore; five grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
Bill moved to Lake County, California, in 2000 when he retired from his construction equipment sales business in San Diego County.
He served three years in the U S Army, Graduated from San Diego State University with a Masters in Business Administration.
He was personnel and payroll manager for San Diego City Schools for 10 years before becoming a business owner, in Lakeside, California, where he sold construction equipment.
Bill was a loving father, grandfather, and friend to those who knew him. His personal mission was to mentor the young people in his life; he had much to share and wanted to help shape the future of the young people around him.
He had a passion for Italian cars and a gift for bringing them back to life. As Parkinson’s Disease took over his life, he continued to restore his Italian beauties by guiding people to help him get them on the road.
He was a charter member and on the board of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club, member of the Ferrari Club of America, Ferrari Owner’s Club, No Name Car Club, Clearlake Car Club, Lake County A’s and numerous other Car Club’s.
He raced vintage Alfa Romeo’s at Laguna Seca in the 1970s and prided himself on driving his car to the track every year, from San Diego, instead of transporting it by trailer.
Bill will be missed by those who knew him and especially by his wife, Carol.
There will be a funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Friday, May 26, at St Peter’s Catholic Church, 4085 Main St., Kelseyville. Refreshments to follow.
Sharon Dawson-Garrett. Courtesy photo. Sharon Marie Dawson-Garrett Sept. 4, 1960 – May 2, 2023
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — Middletown lost one of its brightest stars early in May, when Sharon Marie Dawson-Garrett passed away in the company of family at a local care facility.
She was 62, having succumbed to complications from cancer that she had tackled since 2017.
“There was nothing standard about Sharon,” recalled her husband, Tommy Garrett, noting her achievements in painting, photography and writing. “She had an artistic gift, a vision that is rare and one of a kind.”
Born in San Francisco, the daughter of Caroline Marie Wiley-Collins, Sharon was raised by her mother and adoptive father, James Edward Collins, in Menlo Park, Calif. Sharon attended local schools and then majored in fine arts at Santa Barbara State University.
After moving to several towns with her sons, Sharon bought an old Victorian house in Middletown in 1988 and began her photography career. She worked for the Middletown Times-Star as an assignment photographer and, beginning in 1994, authored a weekly column, “Squawkings,” for more than a decade.
In 2014, Sharon’s portrait photography led her to launch “Wave of Hope,” a nonprofit program centered on individuals who had overcome turmoil, with Sharon’s interviews and pictures of the survivors forming the centerpiece of a traveling exhibit. She was awarded a Stars of Lake County Humanitarian Award for her work on the project.
According to her son Brandon, “Wave of Hope” embodied the concern for others that was a hallmark of his mother’s personality. “She never let anyone down,” he noted, adding that as a supportive mom and friend, “she always had your back.”
When the Valley Fire in 2015 destroyed their home, Sharon and Tommy rebuilt a house on the same site. “She wanted to stay near her neighbors in town, whom she called her ‘peeps,’” Tommy remembered.
After her cancer diagnosis, Sharon kept up her creative pursuits, notably writing an account of her medical treatments in 2022, “Suddenly Terminal,” in which she personified her illness as an unwelcome houseguest with whom she argues and ultimately accepts. She followed the publication of that book with a two-volume collection of her “Squawkings” columns, released earlier this year.
Sharon is survived by her husband, Tommy, whom she married in 2017 after 12 years of courtship; her sons Collin and Brandon; her first husband, Russell Dawson; her sisters Susan Nitzel-Blum and Jacqueline Cohen; and numerous cousins and an aunt from the Wiley family. Another sister, Annie Collins, died in 2018.
A celebration of Sharon’s life is scheduled for July 22 from noon to 3 p.m. at Twin Pines Casino in Middletown.
Those who knew Sharon remember her as the heart and soul of her family, which she extended to include friends and pretty much anyone she met. Hundreds of people have known her for her caring, intuitive heart. She will always be remembered for her soul in her art, photography, and writing.
But lastly, she will be remembered for her humane nature and the caring she showed for her animals and gardens, nurturing them the same way she cared for everyone she befriended.
She leaves a hole in our hearts but will be remembered through the positive things we do to care for other people, the same as she did for us.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-ed-pepper Edward ‘Ed’ Pepper July 9, 1970 — March 16, 2023
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Ed was born in Mountain View, California.
His family moved to Kelseyville in 1984, and he attended Kelseyville High School where he wrestled and played baseball before graduating in 1988.
He was a volunteer firefighter for Kelseyville Fire Protection District for 13 years (1985-1998) while working at local lumber yards.
In 1998, during his paramedic class, he decided to make a career change and began working for the Lake County Public Works Department.
Ed was dedicated to his family, friends, and community.
He played men’s softball and coached a women’s softball team before coaching youth programs. He coached T-ball, youth softball and Little League, where he also was head of the field maintenance for seven years. He also coached youth basketball.
Ed really loved coaching baseball at Clear Lake High School. He started as an assistant JV coach in 2015 then became JV head coach in 2017, moved up to assistant varsity coach in 2018 and in 2020 he became the head varsity coach.
You could always find Ed coaching several summer leagues and travel-ball teams, he loved the game and being a father figure and friend to all those kids.
Ed also loved to barbecue with his crew! Volunteering to cook at friends get togethers, weddings, fundraisers or any big events in community, you always knew Ed would be there behind the grill with a huge smile on his face. He will be deeply missed by his community.
Ed is survived by his wife of 20 years, Evie; daughter, Zoey; father, Fred; brother, James Seymour and family; and several cousins, in-laws, and friends who were just as much family as his own.
He was loved by so many, Ed couldn't go anywhere without knowing someone.
A memorial will be held July 1, 2023, at Clear Lake High School football field at 10 a.m.
In lieu of flowers you may donate to the Ed Pepper Memorial fund at Umpqua Bank, 805 11th St., Lakeport, CA 95453.
Care entrusted to Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com.
Gary Kirk. Courtesy photo. Gary Wayne Kirk Dec. 20, 1943 – May 4, 2023
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Gary was born in Fort Collins, Colorado to Dorothy Larsen.
He later moved to Cle Elum, Washington where he received his education.
He worked as a logger and trucker in Cle Elum before moving to California where he met his wife, Barbara Kirk.
Eventually, Gary and Barbara moved back to Cle Elum to raise their own family. Gary worked for the railroad for many years before going back to logging as that is where his heart was.
He later moved back to California to continue his trucking career. Gary and his wife owned their own trucking company, B and G Trucking, for many years before his retirement.
Gary is survived by his children, Trent Wayne Kirk (Cricket), Lila (Steven) Smith, Tinker (Michael) Britt and Damon Bennett; brothers, Larry (Robin) Larsen and Allen (Theresa) Larsen; 16 grandkids, Wiley (Cece) Kirk, Keelie Kirk, Drake Chesebro, Callie Chesebro, Ryder Hedges, Blake (Shayla) Smith, Morgan Wayne Smith-Dejuan Turrentine, Jose Torres, little Gary (Morgan) Britt, Robert Britt, Ashley (Branden) Busching, Nicole Willey, Brian Willey, Nathan Bennett, Bryan Thomas and Jeff Thomas; 14 great-grandkids; all the neighborhood kids who called him Grandpa Gary; several nieces, nephews and extended family members.
Gary was predeceased by his wife, Barbara Kirk; his mother, Dorothy (stepfather, Lester Larsen); sister, Sharon Murry; daughter-in-law, Diane Bennett; and many extended family members.
A memorial service will be held at Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 1625 N. High St. in Lakeport on Friday, May 19, at 11 a.m.
Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com.
Larry Rogers. Courtesy photo. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lawrence “Larry” Allen Rogers was born in Kelseyville, California, on Oct. 9, 1933.
He passed at home on May 1, 2023, at age 89 with family by his side.
Larry graduated from Kelseyville High School and Menlo College School of Business Administration with a bachelor’s degree. He served in the U.S. Army in Germany during the Korean War.
Larry started farming with his father Herb and before long he branched out and started buying land in Upper Lake where he planted his first Bartlett pear orchard in 1962.
He continued to buy land and develop several more orchards and vineyards over the years, specializing in Bartlett and Bosc pears, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Canelli and Zinfandel grapes.
He continued to farm for over 60 years and was known as a pillar in Lake County's agriculture community.
In his younger years, Larry enjoyed outdoor activities, including hunting in California and Idaho. Larry skied well in his 80s with his grandchildren, who he had taught to ski.
Larry had a love for travel, and traveled extensively in South America, Europe and Africa, and went on numerous cruises.
Larry was a longtime member and served on the boards of the Westlake Soil Conservation District, Upper Lake Elementary School District, California Tree Fruit Agreement and Kelseyville Packing Co. He was a member of the Kelseyville Lions Club.
Larry is survived by his son, Lawrence A. “Bud” Rogers (Tari); his daughter, Beth Catherine Rudnick; grandchildren, Cecelia Vina (Carlos), Catherine Pearl (John), Kyra Rudnick (Anthony Peterson), Alex Rogers (Markie), Mariah Rudnick and Lauren Rudnick; and great-grandchildren Hailey Vina, Johnny Pearl and Holly Vina.
He is predeceased by his parents, Herbert Elmo Rogers and Catherine Elizabeth (nee Barrett) Rogers; sister, Connie; and his daughter, Karen Ann Fulton.
Larry will be greatly missed by his family and community.
Visitation will be held at Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary on Wednesday, May 10, from 10 a.m. to noon with a funeral service starting at noon. Interment will follow at Kelseyville Cemetery.
Contributions in his memory can be made to Kelseyville FFA, 5480 Main St. Kelseyville, CA 95451. In the memo please put “FFA donation.”
Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com.
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