LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Steve was born March 3, 1959, in Albany, California.

He was a lifelong resident of Lake County; today we share with great sadness that he left this world on Sept. 27, 2022.

Steve leaves behind his parents, Norris (Delphine) Higgins; siblings, Cindy (Kevin) Smith, Bonnie (Walter) Hoeck, Harold Higgins, Bruce (Marilyn) Higgins and Richard (Christine) Kettwig; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and lifelong friends.

He is predeceased by his mother, Greta L. Higgins.

Celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 21, at Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary in Lakeport.

Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — In the early hours of Aug. 21, 2022, Dena Wood’s long, strange trip here ended.

Born Feb. 3, 1959, in Port Hueneme, California, Dena grew up and lived most of her days in Kelseyville and Finley as a mother to five and eldest sister of four.

The greater Lake County community would know her by her bright, bold tie-dye attire adorned with angels and crosses, crystals and beaded bracelets.

From concerts in Library Park, to any community festival, Dena would be there to dance and drink in the warmth of long-time friends and family.

As much as she loved Lake County, she delighted in being at the beach in Fort Bragg or anywhere on the Northern California coastline. If she wasn’t finding joy and rocks on the beach, she could be found cheering on the San Francisco Giants or dancing at a Grateful Dead concert, willing the music to never stop.

She loved to make food for family and friends but savored sharing baking tips and secrets with her grandchildren.

However much pleasure she found in all these activities, Dena was a people person who sought and gave aid and comfort to all in her orbit, be it a brief visit to offering what of hers she could share.

Generations deep, Dena drew strength from how intimately connected she was to family and friends in Lake County. Having begun and graduated from Kelseyville schools, it was a place of pride for her to know and connect her own family and other Lake County families together in lore and legend.

She devoted herself to the Kelseyville Presbyterian Church in 1979 and later became an Elder and Deacon.

So much of her life was devoted to her family and friends who all must know how much she cared for them, even when she no longer physically could.

She was unbelievably proud of all that her children achieved and believed her grandchildren will become heirs to the smiles she showered on all.

When Dena walked into the splintered sunlight, she is survived by her mother, Sandra Wood; her children, Bill and Julie Morris, Jack and Rosario Morris, Ricky and Savannah Wood and Emily and Branden Joiner; her grandchildren, Tanner, Payton, Kyra, Blake, Adisyn, Lucas, Maddie, Maya, Remmie, Owen and Hudson; and her siblings, Gena, Laurie and Charlie, and their respective families.

In death, she is preceded by her grandparents, Bill and Alice Sperling, Charlie and Margaret Wood, and her son, Cliff.

A celebration of life is scheduled at Buckingham Club House on Sunday, Oct. 9, at noon. If you have images to share for a slideshow, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Additionally, in lieu of flowers, please feel free to send a donation to Hospice Services of Lake County or Kelseyville Presbyterian Church in Dena’s honor.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — We are very sad to announce the passing of Ignatius “Eggy" Elliott on Sept. 28, 2022.

Eggy was born to Bennett and Beulah Elliott on Oct. 13, 1948.

He was the father of three sons, Delaney Bennett Elliott, Tacoma Dale Elliott and Edward Leslie Elliott. He is also survived by niece, Janelle Severson and her two sons; and nephew, Dion Ettsity.

Eggy graduated from Lakeport's Clearlake Union High School in 1966 and worked at various jobs in Lake and Tehama counties for Pacific Gas and Electric.

He also was a very talented baseball player. He was one of the star players for the legendary championship Oakland Warriors fastpitch softball team.

Eggy was so proud of his Native American heritage, he being Pomo and Cahto. He was Pomo from his grandmother, Bessie Augustine, and Cahto from his grandfather, Gene Ray. His father, Bennett, was also Pomo.

Eggy was the sole person responsible for getting the Sugarbowl Rancheria re-instated to federal trust status after the U.S. Government terminated the tribe in the late 1950s. He worked with the California Indian Legal Service for years before the case was finally won in 1992. The tribe is currently the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians here in Lakeport and enjoys all federal benefits thanks to Ignatius Eggy Elliott.

Eggy also collaborated on two books about the Pomo culture here in Lake County and was currently advocating for the Museums of Lake County's Pomo Bronze Statue Project.

Eggy will always be remembered for his amazing sense of humor.

Visitation will be held at Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary in Lakeport on Friday, Oct. 7, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. with eulogy at 11 a.m.

Interment to follow at Hartley Cemetery at 1 p.m.

A reception will be held at Scotts Valley Tribal Office at 1005 Parallel Drive in Lakeport.

Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Kenneth “Kenny” Turner DeBolt, a lifelong resident of Lake County, passed away Sept. 23, 2022, with his wife Toni, son Cory and grandson Jordan by his side.

Kenny is survived by his wife of 35 years, Toni; daughters, Carolyn (Mike) McCue, Melissa Innes; son, Cory DeBolt; grandchildren, Kimmy, Trauis, Robby, Jeff and Jordan; four great- grandchildren, Heather, Allie, Krista and Jayson; and best friends/in-laws, Rob and Jackie Akins, Tammy Nicholls and Nichi Winchester.

He is predeceased by his parents, Lloyd, and Bertie Debolt; sister, Pat Ohlsen; brother, Don DeBolt; first wife, Nancy; daughter, Pam Sveum; and mother-in-law, Margaret Nicholls.

Kenny was born Aug. 22,1934, in Finley, California, the youngest of four children born to Lloyd and Bertie DeBolt.

He graduated from Clear Lake High School in1954. He served in the US Army and the Army Reserve for 12 years.

He worked for the telephone company for 38 years. He was a volunteer fireman at the Lakeport Fire Department for 35 years.

Among Kenny's favorite things to do were hunting, playing horseshoes, softball, tennis and cards, and watching any sports on TV.

Kenny will be greatly missed by his family and friends and especially by his four dogs, Ramona, Ricky, Ruby and Riley.

A memorial service will be held Friday, Sept. 30, at Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary in Lakeport at 1 p.m.

Stanley George Bergesen
Oct. 29, 1935 – Aug. 22, 2022

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — Stanley George Bergesen passed away unexpectedly on Aug. 22, 2022, in Lake County, California. He was 86 years old.

Stanley was born in 1935 in San Francisco, California, to Gus and Esther Bergesen. He grew up in Millbrae, California, and graduated from Capuchino High School in 1954.

While in high school he excelled in art, sports and played lead trumpet in the school band. In 1953, Stanley was in the California Youth Symphony in San Francisco.

He was on the track team and was in the North Coast Finals in broad jump. He had a passion for board bike riding and qualified for the National Junior Division Board Track race where he placed fifth in the nation.

At the end of January 1955 Stanley enlisted in the Army and served in the Korean War in the artillery division and was stationed in Japan and Korea and returned to the United States in 1957.

He married and started a family a few years later. He worked for the family business Bergesen Electric as an electrical contractor.

Stanley graduated from San Jose State University in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in interior design. He became a general contractor and architect and owned Bergesen Design.

His designs were one of a kind and Better Homes and Gardens featured his house he designed and built in the Santa Cruz Mountains in their magazine. He loved art and designed his first home in the seventh grade.

He was working at Stanford University Linear Accelerator (government lab) as a facilities engineer and retired after 15 years.

In 1991, he bought a corner lot on Bergesen Drive in Kelseyville, California. His uncles once owned the hillside and he was excited to live on a street named after his family.

He built his home on the weekends, holidays and vacation time while working for Stanford.

Stanley became a permanent resident of Lake County, where he designed 30 homes and built several of the homes he designed.

He is survived by his wife of 23 years, Jo Bergesen; daughters, Sheri Wilson and Shawn Vandenbrandhorninge (husband Stef); sons, Scott Bergesen (wife Maile), Brit Bergesen (wife Veronica); stepsons, Charles Eads (wife Julia) and Neil Eads (wife Breanna); 14 grandchildren; his sister, Karen Miller of Santa Fe, New Mexico; and his brother, Richard Bergesen of Tucson, Arizona.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, Oct. 8, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Grace Church, 6716 Live Oak Drive, Kelseyville. The service will be located in the auditorium to the left of the front of the church. The reception will follow; please bring a side dish to share.

Please RSVP to Sheri Wilson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Thomas (Tom) Grover Maguire passed away peacefully at the hospital in St. Helena, California, on Aug. 24, 2022. He had just celebrated his 85th birthday.

Tom had a large and loving family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jim and Fran; stepdad, Herman; brother, Jack; sister, Diane; wives, Annette and Helen; and his daughter, Rochelle.

He was married to first wife, Annette, the mother of his four children, Dan, Rochelle, Natalie and Terry, for 20 years, and to Helen his wife of 25 years.

Tom’s family included sons and daughters-in-law, Larry, Jeffrey, David, Michelle, and Mia. He also was blessed with four grandchildren: Jake, Jeremy, Joshua and Dylan.

Tom was a native San Franciscan and worked in broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area and across the country. He gained notoriety for his inventive advertising and promotional campaigns including the use of a local celebrity to brand his television station, Channel 36 as “The Perfect Thirty-Six.”

Much to the delight and occasional chagrin of his children, Tom became a local celebrity in his own right as he appeared in several long running television commercials in the Bay Area. Tom’s last television job was in Florida’s capital city of Tallahassee, where he ran the local NBC station. He retired back to Northern California, to his beloved Clear Lake.

Tom was an avid reader, and was interested in news, and politics from an early age. Through his job he had the good fortune of getting to meet many newsmakers of the day, including presidential candidates from Kennedy to Clinton. He famously relinquished his downtown San Jose office for then-Gov. Ronald Reagan, and later was able to joke with him about it when Reagan was in higher office.

Tom was a long-time member of A.A. and served in several leadership positions, including as trustee. He often cited the profound effect that the organization had on his life and his family.

A funeral mass for Tom will take place at Blessed Sacrament Church in Tallahassee, Florida on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 11 a.m.

Tom, his son and grandson were stricken by a neurological disorder, Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, or CMT, and donations to the foundation in his memory are welcomed: www.cmtfr.org.