Susan Peterson, a noted ceramic artist, writer and professor who headed the Idyllwild Arts summer ceramics program from the late 1960s through the early 1980s, passed away at home in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Thursday, March 26, 2009, after a long illness. A dynamic teacher and administrator, Peterson thrust the Idyllwild Arts ceramics program into national…
Garnett “Mick” Horton died Monday, March 16, 2009, at his home in Fern Valley. Mick was a resident of Idyllwild for 14 years. Mick was born in Staffordshire, England, and attended school in Birmingham, England. From the age of 14, he served his apprenticeship as a pattern maker for seven years before coming to the…
Russell Loutzenhiser Jr., 87, a long-time Idyllwild resident, passed away peacefully at the side of his wife of 66 years on Tuesday, March 17, 2009, in Palm Springs. He was born May 17, 1921, in Kendallville, Ind., to a family of three brothers and five sisters. He was a Purple Heart veteran of World War…
James Ivor Campbell, 46, of Idyllwild, died Thursday, March 19, 2009, at home. He was born Oct. 10, 1962, to Barbara and Mark Campbell in Dansville, Penn. He was the second of three boys. They raised their boys in Warren, Penn. Jimmy had a wonderful childhood full of adventures, snakes and football. He attended Slippery…
James Ivor Campbell, 46, Idyllwild recreation director, died Thursday, March 19, at his home in Idyllwild reportedly of complications from a blood clot in his lungs associated with a hereditary blood disease called Factor V Leiden. Discovered by a friend shortly after 1 p.m., Campbell had apparently been dead for several hours by the time…
Local child-reading advocate, pianist and violinist Mary Austin passed away Monday, March 9, 2009, with her beloved husband, Doug, at her side. Mary lived full-time in Idyllwild twice, from 1986 to 1989 and from 1998 to the present. She loved Idyllwild and often said, “The real treasure of Idyllwild is its people.” Mary was born…
It is with deep sorrow that the family of Bob Beebe, a 30-year resident of Idyllwild, relates the news of his passing Tuesday, March 3, 2009, at his home in Hemet. Bob came to Idyllwild as a teacher in language and music at the famed Desert Sun School, but very soon became recognized as a…
Long-time Idyllwild resident Bonnar Blong peacefully passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009, of natural causes. He was 86 years old. The son of Dr. Peter H. Blong and Eleanor Blong, Bonnar grew up in the Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley area. After graduating from Alhambra High, Bonnar joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served his country…
Michael Melvyn Bassman died Monday, Feb. 9, 2009, of complications from Alzheimer’s disease a few days before his 88th birthday. He was born in Boston to Fannie and David Bassman. The family came to California when Michael was in his teens. He graduated from UCLA and went into the building business. Michael met his wife,…
On Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009, Reva Ballreich, widely known as “The Lilac Lady,” died peacefully in Rancho Mirage at the age of 84, three days after her birthday. A piano prodigy who gave her first concert in Germany at age 8, Ballreich enjoyed a luminous career as a concert pianist primarily in Europe. Vladimir Horowitz,…
