Obituaries

  • Obituary: John DeBlanc

    John DeBlanc, 74, of Escondido and Idyllwild, died of liver cancer at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido on Friday, Sep. 26, 2008. He was born May 23, 1934. John and his wife Paula bought a home in Idyllwild 16 years ago in anticipation of his retirement from the Convair Division of General Dynamics. They commuted…

  • Obituary: Anita Mellott

    A Garner Valley ranch owner was killed and her husband suffered major injuries in a weekend traffic collision on Highway 49 near the South Yuba River in Northern California on a clear and warm day. At about 9 a.m. Sunday, John Mellott, 72, of Mountain Center, was riding his 2001 BMW motorcycle northbound on Highway…

  • Obituary: Ralph W. Mason

    Ralph Westley Mason, 91, of Idyllwild, passed away peacefully in his home on Monday, Sept. 1, 2008, after battling cancer. He was born Dec. 13, 1916, and was proud to be an Eagle Scout in his youth. He graduated from the University of Minnesota and served as a dentist overseas during World War II in…

  • Obituary: Bruce Fisher

    Bruce Fisher passed away Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008, in Los Alamitos, just eight days before his 85th birthday. Bruce was born Sept. 15, 1923, to Charles E. and B. Maud Fisher in Glendale. Though he spent 30 years at sea in the Merchant Marines, there were few places he would rather spend his time ashore…

  • Obituary: Jayni Bradbury

    Jayni Bradbury, 61, of Idyllwild, died Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008, on Highway 74 in Mountain Center in a traffic collision. Cause of death is unknown at this time. Mrs. Bradbury was born Feb. 27, 1947 in Redding to AB Overture and Eloise Leslie. She was a nurse. A funeral service is planned for Friday, Sept….

  • Obituary: Bob Beck

    Grizzled, handsome, locally esteemed and internationally recognizable Camel and Marlboro man Bob Beck died at home Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008, after a difficult battle with cancer. Soft-spoken, gentle-souled Beck, so different in persona from the rough-hewn Indiana-Jones type character that would and often did “walk a mile for a Camel” through the most harrowing elemental…

  • Obituary: David Norton

    Long-time Idyllwild resident David Norton, 71, died Monday, Aug. 18, 2008, after a long battle with prostate cancer. Mr. Norton was born in March 1937 in Fall River, Mass. David graduated from the University of the Pacific in 1962 with a degree in civil engineering. He worked as a registered civil engineer for many companies,…

  • Obituary: Margaret Montgomery

    Margaret Lynn Steelhead Montgomery, of Alhambra, 88, died peacefully in her sleep Monday, July 14, 2008. She was born May 10, 1920 in Whittier. She graduated from Hoover High School in 1937, and then attended Stanford University and UCLA. She later graduated with a master’s degree in education and state teaching credentials from USC. Mrs….

  • Obituary: Gary Manley

    Gary Manley, 50, formerly of Idyllwild, died Tuesday, July 22, 2008, in Punteranus, Costa Rica, following a short illness. Born Feb. 11, 1958, Gary was the only son of Frank and Audrey Manley. He came to Idyllwild to care for his father, Frank. While on the Hill, Gary was the owner of PolyTech Services. Gary…