Friday Obituaries

11/25/05

CALDERON, Charles Clifford

April 18, 1934 - November 20, 2005

As the son of Anthony J. Calderon and Ellen Forquer Calderon, Charles was born and raised in Santa Barbara. He graduated from Santa Barbara High and attended Business College. A Korean War veteran, he served in both the Air Force and Navy. Charles was also a member of Los Descedientes of Santa Barbara. Charles also loved to walk all over Santa Barbara and help the homeless.

He is preceded in death by his sisters Aileen Calderon, Mary Ellen Whiting, and Lucia Verlatti, and brother Patrick Calderon. He is survived by his brother Michael Calderon, sister Barbara C. Cota, sons Cedric and Cyril, a granddaughter and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Chapel service will be held on Saturday, November 26th at 10 at Welch-Ryce-Haider Funeral Chapel with a graveside service to follow at Calvary Cemetery.

DETWILER, Mary Alice

August 31, 1919 to November 22, 2005

Santa Barbara native and long-time local teacher, Mary Alice Detwiler, passed away on Tuesday, November 22. Her husband Don, their family and friends will celebrate her life with a Mass at Old Mission Santa Barbara on Friday, November 25, at 10:30 a.m. Burial follows at Calvary Cemetery.

Born to James Vincent Murray and Mary Frances (McGinty) Murray, Mary Alice survived her siblings: Jack Murray, James Murray, Frances Darby, and William Murray.

Mary Alice attended local schools, graduating from Santa Barbara High School in 1937 and Santa Barbara State College in 1941. After teaching in Tulare County public schools, she married Donald M. Detwiler at the Old Mission in 1946. Their children, Peter and Cathy, were born in Visalia, before the family returned to Santa Barbara in 1953. Mary Alice taught girls' physical education at Santa Barbara Junior High School from 1955 to 1972. Many local women still vividly remember Mrs. Detwiler's P.E. classes.

In retirement, Mary Alice and Don traveled widely, enjoying their trips to Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Europe, the Caribbean, and nearly all of the United States. They particularly enjoyed introducing the wonders of travel to their grandsons: Stephen Detwiler (Beth) of Oakland, Eric Detwiler (Lisa) of Hermosa Beach, and James Armijo of Pasadena.

Besides her children and grandchildren, Mary Alice is survived by her daughter-in-law Carrie Detwiler (Sacramento) and her sister-in-law Ayako Detwiler (Honolulu). She had nine nieces and nephews: Murray Darby (Lebanon, Missouri), Mary Ann Zegers (Goleta), Alanna Wirth (Benicia), Pamela Wallace (Martinez), and Greg Detwiler, Neal Detwiler, Veronica Sasaki, Jack Detwiler, and Donald Detwiler of Hawaii. She also had numerous other cousins, plus many grand and great grand-nieces and -nephews.

Don and his family deeply appreciate the devoted care that Mary Alice enjoyed while living at the Villa Riviera, and the care she received at the Rehabilitation Institute at Santa Barbara and the Cottage Hospital.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites memorial donations to the Santa Barbara Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care, 222 East Canon Perdido Street.

Arrangements by Welch-Ryce-Haider.

ELISEO, John Carl

1933 - 2005

John Carl Eliseo, beloved husband, father and grandfather, departed this world November 21st, 2005, with the quiet dignity and resolve that exemplified his life. Surrounded by his family, he drew his last breath at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara as a brilliant pink sunset ignited the sky over the ocean and mesa outside his window.

John was born March 29th 1933, in Youngstown, Ohio. After completing school, he enlisted in the Air Force in 1950 and had a long and distinguished career in the firefighting and missile safety fields until his retirement in 1971. His military career included service at March Air Force Base, Greenham Common Air Force Base and Upper Hayford Air Force Base in England, and Vandenberg Air Force Base.

He continued in the field of safety engineering with Guy F. Atkinson Construction between 1972 and 1974, followed by 21 years with the Federal Civil Service, during which time he served as a Complex Safety Officer and worked on Titan Satellite program, among many other projects. Between 1987 and 1989, he was an engineer and ground safety manager refurbishing C-130 aircrafts at Detachment 36 of the Italian Air Force Base located in Brindisi. After his retirement from Civil Service, he worked for SRS and Hernandez Engineering. During his long and distinguished career as a systems safety engineer, he received numerous awards and honors, including an Air Force Commendation Medal.

John loved his work. He knew his business, aimed for the highest standards and expected the same commitment in others. But work was not his life. He and his wife, Pat, enjoyed many memorable vacations, traveling extensively and visiting friends and family throughout Europe and the United States. One of his favorite accomplishments was taking a road trip to Alaska in his motor home.

As a young man, John had raced cars while stationed in England, and he spent years as mechanic for Robert Purgarich's Car #5 at the Santa Maria Speedway. He also loved working on his 1955 Thunderbird, 1967 Jaguar and 1970 Bronco.

John was a longtime member of the Santa Maria Elks Lodge #1538 and a founding member of the Vandenberg Safety Society. Throughout his life, he remained a firefighter at heart, proudly founding in 1997 the Strategic Air Command Senior Firefighters group, which got together once a year to tell tall tales on each other.

Though most often characterized by his professional affiliations and accomplishments, John also had a poetic side; for years he was a member of the Robert Burns Association. John also dedicated himself to tracing his genealogy back to his father's family home in Tornimparte, Italy and his mother's family in Maropati, Italy.

John was dedicated to those he cared about, and his quiet devotion will be keenly missed by his family and friends. Although no one can fill his shoes, John's strength of spirit, courage and determination will continue to serve as an inspiration to all who knew him.

John is survived by his wife, Patsy Eliseo; daughters, Renae Spanne and her husband, Laurence, of Lompoc, Shirley Shellenberger and her husband, Mark, of Sacramento, Shavon Ditty and her husband, Roger, of Florida, and Valerie Parks and her husband, Kevin, of Germany; brothers, George Eliseo of Manifee, Carl Eliseo and his wife, Jennifer, of Lake Elsenore, and Ben Eliseo and his wife, Paula of Illinois; sisters, Irene Eliseo of Texas, Virginia Eliseo of Montana, and Mary Eliseo of Moreno Valley; grandchildren, Autumn Spanne, Laurel Spanne, Jennifer Shellenberger, Michael Shellenberger, Tim Ditty, and Eric Parks; great grandchildren, Joseph Spanne and Dominic Spanne; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 28, 2005 in the Chapel of Magner-Maloney Funeral Home. A Scripture Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 in the Chapel of Magner-Maloney Funeral Home, with Rev. Mark Newman, C.J. from St. Louis de Montfort Church officiating. Interment will follow in the Santa Maria Cemetery.

"Ae fond kiss, and then we sever!

Ae farewell, and then forever!......

Fare thee weel, thou first and fairest!

Fare thee weel, thou best and dearest!......

Thine be ilka joy and treasure.

Deep in heart wrung tears I'll pledge thee."

Robert Burns

Arrangements are in the care of Magner-Maloney Funeral Home and Cremation Services.

QUAID, Ronda Lyn

Devoted mother and loving friend passed away peacefully with her beloved son Alex by her side in the early morning light of November 14, 2005. Ronda was born in Burbank, California to Rudolph and Wilma Sellmen at St. Joseph's Hospital on September 1, 1949. She moved to Santa Barbara in 1967 graduating from UCSB with a degree in Art History. She began her teaching career in 1972, working at McKinley, Harding and Cleveland elementary schools. She also taught in the Los Marineros program sponsored through the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum and served as a docent for the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

Her dream of parenting came true with the birth of her son, Alex, July 2, 1985 and continued to be the centerpiece of her life. Their love for each other, so clear for all to see, guided them through years of joy and laughter and sustained them through the journey of her battle with cancer. A love as constant as the sparkle in her eye, and the beauty of his smile.

Ronda's move to the Santa Ynez Valley in 1995 resonated with her soulful yearning for a rural lifestyle. She jumped right into equestrian activities, bought her first horse and started taking riding lessons. Ronda resounded with Churchill's, "There's something about the outside of the horse that's good for the inside of the man."

She flourished and found her freelance writer's voice in numerous magazine articles for Western Horseman, Performance Horse, Horse and Rider, Horse Illustrated, Stock Horse News, Young Rider and The Santa Barbara Independent. Ronda was a staff member of the Santa Ynez News-Press and most recently was employed by Santa Ynez Feed and Mill. She served annually as the publicity chairman for the Old Spanish Days Fiesta Stock Horse Show and Rodeo. Ronda's desire to give back to her community led to a board member position for the Santa Ynez Valley Equestrian Center. She was editor of their newsletter, and was awarded the 2001 Volunteer of the Year at the Santa Ynez Valley Therapeutic Riding Program. The Equestrian Center was near and dear to her heart. She was often a beautiful silhouette of brunette hair bouncing in stride with her big bay best friend, Gus.

Ronda was blessed with a gift for living in the humor and irony of life. One had to be nimble in word and wit to keep up with her special brand of magic. Regardless of the disappointments that life inevitably brings she found a way to keep the beauty of the world safely hidden in her heart, and to lavish that beauty on all creatures great and small, on all the dear ones who have the great fortune of calling her beloved.

Ronda is survived by her precious son, Alex Quaid, his father Joel Quaid, her brother Kim Sallmen, the "Link" family, the "Birthday Girls," the "Blonde Posse," her treasured horse Gus, which she greeted as, "my beautiful boy" when he visited Ronda in her final days, and countless friends cherished through the years.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, November 27, 2005 at 1:00 P.M. at the Crossroads Estate located on Firestone Vineyard, 4871 Foxen Canyon, Los Olivos, CA.

Floral donations may be made through the Santa Ynez Valley Florist, (805) 688-4231. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Santa Ynez Valley Equestrian Center (P.O. Box 207, Santa Ynez, CA 93460) will be designated for a reverent improvement in remembrance of Ronda.