Tuesday Obituaries

12/20/05

KNOWLES, Lillian

passed away quietly at the age of 87 on December 12, 2005, at Sarah House in Santa Barbara. Lillian was born on January 15, 1918 in Ohio. Her parents came to America from England a few years before her birth in 1918. She was born into a family of four older brothers who took delight in watching over her. She married Walter Knowles in 1938 and moved to Santa Barbara in 1944 to be near Walter while he was serving in the U.S. Navy and stationed at Port Hueneme. Lillian and Walter fell in love with the beauty of Santa Barbara and made it their home. Lillian was a homemaker and a devoted wife for 57 years. She always took great pride in her family and home. Lillian will always be remembered for her wonderful sense of humor, unfailing integrity and generosity, graciousness, her sparkling green eyes and most important her intense love for her family. She raised toy poodles, loved reading, working in the yard, the challenge of cross word puzzles, bingo, a good card game, and bowling with friends at San Marcos Lanes. Later in her life she kept in touch with family and friends through email.

Lillian was a wonderful and caring mother and especially enjoyed having her family together for a home cooked meal. Her home was always open to family and friends.

Lillian was preceded in death by her husband Walter Knowles in 1995. She is survived by her daughter Kathleen Tingle and son Ronald Knowles, four grandchildren, Carrie Jopling, Ronald Knowles, Jr., Christopher Knowles and Julia Castronova and two great grandchildren Jarrett Jopling and Zachary Castronova.

Cherished memories of Lillian will always be in our hearts and minds and we look forward to the day when we will see the fulfillment of the words found in the Bible at Revelation 21:3 & 4 and Acts 24:15. According to her wishes, cremation is planned. A private family service will be held.

Our family wishes to thank the team of caregivers at Sarah House and Visiting Nurses & Hospice Care of Santa Barbara who showed heartfelt warmth and compassion to Lillian during her illness. The love and care at Sarah House was beyond our expectations. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donations be made to Sarah House.

LAWSON, Ralph Harry

Dec. 14, 1932 - Dec. 17, 2005

Ralph Harry Lawson age 73, passed away peacefully in his home on Saturday, December 17th. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, but lived most of his life from the age of two in California. He dedicated a lifelong career as CFO for Excelta Corporation, which relocated from Torrance to Buellton 16 years ago. After attending El Camino Junior College, he then went on to UCLA where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration. One of his passions was The History of The Civil War. A devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend to all. Survived by his loving wife Sally, their three sons and families Michael, Kristin, Nathan and Darrick of Phoenix, AZ . Tony, Tonie, Brittney, Nick and Alec of Murrieta, CA and John and Natasha soon to be parents of an adorable baby boy of Solvang, CA. Funeral service will be held on Wednesday, December 21st, at 12:00 noon, at St. Mark's In the Valley Episcopal Church, 2901 Nojoqui Avenue, Los Olivos, CA 93441

Loper Funeral Chapel, Directors.

SINGER, Kurt

Dr. Kurt Singer, author of more than 70 books, passed away yesterday in Santa Barbara, California at the age of 94. He was born in Vienna, Austria in 1911 and grew up and was educated in Berlin. Publisher of the first underground anti Nazi newspaper in Europe bringing attention to concentration camps, he helped many people escape from Nazi Germany. Author of the first book on Nobel Peace Prize Winner Carl Von Ossietzky, the famous Austrian Anti Nazi leader, Singer was well known in European political circles. In 1933, wanted by the Nazi's with a price on his head, he escaped from Berlin to Stockholm leaving his family behind.

In 1940, the German government attempted to ban his biography on Hermann Goring and sought his extradition back to Germany. To escape extradition, he immigrated to the United States with his wife Hilda and newborn daughter Marianne Alice Birgit, arriving at Ellis Island. His first books published in the United States were Duel for the Northland, 3000 Years of Espionage, Spies and Traitors of World War II and The World's Greatest Woman Spies. Among the other books he authored were biographies on Danny Kaye, Ernest Hemmingway, Albert Schweitzer, Charles Laughton, Lyndon Johnson and Mata Hari. As an expert on espionage, he wrote many books and lectured throughout the United States on the Second World War and the history of espionage.

After working as the chief correspondent for PA Reuters Features in America from 1955-1960 he spent the next 40 years as founder and president of Singer Communications, an international syndicated news service. He was an avid international traveler. The collections of his historical works are held in the Special Collections Archives at the Boston University.

He will be well remembered for his yearning for a peaceful world and his striving for it until his very last day.

He is preceded in death by his daughter Marian Singer Fozard.

He is survived by his wife, Katherine Singer of Ojai, California, his son, Kenneth Walt Singer, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts and two grandchildren, Kala Singer of New York City and Joshua Singer of Sacramento, California.

A remembrance service will take place in Santa Barbara, California in January 2006. Memorial donations may be made in his honor to UNICEF.