Louis Claassens, 62, of Sonoma died Oct. 6, 2008 in Petaluma. He was a longtime resident of San Francisco and recently became a full-time resident of Sonoma. Louis was a pioneer in mainframe computer technology for 20 years.
He is survived by his wife, Jean Claassens, his sister, Gina Garbolino and several nieces and a nephew. He was preceded in death by his younger brother Jules Claassens.
Friends are invited to a Memorial Mass on Friday, Oct. 17 at 2 p.m., at St. Leo’s Catholic Church, 601 Agua Caliente Rd. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the American Cancer Society, Sonoma Valley Hospital, Petaluma Valley Hospital, California Pacific Medical Center of San Francisco or a charity of your choice. Arrangements under the direction of Duggan’s Mission Chapel, 525 W. Napa St., Sonoma.
Dorothea Goehring, 85, passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, Sept. 10, surrounded by her family. Born in St. Louis, Mo. in 1923, she married J. George Goehring in October 1944 and moved to California. Rev. Goehring accepted a call in 1958 to serve as a minister of Faith Lutheran Church in Sonoma. They served together there faithfully until 1972, when Rev. Goehring died suddenly of leukemia. In 1975, she obtained her real estate license and became a top real estate agent in Sonoma Valley.
Dorothea enjoyed gardening, reading a good book and working the morning crossword puzzles. She always looked forward to participating in a Sonoma parade or attending a costume event. She loved Sonoma and was proud to have been a 50-year resident of the community.
Dorothea especially treasured having her family together in Sonoma or at her beloved cabin near Mt. Lassen. By example, she taught her family courage, tolerance, the power of love, laugher and song, the importance of friends and the commitment to give back to the world to make it a better place for everyone.
Dorothea was preceded in death by her husband, six sisters and two brothers. She is survived by her children Elaine and Harry Akre, Sonoma; John and Marilyn Goehring, Santa Rosa; Jim Goehring and Linda LaFave, Fredricksburg, Va.; and Rebecca Goehring and Suzanne Green, Florence, Ore. She also leaves behind seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren: Steve and Jenine Akre and their children Andrew, Garrett and Ella; Jon Akre, Jonathan Goehring, Ellen Akre, Mekela Goehring and Rob Horansky, Matt Goehring and Nathan Goehring. She has two surviving sisters, Loretta Chacey and Geraldine Laffoon, her sister-in-law Doris Goehring and numerous nieces and nephews. She also leaves her angel and caregiver Martha Magana. She will be greatly missed by all.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Oct. 18, beginning at 2 p.m. at Faith Lutheran Church in Sonoma. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Sonoma Valley Hospital Patient Care Services, Faith Lutheran Church or a favorite charity of your choice. Arrangements under the direction of Duggan’s Mission Chapel, 525 W. Napa St., Sonoma.
Joanne S. Jangula, 82, wife of the late James Jangula, passed away quietly in her sleep on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2008 in Sonoma. She is survived by her daughters, Jamie Togni and Jennifer Gillespie, son-in-law Michael Gillespie, grandsons Scott Togni and James Fowler, granddaughter Erin Togni-Kozak and her husband John Kozak Jr., all of Sonoma. She is also survived by a grandson, Brian Fowler, in Tahachapi, Calif.
Joanne was born in Silver City, N.M. and raised in Los Angeles, Calif. She originally came to Sonoma to work in the administrative office of the Sonoma State Home (now the Sonoma Developmental Center). Joanne met Jim soon after arriving and they were married in 1953. She called Sonoma home for more than 56 years. She had been very happily employed over the years, as a legal secretary to Sonoma attorneys Alexander J. McMahon, Newton Dal Poggetto and Roland Kruger. In retirement, she and Jim enjoyed hosting large dinners and barbecues for family and friends, and their many RV trips across the country. Joanne spent the last three years living at Merrill Gardens Senior Apartments in Sonoma and said it was nice to make so many new friends there.
Funeral services were held at Duggan’s Mission Chapel on Oct. 10. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to The Breast Cancer Foundation, as Joanne was a 51-year breast cancer survivor.
James Thomas Maggioncalda, 86, died peacefully this week in Sonoma, with family at his side. He was born March of 1922 in Philadelphia, Pa., the youngest of six children to Emma and Frank Maggioncalda. Emma was an immigrant from Italy believed to have entered America via Ellis Island. Frank was a first-generation American born to Italian immigrant parents raised in Vineland, N.J., which is where Jim’s parents met. They raised their six children in North Philadelphia but would often travel back to the Vineland family farmhouse to many joyous family reunions. It was Jim’s five older siblings, most of whom lived well into their 80s, that gave him the nickname “Buddy,” a name that followed him all of his life.
He attended Olney High School where he enjoyed and excelled in track and field and graduated in 1940. In the following year there was a national call to arms and he answered by enlisting in the U.S. Navy, serving three years on the DE 680 USS Loeser in the South Pacific during World War II. His two older brothers, Frank Jr. and Joe, who were both serving in the Army, encouraged him to enroll in the Navy.
After the war he returned to Philadelphia and began a 30+ year career at the local Naval Shipyard and affiliated Defense Industrial Supply Center. In 1948 he met the love of his life, Joanne Garey, who was a nursing student at the time. They married in April 1949 and had a small apartment on Broad Street in Philly. With their first two daughters born in their first two years of marriage, it was time to purchase their first home. By 1959, with the fifth child on the way, they followed the American dream of moving to the suburbs, to Willingboro, N.J. While there, Bud was active with the local parish, Corpus Christi, serving several years as president of the CYO (youth athletic association) which included stints playing Santa at the church Christmas bazaar and umpiring many Little League baseball games. He taught CCD and was a member of the Knights of Columbus for most of those years. After retiring from the government position, he accepted a job with the State of New Jersey, teaching electronics and basic home repairs at a local prison for five years.
In 1991 they moved to Florida to a senior community on a small golf course near Orlando. Their children were all very concerned about their parents moving away but it was a wonderful 12 years. He was an avid golfer, loved the game and played it as often as possible. There did occur at least one hiatus when the children were young and his wife sold the golf clubs unbeknownst to him. The story goes that in Florida, ‘Bud’ showed up one day to meet his friends for a round of golf, disgusted that he had forgotten his clubs. As he turned to get back in the cart to go back home for the clubs, one of them yelled, “Hey, while you’re at it, why don’t you put in your front teeth!”
Eventually, they relocated to the Sonoma Hills Retirement Community in Sonoma, where they could be closer to family. The loving staff and tremendous service at Sonoma Hills allowed Bud to remain independent these last five years while battling with advancing Alzheimer’s Disease. Thanks to the additional gracious caregiving of Mr. Ken Backman and Kathie and Dianne Pinotich, Jim was able to stay at Sonoma Hills many months longer than expected. Tremendous thanks as well to the caring, professional staff at both Sonoma Valley Hospital, Dr. Yong Liu, and the dedicated staff of Sonoma Care and Rehab Skilled Nursing Facility and Hospice by the Bay.
He was preceded in death by his two brothers, Frank and Joseph Maggioncalda, as well as his three sisters, Rose Romano, Bernice Marinucci and Agnes Zimmerman.
He is survived by his beloved wife of almost 60 years, Joanne M. Maggioncalda as well as their five children, Joanne Weaver (John) of Somers Point, N.J.; Suzanne Arbocus (Bill) of Williamsburg, Va.; Dianne Norris (Jim) of Cape May Court House, N.J.; James T. Maggioncalda, Jr. (Clare) of Cherry Hill, N.J.; and Michael Maggioncalda (Lori) of Sonoma, Calif. He is also survived by ten grandchildren: Andy (Kimberly), Amy (Rob), Steven, Julie, Rachel, Emily, Jake, Danny, Greg and Emma; and two great-grandchildren, Owen and Riley.
Family and close friends attended a private Mass celebrating Jim’s life on Tuesday, Oct. 14. in the chapel at Sonoma Hills, 405 West MacArthur St., with inurnment following at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Sonoma. Donations in his memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 1.800.272.3900. Arrangements under the direction of Duggan’s Mission Chapel.
