Ted Dunbar tried to retire at the age of 60 after a long career, one that ranged from the United States Air Force to engineering to a private law practice. But he couldn't handle the idleness--at the time of his death on April 10, he was working on completing a Ph.D. in applied mathematics and computer science.

"He just liked to keep busy. He needed to do something," says his son, James.

Dunbar passed away at the age of 68 in Saratoga, where he moved in the 1980s after raising his family in Cupertino.

Born on Oct. 10, 1935, in Framingham, Mass., Dunbar got his career off to an early start by joining the U.S. Army Security Agency soon after he graduated from high school. He studied at the Defense Language Institute before working in airborne intelligence collection for several years overseas. His military service garnered him a number of medals, including the Airman's Medal and the Bronze Star.

After his discharge, he began working as a systems engineer at Sylvania Electronic Defense Laboratories in Mountain View, where he met his wife, Ann. The couple married in 1964 and moved to Cupertino to start their family. In addition to James, the Dunbars had a daughter, Trisha Galyan.

Dunbar continued in the technical field as a senior scientist at ESL Inc., where he worked for more than 10 years. But in the 1970s, he felt the need for a change. So, he went to law school and opened a private practice, which he operated from 1976 to 1992. He continued consulting in reconnaissance, intelligence and medical areas for various companies after he closed his practice.

But retirement did not sit well with Dunbar. He returned to a full-time position with ALZA Corp. as a senior engineer, where he worked in designing and developing laser, X-ray and neutron beam imaging collection systems. He also wrote numerous articles on electronic warfare and worked with the Hoover Institute on the security of nuclear materials.

This unflagging sense of productivity pervaded even his private life. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary benefited from his services for the past 20 years. As a district communications officer, Dunbar received a Meritorious Service Award for his work with rapid response teams. James says the family enjoyed embarking on the boating expeditions that came with Dunbar's position.

In addition to his immediate family, Dunbar leaves behind two brothers, a sister, a niece and two grandchildren. Contributions in his name can be made to the Southwest YMCA to the attention of Dalia Nir at 13500 Quito Road, Saratoga, CA 95070.

Nancy K. Booke spent World War II working for the War Shipping Department of the Maritime Commission in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, a job that involved handling such important information about vessels serving in the war that she had top FBI clearance.

Her service stayed with her throughout her life and now continues after death. On May 23, Booke's ashes were spread from the S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien, one of the ships she was responsible for during the war. The ship is currently moored at Fisherman's Wharf.

Booke, a longtime Cupertino resident, died on April 16 at O'Connor Hospital in San Jose.

Born Nancy Marshall Kelley on Jan. 10, 1920, Booke spent her childhood in Milford, Ill., where her father examined banks for the FDIC during the Depression. She followed him into civil service not only during World War II, but also after.

Throughout her life, Booke worked for such agencies as the FDIC, the Office of the County Counsel for Santa Clara County and the Cupertino Union School District.

After World War II, Booke married her first husband, Robert Arnold Wilson, who had served as a ball turret gunner for the Army Air Force. She worked to help support Wilson through Hastings College of Law at UC-Berkeley, and the couple had three children together: Virginia Wilson Lambert of San Jose, Janet Wilson of Concord and Robert Wilson Jr. of San Jose.

After her husband's death in 1952, Booke worked to support her three children. She moved her family to Cupertino in 1961 after marrying Neil Booke.

In addition to her children, Booke leaves behind a sister, two nieces and four nephews. She was predeceased by her grandson and two brothers.

Contributions in her name can be made to the Santa Clara County chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, 1060 Minnesota Ave., Suite 7, San Jose, CA 95125, or to the Nancy K. Booke Living Trust c/o Comerica Bank, 250 Lytton Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301.