June Oberzil
June Estelle Oberzil, who served for 12 years as site manager of the Live Oak Senior Nutrition Center, died Aug. 30 of heart failure at her Los Gatos home. She was 86.
Born June Estelle Raycroft on June 1, 1910, in Carson City, Nev., she moved with her family to Pahrump, Nev. They later moved to the Bay Area; she attended high school in Berkeley and studied journalism at UC-Berkeley. During World War II, she worked at a military depot in Stockton.
Oberzil lived in Los Gatos for 20 years. She served as Live Oak Senior Nutrition Center manager from 1975 to 1987. She was also a founder of the Happy Hoofers, a walking club based at the Los Gatos Neighborhood Center. After retiring from the Live Oak position, she volunteered with the West Valley Family Service Association at the Neighborhood Center.
Survivors include husband Edward Oberzil of Los Gatos; daughter Carol Abate of San Jose; grandchildren Cynthia and James Beach, both of San Jose; and sister Patricia Kearns of Ojai.
Memorial services have been held.
Petronell Wiley
Los Gatan Petronell "Patricia" Wiley died Sept. 7 at the age of 79.
Born March 7, 1917, in San Jose, Wiley was a 1939 graduate of San Jose State University with a degree in education. She taught in elementary schools for several decades, in Hawaii, Palo Alto and mainly Campbell.
Wiley worked her way through college by modeling, as well as singing with Big Band-era groups, both in person and on the radio. In the early 1950s to 1960s, she and her family owned the Saratoga Nursery. She also worked in real estate for 30 years and was a member of the San Jose Real Estate Board.
According to son Michael, she was an avid painter of both portraits and landscapes, a "great cook" and an overall "self-reliant woman." She also spoke four languages besides English: Albanian, French, Italian and Spanish.
Survivors include sons B. Michael Wiley of Los Gatos, Donald Wiley of Danville and James Wiley of Santa Clara; grandchildren Erica Wiley of Santa Clara and Zachary Wiley of Los Gatos; and sister-in-law Hazel Matranga of San Jose.
A vigil and mass have been held, with interment at Los Gatos Memorial Park. Donations may be made to the St. Vincent DePaul Society, 2040 S. Seventh St., San Jose, 95112.
Edward Duggan
Edward Jerry Duggan of Los Gatos died Sept. 8. He was 78.
Born Jan. 1, 1918, in County Cork, Ireland, Duggan had been a Los Gatos resident since 1948. He served 38 years as production manager of a San Jose branch of the Piknik Company, best known for its shoestring potatoes.
In the 1950s, he was active in the local YMCA branch, leading high school youth in the Hi-Y Barons. He was a charter member of the Los Gatos Elks Lodge No. 1857 and a member of the Willow Glen Masonic Lodge No. 676 F&AM. He enjoyed cultivating the nearly 200 rose bushes around his Los Gatos home and belonged to the Santa Clara County Rose Association and the American Rose Association.
Duggan was preceded in death by his son, Michael William Duggan. Survivors include wife Katherine Duggan of Los Gatos; son Edward Jerry Duggan Jr. of Gilroy; and grandsons Edward William Duggan and Donald Patrick Duggan of San Jose.
Memorial services have been held. Interment is at Los Gatos Memorial Park. Donations may be made to the Creative Mind Science Center, 3071 Payne Ave., San Jose, 95128.
J. Arnold White
Longtime Los Gatan J. Arnold White died in his Los Gatos home on Sept. 9 at the age of 91.
Born Jan. 5, 1905, in Peoria, Ill., he was a member of the Los Gatos community for 53 years. His first job in California was for Hendy Ironworks in Sunnyvale, which manufactured submarine turbine engines during World War II. When the war ended, so did his job. He spent 25 years working for PG&E, creating and repairing many useful machines for his fellow citizens.
Survivors include his wife of 66 years, former speech pathologist Margaret White of Los Gatos; daughter Sylvia White of Los Gatos; son Larry White of Evergreen, Colo.; granddaughters Sarah White of Forestville and Heidi Janzen of Cardiss; and great-granddaughter Elizabeth Herbert of Berkeley.
Memorial services have been held, with arrangements through the Neptune Society.
Richard Leslie Jr.
Los Gatos resident Richard B. Leslie Jr. died Sept. 13 at the Los Gatos Meadows. He was 84.
Leslie was born Aug. 16, 1912, in Mount Pulaski, Ill. He graduated from Los Gatos High School in 1930, where he was starting quarterback on the football team. He received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Santa Clara University and worked for nearly 40 years as an engineer with FMC Corporation. From 1942 to 46, he also served in the U.S. Navy, advancing to the rank of lieutenant commander.
He was active in St. Luke's Episcopal Church and with the Masons in Los Gatos.
Leslie's wife, Dorothea, preceded him in death. He is survived by son and daughter-in-law Richard B. Leslie III and Kathleen Leslie of Fremont; granddaughter Jennifer Leslie of Columbia, Md.; grandsons Ian Leslie of Florence, Italy, and James, Michael and David Leslie of Fremont; and sister Eloisa Leslie of San Jose.
Memorial services have been held, with interment at St. Luke's Episcopal Church. Donations may be made to St. Luke's at 20 University Ave., Los Gatos, 95030.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, October 2, 1996.
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