In Memoriam Elaine Larson Condon Elaine Larson Condon of Mutual 1, passed peacefully on June 29 after a brief illness. Beloved mother, devoted sister, and true-blue LA Dodgers’ fan, Elaine enjoyed a life filled with international travel, great friendships and plenty of chilled rosé. Born in Whittier, Elaine attended Whittier High School and Stanford University, enjoyed a successful 30-year career as a runway model, and lived in France with the loves of her life, her husband André and her cherished dogs, Boo Boo and Magic. Elaine is survived by her daughters, Debbie Levine and Loren Halleran and son-inlaw John Halleran; sister and brother-in-law Pat and Bob Kalayjian; grandchildren Taylor Petty and Bo Halleran; and great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and their children, along with countless admirers. We will all miss her quick wit, keen intelligence, kind heart, and elegant style. Donations would be welcome at any animal-related charities.

Lavern Hal Jackson 1940-2024 Lavern Hal Jackson, born in Afton, Iowa, on Jan. 8, 1940, passed away on July 7, 2024. Preceded in death by his parents Loretta and Haldon Jackson, Lavern is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Sandra Jackson; his sons Randall, Landon, and Brandon Jackson; his three cherished grandchildren; his nieces and nephews; and his sister Hallie Jackson Moon. Lavern moved to Buena Park just a few weeks after high school to begin his singing career with the Wagon Masters at Knott’s Berry Farm. This initial foray into music laid the foundation for a life filled with melody and song. He had a long and fulfilling career running catering trucks for Orange County Food Services. His passion for music remained strong, leading him to open the John Wayne Theater at Knott’s Berry Farm with his band, The Here and Now. Lavern’s singing career truly flourished later in life when he was discovered by the Trinity Broadcast Network. He became a celebrated gospel singer, renowned for his soulful voice and heartfelt performances, achieving over 20 chart-topping albums over his more than 20-year career. Lavern will be remembered for his exceptional talent, his dedication to his family, and his unwavering faith. His music touched the hearts of many, and his legacy will continue to inspire and uplift those who knew him and those who will come to know him through his recordings. There will be a service on Saturday, July 27, at 3 p.m. at HIS Place Church, 14061 Chestnut St., Westminster, CA 92683.

LaVon Gloria DeMott 1931–2024 LaVon Gloria DeMott, beloved mother, grandmother, great- grandma and friend, age 93, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on July 2, 2024. LaVon was born on May 23, 1931, to Grover Otero and Marjory (Scribner) Otero in Compton, California. LaVon met her future husband, Raleigh Truman Bunch, in high school in 1944, and they were married in 1950, shortly after he had enlisted in the Air Force. They had three sons during their marriage and were divorced in 1960. LaVon was a devout member of the LDS Church and served many calls, including a couple’s mission with her husband, Ben DeMott, whom she married in the LDS temple in 1975. LaVon’s greatest love was for her sons and their families. Her happiest moments were spending time together and welcoming them into her home for a holiday get-together, a pool party, a sleepover or a vacation. LaVon is survived by her sons, Raleigh (Renee) Bunch, Marlon Bunch and Dana (Debbie) Bunch as well as her many grandchildren. LaVon is preceded in death by her mother and father, Grover and Margory Otero, her sister Beverly Otero, her husband Ben DeMott and her first-born granddaughter, Eva Marie Bunch. A celebration of life is scheduled for July 27 at 4 p.m. in Clubhouse 3, Room 9.

In Memoriam Joan “Jeannie” Capper Cose Joan “Jeannie” Cose passed away peacefully in Gig Harbor, Washington, on June 23, 2024. Born in Liverpool, Jeannie cruised the Atlantic working for the Elder Dempster cruise line then found herself in California. She is in the Disney Hall of Fame after 25 years working for Mickey. She was a proud Southern Californian transplant. Her golden years, spent at Leisure World, provided such joy, filled with travel, golf, laughter and friends. Her ashes will be spread in her beloved Pacific Ocean. She will be missed.

Mary Cox Greytak 1922-2024 Friendly and witty would describe Mary Cox Greytak (nee Duitz), 102, who passed away on May 28, 2024, in Seal Beach. She was born on April 28, 1922, in Jeffersonville, Indiana, to Leo and Mary Duitz. The third of four girls, Mary had a wonderful childhood. After high school she attended secretarial school and became a reporter for the Jeffersonville Times. While volunteering for the United Service Organizations (USO), Mary met J. Claude Cox in Jeffersonville. They married October 1945. Immediately after the wedding, they moved to El Monte, California, to live with his parents. Later, they moved to Baldwin Park, California, and were blessed with a son, Wayne Bruce. Forty months later, they welcomed their daughter, Dee Mary. Mary was an office manager for State Farm, a job she loved for 50 years. Mary and Claude were active square dancers and had many leadership responsibilities and a sense of adventure they visited 49 states. At the passing of her wonderful husband in September 1983, Mary moved to Orange, California, to live with her daughter. In 1999, Mary moved to Mutual 9 in Leisure World. Mary joined the Cribbage Club, where she met many friends and her future husband, Roger Wieber. Mary shared 18 months with this friendly, personable, romantic man. They were active in many LW activities before Roger’s passing in 2002. Widowhood was not God’s plan, and while attending Cribbage Club, Mary met and married Gary Greytak. She and Gary had a wonderful time together in LW. They attended Holy Family Catholic Church, the Friendly Couples Club, volunteered in Meals on Wheels, shared in Mutual director responsibilities, and were officers in the Cribbage Club. The two of them aged with grace, calling Gary’s oxygen machine “Jezebel” and Mary’s walker “George.” Making light of hard things was their way of carrying burdens. Mary loved her family. Celebrating together was a high priority, and balancing a spoon on your nose was a family tradition at many gatherings. Mary leaves behind daughter, Dee (Brian); daughter-inlaw, Sue; sister, Alice Joy; three granddaughters, Stephanie, Wendy and Kelly; and four great-grandchildren, Lance, Ryan, Mitchell and Rachel. Mary was preceded in death by husbands, Claude, Roger, Gary, her son Wayne, and her sisters, Dorothy and Leola. Services for Mary will be held on June 29 at 11 a.m. at Holy Family Church. A celebration of life will follow the service at LW Community Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Mary Greytak to the USO, P.O. box 96860 Washington, D.C., 20077-7677. ••• The obituaries deadline is Friday at 4 p.m., prior to the desired Thursday publication date. Obituaries that are received later than Friday will go in the following week’s issue. Email obituary notices to laurieb@lwsb.com with photos attached as jpg files. The first 250 words, plus one picture, are free to publish in the newspaper; each additional word is 25 cents. For more information, call 562-430-0534, ext. 2801, or email laurieb@lwsb.com.

Joseph Pizzuto 1924-2024 Joseph Pizzuto, a longtime Leisure World resident, passed away on May 11, 2024, at 100 years of age. Joe was born in Calabra, Italy. He loved America and came to Brooklyn, New York, in 1936. He went into the Navy in 1944 and spent 22 years as a SeaBee in World War II, then as a Navy chef for the rest of his service, which lasted until 1966. He married the love of his life, Marguerite Pizzuto, in 1951. They were married for 73 years. They had two children together Joseph (wife Arlene), and Marguerite (husband Randy), and also have two grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. After leaving naval service, he went to the Naval Hospital in Carson, California, to finish his career and retirement. They lived in Leisure World for 30 happy years. Joe was an amazing husband, parent, and grandparent. He was always there to help in all our lives, and he will be dearly missed. God bless such a good man. We love you, Pops! There will be a memorial service at 9 a.m. at Westminster Memorial Park and Mortuary located at 14801 Beach Blvd. Westminster, California, on June 25. Burial will follow at Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside, California, at 2:15 p.m. that same afternoon.

Cristina Vegas 1945-2024 Cristina Elena Vegas Eyzaguirre was born on Jan. 8, 1945, and died on May 16, 2024, at the age of 79 years. Born in Lima, Peru, she was raised in the northern city of Piura, where her parents and large extended families resided. Her mother, Rosa Meche Eyzaguirre Rodriguez, was widowed upon the death of Cristina’s father, Fernando Enrique Vegas Herrada. Five years later, when she was 10 years of age, her mother married James Richard Dabney of California. The following year, Cristina and her sister Virginia were joined by a baby brother, James Richard Dabney Jr. Their new father’s work led the family to reside in Costa Rica, the Canary Islands, the Philippines and Australia before settling in California permanently. Cristina studied at the University of Nebraska and earned a bachelor’s degree at Whittier College in California. She worked for 30 years in computer programming, first at the Mc-Donnell Douglas Corporation and then as an analyst after its acquisition by Boeing. She enjoyed home computers, travel, books, racket ball, and claimed the role of family photographer, often annoying her family, who is now grateful for the memories she preserved for them. She was preceded in death by her wife, Barbara Kalish, after a union of 33 years. They were both active in Old Lesbians Organizing for Change (OLOC), of which Barbara was among its founders. As a widow, Cristina left her home in Long Beach, California, and moved to Leisure World in Seal Beach with her two dogs. There, she enjoyed new friendships and developed an enthusiasm for drones and video recording. Cristina shared via Facebook her enthusiasm for life through photography of the natural beauty found in her new community and found an appreciative audience. She was a generous soul, in small and large ways, including private philanthropy. Her active life was cut short by cancer. She is survived by her sister Virginia Bernal, brother James Dabney, and their children, David and Daniel Bernal, Juno and Josh Dabney. A private celebration of her life will be held on June 29, at a lunch for family and friends. Donations to Feeding America are welcome in lieu of flowers. By her request, her ashes will be scattered at sea.

••• William Ray Lancaster 1939-2024 Willam Ray Lancaster, or “Bill” as his friends called him, died peacefully of heart failure on May 16, 2024. He was 85 years old. At the time of his death, he resided in Seal Beach, California, but as a world traveler, he called many places across the globe his home. Bill was born May 7, 1939, in Burley, Idaho, to Orvil and Sylvia (Willis) Lancaster. He was the youngest of three children who were all raised in Burley. He revered his older brother, “Digger,” and adored his older sister, Donna Faye. His was a typical, small-town childhood in the 1940s and 50s: building fast cars, chasing pretty girls, and ducktail haircuts. He left Burley to serve his country. In 1958, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, but realized he preferred sleeping in beds, not the ground, flying in planes rather than jumping out of them, and opportunities for regular showers. In 1966, he started his career in the U.S. Air Force. From childhood he was known for fastidiousness, particularly around hygiene, and this made for an excellent fit in his job as an environmental technician ensuring the safety of military facilities and food supplies. He enjoyed traveling and always sought overseas assignments that allowed him to see the world. He served in Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, and Spain and at bases in Florida, California and Utah. He captured beautiful photographs and immersed himself in local cultures. He also reveled in his role as a senior non-commissioned officer. It meant he still worked for a living but gave him the authority to say that “he might not always be right, but he was never wrong,” a self-view he made clear to his children. Stationed at Taipei Air Base in Taiwan, he met the love of his life, and on Nov. 5, 1971, he married Chin Yu Lin with whom he spent the rest of his life. His honesty, a trait that he valued and embodied, almost prevented the marriage. When asked by his future father-inlaw to promise that he would always take care of Chin Yu, he answered that no one could predict the future; fortunately, Chin Yu’s sister translated his answer as “of course.” Bill was proud of his career and service and retired from the U.S. Air Force as a Master Sergeant in 1987. Curious by nature and a voracious reader, he tried his hand at college, but he missed working and was drawn back to the very office he had retired from, but this time as a civilian. He later worked for the Internal Revenue Service. Bill’s temper was legendary, and he raised his children with the philosophy that children should be seen and not heard, but the birth of his granddaughter showed the world a different side. He was never cross with her and never tired from joining her toddler ballet performances or holding the cape of her royal dresses. She brought him great joy and allowed him to show his tender heart. His loved ones will miss his singing of the birthday song he learned from a 1950s radio show. We know that when we find him with our Lord, Bill will finally be the one in the room “smiling and happy,” as the song he always made time to sing to his loved one goes. He is survived by his cherished wife, Chin Yu; their sons Darrin of Sunset, Utah, and Arlen (Staci) of Lander, Wyoming; and a beloved granddaughter, Gracie. He was preceded in death by his parents, siblings, and sons Kelly and Les. Bill will rest at a national cemetery, and his family will honor him for his life and military service.