bituaries ••• Charles “Chuck” Burnett 1930 – 2021 Chuck Burnett joined his beloved wife, Diane, on Feb. 2, in his home. Born Sept. 14, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois, Chuck spent his youth on the streets of the Windy City. Fishing, wandering and causing minor mischief were his favorite pastimes until he met Diane, who straightened him out considerably. They moved to Houston, Texas, in 1956, where they raised four remarkably brilliant and attractive children. (!) Active in his church, community and the Boy Scouts organization, Chuck was always busy educating, entertaining and enjoying life to its fullest. Chuck and Diane moved to Leisure World in 1997 to retire in luxury. They immediately got busy with all the clubs and fun stuff this community has to offer and found performing to their liking. The Theater Club was filled with talented and interesting characters and they fit right in. Who knew they would be able to sing and dance and act? Well, the jury is still out on some of that, but they won their audiences over with their charisma and enthusiasm. They also jumped into the Sunday Night Ballroom Club, Ad Hoc Singing Club, The Writer’s Club (Chuck), The Slavic Club (Diane) and the Poker Club, where Chuck contributed his Social Security check regularly. Chuck leaves behind wonderful LW friends, notably Bill and Ann Frambach, Bob Slater, Melinda Nicolet, Marge Archibald, Jose and ralia suna, and of course, the Poker Gang. Chuck’s lucky family includes four children, Mary LaSala (Fran); Mike Burnett (Diana); Jane Clancy (Kevin) and last but not least, the most wonderful daughter of all time, Amy Carlson (Chris). Chuck and Diane also left behind 11 above-average beautiful grandchildren and eight greatgrandchildren who are too young to know yet how they are going to turn out. Chuck loved life. He saw only the good in people and was able to bring out the best in all he knew. He loved a great party, so a Celebration of Life is planned for a future date. In lieu of flowers or cards, Chuck would like for you to enjoy a shot of Royal Crown and sing a song out loud–don’t worry, your neighbors are probably hard-of- hearing. —paid obituary ••• In Memoriam: Santiago Rivera 76 Lory Villegas 91 Juanita Salazar 77 Andres Pulido 57 Ana Mejia 84 Charles Crockett 57 Randy Mikes 59 Jesus ntiveros-Santos 94 Alvin Shinn 94 Sheldon Young 60 Guillermo Garcia 87 Guadalupe Soriano-Nava 66 Remedious DeGarcia 87 Dolores Estrada 85 Merrill Crump 57 Fidelina Samayoa Maria Rodriguez 58 Gertel Flemons 85 Mary Nauroth 82 Jorgre Sandoval Sr. 74 Families assisted by McKenzie Mortuary, 961-9301 —Paid obituary ••• Card of Thanks Just saying thank you doesn’t begin to express my feelings to my church family, neighbors and friends. Food, support, flowers and most of all prayers were all greatly appreciated after Frank’s home-going last month. Love you all. Joan Shramek, Mutual 12

Helyn Ruth Edwards received her heavenly homecoming on Nov. 25, 2020. Helyn was born in Detroit, Michi-gan, to Leonard and Ruth John-son on May 15, 1927.She and Robert Edwards met in high school, and following graduation, they were married July 9, 1945.Robert was in the U.S. Navy, so the two lived in various places around the world, including the Philippines, before settling in Long Beach, California. Helyn and Robert loved traveling in their motor home across the states, including Alaska. They also visited Australia and New Zealand. Helyn was an accomplished seamstress, made greeting cards for many years, and enjoyed cribbage and table games. She and Robert lived in Leisure World for 25 years before moving to Auburn, California, in 2018 to be near family.Helyn was preceded in death by her parents and son-in-law, Brent Bailey.

••• Theresa Griep 1929–2021 Theresa Griep, 91, of Leisure World, passed away on Jan. 6, 2021. Theresa was born to parents Joseph and Mary (Coady) Halligan on April 24, 1929, in Moorland, Iowa. Theresa’s father died when she was 7, leaving her mother to raise seven children alone. Theresa married Darrel Griep on Sept. 11, 1948. They built their first home in Fort Dodge, Iowa. In 1958, they moved to Des Moines, Iowa, where their family grew to eight children. Leisure World became their home in 2000. Theresa’s cornerstones in life were her Irish heritage, Catholic faith, dedication to her home and love of family and friends. A devout Catholic, Theresa served in the Altar Society and was president of St. Joseph Academy Women’s Association in Des Moines. Theresa was a cosmetologist with her own beauty salon. She worked as a vendor countless years at the Minnesota and other state fairs. She will be remembered for her entertaining stories, love of cards, holiday baking, humor and laughter. Theresa and Darrel enjoyed welcoming visitors to wherever they called home. Memorable trips included Rome and Ireland. Theresa was preceded in death by her husband, Darrel; son John; grandson Adam Vaux; granddaughter Angela (Haggas) Kruszynski; her parents; as well as brothers Paul, John Charles and Raphael Halligan and sister Mary Cecilia Smith. Theresa is survived by her children Sheila (Paul) Haggas, Sharon (Robert) King, Mary (Steve) Bailey, Patricia Littrell, Thomas (Victoria) Griep, Martha (Doug) Reuter and LeAnne (Michael) Vaux; 26 grandchildren; 32 great-grandchildren; and brothers Richard and Coady Halligan.

IN MEMORIAM Thomas “Tommy” Lee Williams, 60, a dynamic entertainer well known throughout LW for mesmerizing Leisure World residents on the Amphitheater stage and at dances, picnics and Toys for Tots Christmas shows, has died. He passed away unexpectedly of heartrelated issues on Jan. 19, 2021, in his Mutual 2 home, according to his family. Tommy was born on May 28, 1960, in Bellflower, California. His lifelong passion was entertaining others with his phenomenal singing voice. For more than a decade, he has been a mainstay of the Leisure World entertainment circuit, most recently as president of the Cabaret Entertainers Club. In addition to the Cabaret Entertainers, he was associated with the Velvetones big band group and the Vinyl Rock Classic Rock & Pop Band, among many others. He will be best remembered onstage, wearing a sparkly costume with a microphone in his hand and a signet ring on his finger. He was known for his elaborate sets and costumes, not to mention over-the-top Halloween and Christmas decorations at the home on El Dorado Road that he shared with his mother, Helen Schultz. She never missed the chance to cheer him on at LW shows and events. Tommy put in countless hours coordinating, decorating, emceeing and performing for the grateful residents

Our beautiful mother Dolores Sales left this earth on Dec. 26, 2020, at Los Alamitos Medical Center in Los Alamitos, California. Dolores was born June 27, 1940, in Alton, Illinois. She was raised in Wilmington, California, by her parents Jacob and Margaret Sales. She raised five children and was a loving mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She had two more children for whom she lovingly placed for adoption. Later, she was fortunate to have them both come into her life. She was hardworking and dedicated to serving her community as a security guard for over 20 years. She lived out her retirement years in the lovely Leisure World community of Seal Beach, California. She was very passionate about doing genealogy and learning about her ancestors. She enjoyed oldies music, live entertainment and Chinese food, and she loved a good game of 500 Rummy. Most of all, she loved her family. She will be dearly missed and forever in our hearts. – John Moya, son

Our mom, nana, grandma, sister and friend celebrated a wonderful Christmas before soon passing away.Bonnie is survived by her sister, Shirley; children Kelly “Linda,” Kris, Randy and Danica; grandchildren Christian, Tia, Tyler, Travis and Jillian; and great-grandchildren Paige and Kyler.Bonnie was preceded in death by her grandson Jabriel; her parents; and siblings Genie, Lester, Bill, Donny and Gary.Bonnie was born in Spencer, Iowa. She spent many years in Ralston, Nebraska, and moved to Seal Beach, California, in 1996.Bonnie was an amazing and supportive mother, grandmother, sister and friend. We are missing her terribly, but we are happy knowing she was not in pain, she passed peacefully and was surrounded by family.Bonnie has been cremated, and a celebration will be planned at a later date.

John began his life on earth in Venice, California, on May 11, 1932. Mary Louise Ryckebosch and John Jacob Vanderhorst were his parents. His paternal ancestry came from the Netherlands, and his maternal ancestry came from Belgium.When young “Johnny” was 6 years old, the family moved to a cute two-bedroom home on Jasmine Avenue in Culver City. In 1941, the family purchased a double lot on Braddock Drive and built a home and small store, Cottage Grocery. John’s dad ran the butcher shop, and his mother ran the grocery part of the business. John attended St. Augustine Elementary School and then Loyola High School, in Los Angeles. After graduating high school in 1950, he began his studies in business administration at Loyola University in Westchester.John’s dad, John Jacob, died in August 1952. John took over the butcher shop while continuing his education at Loyola University, graduating in June 1955.

ntonio Mendoza Tabora, a.k.a. Tony, passed away with his family by his side on Dec. 8, 2020. He was born on Jan. 5, 1939, in Manila, Philippines, and immigrated to Los Angeles at the age of 10. He joined the Army at the age of 16 and proudly served for eight years in Okinawa and Germany. He worked as an electronic engineer for companies like Northrop and Hughes Aircraft and is survived by his wife of more than 56 years, Felisa; their five daughters; and three grandsons.