In memory: Glancing back at those lost in 2007

Jack "Bud" Tone III

Jack "Bud" Tone III was a farmer who grew row crops and raised cattle. He was a champion handball player. He raised a champion Arabian horse. And he served nearly two decades on a local water board.

It was a full 97 years for Tone, who died Jan. 5 at the same family ranch where he was born.

"There was never a time that I remember that we didn't have fun with Uncle Bud," said his granddaughter, Peggy Morrissey.

"If we were working out in the fields or doing anything else, he would take us and get an ice cream sandwich," Morrissey said, recalling her childhood days on the ranch."He never got mad about anything you did."

Tone was the patriarch of the historic Jack Tone Ranch, located north of Eight Mile Road along the long stretch of road that bears the family name.

He was born May 13, 1909, to Grace and John N. "Jack" Tone. His grandparents, John H. "Jack" and Alice Walsh Tone, and Margaret and Patrick Talbot, settled in eastern San Joaquin County 157 years ago.

Robert Hunnell

Robert Hunnell, a quiet leader with a passion for his community, a clear mind for business, and a taste for ice cream, died on July 19.

Hunnell, 86, served as mayor in 1968. He was the longtime owner of a local pharmacy and a member of many of the city's most influential boards and organizations.

But family and friends remember him as a humble man who wished to only serve his community.

"His wisdom was exceeded by his humility," said his son, Dan Hunnell.

Hunnell died peacefully at home, surrounded by family. He was born in Kalamazoo, Mich. in 1920 and raised in Antioch.

Hunnell's life in Lodi began after he married his wife, Eloise, in 1946 and moved here shortly afterward. During World War II, Hunnell served on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Shangri-La.

He opened Hunnell's Professional Pharmacy in 1952 and later founded and headed the pharmacy of Lodi Memorial Hospital as well. He served on the board of the hospital foundation from 1984 to 1996.

"He was just totally a wonderful man," said Donna Shaw, director of the Lodi Memorial Hospital Foundation.

Dorean Rice

Some called her the "Mother of All Street Fairs."

"The Most Powerful Woman in Lodi" was another unofficial title.

Many simply knew her as Dorean Rice, who didn't need a title because she was involved in just about everything in Lodi.

Rice, who was battling terminal cancer, died Oct. 23. A funeral will be held at Lodi Funeral Home next week, and Mayor Bob Johnson said it will likely be one of the city's most well-attended services.

"If you needed something and Dorean was in a position to assist, all you had to do was ask and she would turn over rocks for you," Johnson said.

After raising eight children, seven of them boys, with her first husband, Rice took a job with a credit bureau in 1978. Before long she had moved up to become manager for CB Merchant Services.

Along the way, she joined the Chamber of Commerce and then began serving on one committee after another.

She liked visiting antique shops and glass fairs, and one day she decided that Lodi could hold its own event.

That idea worked, and tens of thousands of people now descend on Downtown Lodi twice a year for the Street Faire that stretches for blocks. Though she wasn't paid for her efforts, Rice was the driving force of the next 34 Street Faires.

Oliver Tecklenburg

Oliver Tecklenburg was known as a great person who could grow just about anything, and tell plenty of stories.

Tecklenburg, 93, died Nov. 29 in Lodi.

He was the third generation of a pioneer family; his grandfather, Herman, settled in Lodi in the 1860s, said Tecklenburg's son, Jon Tecklenburg, of Lodi.

Oliver Tecklenburg was born Jan. 29, 1914, in a house on the south side of Kettleman Lane next to the old Central California Traction line, east of what is now Highway 99. Kettleman was a dirt road at the time, and 10 families shared a telephone line.

"Dad was one of first people, with his father, to have a tractor," another son, Lee Tecklenburg, of Sacramento, said.

He was known as one of Lodi's early winegrape growers, but he also grew crops that one wouldn't necessarily identify with Lodi, Lee Tecklenburg recalls.

Oliver Tecklenburg grew popping corn for about 30 years, and raised crops for seed, such as parsley and beets — all items that normally aren't found in Lodi, Lee Tecklenburg said.

He even raised broom corn, which is used to create brooms, he added.

Oliver Tecklenburg began packing zinfandel grapes for Cesar Mondavi and his sons, Robert and Peter Mondavi, in 1934. He eventually managed the Lodi operation for Charles Krug Winery and worked for the Peter Mondavi family for 54 years.

Marian Olson Lawrence

Marian Olson Lawrence, a dedicated educator and the first female mayor of Galt, died Oct. 25 at the Royal Oak Convalescent Home in Galt. She was 86.

For 30 years, Lawrence taught in Galt schools and instructed many of Galt's current leaders.

She was well-loved in the community and won a seat on the Galt City Council, where she helped establish a sports complex, modernize the flea market and annex properties in the northeast area of the city.

In 1982, she become the first woman elected mayor of Galt.

Through her lobbying efforts, a new library was built for the citizens of Galt and dedicated in her honor in 1993.

Born in Montana in 1921, Lawrence moved with her family to South Dakota, where she earned a teaching degree from South Dakota State University.

In 1943, she joined the armed forces and served for two-and-a-half years as an officer with the Woman's Army Corps. During World War II, she met her husband, Robert Lawrence, an Army officer.

The family moved in 1948 to Herald, where they had their third child. Marian Lawrence took a job with the Galt Joint Union Elementary School District in 1951.

Reader Feedback

16925 wrote on Jan 6, 2008 1:37 PM:

" Love and Miss you Dorean! "

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Cogito wrote on Dec 31, 2007 4:44 PM:

" Mrs. Lawrence, thank you for teaching us learning can be fun and hard work is rewarding. Thanks for teaching us how to write a term paper. At a luncheon with old classmates recently, you were voted unanimously the best teacher ever. You will be missed. "

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One Tin Soldier wrote on Dec 31, 2007 9:40 AM:

" Uncle Bud (Jack Tone) Thanks for heali'n my shoulder its still good! and thanks for touchi'n my life..3 cheers for Uncle Bud Hip-HIp-Hooray!!! "

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