Garth K. Fickas
Garth K. Fickas died in Hollister at Hazel Hawkins Hospital on
Nov. 5, 2002. He was 55.
Garth K. Fickas
Garth K. Fickas died in Hollister at Hazel Hawkins Hospital on Nov. 5, 2002. He was 55.
Mr. Fickas was born in Salinas and came to San Benito County 22 years ago. He attended Gonzales High School. Mr. Fickas enjoyed the outdoors and devoted 35 years to serving and supporting farmers and crop production. Mr. Fickas worked as a spray foreman with Western Farm Service for more than 26 years in both the Hollister and Salinas area.
Mr. Fickas is survived by his sons, Wayne Garth Daniel Fickas and Kenneth Anthony Fickas, both of Yuba City. He is also survived by his siblings Paul Letson Fickas of Salinas, Mark Fickas of Escondito, Nancy E. Smith of Hollister, and his lifelong friend and mother of his children Valerie Newton of Missouri, as well as brother-in-law Danny Harris, good friend Gary Holcomb of Watsonville, two grandchildren and five nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sister Barbara Ellen Fickas-Lopez in 1999, and his parents Kenneth and Ellen Olive Fickas who were residents of Aromas.
A memorial service is Nov. 16 at 10:30 a.m., at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 720 Monterey St., Hollister. Private interment at a later date will be at San Juan Bautista District Cemetery. Funeral arrangements and cremation are under the direction of Grunnagle Ament Nelson Funeral Home in Hollister.
Valentina Calleri
Valentina Pauline Ferraro Calleri of Hollister died on Nov. 6, 2002 at Southside Convalescent Hospital. She was 98.
Mrs. Calleri came to American from Italy in 1914 at age 10 and moved to San Benito County in 1917. She married John Calleri Sr. at Sacred Heart Church in 1923. She was a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Tres Pinos, past member of the Alter Society, the Grandmothers Club, Golden Years and the Tres Pinos Pedro Card Party Club. She was employed by Guerra Nut Shelling and the local canneries before becoming a homemaker. She enjoyed hand crocheting and traveling to Tahoe and Reno.
Family members said she was loving, kind and generous and enjoyed cooking meals for family. She also loved BINGO and her church.
Mrs. Calleri is survived by her daughter Albina McEwan of Hollister and seven grandchildren: Steve and Gary Welch, Michael Martin, Bob Calleri, Bill Calleri, Diane Stone and Debbie O’Connell. She is also survived by her brother Fred Ferraro, nine great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Mrs. Calleri was preceded in death by husband John Calleri Sr., son John W. Calleri Jr., daughter Josephine Calleri Welch, her brothers Andy Ferraro and Valerio Ferraro.
The funeral was Monday at Grunnagle Ament Nelson Funeral Home with a mass at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Tres Pinos and a burial service at the Tres Pinos Church Hall. Contributions are preferred to Immaculate Conception Catholic Church or your favorite charity.
Allene H. Ley
Allene H. Ley, who moved the old Dr. O’Donald house from downtown Hollister to the Sunnyslope area, died Nov. 8, 2002 in Roseburg, Ore. She was 87.
Mrs. Ley was born in Rotan, Tex., on Jan. 10, 1915 and grew up in various parts of the Southwest and California. In the 1940’s, she and her husband, George, moved to Eloy, Ariz., where they were proprietors of a general store. In 1961, they moved to California, where she lived for more than half of her life.
In the 1960’s, George and Allene purchased Dr. O’Donald’s house, built in 1906, had it moved and spent over a dozen years restoring it to its original condition. A resident of Hollister for more than 30 years, she was a prominent member of the Women’s Club and a key figure in the creation of Park Hill. Active in the Hollister Historical Society, she served as liaison to the city council for many years.
In her free time, Mrs. Ley loved to travel, paint, work in her garden and collect dolls and antiques. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, George, and is survived by her son, Richard, of Roseburg, her sister, Geneva Baldwin of Mesa, Ariz., and Weldon Hatton of Sierra Vista, Ariz. A memorial service will be held Nov. 18, 2002, at Hollister United Methodist Church. Memorial contribution may be made to the Hollister Historical Society.
