Richard J. Castro
Richard J. Castro died in Hollister on May 15. He was born at Fort Ord, and was 52 years old.
He lived in Hollister most of his life and was a member of Sacred Heart Church.
He is survived by his father, Secundino “Nini” Castro of Hollister; his sister Mary Lou Montoya and her husband Richard Montoya of Hollister; his nieces and nephews, Stephanie Montoya of Hollister, Julia Montoya of Hollister, Richard Montoya Jr of Hollister, Anthony Montoya of Sacramento and Nicolas Montoya of Hollister.
Vigil services will be held at 7pm on Monday, May 23 at Black Cooper Sander Funeral Home.
Mass will be held at 10am on Tuesday, May 24 at Sacred Heart Church. Friends can meet at the funeral home at 9:30am for a procession to the church.
Interment and military rites will follow the Mass at Calvary Cemetery. Friends can pay their respects at the funeral home chapel on Monday afternoon after 2pm.
Sarah C. Espinoza
Sarah C. Espinoza died May 18 in Hollister. She was born in Madera, CA and was 71 years old.
She married her husband Moses in 1959 in Reno, Nev. She was a member of The Church of God of Prophecy in Hollister since 1945 and was an accomplished pianist. She and her husband moved to Hollister from Madera in 1959.
She is survived by her husband, Moses Espinoza of Hollister; her three daughters and their spouses, Frances and Armando Trujillo of Hollister, Silvia Salinas of Hollister and Dora Mae and Vincent Narvaez of Hollister; her brothers and sisters, Helen Gonzales of San Jose, Moses Carrasco of Fresno, Sam Carrasco of San Jose, Rachel Garcia of San Jose and Esther Medellin of Falls City, Ore.; and four grandchildren, Jessika Salinas, Jerrilyn Salinas, Ricardo Salinas, Jr and Jeremiah Narvaez.
She was preceded in death by her brother Benito Carrasco.
Friends can pay their respects beginning at noon on Sunday, May 22 at The Church of God of Prophecy on Virginia Street in Hollister. Funeral services will be held at 6pm Sunday, May 22 at the church.
Interment will follow the funeral services at the IOOF Cemetery.
Donations are preferred to The Church of God of Prophecy, c/o Black Cooper Sander Funeral Home, 363 Seventh Street in Hollister.
Black Cooper Sander Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Mark Kennedy
Mark Kennedy passed away in Gilroy on Tuesday, May 17. He was 81.
Mark was born in San Jose, California in 1924. His family moved to Gilroy where Mark attended Jordan School. He and his family later moved back to San Jose where he graduated from San Jose High School. Mark attended Santa Clara University until he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942. He served as a bombardier in a B-24 squadron in the 15th Air Force. He came home to San Jose in 1944 and married his high school sweetheart, Jeanne Fischer. They moved to Gilroy in 1945 where Mark joined his father, Ed Kennedy in the ownership of Gilroy Lumber Company.
Later in life, he lost his wife to cancer. He was remarried to a close high school friend, Phyllis Mortenson, with whom he spent happy times until her passing in 1999.
During Mark’s life he was a member of the Kiwanis Club, Rotary Club, Elks Lodge, American Legion Post 669, and the California Waterfowl Association.
He also served on the Gilroy Planning Commission, the Gilroy City Council, and the Wheeler Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees.
He is survived by his sister, Harriet Abel of Merced; his children and their spouses Mike and Sherrie Kennedy of Gilroy, Christine and Paul Wheeler of Gilroy, and Elizabeth and Mohammed Doroud of San Andreas; grandchildren Todd Kennedy of Phoenix and Mark and Carly Kennedy of Gilroy, Steve and his wife Julie Wheeler of Los Altos, Leslie Wheeler of Gilroy, and Mari and Shalley Doroud of San Andreas.
Memorial services will be held at 11am, Tuesday, May 24 at Habing Family Funeral Home, Gilroy.
In lieu of flowers, donations to any of the following organizations would be appreciated: Santa Clara University, American Cancer Society, California Waterfowl Association, or a favorite charity.
