KENNETH ROBERT KILPATRICK

August 20, 1937 to June 29, 2016

A unique sense of humor

Kenneth Robert Kilpatrick—a man passionate about fine wines, negotiating a brilliant business deal, and his amazing children—died peacefully at Silverado Memory Care in San Juan Capistrano, on Wednesday, June 29. Suffering at the end from Parkinson’s disease, he was also a man of deep Christian faith. He was 78.

Ken, as most called him, had a unique sense of humor. It could be dry and sometimes took a minute to hit you. One time he shaved off half of his mustache and waited to see how long it would take for the family to notice.

His daughter, Susan Adamski, remembers one Christmas when her father was trying to show his three kids how to exhibit enthusiasm when opening a gift they didn’t particularly like.

“I remember his running around and jumping up and down with excitement about his supposed gift: ‘A dead frog! Just what I always wanted’,” she laughed.

A highly successful businessman

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SALLY ANNE MASON

August 7, 1970 to June 12, 2016

Crazy, mad love

Sally Anne Mason—a Southern charmer whose crazy, mad love for Florida State Football was surpassed only by her crazy, mad love for her adored family—died at home, in Castle Pines, CO, on June 12, 2016.

She was only 45.

Among those at her side at the end, her husband of 22 years, George Mason; daughter, Lily, 16, and son, Christopher, 13. Also in attendance, her mother, Nancy Simmons, and brother Scott.

Words—something Sally cherished as a librarian, avid reader, and the heart and soul of wit—can never fill the massive void she leaves in the world. Only the sweet memories held in perfect reflection by those she knew and loved can even begin to weave a lasting image of her vitality, humor and fierce loyalty. Continue reading “SALLY ANNE MASON” →

CLAIRE JOHNSON KANNEGIESER

July 6, 1934 to June 4, 2016

A feisty, independent thinker

In vital ways, Claire Johnson Kannegieser represented a time when friendship—like marriage—was for life. A vivacious Boston girl, whose universe was defined by her adored family and the friends she made in kindergarten, Claire was also a feisty, independent thinker, who, at age fourteen, rejected her parents’ extremely conservative religious views—no dancing, cards or movies—preferring a less “narrow path” to being a good Christian. She never regretted joining the Quincy Baptist Church. Nor did she regret marrying a Catholic, Frank Kannegieser, a handsome investment banker who insisted they wed in a Catholic ceremony.

In the end, she became a Lutheran.

A mind of her own

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WEETA LANG ADAMS

April 22, 1923 to May 12, 2016

She brightened the universe

Weeta Lang Adams, whose benevolent nature and ever-present humor brightened the universe for all who knew and loved her, passed away peacefully at home in Vinings, GA after a lengthy and valiant struggle with Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s—her adored son at her side. She was 87.

Abraham Lincoln had a saying that Weeta’s son, James Arthur Adams, Jr., says captures his mother to perfection.  “All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my Mother.”

But James, like Weeta’s husband of sixty years, James Arthur, Sr., and many of their friends, had to forgive her for one thing: her frozen green salad, which all approached with silent trepidation at holidays. Where Weeta, who adored giving dinner parties, loved the salad, her guests would gently move it around their plates, hoping it might disappear. She was also infamous for rearranging furniture when visiting relatives, only to have the pieces returned to their original locations upon her departure.

Loved a good laugh

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RAY “BUD” JOHN LAMMERS

December 12, 1930 to December 9, 2015

A military man to the core

Ray “Bud” John Lammers, a former U.S. Air Force captain whose love of flying and reverence for military practices influenced his entire adult life—along with that of his adored family—passed away at home in Westlake Village, CA on Wednesday, December 9, 2015. He was 84.

As a young man, “Bud”, as he was known, could have been a film star. At 6-feet-1, with dark wavy hair, a rich baritone voice, and Paul-Newman-blue eyes, he was every girl’s dream. But it was flying that captivated him, that and obeying orders. You have only to ask his two daughters, Heather Ann and Tiffany, about military time, the only clock their dad acknowledged.

“If he told us to be in the car at 0-800, and we got there at 0-802, he would have driven off without us,” said Heather Hart, who lives with her husband in Newport Beach. Or, if the girls discarded their shoes on the floor in the living room, they would find them the next day in the trash. Continue reading “RAY “BUD” JOHN LAMMERS” →