Obituaries

From the family of Eldon George Our precious father, 86 years young, passed into the arms of Jesus Christ on Nov. 5. Dad was born in Merced on May 1, 1933, to Tony and Helen George. He grew up on the dairy and sweet potato ranch. He farmed with his father and mother and they had many farm animals but dad's favorite was Frankie,…

Leslie Rae Bonner of Merced passed away on Sunday, Sept. 1. She was 75. “My wife of 30 plus years was the most beautiful person, both inside and out,”…

Hebert Leslie (Les) McCabe, Jr., at 92 years of age passed away on Sept. 1, surrounded by family. Family members and local friends attended a prayer…

Allan Schell, city manager of Merced from December 1968 to June 1983, passed away on Aug. 23, in Emanuel Hospital of Turlock after a short illness. Schell was born in Chicago, Illinois, the only child of Anthony Albert Scheleski and Erna Krull Schell. He had a long and varied career in public management. His interest in public affairs…

Andrew Francis Murphy, who became the first Merced County administrator in the mid-1950s, passed away peacefully on Aug. 4, surrounded by his family. He was…

Kathleen Jayne Derby died of a massive heart attack in Tokyo, Japan, on May 31, where she and her husband, John Derby, had traveled to attend the wedding of a family member. She would have been 67 next month, and she and her husband had split residences in Merced and Baja Mexico. Kathleen was born in Merced and raised in El Nido where her…

He was truly a man of many talents. And he was a high-energy person who once told the Merced Sun-Star: “Curiosity has kept me alive.” Otto Rigan of …

There was a heart-wrenching, somber and unavoidable realization in the air this week as the Honor Guard fired three volleys from their rifles, and the…

Members of the Merced-area community, friends and loved ones are mourning the loss of Ethan Brown Morse who died tragically on March 15 in Atwater. He was 22. Morse was shot and killed shortly after dropping off his beloved daughter Ava at daycare. Large gatherings of friends, relatives and local residents attended services in Merced last…