Ralph Edwin Burtis
Nov. 15, 2009 - Ralph Edwin Burtis, a former machinist at the Lab and a longtime Tracy resident, died Nov. 15. He was 78.Burtis, who was born Nov. 8, 1931, in Imperial, Neb., moved to Tracy in 1962. He established and managed a machine shop for Dave Petz until 1966,…
Arnold F. Clark
Nov. 13, 2009 - Arnold F. Clark, a Lab retiree and 55-year resident of Livermore, died Nov. 13. He was 93.Born April 27, 1916, he attended Swarthmore College, where he studied physics. He earned his Ph.D. in physics at Indiana University in 1941 and went on to attend a…
Zdenko Vokel Sr.
Nov. 10, 2009 - Zdenko “Denny” Vokel Sr. died Nov. 10 at his home in Sierraville, Calif. He was 71.Born in Vrchtepla, Slovakia on Feb. 15, 1938, in a family of six brothers and five sisters, he went to trade school at 14 where he studied to become a machinist.At 17, he…
Rexford ‘Rex’ Morey
Nov. 8, 2009 - Retiree Rexford “Rex” Morey died Nov. 8 at his home in Pacific Grove. He was 69.Morey retired from LLNL in 2005 after working for seven years in the Laser and Weapons programs.After graduating from Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., with a masters…
Herman Frederick Henderson
Nov. 7, 2009 - Herman Frederick Henderson, a Lab retiree and resident of Tracy, died Nov. 7. He was 88.Born May 24, 1921, in Tecumseh, Okla., he lived most of his life in Union City, Calif., having spent the last five years in Tracy.Henderson joined the Army in 1943,…
Shelley Boyd
Nov. 5, 2009 - Shelley Boyd, an administrative specialist at the Lab, died Nov. 5 at her home in Knightsen, surrounded by her family. She was 54.Boyd was born in the Los Angeles area and moved to Byron in 1984. She was a member of the Grace Bible Fellowship Church…
Douglas E. Bakker
Oct. 20, 2009 - Douglas E. Bakker died Oct. 20 in Grass Valley. He was 69.Born Oct. 2, 1940, in Modesto to Harold and Margaret Bakker, he received his associate’s degree from Contra Costa College, and later joined the U. S. Armed Services.He was discharged on July 31,…
Ralph Daniel Morse
Oct. 14, 2009 - Ralph Daniel Morse, a Lab retiree, died Oct. 14. He was 85.Born June 20, 1924, in Madison, Wis. to Harry Arthur Morse and the former Helen Ruth Newton, he served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946, earning several combat awards in the South Pacific.…
L. Arthur Groth
Oct. 12, 2009 - L. Arthur Groth, a Lab retiree, died Oct. 12 at Sky Lakes Medical Center in Klamath Falls, Ore. He was 75.Born March 21, 1934, in North Dakota, he attended the Kearney and Trecker machinist apprenticeship program in Wisconsin in his early 20s and…
Aubrey Hulse
Oct. 9, 2009 - Aubrey James (Jim) Hulse, a resident of Benicia, died Oct. 9 from a blood infection. He was 91.Born in Amoy, China, on January 16, 1918, he grew up in Amoy and graduated from Lingnan University in Guangzhou (Canton), China, with a degree in physics.He…
Dorothy Louise Crampton
Oct. 3, 2009 - Dorothy Louise Crampton, a resident of Livermore and a Lab retiree, died Oct. 3 after a long struggle with leukemia. She was 77.Born Aug. 16, 1932, in Pennsylvania and raised in Manhattan, she was the youngest of eight children. After graduating, she…
Janice Virginia Seib
Oct. 1, 2009 - Janice Virginia Seib, a resident of Manteca and a Lab retiree died Oct. 1. She was 65.Born Feb. 19, 1944, in San Diego, Calif., to the late Charles and Jean Ward, she resided in Manteca for the past 13 years. She worked for the Lab for 15 years before…
Howard M. Vandevanter
Sept. 30, 2009 - Howard M. “Van” Vandevanter, a resident of Livermore and a Lab retiree, died Sept. 30. He was 84.Vandevanter was born Aug. 3, 1925, in Mattoon, Ill. to Orville and Iola Vandevanter. He worked at the Lab as an electrician for 35 years and also taught…
John Richard Ballard
Sept. 29, 2009 - John Richard Ballard, a Lab retiree and resident of Brentwood, died Sept. 29, after a battle with cancer. He was 61.Born Apr. 7, 1948, he had served in the Vietnam War with the U.S. Army 4th Battalion, 60th Artillery and was awarded the Purple Heart.…
Palmer Van Dyke
Sept. 28, 2009 - Palmer Toy Van Dyke, a Lab retiree, died, Sept. 28, at Mark Twain Convalescent Hospital. He was 76.Born Aug. 14, 1933, in Sioux City, Iowa, he lived in Southern California until 1980, when he moved to Northern California. He worked as a technical writer…
John Helton
Sept. 25, 2009 - John Helton, a supervisor in the NIF Target Area Operations, died at his home in San Diego, after losing his battle with brain cancer.Helton joined the NIF project in 2006 after a distinguished career of over 20 years in the Navy, from which he retired…
John Thomas Lane Jr.
Sept. 25, 2009 - John Thomas Lane Jr., a Lab retiree and a resident of San Lorenzo, died Sept. 25 at his home in Nevada. He was 84.Lane served in both the U.S. Navy and Army and received medals and commendations, including the Purple Heart.He worked at LLNL as a…
James Kenneth Harter
Sept. 25, 2009 - James Kenneth Harter, a Lab retiree, died at his home in Castro Valley Sept. 25, after a battle with brain cancer. He was 61.Harter was born in Liberty Center, Ohio and graduated from Ohio State University before joining the U. S. Navy. He served five…
Dorothy A. Dean
Sept. 20, 2009 - Dorothy A. Dean died Sept. 20. She was 87.Born in Boston, Mass., Oct. 4, 1921, Dean served as a marine before settling down in the San Francisco area. She worked at the Laboratory for 30 years as part of a U.S. government special team.Following her…
Dolores J. Stringer
Sept. 15, 2009 - Dolores J. Stringer, a former longtime Tracy resident, died Sept. 15 at San Ramon Regional Medical Center. She was 82.A native Californian, Stringer was born in Oakland, grew up in Tracy and graduated from Tracy High School. She worked at the phone…
