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Obituaries for October 24, 2007
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Toni Blue Mitchell
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Jean Marian Retallack
Jean Marian Retallack, also known as Jeannie by many, passed away on Sept. 9, 2007.
She was born to Alexander and Hilda Deleissegues in Pittsburg, Pa., on March 27, 1911.
The Sacramento Inn employed her as head cashier for many years. She also owned a trucking company with her husband, Forrest, and loved to travel on cross-country trips with her husband. She also enjoyed flying with Forrest in their private airplane to visit relatives, or driving in her little sports car.
She cherished her independence and was able to live alone well into her 90s, maintaining her driver’s license until her eyesight failed at the age of 91. An injury suffered in a fall ended her independence in 2004.
Preceding her in death were her husband, Forrest Retallack, and three of four siblings. Her youngest sister, Teda Hudson, joined her less than two weeks after Jean passed away.
Surviving her are daughter Barbara and son-in-law Robert Birch; grandchildren, Brian and Bret (Denise) Mandarich; great-grandchildren, Jessica and Jamie Mandarich; step-grandchildren, Julie (Paul) Strump, Deanne (Richard) Bland, and great-grandchildren, Michelle and Ben Strump, Ricky, Robby and Ryan Bland; and many nieces and nephews.
Alma Vuncannon
Alma Vuncannon, 70, of Galt died Oct. 18, 2007 in a local hospital. She was born Alma Maxine Miller on March 28, 1937 in California and has lived in the Galt area since 1958.
She was employed as a meat wrapper for Lucky and other local sores. She enjoyed hairstyling and gambling.
Surviving are her husband, Leo Vuncannon of Galt; son, Rob Steinhauer of Arbuckle; daughter, Debbie (Steve) Hessler of Galt; brother, Arnold Miller of Eagle Lake; stepdaughters, Cindy Ellis of Rio Linda, Catherine Brown of Antelope; and six grandchildren.
A brother, Bob Miller, preceded her in death.
A graveside service was held Tuesday at Galt Cemetery. Ben Salas Funeral Home handled arrangements.
Toni Blue Mitchell
Antoinette (Toni) Blue Mitchell, a highly respected American fabric artist, passed away peacefully on Oct. 13, 2007 in Santa Monica. She was 95.
She was born Oct. 15, 1912 in Arno, Calif., and was brought up by her grandfather, Alex Blue, a member of the Miwok Indian tribe. As a child, she learned to drive a horse-drawn cart, worked as a laborer in the hops fields and wove baskets with her grandmother, giving her a lifelong love of pattern and design.
During the Second World War, Toni worked as a welder in the Stockton naval shipyards, making bombs. Her real contribution, however, was the many rum-soaked cakes she baked and sent overseas to the servicemen fighting in the Pacific, who loved her unconditionally for her heroic efforts.
After the war, Toni attended the San Francisco Art Institute where she honed her skills as an exceptional fine art quilter, fabric artist and pattern designer. Toni was also an entrepreneur; she opened Antoinette Mitchell’s Custom Quilting in 1949, designing patterns for a wide variety of clientele. Closing in 2004 at the age of 92, she lost her lease for her shop and was finally forced to retire.
Toni worked with many of the most renowned interior designers of their day, including Michael Taylor (known for creating his signature and archetypal southwestern style), Billy Gaylor, and Shirley Temple Black to name just a few. Over the years, Toni created hundreds of quilting patterns for the very best American designers, and her work has graced the pages or Architectural Digest, House Beautiful and Sunset magazines as well as many more. Architectural Digest listed her work in the ‘100 Most Beautiful Homes’. She has also exhibited at the Veteran’s Memorial Museum, the deYoung Museum as well as at the San Francisco Museum of Art. Her work is part of dozens of celebrity, private and public collections. Her speed on industrial Singer machines was legendary; she could move a freehand design so fast that the machines would smoke. Designers would wait for months for one of her quilts, often putting their own projects months behind. Her templates and patterns cover more than 60 years of some of the most famous designers in the U.S., and when asked to publish a pattern book of her work, she replied, “Let someone discover how to design them again.”
Toni leaves a deep void in the designing world. Very few have a technical or artistic skill to create a designer’s vision on fabric. Michael Taylor once beseechingly told her, “If you don’t finish this quilt, I will have to kill you; then I’ll have to kill myself because no one else can finish this job!” Toni could be exasperatingly slow with the details and could not be rushed into perfection.
Toni adored her work; she loved her family and her beloved dogs. She left the world just a little bit more beautiful. She will be missed.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Val Ray Mitchell, and survived by her only daughter, Margo Miller of Santa Monica, as well as many friends and loved ones.
Services will be held at the Hicksville Cemetery in Galt on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m., 10035 Arno Road, Galt, CA 95632. A gathering of friends and family will follow to celebrate Toni’s long and wonderful life.
Please make any remembrances to the Nashville Eldorado Miwok Tribe, P.O. Box 580986, Elk Grove CA 95758-0017. Phone 916-429-8047, Youth and Elder programs, Cosme Valdez.
Virginia Marie Trull
Virginia Marie Trull, 64, of Lodi, passed away on Oct. 22, 2007. She was born in Los Angeles, and later moved to Stockton. In 1977 she moved to Galt, and then in 1994 she moved to Lodi.
Virginia was a wonderful homemaker for her family, a loving wife, caring mother, and an unforgettable grandma. She enjoyed cooking, going to Jackson and Lake Tahoe, being with her family, and camping in the past.
Virginia is survived by her husband, Craig Trull, Sr. of Lodi; daughters, Debbie Hickey of Stockton, Chris Matties of Acampo, and Jennifer Flores of Lodi; son, Craig Trull, Jr. of Lodi; brothers, Thomas Harris of Oregon and William Harris of Galt; also 14 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Funeral service will be held on Friday, Oct. 26 at 11 a.m. in the Chapel of Cherokee Memorial Funeral Home, 831 Industrial Way, near Beckman Road, Lodi.
Visitation will be from 10-11 a.m. on Friday prior to the service.
Private inurnment will be held.
Cherokee Memorial Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
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