George Harpole
gharpole@wic.net
Clifton, CO - 81520

3-29-10 Thanks to Hank Morris '47 here is John Ochoa's Obit.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thedesertsun/obituary.aspx?n=john-gilbert-ochoa&pid=141151230

John Gilbert Ochoa, 80, of Palm Desert, Calif. passed away March 22, 2010 in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He was born October 20, 1929, to Augustine Ochoa and Sadie Perez in Los Angeles, Calif. He married Ramona Torres on August 27, 1954 in Monrovia, Calif. He was a Plant Manager / Vice President for 50 years with the Los Angeles Paper Box. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He served in the U.S. Army from December 1950 until December 1953 as a Sergeant in Infantry. He is survived by his spouse, Ramona Ochoa of Palm Desert, Calif.; sons, John Ochoa of Camarillo, Calif., David Ochoa of Wildomar, Calif., Kenneth Ochoa of New York, N.Y.; brothers, Robert Ochoa, David Gutierrez and Richard Gutierrez; sister Stella Bartle and seven grandchildren. A visitation is scheduled on March 28, 2010 from 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. with a Rosary at 7:00 p.m. at Forest Lawn Ramon Chapel in Cathedral City, Calif. A funeral Mass will be held March 29, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Francis of Assisi in La Quinta, Calif. Interment will be at 2:00 p.m., March 30, 2010 at Forest Lawn Covina Hills, Covina, Calif. Forest Lawn Cathedral City is in charge of arrangements.

Published in The Desert Sun from March 27 to April 1, 2010

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BROWNWOOD, RAYMOND L. Raymond L. Brownwood passed away peacefully on March 2, 2010, due to complications of his heart and COPD. God granted him his desire when Ray passed in the home he had lived in for more than 50 years and in his own bed. In the last few years, he had made peace with God and was prepared to leave this earth. Ray is now at home with the Lord in Heaven, his wife Joyce, his older brother Bruce and his parents, John N. and Margherita. Ray was born on May 3, 1930, in Glendale, CA. He grew up in Pasadena and Arcadia, CA, and graduated from Monrovia, Acadia, Duarte (MAD) High School in January 1948. He played center for his high school football team, which played its home games in the Rose Bowl. Ray proudly served in the ASAF from 1948 to 1952. He was a control tower operator and served for 18 months at the airbase on the tiny Aleutian island of Shemya. After discharge from the Air Force as a Staff Sergeant, he attended the University of Washington in Seattle and obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Business in 1956. While in Seattle he met his future bride, Joyce Klein. He proposed to her by sending a ring in the mail wrapped in cotton and then called her when he became worried she might not find the ring and throw the cotton away. They married on September 7, 1956, and later had three sons. While on their honeymoon to Rosarito Beach, they drove through San Diego. Ray decided he liked San Diego and found employment at Ryan Electronics in 1959. He purchased his home in Kearny Mesa in 1959 and lived there continuously until his death. He later worked for numerous companies in San Diego throughout his career as a purchasing agent and later as a salesman. Ray is survived by his three sons and their wives, Randy and Lyne (San Diego, CA), Jim and Claire (Budapest, Hungary), and Bob and Lisa (Tulsa, OK), his two sisters Vangie Regan (San Diego, CA), and Margene Larsen (Rancho Mirage, CA), 10 grandchildren, two great-grand- children, numerous nieces and nephews and his beloved Aunt Edie Bridges. Ray was cremated and desired that his ashes be scattered privately in a place in Arizona that he loved very much and that held many happy memories. A Memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 27, 2010, at 11:00 a.m. at Community Covenant Church, 1835 Granite Hills Dr., El Cajon, CA 92019.

Published in San Diego Union-Tribune on March 14, 2010

Beautifully written obituary. Nice of Gary Dayton to place this on our '48 and Ponderings pages. I however feel sad I have not been able to do so well - especially for so many others who have crossed over to a final peace and eternal rest. I just finished stuffing 90 envelopes announcing the MAD All Class reunion to be held this coming October. I should be placing stamps on the envelops and mailing them this afternoon. There were 408 of us who graduated in 1948. The last "confirmed" mailing list - derived from our 60th '48 class reunion - gave us 66 addresses for classmates. Its a pretty sure bet some of these will be returned. I also scammed 20 additional possibles from our 55th reunion list. I hope some of these will get through to some possible attendees. We're (class of '48) at the point where more than half of our class is deceased. Of the remainder, I haven't been able to even find the heart to try and keep track of my '48 classmates slipping away because of afflictions, moving on to assisted living, or passing away. To this, I become depressed because so many are either "gone" or unreachable in one way or another - to an extent it seems like I could spend my entire free time searching, trying to find, frustrating and being depressed. As a so called web editor, I apologize for not being able to do better. This is a sad time of life. The class of 1948 - those of us surviving - will all be having our 80th birthdays this year, and know we are close behind Ray Brownwood. At best, I feel this is a time of life to stay focused on and in touch with our comrades. In this way, I think the forthcoming All Class Reunion being sparked by Jim Regan and Paulette Smith is of paramount importance. I hope to see all of you there. I think Ray would want me to put it exactly that way.
Ray and I were friends and classmates since about 1942. He did well. I will continue to remember him well.
May Ray now rest in peace.
George Harpole

WE WILL ALL BE