The Memorial Wall

Barbara died November 13th, after a long struggle with CMML Leukemia and Parkinson's, at 85 years-old. A seminal lesbian feminist activist and author starting in the1960s and the Second Wave of Feminism, she was fearless in fighting for civil rights and acceptance of lesbian and gay people. Her many achievements continue to influence and inspire.

After graduating from Syracuse University in 1959, she worked in publishing as an editor. Author of many articles and four books, including Sappho is a Right-On Woman (1972) and Feminists Who Changed America, 1963-1975. Regarding herself as "loud in all the right places," she prevailed in the bringing the National Organization for Women (NOW) to recognize lesbianism as a feminist issue and succeeded.
In 1977, the Carter Administration appointed her as a New York delegate to the National Women's Conference in Houston. A founding member of the National Gay Task Force in 1973, she received a commendation from the group in 1982 "For working tirelessly to educate the public about gay and lesbian concerns."

In 1982, she co-founded the AIDS Project of Greater Danbury with Dr. Donald Evans and others. Barbara is a co-founder of Identity House, a voluntary peer counseling group, and of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), formed with Morty and Jean Manford. She was a board member of Veteran Feminists of America. Barbara was honored recently by Gay City News with its Impact Award.
Born in Ridgewood, New Jersey, she is survived by her wife, Donna Smith; her sister, Ellamae Cobb; and her brother, Anthony Love.

John F. Stone, age 79, of Palm Desert, CA, formerly of Minneapolis, MN,  joined our Heavenly Father in the early morning hours of December 31, 2016.

John was the love of Phyllis’ life, and will be remembered by his kids as a committed, loving father and grandfather.  John was born on December 24, 1937, in Bismarck, North Dakota. He attended the University of North Dakota for both his undergraduate degree and law degree. During his college years, he had his own dance band called “John Stone and the Pebbles.”

He was invited to play his trombone for Lawrence Welk, but declined the opportunity to follow his dream of practicing law, a profession he enjoyed for over 30 years. John had a passion for volunteer activities.

He served for many years with the Minneapolis Aquatennial, the Minneapolis YMCA, St. John’s Ecumenical Institute,  Colonial Church of Edina, and Silver Sands Racquet Club in Palm Desert, CA.

He is survived by wife, Phyllis; children, Brad Stone (Claudia), Shelley Appel (Todd), and Pamela Stone; grandchildren, Cameron, Michael, Devin, Brittany, Brooke, Kyle, and Alexander;  and brother, Richard Stone.  He was preceded in death by parents, J. Lloyd and Grace Stone, and brother, Jim Stone.

Loving memories of John: 

• Floating on the dance floor with Phyllis to the tunes of  big bands
• Poppy playing with his grandchildren in the swimming pool.
• Returning Dad’s frustrating, spinning drop shots on the tennis court.
• Riding a float in the 1976 Rose Bowl Parade as Commodore of the Minneapolis Aquatennial.
• December 24 was a celebration of John Stone’s birthday first, and Christmas Eve second.
• John was revered for his holiday punch, BOOM!
• Dad was the best Santa ever: cookies and milk left by the fire, Christmas mornings with presents stacked to the ceiling. He always exclaimed ‘Santa had come!’
• En route to the family cabin in Detroit Lakes, MN we always stopped at our favorite restaurant in Little Falls for chocolate milk shakes and greasy burgers. The cabin was the place for many family reunions and lasting memories.
• John enjoyed membership in several Minneapolis area clubs, where he entertained his clients and spoiled his family and friends. John loved backgammon and gin rummy. He  had a passion for travel.
• He had an uncomplicated faith in God, a generous spirit, and a steady, unconditional love for all.
• Rest in Peace Poppy.

In John’s honor, the Stone family requests donations be made to the Parkinson's Resource Organization. All proceeds go toward continuing our outreach, support and educational efforts for those dealing Parkinson’s. Thank you in advance for remembering John and honoring his request.

Lieutenant Colonel George H. Skip Shutt Jr., USMC, died peacefully in his home in Huntington Beach, CA on Friday, September 2, 2016. He was 89 years old.

Skip was born October 25, 1926, in New Bedford, MA, but spent his childhood and early teen years in Granby, Quebec, Canada. He worked in his father's fabric mills, ran wild in the woods shooting arrows at his friends, played hockey and built model airplanes.  He learned to fly at the age of 12 and between the ages of 14 to 17, he was a member of the Canadian Air Cadets.

He was able to combine his love of flying and country by joining the RCAF at age 17 in 1943.  He served in World War II, arriving in Sussex, England in December 1944.  He flew the Hawker Tempest, a heavy-duty fighter.  When the war ended, he stayed in Germany flying with an Occupation Air Force before returning home one month after his 19th birthday in November 1945.

While attending Lafayette University in Pennsylvania, Skip joined the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. He was then accepted into the Halloway Midshipmen Plan where he received two years of arduous flight training while serving with the Fleet. Skip was offered a commission in the Marine Corps in 1953, becoming the first Marine Aviator in five years. Semper Fi! He completed his B.A. in English and received his M.A. in English from Georgetown University.

He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1953-1971, with four tours of duty - 2 in Korea and 2 in Vietnam. He became a Lieutenant Colonel in 1966. During his distinguished military career, he received numerous awards, among them, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry.  When asked what his greatest accomplishment was in life, he replied simply, "Surviving!"

Following his retirement from the USMC in 1971, he continued to follow his passion for flying. He was a flight instructor at John Wayne Airport, Chief Pilot for Community Psychiatric Centers and flew charters for Bill Hutt Aviation. While at Hutt Aviation, he flew Dr. Billy Graham, Placido Domingo, Tom Hanks, Tony Curtis, Helen Reddy, Gene Hackman, Jane Fonda and Ted Turner. He retired from flying at age 70.

These two words describe Skip, "an Officer and a Gentleman".  His life-long interests were classical music, golf, and reading.  Skip personified the advice Polonius gave to his son, Laertes, in Hamlet: "This above all: to thine own self be true."

He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Judith M. Clark, his older sister Dorothy "Dot" Mulrain, of Jacksonville, Florida, and seven children: Heather Keys, Catherine Clark, Patrick Clark, Barry Clark, John-Thomas Clark (Debbie), Mary Foss-Skiftesvik (Frode) and Jessie Lee (David). He also leaves behind five grandchildren: Ryan, Sean, and Marianne Foss-Skiftesvik, and Moses and Joshua Lee.

A Rosary will begin at 10:00 a.m., followed by a traditional Latin Requiem Mass at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 10th, 2016 at St. Maryís by the Sea Catholic Church, 321 10th Street, Huntington Beach, CA 92648. A reception will follow immediately after in St. Mary's Fr. Johnson Hall. Memorial donations may be made in Skip's honor to: Parkinson's Resource Organization, 74-090 El Paseo, Suite 104, Palm Desert, CA 92260.

A special thank you to Coral Tree In-Home Care (coraltreeinhomecare.com) and their dedicated caregivers who took wonderful care of Skip for over two years.

Marcus Richard "Dick passed away peacefully on March 12, 2013 in Stuart, FL at the age of 77 after a two-decade battle against Parkinson's disease.  

Born in Albany, he was descended from early Dutch settlers in the upstate area, a proud distinction that inspired his lifelong love of New York State history. Before moving to Florida in 2001, he donated much of his extensive book collection to the 1700s-era Mabee Farm Historic Site in Rotterdam Village, the oldest standing home in the Mohawk Valley.  His many interests included music, travel and fishing, particularly in Ontario's Temagami region.  He is survived by his loving wife Johanna; his son Marcus Jacob "Jake"; his sister Nancy Mabee (Roger) Flagg; and a niece and three nephews.

Contributions may be made in his memory to the Parkinson's Resource Organization, 74-090 El Paseo, Suite 104, Palm Desert, CA 92260   Phone: 760-773-5628.

Mark Paul Moorman, age 70, passed peacefully at his home in Granada Hills, California on Thursday, August 7, 2014.

Born July, 1, 1944, in Glendale, California, Mark spent most of his life in Northridge, California.  He worked for the city of Los Angeles for 31 years and as an assistant baseball coach at Pierce College for 27 years.  Mark dedicated thousands of hours to the community as an umpire and referee.  However, his favorite job was working the chain crew during the LA Raiders' games for 13 years.

He is survived by his mother Joy Moorman, his wife Carol Moorman, the love of his life for 51 years, his three children Casey (Victoria) Moorman of Canyon Lake, CA, David (Amy) Moorman of Thousand Oaks, CA and Nicole (Nathan) Rovey of Parker, AZ. He is also survived by his seven grandchildren Ashley, Jesse, Jenni, Elizabeth, Richard, Amanda, and Emilia.

Mark was preceded in death by his father Richard Moorman, identical twin Monty Moorman, and youngest brother Rick Moorman.

Services will be held from 11:00 - 2:00 on Monday, August 18th, at Calvary Community Church 5495 Via Rocas, Westlake Village.  Relatives and friends are welcome at the service and the reception immediately following at the same venue.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to:  Parkinson's Resource Organization, 74-478 Highway 111 No. 102, Palm Desert CA 92260