The Memorial Wall

Mulhollam, John, 81, who suffered from Parkinson’s for a number of years, passed away on Feb. 3, 2013, in Fullerton, CA. John was born in Spring Valley, Wisconsin on 10/31/31. He was in the Air Force during the Korean War, followed by a career as a linotype operator. John worked for the Fullerton Daily News Tribune for 35 years. He also worked for the Placentia Courier for 11 of those years. John was preceded in death by his parents, Victor and Freda Mulhollam, twin daughters, Mary and Theresa, and granddaughter, Candice. He is survived by his wife of 61 years and the love of his life, Beverly; daughter, Diane Collins (John); daughter, Lori Kaden (Mike); daughter, Patricia Larson (Greg); son, David Mulhollam (April); grandchildren, Michael (Melinda), Heather, Nicole (Klint), Jeffrey, Sean, Rachael, Ashley, Carla (Dennis); great-grandchildren, Caleb and Simone; brothers, Hugh, Edgar, Gail (Sandra), and many other extended family members. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to Parkinson’s Resource Organization (74-478 Highway 111, Suite 102, Palm Desert, CA 92260). 

Bill Estabrooks, a former Nova Scotia MLA and cabinet minister, is being remembered as a political titan who was unabashedly himself, cared deeply about his community and always put Nova Scotians first.

His daughter, Trisha Estabrooks, told CBC News her father died Tuesday evening in Edmonton, where he spent his final years. He was 76.

Bill Estabrooks was a member of the Nova Scotia NDP, representing the riding of Timberlea-Prospect for 15 years.

A former teacher and school administrator, Estabrooks served as a minister for numerous departments including energy and transportation under the only NDP government in Nova Scotia's history.

He was also known as an avid Boston Bruins fan, often donning the team's attire on the floor of the legislature.

Estabrooks, who was born in Sackville, N.B., developed Parkinson's disease and retired from provincial politics in 2013.

But he didn't go easily, telling CBC News at the time that he loved his job.

"I have 500 clean, polished election signs in my basement, and if my health was ready, I would go again in a minute, but I just can't go," he said through tears in May 2012, when he announced he would not reoffer.

"It's tough you know. I'll miss it."

On Thursday, condolences were pouring in from former colleagues, politicians and community members.

Liberal MLA and former premier Iain Rankin described Estabrooks as a political titan and mentor.

Rankin now represents the riding of Timberlea-Prospect and sought guidance from Estabrooks when he first decided to run for office.

"It was good advice he gave me. He said, 'Remember, the people actually vote for you — your name on the ballot — and never lose sight that it's the people's seat. It's not an NDP seat, it's not a Liberal seat. This is the people's seat,'" said Rankin.

"He was a constituency-first MLA and I think that is important."

Rankin said Estabrooks had the ability to connect with people from all walks of life, insisting that people refer to him as "Bill" and often donning a T-shirt during his time at the legislature that read "Call Me Bill."

"I think a lot of politicians should really look at Bill's career and how he did put people first, always, and no matter what the issue was," said Rankin. 

"Our real job is to help people, especially those that need it the most, and Bill really understood that."

Trisha Estabrooks said her family has been overwhelmed by the messages of love and support, including from former students he taught more than three decades ago.

"I knew he was a special guy growing up and obviously as I became an adult, I could feel that and see that," said Trisha Estabrooks in a phone interview from Edmonton.

"He believed in people and that's what made him an amazing teacher and mentor and coach. He overwhelmingly always saw the good in people."

She said her father moved to Edmonton from Nova Scotia five years ago to live in a care home and be closer to family, including his two grandchildren, 16-year-old Ella and 12-year-old Will.

One of the first things he put up in his room: a laminated copy of the front page of the Boston Globe showing himself with his false teeth in a mug of beer, a longtime Stanley Cup playoff tradition of his.

"As much as I tried to get him to be an [Edmonton] Oilers fan, no way in hell was that going to happen," she quipped.

Trisha Estabrooks recalled when her father first won a seat in the legislature after two failed attempts. Donning a Bruins jersey, he walked confidently into a hotel crowded with hundreds of NDP supporters.

Sweeney, John Michael U.S. Marine, former Chief Executive Officer of the Twin Cities Newspaper Guild, St. Paul Pioneer Press reporter and editor, died June 1st, 2024 at the Minneapolis Veterans Home. He passed away from complications of Ataxia and Parkinson's disease, of which he willfully fought until his last breath, at the age of 80. Mike, Sweeney, Sweenah, Dad and Paca, as known by family and friends, was born on April 10th, 1944. He was the first and only baby born at the Camp Lockett Army Base in Campo, California. His family made their way from California to Montana and eventually to Hopkins, Minnesota where he was raised as the eldest of five brothers and two sisters. He attended Most Holy Trinity Elementary School and Benilde High School where he developed life-long friendships. He then joined the United States Marine Corps and served as a combat correspondent in the Vietnam War. Upon his return from Vietnam, he was recognized by the State of Minnesota with a Distinguished Journalist award for his reporting of the war. He refused to attend the ceremony due to his strong opposition to the continued U.S. presence in Vietnam. After completing his journalism degree at the University of Minnesota, he spent time honing his writing skills at the Fairmont Sentinel and the Associated Press in Bismarck, ND. He returned to the Twin Cities to work at the Pioneer Press where he spent the next 22 years as a journalist, editor, and newspaper guild steward. His specialty was covering crime and the court system. He went on to become the Chief Executive Officer of the Twin Cities Newspaper Guild until his retirement in 2006. In retirement, Mike partnered with his close friend and renowned novelist John Camp to write a book loosely based on a story he wrote years prior for the Pioneer Press. The novel "Bad Blood" went on to win a Thriller Writers Award. Outside of his professional passion, he enjoyed camping with his children and friends in the Boundary Waters, photographing loved ones, running marathons, studying and achieving a TaeKwonDo Brown belt, golfing, skiing and reading an endless number of books, and of course, the newspaper. One of his favorite traditions was attending family reunions in Billings, Montana. He was a colleague, an editor, a mentor and a friend to many journalists worldwide who were influenced by his unwavering commitment to journalism and adherence to the principles of simplicity, objectivity and truth. The greatest joy of his life was spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren. They called him "Paca," dubbed by his first granddaughter when she couldn't pronounce grandpa. He spent his free time taking them to the park, movies, museums and on road trips. He was proud of the young adults the first four had become and anxious to see who the last two would become. His family knew him as the fiercely intelligent and sometimes stubborn brother with a dry sense of humor, passion for current events, and unconditional love for his family. Mike is preceded in death by his mother and father John and Marian Sweeney. He is survived by his wife Angeles, his children Kathleen, Carlo and Michael, daughters-in-law Tanya and Jacquie, grandchildren Fiona, Lauren, Gustavo, Kate, Sebastian and Julian, siblings Bill, Mary Ann (Jack), Kathleen (John), Joe (Wendy), Tom (Carla) and Terry (Barb), numerous nieces and nephews and countless lifelong friends. He will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him. 

Claude Michel Steiner PhD, Clinical Psychologist, was born a Jew in Paris France, January 6th 1935. He died, on January 9 th 2017, in comfort and with dignity, on the shore of Pennyroyal Lake on his Round Mountain Ranch in Ukiah California, surrounded by family and nature’s beauty. For over a decade he struggled with the subtle and brutally relentless disability from Parkinson’s disease. His final words before peacefully dying were “Love is the Answer” and “I’m so lucky”. He is the author of the Warm Fuzzy Tale and Achieving Emotional Literacy among numerous other books. These two books embody his theories of emotional intelligence, about which he lectured and gave workshops around the world. He is survived by his children, Noemi Mimi Doohan, Eric Steiner and Denali Nicholson Lumma; his wife Jude Steiner Hall; his grandchildren Matthew Doohan, Bella Doohan, Alex Steiner, Mariel Steiner, Adric Lumma and Dylan Lumma; his siblings Miguel Steiner and Kati Quibell; and his nieces Allyson Quibell Wilinsky, Valeska Steiner, Cecilia Steiner and nephew Julian Quibell. 

JAMES (Cal) CALLENDER HEMINWAY JR. April 28, 1936 – June 1, 2024, Cal died at 88 on a glorious June day. He had rototilled his garden, planted more dahlias, declared he was mad to be dying, gave thanks and our beloved curmudgeon moved on. The youngest of James Callender Heminway, Sr. and Helen Greene Heminway’s three children, Cal was born in Mount Kisco, New York and spent his childhood in Chappaqua, NY. He was predeceased by his sister, Anne Heminway Botto and he is survived by his brother, Richard Merritt Heminway, of Olympia, Washington. Cal’s commitment to Granby and family started when he and, wife, Sue, moved to town in 1960. They raised their four children – Sarah (Earl Semmelrock) of Pomfret, Deborah (Tom Sherer) of Old Lyme, Seth (Julie Fry) of Leverett, MA and Bill (Elizabeth Dyer) of Shoreham, VT. Cal was an attentive father and grandfather to his 10 grandchildren – Cody, Sothea and Seth Semmelrock; Andrew and Will Sherer; Colter and Selwyn Heminway; and Polly, Owen and Eliot Heminway. For many years, Cal cared for Sue until her death from Parkinson’s Disease in 2020. After graduating from Hotchkiss, Cal earned his BA from Yale, proudly served in the U.S. Navy, and enjoyed the domestic and international challenges as an IBM executive. Upon retirement, he pursued his Masters in Public Administration at the University of Hartford and then enjoyed another 20 years as a financial advisor. Cal valued public education and dedicated 32 years to the Granby Board of Education (1981-2013) serving as chair for over 10. Cal was an incorporator and treasurer of the Granby Education Foundation and was instrumental in the creation of the Salmon Brook Ecology Center. Cal served as Granby’s education representative to the statewide quality and diversity forums (mid-1990s), Treasurer and Chair of the Capital Region Education Council, Vice Chair of the Connecticut Commission for Education Technology, Vice Chair of the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC), President of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE), and was an incorporator and board member of the Connecticut Teacher of the Year Council. He also served as trustee and treasurer for Westover School (Middlebury, CT) and Marvelwood School (Kent, CT). In 1963, Cal joined the nascent Granby Volunteer Ambulance Association where he was a driver and EMT for twenty years and served on the board for many of those years. As president, he was instrumental in building the Ambulance Barn. As he served without discussion, this Granby volunteer list is incomplete: the Historical Society, Land Trust, Stony Hill Village and many roles over the decades at the First Congregational Church of Granby. A life-long student of history, he read voraciously, and debated thoughtfully, especially over a glass of fine red wine. With love and respect, Cal tended his gardens, split firewood, crafted furniture, traveled ,and gathered regularly with his bridge group. A devoted family man and public servant, his energy was boundless even in his later years as he fought pulmonary fibrosis.