All Obituaries

David Thomas was born December 11, 1933 in Colquitt, Georgia.  He passed away July 6, 2019 in Merced, California. At the age of 6, his family moved to Fort Pierce, Florida where he attended Lincoln Park Academy. His time playing on the high school football team started a lifelong love of sports to include football, basketball, tennis, golf and fishing. David especially enjoyed fishing and was a master at catfish. He shared much of his catch with family and friends.  He was so good...

Philip O. Wilson. August 13, 1932 -  July 3, 2019. Phil Wilson was born at home in Tulare California on August 13, 1932 to Louisa Katherine Sinwell Wilson and Harold Edward Wilson. He attended schools in Tulare, Visalia, Hanford, Porterville, and graduated from Porterville High School in 1950. Phil always said he had the ideal childhood growing up in small towns during World War II, riding his bicycle everywhere, going to the plunge every day in the summer, and playing tennis on school...

Peter Sapien was born on February 19, 1940 in Livingston California to Pedro and Mercedes Sapien.  He passed away at home on June 28, 2019.  Peter was active in the boy scouts as a youngster and had his own shoe shine business in is father’s La Fuente bar.  He attended school in Livingston and graduated from Livingston High School in 1958.  Peter participated in football in high school.  Peter worked for the Employment Development Department in Merced and was...

Joe (Teco) Hernandez  passed away on June 19, 2019 in Merced. He was born in El Paso, Texas. He was a foreman for Stribling Nursery for 45 years. He loved the Dodgers and Dallas Cowboys. He enjoyed fishing and working in his garden. He is survived by his wife Irene and son Tommy (Beattle) girlfriend, Wendy and daughters. Teresa Klompenberg, Marie Peterson, Vickie Spitzer, Kathy Martinez, Rosemary Flores and Mary Hernandez and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren and...

Janet Marie Choma-Boyle (de Ayora) Janet was born in Cleveland, Ohio on September 28, 1950. She passed away peacefully after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer on June 14, 2019. Jan was a wife, mother, daughter, sister, grandma and an active member of her church community. Janet graduated from Miami of Ohio University Cum Laude (Phi Beta Kappa) with a French major. She earned a Master’s in English with an emphasis in Teaching of Composition from California State University,...

ROY “UNCLE ROY” RAYA 09/27/1932 - 06/13/2019 Roy Raya was born in Merced, California on September 27, 1932 to parents, Hilario and Rafaela Raya. He passed away on June 13, 2019 in Atwater, California at the age of 86. Roy enlisted in the United States Army receiving an honorable discharge. He worked as a Housekeeper for 25 years at the Merced County Hospital in Merced. Roy enjoyed gardening, listening to music and driving his truck to visit family and friends. He is survived by...

Our mother, Audrey Jacqueline Macha, was born on May 27, 1931 to Clarence and Adelaide Hargraves in Santa Cruz, CA. After meeting and marring our father on Sept. 1, 1951, she became wife and mother of three children, Robert, Stephen, and Lynette.   Mom was very artistic and creative. Mom made beautiful flower arrangements, oil and watercolor paintings, winning her many blue ribbons at the County Fairs. Mom had an unshakeable faith in God. As a fully devoted Jehovah's Witness, she...