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Obituaries

Pauline Diaz

Pauline Diaz, a resident of Menlo Park since 1948, died Dec. 23 after an eight-week battle with brain cancer. She was 84.

Born in Spain in 1927, Ms. Diaz came to California in 1948 to be reunited with her parents and three oldest brothers. Upon arriving, she worked as a nanny and a seamstress. In 1956 she returned to Spain to marry her childhood sweetheart, Jose Diaz.

The couple raised their two children on Valparaiso Avenue in Menlo Park. In 2006, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in the same church in Spain where they were married. The celebrant was Msgr. John Rodriguez of their Menlo Park parish, St. Denis Church. Ms. Diaz was a member of the Italian Catholic Federation and a longtime member of St. Denis.

She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Jose; children Irene Oncley of Long Beach and Peter Diaz of Redwood City; brothers Mariano Dias and Ben Dias, both of Gilroy; and two grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her brothers, Tony and Pete Dias.

Services have been held. Donations may be made to Pathways Hospice Foundation, 585 N. Mary Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94085, 408-730-1200, www.pathwayshealth.org.

Jean M. Denny

Jean M. Denny of Menlo Park, who with her late husband Frank, founded the Frank Denny Plumbing Company in Redwood City in 1957, died Dec. 30 due to complications from lung cancer. She was 86.

Ms. Denny was born in Dodge City, Kansas. She lived in different cities in the Southwest during her childhood. She moved to Ashland, Oregon, in her junior high school years, then to Southern California, where she attended Belmont High School and the University of Southern California.

In 1947 she met her future husband, Frank, whom she married on April 17, 1948. Mr. Denny died in 1976.

Ms. Denny worked for more than 50 years in the company she and her husband founded. The couple's four sons are still all actively involved in the business.

An active member of the Assistance League of San Mateo County, Ms. Denny enjoyed reading, travel, and gardening, family members said.

She is survived by her four sons, Jock, Scott, Todd and Kyle; and eight grandchildren.

Gary Lynn Strawther

Gary Lynn Strawther, a Menlo-Atherton High School graduate who remained active in Menlo Park community athletics, died Dec. 17, a week after his 64th birthday.

A Redwood City resident, Mr. Strawther worked in the construction field.

Mr. Strawther played for some of the early Menlo Park Little League and Pop Warner teams, according to his family. At M-A, he ran track and played basketball. For years, he was a fixture at the Burgess Park gym's pickup basketball games and local recreation league basketball and softball games, his family said.

He is survived by three brothers, Charles, Bob, and Larry.

Go to tinyurl.com/Strawther-157 for more information or to leave a remembrance on the Almanac's Lasting Memories website.