John D. Guastavino
Feb. 4, 1916 – Jan. 31, 2015

LAKEPORT, Calif. – John Dominic Guastavino, 98, a World War II veteran who was a co-founder and popular member of Lake County's Sons of Italy, passed away Jan. 31, 2015, at Sutter Lakeside Hospital after a short illness, four days short of his 99th birthday.

Born in Colma, Calif., Guastavino moved to Lakeport in 1977, enjoying a long retirement as an active local citizen. 

Having grown up working on his family's vegetable and nursery businesses in the Colma area south of San Francisco, he was known for his gardening expertise that produced abundant vegetables and fruits in his backyard. 

He frequently fished on Clear Lake and other Northern California fishing spots.

A highly social man, he also enjoyed spending time with family and friends, dancing, listening to music, making wine, cooking, playing cards and bowling.

Guastavino took a break from his family's nursery business in August 1941 to join the U.S. Army prior to the start of World War II and developed a lifetime love for cooking as a mess hall sergeant while serving in England during the war. He also saw duty during the war as a physical therapist, helping wounded soldiers recover.

After the family business was sold, he worked as a school custodian in Milbrae for 15 years until retiring and moving to Lakeport.

In addition to the Sons of Italy Chapter 2537 of which he formerly served as president, Guastavino was a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 7611 of Lakeport, St. Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Lakeport, VFW Post 2015 of Lakeport, and the California Retired Public Employees Association.

He is survived by his son, Bob Guastavino of Sunnyvale; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

He also leaves 10 stepchildren, Donald Hansen of Anaheim, Anne Marie Gabri of West Sacramento, Cathy Chand of Sacramento, David Hansen of Groveland, Lori Hansen of Sonoma, Jeanette Anderson of Colorado Springs, Vincent Hansen of Haines, Alaska, Barbara Edwards of Nice, Thomas Hansen of Upper Lake and Patrick Hansen of Juneau, Alaska, along with many step-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Ambrogio and Josephine (Bruzzoni) Guastavino; first wife, Rose (Craviotto); and second wife, Mary Anne Guastavino (Hansen-Nunes).

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m., followed by the Rosary, on Friday, Feb. 6, at Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 1625 N. High St. in Lakeport.

Funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, followed by interment at Upper Lake Cemetery.

For further information call Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary at 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Victor L. Linderman, a native of Wichita, Kansas, died at his home in Clearlake Oaks on Monday, December 22, 2014, at the age of 67.

He had been a resident of Clearlake Oaks for the last 35 years.

Victor loved his Chevy trucks, his dog Angel and country music, especially Hank Williams Jr. He had worked for PG&E as a mechanic for many years and also had been in the construction business for several years.

Victor is survived by his wife of eight years, Nancy Linderman; sister-in-law, Jackie Melin; and brother-in-law, Rick Melin.

He was preceded in death by his step-daughter, Christina Rae Ross.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, Jan. 31, beginning at 2 p.m. at Nylander Park in Clearlake Oaks located behind Red and White Market.

Arrangements under the care of Jones & Lewis Clear Lake Memorial Chapel in Lower Lake.

Please share your memories of Victor by signing his online guest book at www.jonesandlewis.com .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Friar Leo Marie Joseph O.S.F. (Leo Joseph Brown) was born in Brooklyn, New York on May 21, 1947, the second son of Joseph Francis Brown and Marie Agnes Theisen.

He grew up in Floral Park, NY, on the edge of New York City. After high school he worked in the city for the church supply firm J. M. Hall and then C.M. Almy as an ecclesiastical designer.

Following the death of his mother in December 1970, he entered a Mariavite Old Catholic Franciscan religious order in New York City and received the Franciscan habit on December 3, 1972, and was henceforth known by his name in religion, Leo Marie Joseph.

After studying for the priesthood within the facilities of the order in New York and Montreal, Canada, Fr. Leo was ordained priest in Montreal by The Most Reverend Thomas J. Fehervary, the Mariavite Old Catholic bishop of Budapest, living in exile in Montreal.

While continuing his design work, Fr. Leo served as a priest at The Church of the Beloved Disciple, the parish of the order in New York City, and was very active in the beginning gay and lesbian rights movement.

In 1979 he relocated to San Francisco and after several months on a teaching project in Nigeria, Fr. Leo began working with elderly shut-ins under the auspices of a Syro-Chaldean monastic community. At this time he studied the theological and liturgical traditions of that branch of Christianity.

As the AIDS epidemic emerged in the early 1980s he began ministering to the dying and their families in San Francisco.

In 1985 Fr. Leo arranged the purchase of property in Kelseyville that would become Little Portion Hermitage. At the end of 1989 he and two lay brothers were able to relocate to the property, where Fr. Leo designed and built the Oratory of Saint Georges on the property.

Fr. Leo made his first formal contact with St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lakeport, Calif., in June 1990. This led to his being received into The Episcopal Church, as a life professed religious in 1995 and then as a priest in 1997, by The Rt. Rev. Jerry A. Lamb, bishop of the Diocese of Northern California.

From then on he served with the regional missioner, The Rev. Harry Allagree, as associate priest at St. John’s and at Holy Trinity, Ukiah.

In January 2004 Fr. Leo was asked to be interim pastor of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Fort Bragg where he oversaw the construction of a new educational building and the renovation of the parish hall and kitchen.

From Fort Bragg he was called to serve as interim pastor of Christ Church, Eureka, and the Mission of Saints Martha and Mary, Trinidad, in February, 2006. There he oversaw the renovation of the children's chapel and guided the complete rebuilding of the church interior in preparation for the installation of a new pipe organ, designing many of the details himself.

Fr. Leo returned to his beloved Hermitage in September 2008 and resumed serving St. John's until he was officially appointed as priest in charge in November 2009 by The Rt. Rev. Barry Beisner, bishop of the Diocese of Northern California.

A year later he was unfortunately diagnosed with neuro-endocrine cancer, but continued to minister at his beloved St. John’s until his retirement on Oct. 26, 2014.

Fr. Leo died at the Hermitage on Jan. 23, 2015.

Fr. Leo nurtured his love of art, architecture, history and good food by his extensive travels in Europe where he sustained many close friendships.

He maintained close ties with the Old Catholic Church in the Netherlands and made two pilgrimages to Assisi, the city of St. Francis, and to Plock, Poland, the location of the original Mariavite monastery.

In his last months Fr. Leo was lovingly cared for by the team of Hospice of Lake County and many dear friends, especially his assistant, Roland Simpson and Mischa Workman.

He is survived by his two brothers, Paul Valentine Brown of Brooklyn, New York, and James Michael Brown of Hartford, Conn.

A memorial service to be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, at St. John's Episcopal Church, 1190 N. Forbes St. in Lakeport.

A reception will follow in the Parish Hall and Committal of the Ashes afterwards at Little Portion Hermitage, 9233 Highway 175, Kelseyville, CA 95451.

It is requested that donations in Fr. Leo’s memory be made to St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lakeport Calif.

Dr. William H Cornelison
April 18, 1936 – Jan. 29, 2015

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – William (Bill) Hedrick Cornelison, age 78, of Lake County, went to be with the Lord on Jan. 29, 2015, after a sudden but brief illness.

He passed away at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and was surrounded by his family.

Bill was born in San Bernardino, Calif., on April 18, 1936, and was the only child of the late Jarrett Menifee and Ida Alice Cornelison.

Bill is survived by his wife of 37 years, Denise; daughter, Kristi Williams and her husband, Neil; daughter, Kari Diener and her husband, Bill; son, Jon Cornelison and his wife, Heather; son, John Dodson; and grandchildren, Sophia Williams, Jarrett Cornelison, Andrew Cornelison, Joshua Cornelison and Reed Diener.

Bill was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather, affectionately called “Papa Bill” by his grandchildren.

Bill graduated from San Bernardino High School class of 1954 and attended the University of San Diego, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.

He finished his Masters of Education in 1967 and went on to complete a Ph.D. in educational leadership and human behavior from U.S. International University in San Diego in 1970.

Bill arrived in Lake County in 1979 when he was hired as superintendent of the Middletown Unified School District, as a result of his prior service as a teacher at several schools in California and principal of Vacaville High School in Vacaville, Calif.

He moved on to Konocti Unified School District where he was superintendent from 1986 to 1994. He was then elected as Lake County Superintendent of Schools in 1994 and served three consecutive terms, retiring in 2006.

He made numerous improvements to the schools of Lake County, and expanded a wide range of programs which increased opportunities for Lake County's children.

Additionally, he was an adjunct professor at the Yuba College Clear Lake Campus, where he passionately taught history classes, served as a Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accreditation team member, and provided dedicated leadership in helping better school facilities in California through his work with the Coalition for Adequate School Housing.

He was a long-time Rotarian, including a stint as president, and sat on the boards of North Coast Opportunities, the Lake County Community Action Council, Mt. Diablo Silverado Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and the Sonoma-Mendocino-Lake United Way.

He was active with the Diocese of Santa Rosa and a member of the Queen of Peace Catholic Church.

Like his work in schools, his volunteer work contributed vastly to the quality of life in Lake County.

He was friend to many, great humanitarian and genuinely helped the Lake County community.

He will be missed by this community and will forever be loved by his family.

A family night/visitation will be Tuesday, Feb. 3, at Jones & Lewis Clear Lake Memorial Chapel, 16140 Main St. in Lower Lake.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, Feb. 4, at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 14435 Uhl Ave. in Clearlake.

A private burial will take place at Hartley Cemetery in Lakeport.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to either Lake Family Resource Center, which can be sent to 5350 Main St., Kelseyville, CA 95451 or made online at http://www.lakefrc.org/support-us ; or Clearlake Rotary Club Scholarship Committee, which can be sent to P.O. Box 549, Clearlake, CA 95422.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – William Martin Jr. passed away peacefully on January 27, 2015.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Ernestine; and his siblings, Paul Martin and Virgie Wooten.

A memorial service will be held a the Lakeport Seventh Day Adventist Church at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31.

Cremation Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Crematory.

For further information contact Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary at 707-263-0357 or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – George John Thompson, born on Flag Day June 14, 1930, in White Plains, NY, entered into rest in Clearlake on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at the age of 84.

George was a 1st Vice Commander of Konocti Post 437 The American Legion, Past Commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2337, 40 & 8 Voiture 912 of Lake County and belonged to an Air Force Retiree group.

George served his country and retired from the United States Air Force as a Senior Master Sergeant being awarded the National Defense Service Medal with one Bronze Service Star, Air Force Longevity Service Award with four Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards with two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, SO GB-260, Desert Air Force, Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, SMAMA,  Air Force Good Conduct Medal and the Air Force Medals.

He was very active in the veteran service organizations and involved with the Lake County Vet Connect along with being a teacher at the library’s Literacy Program.

George is survived by his nephews, Harold Schaefer of Brewster, New York, and Frank Fernandez of New Fairfield, Conn.; a niece, Judy Lyons of Brookfield, Conn.; along with many friends in Lake County.

Friends are invited to attend funeral services on Wednesday, Jan. 28, beginning at noon at Jones & Lewis Clear Lake Memorial Chapel in Lower Lake.

Interment will follow at the Lower Lake Cemetery under the auspices of the US Air Force and the Lake County Funeral Honors Team.

Please share your memories of George by signing his online guestbook at www.jonesandlewis.com and www.legacy.com .

Arrangements under the care of Jones & Lewis Clear Lake Memorial Chapel.