Person Page 4,823

The Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, Ohio; Wednesday, 13 MAY 1896, p.1 (Newspapers.com):

Frisco's Pet Dude Married.

SAN FRANCISCO, May 13. -- Walter Scott Hobart, the young mining millionaire and famous horseman, was married last night to Miss Hannah Neil Williams, daughter of Pay Director W.W. Williams, U.S.N., and niece of Brig.-Gen. G. W. Forsyth, U.S.A., commandant of the department of California. The ceremony took place in the suburban town of San Rafael.

NOTE: Walter remarried to Flora Dean Magee in 1914.

Obituary -- Oakland Tribune, Oakland, California; Friday, 10 NOV 1933, p.22 (Newspapers.com):

W. S. HOBART SUCCUMBS TO HEART STROKE

Financier, Member of S.F. Pioneer Family, Expires Suddenly at San Mateo

SAN MATEO, Nov. 10. -- Walter S. Hobart, 60, millionaire peninsula clubman and financier, and heir to the vast mining properties of his father, the late W. S. Hobart, died of a heart stroke last night in his San Mateo home.

Hobart was a member of a family which has long been identified with the financial, social and sporting life of the Bay region.

He was born at the Hobart mansion, early San Francisco showplace before the fire, and educated at Harvard, and returned to California to complete his mining training.

He became widely-known in the field of sport, including horse racing, polo, and steeplechasing, as well as amateur automobile racing.

Late in the '90's he married Miss Hanna Williams of San Rafael. That marriage ended in divorce in 1913, and several years later he married Mrs. Flora Magee.

Upon the death of his father he inherited the family fortune, gained in the gold regions of Virginia City and the celebrated Utica mine. The Hobart Estate, of which the son was a stockholder, built the Hobart Building in San Francisco.

During recent years he had devoted his time to model dairies. He had one such on his estate, known as Hobart farm.

He leaves his widow, a son, Walter S. Hobart Jr., and two daughters, Mrs. W. W. Crocker and Mrs. Hanna Hobart Prince.

Private funeral services will be held tomorrow morning at 11 o'clock from the estate. Interment will be in Cypress Lawn Cemetery.

The Washington Post, Washington, District of Columbia; Tuesday, 14 MAR 1916, p.7 (Newspapers.com):

Mr. Charles Wheeler, polo player, pursuer of big game and member of society of Philadelphia, and Mrs. Hannah Neal (sic) Hobart, of San Francisco, Cal., who once was wife of Mr. Walter S. Hobart, were married in Santa Barbara, Cal., on February 24.

News of the wedding reached Philadelphia Saturday and caused surprise in society. No member of Mr. Wheeler's family was present at the ceremony, which was kept secret until Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler were many miles out on the Pacific. Mrs. Alexander S. Lilley, a sister of the bride; Mr. Wilberforce Williams, her brother, and Mr. Lilley, her brother-in-law, were the only witnesses of the marriage.

Mr. Wheeler is the son of Mrs. Charles Wheeler, of Pembroke, Bryn Mawr. He is a brother of Countess Pappenheim, who was Miss Mary Wheeler; of Mrs. Philip Wainman, whose husband, Capt Wainman, of the British army, was killed in action in France several months ago; of Mrs. George Thayer, of Mrs. Richard McCall Eliot and of Mrs. Henry Norris. He is a member of many clubs.

The bride is noted for her beauty, and was a favorite in English society. She and Mr. Hobart were divorced three years ago. She has four (sic) children.

NOTE: No children to this marriage.

Obituary -- Tulare Advance-Register, Tulare, California; Monday, 27 SEP 1937, p.5 (Newspapers.com):

W.H. CROCKER, LAST OF RAIL BARONS, DIES

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 25

(UP) -- William H. Crocker, 76, last of the sons of the great western railroad barons who developed the west, died here tonight.

He had been in ill health for some years and recently had turned over management of his banking interests to his son.

The "big four" of the Southern Pacific railroad were Collis P. Huntington, Mark Hopkins, Leland Stanford, and Crocker.

The railroad and Nevada silver mines were the basis of the Crocker fortune, one of the largest in the west.

He was born in Sacramento, Jan. 13, 1861, the son of Mary Ann Deming Crocker and Charles Crocker. He was graduated from Sheffield Scientific School, Yale, in 1882.

A Republican national committeeman for many years, Crocker was a close friend of Presidents Herbert Hoover, Calvin Coolidge, Warren Harding and William H. Taft. His philanthropies extended to many fields and amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

He married Ethel W. Sperry of Stockton, who died in 1934. They lived in a Hillsborough mansion of 67 rooms on a 522-acre "lot" throughout their married life.

Crocker is survived by four children, William W. Crocker, Mrs. Henry Russell Potter, Ethel Mary, who is now the Countess Andre de Limur, in Paris, and Charles Crocker.

Mr. Crocker celebrated his 70th birthday January 13 which was attended by a number of old friends.

Obituary -- (Findagrave.com):

CAROLINE E. SPERRY'S TESTAMENT IS FILED

Leaves Bulk of Large Estate to Her Immediate Relatives.

The will of the late Caroline E. Sperry, who left an estate valued at about $200,000, Inherited by her at the death of her husband, Simon W. Sperry. the pioneer flour manufacturer, was filed for probate yesterday. Ethel W. Crocker and George B. Sperry, children, and William H. Crocker, son-in-law of the deceased, are named as , executrix and executors of the testament. ' To George B. Sperry the testatrix devised one-half of the lots held by her in the Sperrjr Addition of Stockton, all of the lands held by her in Fresno and her shares in the Farmers' and Merchants' Bank of Stockton. To Georgea M. Sperry, wife of George B. Sperry, and Ethel W. Crocker is devised 400 shares in the Sperry Flour Company, in trust for the benefit ol Georgea M. Sperry during her lifetime, at the termination of which the shares are' to be divided among her children. To Elizabeth G., daughter of George B. Sperry, the four children of James I Sperry, and Austin TV. Sperry, a grand son, is left 100 shares each in the Sperry Flour Company: to Ethel W.. wife of William H. Crocker, five bonds of the West Side Flume and Lumber Company, and to her four children $1500 each. In. trust for the benefit. of Elizabeth Poniatowski, a daughter, wife of Prince Poniatowski, is devised 920 shares in the Sperry Flour Company, the same to be divided among her children upon her death. To Princess Poniatowski is also devlsed one-half the lots held by the testatrix In the Sperry Addition of Stockton. Bequests of $500 each are made to St. John's Episcopal Protestant Church of Stockton and the Protestant Episcopal Church at Montecito. The residue of the estate is divided in equal shares to the children of the deceased, George B. Sperry, Ethel W. Crocker and Princess Poniatowski

San Francisco Call, Volume 98, Number 158, 5 November 1905.

Obituary -- Globe-Gazette, Mason City, Iowa; Saturday, 2 DEC 2018, p.A8 (Newspapers.com):

MASON CITY -- Joy M. Drennen, 75, of Mason City passed away Friday, November 23, 2018, at Mercy Medical Center - North Iowa in Mason City. Online condolences may be held for the family at www.majorericksonfuneralhome.com.

Joy Marie Drennen was born to Venzo Francis Drennen and Agnes Grace (Drennen) Radke on December 15, 1942 in New Market, Iowa. She passed away peacefully on November 23rd, 2018, just shy of her 76th birthday.

Joy was an excellent student and graduated early from Mason City High School, moving on to Iowa State Teachers College, now UNI, where she earned her degree.

She met Patrick Craig Boyd in Waterloo while working as a journalist for the Waterloo Courier. Her car broke down and Pat helped push it out of the way. They married six months later in June of 1965 and settled in Iowa Falls where she worked for Ellsworth College while Pat taught English at Iowa Falls High. Their first daughter, Jessica, was born in February of 1967 and was followed almost exactly two years later by Annie.

In 1972, the family moved to Berkeley, CA with Maisie the dog and Brister the Siamese cat. Joy worked for the University of California at Berkeley Extension, putting her writing abilities to good use applying for grants for community projects.

Joy returned to Mason City in the early 1990s and stayed to be close to her mother, Agnes.

Joy was an avid reader and enjoyed murder mysteries as well as historical fiction. She was also an accomplished journalist and continued writing for the Mason City Globe Gazette, publishing her last article shortly before her death.

In addition to writing, Joy loved her cats. She had several throughout her life and could tell you stories about each and every one -- from Jinx to Tammy to Brister, Kvetch and Sam. Her alst few cats were all loved but Junior was her favorite.

Joy was preceded in death by her father, Vanzo, mother Agnes, sister Mary Anne, step-father Leland, and ex-husband, Patrick. She is survived by her daughters Annie Boyd and Jessica Boyd and her granddaughter Kathleen Truskolaski, sisters Peggy Spore and Diane Drennen, as well as many friends here in Mason City. No services are planned. In lieu of flowers, please donate to an animal welfare charity of your choice.

Arrangements are with Major Erickson Funeral Home & Crematory, 111 N. Pennsylvania Avenue, Mason City, Iowa 50401, 641-423-0924, www.majorericksonfuneralhome.com.

Obituary -- (Findagrave.com):

Vanso Drennen, 71, of New Market died Monday, Dec 25, 1989, at the V.A. Hospital in Omaha, Ne, where he had been a patient since Dec 6.

He was born Oct 14, 1918 in Taylor County near Sharpsburg, the son of Vanso F. Drennen, Sr and Bertha Brown. He was a veteran of W.W. II. Vanso operated a trucking business.

Survivors include two step-sons Phillip Mattox of Sterling, Ill and Tony Silva of Kellog, Ia; three daughters, Joy Farmer of Roseberg, Or, Mrs Stan (Peggy) Alberckt of Hanover, Ill, and Mrs Randy (Diane) Newton of Ogden, Ia; a sister, Leta Radke of Clarinda; 14 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, an infant daughter, one brother and one sister.

Funeral services will be Friday, Dec 29, at 10:30 at the Walker-Merrick Funeral Home in Clarinda. Burial will be in Memory Cemetery at New Market. CLARINDA HERALD JOURNAL, Clarinda, Iowa, Dec 21, 1989.

Obituary -- (Findagrave.com):

Mason City – Agnes G. Radke, 97, of Mason City, died Saturday, July 13, 2013 at Mercy Medical Center North Iowa. Funeral Services will be held 10:00 A.M., Thursday, July 18, 2013 at First United Methodist Church-WAYside Chapel with Pastor Sean McRoberts officiating. Interment will be held in Old Memory Cemetery in New Market, Iowa. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the services on Thursday at the church. In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to the First United Methodist Church.

Agnes was born December 3, 1915 on a farm near Thayer, Kansas. Agnes was the eldest of four children born to Hugh E. and Grace (Qualls) Babcock. When Agnes was eight years old her family moved to Shambaugh, IA. She attended schools in Page County, Iowa and graduated from 8th grade from that county. In 1934 she graduated from New Market High School. She taught in rural schools for eight years, then in city schools for the rest of the 33 years she taught. She taught school in New Market, Villisca, Des Moines, Mason City and Nora Springs-Rock Falls schools. On July 14, 1940 she married Vanzo Drennen Jr., from this union two children were born, Joy Marie and Mary Ann. She was divorced from Vanzo in 1948. Agnes attended Maryville Missouri State Teachers College for two years. In January 1964 she went back to Drake University to finish her degree in Elementary Education, graduating June 1, 1964.

Agnes was an active member of the First United Methodist Church. She became a disciple with a class who studied with Rev. Akerson as their instructor. She was a communion steward for many years and an active member of We Serve God Missionary, church circle and the prayer choir. She was married to Leland Radke December 29, 1956, they had been high school classmates. Leland passed away February 28, 1981.

She was a member of Chautauqua Study Club, AAUW, American Assocation University Women and League of Women Voters, National Education Association, Retired Teachers of North Iowa and lifetime membership in Iowa State Education Association.

For over fifty years she enjoyed the game of golf. She also enjoyed playing bridge, writing, reading from good authors, tending and growing plants, sewing, tailoring for herself and family. She enjoyed the time she spent with her family and will be dearly missed by those who knew and loved her.

She is survived by her daughter, Joy Marie Drennen of Mason City; two granddaughters, Jessica Boyd and life partner, Steve Foreman of Forestville, CA and Annie Boyd of Davis, CA; one great-granddaughter, Katie Geary of Rohnert Park, CA.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Leland; ex-husband, Vanzo Drennen Jr.; daughter, Mary Ann Drennen; her parents; one sister, Dora, and two brothers, Robert and William.

Obituary -- The San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco, California; Wednesday, 24 SEP 1980, p.25 (Newspapers.com):

Josephine P. Burgess

Josephine Parrott Burgess, whose grandfather paid $300 for a cow pasture that now is the site of the downtown Emporium, has died in San Mateo, one of the last of the old families that made California history.

Mrs. Burgess, who died last Sunday at 89, was born in San Francisco, daughter of John Parrott and Mary Donohoe. Her grandfather, also John Parrott, was a onetime (1832-47) U.S. consul at Mazatlan, Mexico, who started buying property here in 1847, built The City's first fireproof office building at Montgomery and California streets, and in 1861 became one of California's largest landowners when he acquired an interest in the 17,000 acre Llano Seco Mexican land grant in what now is Butte Conty (sic).

Mrs. Burgess came in for some public attention in 1912 when she and a sister took up the racing of automobiles (no common pastime in those days) and as a result were packed off to Europe by their grandmother. A few years later Mrs. Burgess made history of her own when she was admitted to Navy service with the rating yeoman first class, one of the first women to join the American armed forces in World War I.

Mrs. Burgess was married twice, and leaves a son, John Redington of San Francisco, and a daughter, Ann Redington Franco of Maine, by her first husband, Laurance Redington, who died here in 1937, and seven grandchildren. A Mass was scheduled today in Old St. Matthew's Catholic Church in San Mateo.