Richard Ray Biri
Richard Ray ‘Dick’ Biri passed peacefully in his home, on Dec. 12, 2019, after a short battle with ALS. Dick was born on March 8, 1938, in Kaskaskia, Illinois, an island in the Mississippi River, home to the nearest hospital to Perryville, Missouri. Dick would spend the next 18 years in Perryville attending local schools.
After high school, he followed his future wife and her parents to southern California, where he went to work for Sargent Industries, a machine tool manufacturing company that provided parts to the aircraft and oil field industries. He progressed through the ranks at Sargent and spent several years as sales manager of the oil well equipment division. He then took a job as manager of an oil well tool company, Jet Bailer, for ten years.
During this time, Dick and his second wife, Beverly, visited family in Quincy and decided they would like to move here someday. In 1991, they made that move. Dick partnered with his nephew, Ken Muir, and started Dickens Drilling, which they successfully operated until 2017.
Dick will be remembered for his playful sense of humor, upbeat personality and love for hot rods.
He leaves behind his wife of 45 years, Beverly; sons, Mark, Dean and Shon; six grandchildren, Calvin, Gina, Shevon, Melissa, Sky and Cassedy. He had two great-grandchildren, Regan and Christopher.
Dick was very grateful for the help and support of the ALS foundation and asked that any donations should be made to them in his name.
With his sense of humor still intact Dick made a last request: “I want to be cremated but on low heat please.” There will be a celebration of his life in the spring.
Cole Emmett Comstock
With great sadness we share that Cole Emmett Comstock tragically passed away in a skiing accident on Jan. 17, 2020. He was an incredibly loving husband, son, brother, nephew, cousin and friend. Cole was born Sept. 17, 1985, in Roseburg, Oregon. He grew up in Quincy and graduated from Quincy High School in 2004. Home was in the mountains of Blairsden with his wife.
He was a beautiful soul, a true angel with a heart of gold. His huge hugs were infectious and he always wore the biggest smile. Strangers became friends instantly. He was an adventurous free spirit who lived life to the fullest with authenticity and vulnerability. He was thoughtful, courageous, hard working and generous. He found the light in the darkest of situations. Cole loved others without hesitation; he inspired kindness, gratitude and hope through his essence and will be deeply missed.
Cole is survived by his wife, Caitlin Comstock; his mother Rose Comstock, of Graeagle; father, Melvin Comstock, of Roseburg, Oregon; mother-in-law, Kathy Raymond, of Clio; his sisters, Stephanie and Thane Pilkington, Amanda Moore, Anna Comstock; brother, Cameron Comstock and sister-in- law, Laura Raymond; his grandparents, MaryAnn Lynch, of Moses Lake, Washington, Melvin Comstock Sr., of Tucson, Arizona; numerous, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.
He was preceded in death by: paternal grandparents, Dennis and Sue Middleton, of Roseburg, Oregon; maternal grandfather, Fred Lynch, of Winnemucca, Nevada; and his beloved sweet dog, Bubba.
A private family memorial service will be held at Graeagle Community Church at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, with a celebration of his beautiful life for friends and family at Grizzly Grill from 1 – 4 p.m. at 250 Bonta St., Blairsden. In lieu of flowers please make donations to Go Fund Me accounts arranged for Caitlin Comstock and Kaley Bloom.
Andrew Elsken
Andrew Elsken left this earth on Dec. 20, 2019, to join his favorite grandfather and his father. Andrew said, “I’m done,” and he always said what he meant. He couldn’t fight any longer.
Andrew was born in San Francisco May 7, 1961, where he was adopted by his loving new family, Richard and Barbara Elsken and raised in Walnut Creek, along with his two adopted brothers Tom and Tim. He was never one to sit still, often getting into trouble at school when he was younger. Andrew was involved in all that he could while he was growing up: Boy Scouts, swimming teams, baseball, sailing, rock climbing and mischief. After a motor vehicle accident when he was 24, where he was told he would never walk again, he pushed himself and proved them wrong.
Andrew was a very talented jeweler, artist, woodworker and landscaper. Andrew worked for the Plumas County grounds and maintenance department for a time helping in the restoration of the courthouse. He worked with Quincy’s local jeweler repairing and creating his own jewelry. His true passion was horticulture so he returned to school attending U. C. Davis to work on his degree in landscaping architecture.
While attending U.C. Davis, Andrew would frequent Quincy to visit his parents and in 1992 met the love of his life, Julie (Bonfield Beam), who he made his wife and decided to make Quincy his permanent home. He was an amazing man, stepping up to be a great father to his stepsons, Brian and Timothy, never missing any of their baseball games. He adored his grandchildren, Domonic and Aurora Beam.
He worked for 19 years at Mountain View Manor doing all he could to make it a beautiful place for the residents to live. His stepson, Tim, remembers Andrew getting up two hours early on snowy days, just to make sure the older neighbors on the street had clear driveways, before he would go into work to plow the walkways there. Andrew cared for others above himself. Andrew volunteered at CAN working with his father. He would help at the Vet’s hall distributing the commodities, making sure to get packages to take to the residents at Mountain View Manor who were unable to get them on their own.
Andrew loved to go to yard sales and auctions looking for that next treasure.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his oldest brother, Tom.
Andrew will be greatly missed by his wife, Julie; his “sons,” Brian Beam, of Paradise and Timothy Beam, of Greenville; as well as his brother, Tim and his wife, Denise, of Martinez; and nieces, Sierra and Hayley.
Be in peace, for now you may rest.
Frank William Green
Frank William Green passed away peacefully on Jan. 23, 2020, at the age of 95. He was born on Dec. 25, 1924, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Ora and Marie Green. Frank was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and uncle. His greatest joy was spending time with family and sharing stories of his full, colorful life with family and friends.
Frank proudly served his country during World War II as a corporal in the 28th Infantry Division, 112th Regiment of the United States Army. He entered Europe at Omaha Beach and was among the first U.S. armed forces to enter Germany. He received the Purple Heart for injuries sustained inside Germany in June 1944 and was honorably discharged upon his return to the United States in January 1945. He often referred to himself as “the luckiest man alive” as he returned to combat in time to participate in the Battle of the Bulge and was one of only 5 percent of his regiment to survive combat in Europe. Frank never forgot those who served with him but paid the ultimate price for their service. In his last years he often shared stories and fond memories of their time together.
The best day of Frank’s life was July 1, 1959, when he married his beloved wife of 59 years, Dorothy J. (Dot) Green. The couple spent many happy years with their boys in Altadena, before purchasing the Ranchito Motel and moving to Quincy in 1971. Frank and Dot owned and operated the Motel for 17 years.
He is survived by sons, Jack E. Green and wife, Heidi, and Michael T. Green and wife, Kathy, of Quincy and Timothy J. Green and wife, Alison, of Grass Valley; grandchildren, Daniel J. Green and wife, Colleen, of Sacramento, Samantha M. Brown and husband, Nate, of Quincy, Kara M. Green and Katelyn M. Miller, of Quincy, and Brittany N. Knudson, of Portola. He is also survived by sisters, Kay Boylan, of Monroe, Michigan, and Nancy Fetsch, of Winona, Minnesota, and several nephews and nieces from his extended family.
He was preceded in death by Dorothy J. (Dot) Green, his beloved wife of 59 years; his son, Robert M. Green; his parents; and three brothers and sisters.
He will be deeply missed by all.
Donations in Frank’s memory to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Quincy are welcome and appreciated.
Visitation will be at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29, followed by a Rosary at 6 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 11 a.m. The Visitation, Rosary and Mass will be at St. John’s Catholic Church, 176 Lawrence Street, Quincy, California. Committal at East Lawn Cemetery in East Quincy will occur after the Mass, followed by a reception at St. John’s Catholic Church Hall.
Michael Milton Lacy
Michael Milton Lacy passed away at home on Jan. 20, 2020 at the age of 73.
Mike was predeceased by his father, Theodore Milton Lacy.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Carol. They were married in Boulder Creek, in 1966. He is also survived by his mother, Gweneth Pate Lacy; sister, Kathleen Lacy Elliott (Bill); brother, Steven Blaine Lacy; and niece, Tracey Jay. He is lovingly remembered by his two children, Jennifer Lacy Wells (Landon) and Jeremy Milton Lacy (Eileen); and his six grandchildren, Natasha, Caitlyn, Trey, Kendall, Kennedy and Wyatt.
Mike was born in Portland, Oregon, and worked as a senior research development engineer in Silicon Valley for over 20 years.
He had numerous hobbies including fishing, camping, fly-tying and wood crafting. He loved to spend time in his workshop building furniture, box guitars and jewelry boxes. He had a passion for boat building that began in his twenties. He crafted boats as large as a cabin cruiser that were enjoyed by his children and grandchildren. He also enjoyed model trains and vintage outboard motors.
There are no immediate plans for a memorial service.
Special thanks to the members of the United Methodist Church of Taylorsville and the surrounding community for their love and support during this difficult time.
Louis Romano
Louis Romano, of Redwood City, passed away peacefully after a short illness at Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks, on Jan. 15, 2020. Louis was 93 years old.
Louis Romano was born Oct. 31, 1926, in Redwood City and spent his childhood there with his two late sisters, Inez and Mary Romano. He graduated from Sequoia High School in 1945, where he enlisted in the Navy and spent 11 months overseas. Louis was later called up to the Marines in 1952, and served at Camp Pendleton. After military service Louis joined his father, Giovanni Lodovico Romano, in G.L. Romano & Son Wholesale Florist and farmed cut flowers in Cupertino, San Jose and Morgan Hill, which they sold at the San Francisco Flower Market for decades.
Louis Romano married Rose Elizabeth Folchi in 1956. They were married in a loving, respected bond for 58 years before her passing in 2014. They had twin boys Larry (deceased) and is survived by his other twin boy, Gary Romano, of Beckwourth; granddaughter, Elizabeth Rose Romano, of Orlando, Florida; and devoted grandson, Joseph Louis Romano, of Thousand Oaks.
Louis was a long-time vendor at the San Francisco Flower Market and he and his wife, Rose, were very active in the Italian Catholic Federation, Sons of Italy and the Italian Social Club in Palo Alto. Louis loved people, his family and was always smiling and laughing.
After Rose’s death in 2014, Louis moved to his surviving son’s organic farm (Sierra Valley Farms) in Beckwourth, where he helped Gary in his farming operation. Louis loved to farm; he loved life, hard work and was always the center of attention at the farmers market, farm-to-fork dinners and blues concerts. Louis loved to dance!
He was a great son, brother, father and grandfather. He impacted the lives of all who knew him. Louis will be dearly missed but will remain in our hearts forever.
A rosary and reception will be held at Crippen & Flynn Mortuary from 5 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, on Woodside Road in Redwood City. A Celebration of Life in his honor will be held on June 5 at 1:30 p.m. at Sierra Valley Farms, 1329 County Road A23 in Beckwourth, California, 96129.
In lieu of flowers please send donations to the Sons of Italy Chapter in San Francisco or your local chapter osia.org.