Foothills Sentry January 2022

Foothills Sentry Page 14 January 2022 Anthony “Tony” Grifo 1932-2021 Anthony “Tony” Grifo, age 89, of Orange, died of renal failure on November 18. He is survived by his life part- ner Rodger Flores, and nieces and nephews Paula Gustafson, Sally Persigan, Jerry Grifo, Michelle Long, Lori Grifo and Rosie Tre- maine. Tony was born February 13, 1932, in Melrose Park, Illinois. He was the youngest of five brothers. After graduating from high school, Tony enlisted in the Army. His primary role was cook, a job he remembered fondly, along with spending time sta- tioned in Japan. He served honor- ably for four years, reaching the rank of corporal. He left the Army in 1952, but never forgot his time serving his country. He was a true patriot who was always proud to fly the American flag on holidays. Tony moved to California in 1961 to dodge the cold, windy winters of the midwest. With no family here, he chose Orange County as his home. He got a job as an orderly at Orange County Hospital in Orange, known to- day as UCI Medical Center. He worked in what was then referred to as the “mental ward.” He was considered a “5150” specialist, a good listener who could talk pa- tients out of harming themselves. His empathetic nature led him to his professional calling as a men- tal health specialist for the Coun- ty of Orange. He worked the rest of his professional career helping the mentally ill until his retire- ment in 1991. In his later years, before he re- tired, Tony became an avid col- lector of antiques. He spent many weekends visiting flea markets, estate sales and garage sales. He loved collecting Scottish Terrier memorabilia and antique furnish- ings. He eventually turned his hobby into a side business, refur- bishing antique collections and selling them at flea markets, like the old swap meet at the Orange Drive-In. It was there that he met Rodger Flores in 1975. Rodger was selling furniture next to To- ny’s stall at the flea market. Tony and Rodger found they shared a love for Scottish Terri- ers and collecting antiques. They have been inseparable ever since. After Tony retired, he worked for the Antique Station in Old Towne Orange and continued buying and selling vintage fur- nishings and decor. Over four decades, it was routine for Tony and Rodger to jump into Tony’s pickup truck to hunt for treasures at yard sales all around Orange. “We’ll always have a piece of Tony with us because I bet every- one he knows has a special ‘Trea- sure from Tony’ in their home,” Rodger’s niece Nancy MacDon- ald says. Tony was a savvy entrepre- neur and invested in real estate throughout his later years. Ev- eryone called Tony the “mayor of Stevens Street,” where he lived since 1966 and owned rental homes. He was close to his mom Rose, and in 1967, bought the house next door and moved her to Stevens Street. She lived next door to him until she passed away in 1982. Everyone knows Tony was a charming and soft-spoken man. But, here are a few things you might not know about Tony: He would say the Rosary at 3 a.m. every day, using his mother’s beads. He also fed his cats at that time. He always prayed for any- one who was sick or in need of help. He loved to pay in cash, and only owned two credit cards his entire life, but never used them. He loved macaroni and cheese and chicken pot pies. He loved his cats, his Scottie dogs, and listening to old Dean Martin hits. His last words to Rodger before he passed away: “Feed the cats.” G. Donald Weber 1934-2021 G. Donald Weber, Jr., a 49-year resident of Villa Park, went to be with his Lord Dec. 4. Don was surrounded by his family, includ- ing his two grandchildren who flew to California Friday night and were there to spend his last day with him. Don was born in Philadelphia on Aug. 7, 1934 to G. Donald Weber, Sr. and Carrie Weber. Don met “the love of his life” Joann (his words) on a blind date and always proclaimed it was love at first sight. They married seven months later, on Aug. 22, 1959, and had 62 blessed, love-filled years together. Don graduated from the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania with a degree in electrical engineering, attended Temple Law School and graduated with a juris doctorate degree. After passing the Patent Office Bar, he worked in the pat- ent departments of Univac and Honeywell (Pennsylvania). He moved to Houston and was patent counsel for Offshore Systems. In California, he worked for Rock- well Automation for nine years. He then established his own private practice and worked for another 45 years. Don was ac- tive in community service, serv- ing on the board of Providence Speech and Hearing Center, the Villa Park City Council Planning Board, a softball coach for his daughter’s team and as a deacon in his church, Covenant Presby- terian. Don was a Mason for 67 years. Don was an avid golfer, play- ing weekly for many years, un- til three back surgeries ended that hobby. He was a member of several bridge groups, many of whose members will be greeting him in heaven. Don is survived by his much- adored wife Joann; son G. Don- ald III (Valerie); daughter Karen Fleming; brothers, Charles (Joan) and Ken (Sandy); and grandchil- dren Max Weber, a student at Grand Canyon University; and Ross (Hayley) Williams, who is living in Ohio while Hayley com- pletes her residency in neurology at the Cleveland Clinic. Donations in Don’s memory may be made to Covenant Pres- byterian Church, 1855 N. Orange Olive Road, Orange, CA 92865. Don’s memorial service will be held at Covenant on Jan. 8 at 11 a.m., followed by a luncheon re- ception. Thrift Shop is more than meets the eye The Assistance League of Or- ange’s Now and Again Thrift Shop has been a familiar fixture on the southeast corner of the Orange Plaza Square for over 60 years. Its regular customers know that when it opens for the week each Tuesday, the shelves and racks will be brimming with new, donated merchandise. As an all-volunteer staffed en- terprise with few expenses, vir- tually all of the $3,000-$4,000 in weekly sales revenue directly supports Assistance League phil- anthropic programs in the com- munity. What is less well known about the shop, is that it also advances the organization’s mission in a non-financial way. Since 2018, the store has had an agreement with Integrated Resources Insti- tute (IRI) to provide job train- ing for disabled persons through its MentorWorks program. IRI’s mission is transforming the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and it seeks to fully integrate its clients in work roles where they will be successful. Current program participant Tanya is hearing and speech- impaired, and volunteers every Monday in the thrift shop accom- panied by her coach Sandra, help- ing to restock the store. “They are a great pair, and we value having Tanya be a part of our team,” says Now and Again Chairman Cindy McCandless, who originally sought the part- nership with IRI. “This is a great placement for Tanya,” says her coach, refer- ring to the opportunity to volun- teer alongside Assistance League members and gain valuable job skills and experience. An added plus to the arrange- ment is the exemption from state sales tax, granted because the thrift shop provides this job re- MentorWorks program participant Tanya at work in the As- sistance League Thrift Shop. Assistance League’s Thrift Shop is known for its eye-catching window displays. habilitation opportunity. That exemption, in turn, benefits all customers of the store, many of whom have fixed or lower in- comes. To donate your gently used clothing, working household goods, jewelry and collectibles, bring them to the S. Orange Street parking lot, behind the Assistance League building, during its open hours and ring the gate bell. The store is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. (except the first Friday of the month) and Saturdays until 4 p.m. Donation receipts for tax pur- poses are available upon request. Douglas Hart 1931 – 2021 Douglas LeRoy Hart, an icon in the Orange Park Acres commu- nity, went to the heavens on Nov. 15, at the age of 90. He had never once, in all his years, been hospitalized or treated for any serious illness, and died in the arms of his loving wife and two daughters. Doug was born Sept. 19, 1931 in Long Beach. He lost his father at the young age of 15 and took on the responsibility of caring for his mother, three brothers and a sister. He always put his family’s needs before his, and worked tire- lessly to be the best provider. He outlived all of his siblings and ex- perienced the loss of his daughter, Julie Murray, in 2016. In 1962, Doug and his broth- ers opened a series of Chevron, Texaco and Shell gas stations in Garden Grove and Fountain Val- ley that he operated until 1998. He worked on many space proj- ects at Aerojet for seven years, and married his secretary, Ruth Ellingwood, in 1964. In 1968, Doug purchased his first horse, and needed a property to keep it on, so he started shop- ping for horse properties. He fell in love with Orange Park Acres and purchased his property on Orange Park Blvd., which con- sisted of a small house and an or- ange grove. His entire family thought he was crazy for buying a property out in the hills, far away from his business in Garden Grove. At the time, there were no freeways, and he traveled Katella daily to get to work. He spent his free time clearing the property, and turned it into a working horse property. He began a horse breeding busi- ness, Royal Coachman Farm, and raised and showed Arabian and Peruvian Paso horses. Doug loved OPA and never once thought of moving. His legacy of a working horse prop- erty in OPA is continued by his daughter Sherry, with Hoofprints Equestrian Program. Doug is survived by his lov- ing wife of 57 years Ruth Hart, daughters Cindy Hart Crow- ell and Sherry Hart Panttaja, 10 grandchildren and 14 great- grandbabies. Friends of VP Library elects officers Friends of the Villa Park Li- brary elected new officers for 2022-23. They are: President Bill Baker; Vice President Jonna Al- lison; CFO James Allison; Secre- tary Monica Helzer. The Board of Directors in- cludes Harriet Wedemeyer, Eva Wyskowski, Malki Moonesinghe and Diana Fascenelli. Members- at-large are Bob Bell, Bob Con- nell, Elaine Connell and Ron Ac- cornero. The Friends of the Library meets at 6 p.m. on the first Thurs- day of the month. Patrons are always welcome to visit or join. Friends of the Villa Park Library works with the OC library system to raise awareness of library services and programs. They fund-raise to augment li- brary programs and the library environment.