Foothills Sentry - July 2021

Foothills Sentry Page 14 July 2021 Family. Friends. Community. We’re all in this together. State Farm, Bloomington, IL 1801073 Ron Esparza, Agent Insurance Lic#: 0C79663 827 S. Tustin Ave Orange, CA 92866 Bus: 714-505-3400 ron@ronesparza.com John Chong- Soung Kim 1921 - 2021 John Chong-Soung Kim, for- mer resident of Villa Park and East Whittier, passed peacefully of natural causes at 99 years old. Born in Pyongyang, Korea, Dec. 12, 1921, to one of the first Christian families, he endured op- pression during the Japanese oc- cupation. Post-WWII, he graduated Cho- Sen Presbyterian Seminary, fol- lowing his father and grandfa- ther’s footsteps as two of the first Presbyterian ministers in Korea. He played piano and organ at the 34th U.S. General Hospital in Seoul, drawing the attention of American soldiers stationed there. They sponsored his immigration to America in 1948 aboard a U.S. Army transport ship. He attended Princeton Theological Seminary and Davis & Elkins College. He earned three master’s degrees -- in divinity, philosophy and music. This advancement came at a cost, requiring him to leave his fam- ily, including his -- unknown to him -- pregnant wife, and young daughter in Korea right before the Korean War started. He was finally able to re-lo- cate his family in Korea, and in 1960, he brought his wife Anna Aei-Soung, his daughter Faith Seen-Duk and his son Theodore Seen-Oh to America. John spon- sored the rest of his family’s im- migration to America, including his father, mother and three broth- ers. Shortly after, three more chil- dren -- James Seen-Young, Albert Seen-Tschul and Regina Seen- Won -- were born in California. John taught for 33 years at Rio Hondo Community College as a humanities professor. He was also a music professor at Compton College, beloved by his students. He wrote the textbook, “The Art of Creative Critical Thinking.” He held pastorates in Hanford and Whittier, California. His passions were learning, philosophy, criti- cal thinking, morality in educa- tion, gardening, orchid growing, raising koi and classical music. He lived his last eight years in a board and care run by loving caregivers in Villa Park. He was preceded in death by his youngest son, Albert (1990); his wife of 68 years (2013); by his parents, his sisters, Soo and Ag-Young, his brother George and their spouses. He is survived by his brothers Simon and David; his children Faith, Theodore, James, Regina Garriott; and his 13 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Janet B. Van Emon 1927 - 2021 Janet B. Van Emon of Villa Park, age 93, passed away on June 2 at St. Joseph’s Hospi- tal in Orange. She was born on Aug. 6, 1927, in the Bronx, NY to Virgil William and Signe Aurora Marie (Lundell) Bullock. She was a graduate of the University of Redlands (BA) and California Appraisals in today’s market It’s a hyper market now … and you want in on the action. So, you want to put your home on the market at a higher price than what your neighbor’s house sold at, because that’s what they did after another neighbor sold their home for more than the last one sold for, and so on, and so on? Sounds like a great idea, but there may be a whole lot more to it than meets the eye: what about the appraisal? I asked friend and local certi- fied residential real estate ap- praiser, ”What are the three most important things you look for to get value in a purchase apprais- al?” His response, “Location, property characteristics and qual- ity/condition. In this market, us- ing the most recent closed sales is crucial in determining the market value.” Let’s break that down Location, location, location! How many times have we heard that before? Location is still a pri- mary factor in determining val- ue: urban, rural, school system, neighbors and more. Property characteristics, such as the layout and floor plan, as well as lot size, square footage and features, in- cluding amenities, such as a pool, RV access, large yard, and maybe even a large covered patio with a built-in BBQ along with those stunning views can help push the value up. The third element is quality/condition. This could be a slew of things, like the age of the roof, the type of flooring in the kitchen. Do you have stick down tile flooring in the kitchen or did you go all out with high-quality flooring? Do you have an upgraded kitchen with top-of-the-line ap- pliances, or did you go with less expensive counter tops and just okay appliances? These all make a difference when the appraiser is trying to determine the proper value. How does an appraisal effect you when selling? It is vital, and could make a difference in a suc- cessful closing. If you are reach- ing for the stars, provide the ap- praiser a clean list of recent up- grades, along with the value of those upgrades, so that they can evaluate the care, quality and val- ue of your home. For guidance on how to better present your home for the day of the appraisal, reach out to your realtor. They should be able to guide you in the best way pos- sible to maximize your full $ale$ value. TUSD library technician pens children’s book Tootie Nienow is on a roll. She has written a new children’s pic- ture book entitled “There Goes Patti McGee!,” the story of the first women’s national skateboard champion. Nienow began writing the book when she read about McGee in a local magazine. “I couldn’t believe she could do a handstand on a rolling skate- board. I had to meet her,” Nienow says. “It turns out, she lives just a couple cities away. I knew I had to write a book about her.” Nienow and her husband Paul, have lived in Tustin for about 20 years. She has been a librarian for 10 years. She got her first job substituting for the library media technician at Marjorie Veeh El- ementary School. After raising a family, she went back to work and got a job in Irvine, but even- tually returned to TUSD – closer to home. “There Goes Patti McGee!” can be purchased through Ama- zon and Barnes & Noble. Signed books and free stickers are avail- able at Arvida Book Co., 115 W. Main Street in Tustin. State University, Fullerton (MS), where she learned her craft as teacher and administrator, retiring after almost 45 years in the Santa Ana Unified School District. Ja- net was a pioneer of education in Southern California through her work as the first Orange County “television teacher,” and on Project Meaningful Educa- tion as part of the 1971 National Right to Read effort. She initi- ated the program to computerize the district and taught English as a second language (ESL) at night through Rancho Santiago Com- munity College for many years. In her retirement, Janet became the historian for the City of Villa Park, where she led the charge to place Villa Park School (1919) on the National Register of Historic Places. She is the author of “Villa Park, the Hidden Jewel,” the re- cipient of the 2011 Florence Flip- pen Smiley Award for community service, and the two-time Grand Marshal of the VP Dry Land Boat Parade. Janet met C. E. (“Van”) Van Emon in Long Beach, and they were happily married in 1953 until his death in 2007. Their Villa Park home was filled with joy and celebration as they hosted their friends from such groups as Los Dobles, VP Wom- en’s League, PEO, VP Gourmet, and VPESRC. Janet is survived by her daughter Catherine and son-in-law/caregiver Michael Herbolich; brother George Bull- ock, and many others she loved dearly. Author Tootie Nienow