Ruth Alice Richards Kane Donleavy 1925-2022

Ruth Alice Richards Kane Donleavy died peacefully in Seattle at the Norse Home, where she had lived since 2019.

 Ruth was born in Fresno, California, and grew up in the Danish community of Bakersfield. In 1944 she married Charles E. Kane (1923–2008), then a cadet and pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces. 

The couple had three children: John (1945, d. 1974), Michael (now Bhikshu Dharmamitra, 1948), and Alexis (1953). Charles eventually rose to the level of major.

 After Ruth and Charles separated and divorced, Ruth supported and raised their children on her own. She won a full undergraduate scholarship to Pacific Lutheran University, earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Washington, and went on to head the department of social work at Western State Hospital (Lakewood), where she also served as the first supervisor for the hospital’s AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers.

 Later on, Ruth headed the department of counseling and treatment at the Child Study and
Treatment Center (Lakewood), where she met her second husband, Colonel Dale Hoagland
(now deceased), who was director of the center’s operations. She then worked for several
years in the Washington State Department of Social and Human Services (Olympia) before
retiring to become a therapist in private practice.

 In her eighties, Ruth lived for a few years in New Mexico (Truth or Consequences and Santa
Fe), where she met and married Garland Donleavy, with whom she moved to Sebastopol
and Santa Rosa, California. Ruth described Garland as her “prince of a man,” but he died just
seven years after they were married.

 After Garland died, friends in Santa Rosa introduced Ruth to Richard Anstruther, who
became her companion and soul mate for the last years of her life. In Santa Rosa, Ruth was
an active member of the Center for Spiritual Living, studied to be a Practitioner, and
attended Women’s Spirit conferences and writing workshops in the Mendocino Redwoods.
She also became an important participant and mentor in her friend Tess Lorraine’s
seminars in creative aging and dying.

 An avid gardener, chef, and dinner party hostess, Ruth was also a dedicated supporter of
others, young and old, whenever they were in need. As a writer and poet, she found artful language to depict the world around her and the worlds inside her. Perhaps Ruth’s most fitting epitaph is her own description of a friend who seemed always and everywhere at home: “She’s like a river, and the bed widens as she goes.”

Ruth is survived by her son, Bhikshu Dharmamitra (Seattle), and her daughter, Alexis Romana Kane (Seattle); her grandchildren, John Christopher Kane (Hobart, Tasmania), Carrie Kane Powell (Smyrna, Georgia), Miles C. Kane and Katy Spaulding (Portland, Oregon), and Adam Gabriel Kane (Seattle); her great-grandchildren, Melissa Kane (Hiram, Georgia) and John Kane (Bogotá, Columbia); and her great-great-grandchildren, Donovan Kane (Hiram), Elijah and Cameron Kane (Bogotá). 

Ruth’s other beloveds include Sharon Bybee Kane (Marietta, Georgia); her close friends Effie Ehrhart (Santa Rosa), Tess Lorraine (now in Boulder, Colorado), Richard Anstruther (Bellingham, Washington), Pamm Hanson(Seattle), and X. P. Callahan (Las Cruces, New Mexico); and fellow writers, poets, and Center for Spiritual Living friends Janet Tobin, Julia Vose McClung, Robin Zolotoff, and Denise Miney (all in Santa Rosa). Her loving and distinguished canine companions over the years were Skoshi, Oliver, Lincoln, and Dorje.

William Ralph "Lucky" Skyrme 1928-2022

An only child who grew up during the Great Depression, William Ralph “Lucky” Skyrme was born on June 12, 1928 in Tuckerman, Ark. He was the son of Melvin and Alberta Skyrme. He and his parents moved frequently, living in Louisiana, Tennessee, Florida and Missouri, as his dad got various jobs as a surveyor. 

When Ralph was 13, he and his family moved to California, during World War II. Two years later, he told DMV he was older than he was so he could get his driver’s license a year early, which he felt well-qualified for given he had driven a truck on his family’s farm since age 11. Ralph attended Alameda High School. He had a 36 Ford convertible with a Carson top he extensively customized himself that he’d park in front of the school, so it was sure to be seen by his classmates.

After living in CA a couple years, Ralph and his father bought and began running a gas station in
Alameda. They were known for going above and beyond with their service and quality of work.
Ralph showed an aptitude in high school for working with numbers, and at 16, he got his first job
offer with a bank. After walking through the bank, however, he immediately decided “there’s no
way I’d want to stay at a job like this where I have to be indoors all day and never go outside”.
Looking across the street from the bank, he saw the Pontiac garage. The owner wanted him to do
mechanical work, but Ralph wasn’t interested in that, and told the owner he’d sell cars for him
instead. Thus began his career as an auto salesman.

After graduating from high school, Ralph’s family moved to Pittsburgh, CA, where his dad
opened “Wild Bill’s Used Cars”, and Ralph opened “Ralph and Ernie’s Crazy Trading Post”,
with the two car lots located right across the street from each other. During this time, he was also
in the National Guard for two years, attaining the rank of sergeant.

In 1950, during his first marriage, Ralph’s first son Ronald Gene Skyrme was born. Ron was
involved in quarter midget racing, and Ralph enjoyed helping him work on the cars and train in
the sport. Ralph competed in drag racing himself, and spent numerous hours under the hood to
get his car to go faster than his competitors. In 1952, Ralph bought 12 acres of land, a barn, and a house in Windsor, CA. At his Windsor ranch, he trained a couple horses, and was proud to ride
one of his horses in several parades, with full elaborate costumes for both himself and the horse.

After 8 years as a used car manager for Babe Wood Cadillac in Santa Rosa and a brief period
selling new cars for the Santa Rosa Lincoln-Mercury dealership, in 1961 Ralph opened his own
used car dealership in Santa Rosa, and for three decades had several car lots in different locations
along Santa Rosa Ave., including “World of Cars” and “Auto Expo”. He was known for his
honesty and integrity in an industry where that wasn’t always the case, and it was not uncommon
for customers to tell him and his family even years later how much they appreciated his character
and kindness in their dealings with him.

Ralph was also well-known among his fellow auto dealers for his work in the state and national
independent automobile dealers’ association. He was instrumental in re-invigorating the state
association, which he thought was a vital endeavor to help support individual dealers, work
towards meaningful safety regulations within the industry, and improve the image of auto dealers
in the eyes of the public. Ralph was awarded “Dealer of the Year” in 1969, and then again in
1979, by the Independent Automobile Dealers’ Association of California (IADAC). He also
served one term as the national association (NIADA) vice-president and one term as national
legislative chairman.

In 1968, Ralph married the love of his life, Linda Lee Adams, a kindergarten and first-grade
school teacher in Rohnert Park. They were married for 46 years, until Linda’s passing in 2014.
The couple was extremely devoted to each other and especially enjoyed traveling and ballroom
dancing. They never lost an opportunity to get out on the dance floor when live music was
playing, to the enjoyment of many onlookers. In 1975, Ralph and Linda welcomed their son into
the world, Gary Michael Skyrme (professional name Gary Skye), who showed an early passion
for music that was proudly supported by both parents. Gary resides south of Portland, OR, and is a professional solo and collaborative pianist, piano teacher, church music director, and composer/singer-songwriter.

Ralph had an entrepreneurial interest in side business ventures as well, including selling solar
systems, water purification systems, and various health supplements. He also served as Gary’s
talent agent through “Lucky Star Talent Agency”, a company of his own devising. For the last 12
years of his career, Ralph transitioned from selling cars to selling manufactured homes at
“Custom Manufactured Homes”, also on Santa Rosa Ave. He continued displaying his great
customer service in this new role, and he especially enjoyed using his very detail-oriented eye to
help design aesthetically pleasing floor-plans and choose high-quality upgrades to the homes he
sold.

In retirement, Ralph loved taking drives, tinkering with things around the house, gardening,talking with neighbors, watching old Western movies and comedies, taming his neighborhood feral cat, donating to charities, making sure every hair was still in place, and talking with Gary on the phone almost every day.Ralph passed away at his home in Rohnert Park on Feb. 6, 2022, a few months shy of his 94th birthday, surrounded by family, friends, and his devoted caregivers.

Ralph began attending our Center around 1975, when we were still located on Orchard Street. He was one of our oldest and longest-attending congregants. Ralph’s memorial service will be held this Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 6:30pm, at Santa Rosa Center for Spiritual Living, 2075 Occidental Rd.

Jeannie LeMesurier, Ph. D. 1956-2022

The world lost a great friend on June 2, 2022, when Jeannie died suddenly and unexpectedly after a brief illness in Santa Rosa, CA. 

Jeannie was adored by her friends and family who describe her as a kind, loving, and vivacious sweetheart. She will be forever loved and cherished by Jim, her husband and best friend of 44 magical years. 

She also leaves behind her children, Michelle Satkin and Roger LeMesurier, who are grateful for their fun and love-filled childhoods, as well as her son-in-law Scott and granddaughter Julia Satkin, and Roger's partner, Helen Pitchik. She will be greatly missed by her siblings and their spouses, including Marshall and Elizabeth Johnson, Susan and Robin Grant, twin-brother, Larry Johnson and Anne-Marie Kovacs, and Bobby and Louise Johnson, as well as her many nieces and nephews. 

Jeannie was a playful and energetic optimist, who loved her work as a clinical psychologist and life coach. Past patients would frequently contact her to describe the lasting impact that she had on their lives. 

Jeannie was born and raised in Montreal, Canada to George and Lisette Johnson. Fluently bilingual, she earned her B.A. and M.A. in psychology at McGill University, where she met Jim. She then went on to earn her Ph.D. at l'Universite de Montreal. 

During her long career, Jeannie wore many professional hats. In Kingston, Ontario, she taught college psychology, counseled military families and university students, and was a school psychologist in the French-language schools. She was also a college professor in Marin, CA. 

Jeannie's legacy includes her extraordinary love, compassion, and generosity. This legacy touched countless lives, but was most appreciated by her family and closest friends. She had many interests and passions, including travel, dancing, meditating, gardening, learning Spanish, sewing, household repairs, playing puzzles in bed and playing hyper-competitive games of Pictionary. 

She will be remembered by friends and colleagues for her beautiful smile, her joie de vivre and her occasional mischievousness. In moving forward without Jeannie in our lives, a powerful source of guidance will be "when in doubt, what would Jeannie do?". 

No service is planned. Please consider a donation to Jeannie's favorite charitable organization, the Center for Spiritual Living, Santa Rosa (https://cslsr.org/). 

Thank you, Jeannie, for so much. You will always be profoundly loved and missed.

Here at the Center, we remember how creative and artistic Jeannie was. Her beautiful spirit was energetic. She was always ready to be of service and not task was too small. 

 

 

Stacey Lynn Miller Pimental 1959-2022

Stacey Lynn Miller Pimental died peacefully on August 31, 2022, after a valiant ten-year battle with Parkinson's. Stacey was surrounded by her loved ones, and was welcomed into Heaven by her mother-in-law, Norma Harrison, whom she loved dearly.

Stacey was born on October 10, 1959 to Alan and Norma Miller in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. She would become the eldest sister to two brothers, Christopher and Dana. Stacey was a happy and bright child, who loved school, her family, swinging on swings for hours at a local park, and digging up clams at the beach.

Stacey moved with her family to Sonoma County, CA when she was 13, where she started at Slater Middle School and graduated from Montgomery High School. It was during this time, that Stacey built many life long friendships that continued until her passing.

Stacey met her husband, Steven Pimental through bowling at Holiday Bowl. Steve asked her out for the first time at Continental Lanes and they had their first date at the beach. One week later, he proposed and they began their life together. Stacey and Steve married on March 14, 1981 and moved to the Bay Area where Stacey worked for Mervyns. They had their first daughter, Nicole, on their anniversary in 1984 and their second daughter, Britni, in May 1987. They returned to Santa Rosa to raise their children and build a home and life where they had been raised.

Stacey and Steve were original buyers in Coffey Park and raised their family there, where many other friendships were built over the years. Stacey began running a daycare out of the family home, as she wanted to be there for her daughters and she provided loving care to the children in her charge for 17 years, where some even became more like her own children. Once her children were grown, Stacey moved into her career as a Real Estate Appraiser, opening her own incredibly successful business which she later passed to her eldest daughter.

Stacey loved her friends and family, bowling, bunco, camping and traveling. She lived an incredibly full life in her 62 years, doing what made her happy with those who were fortunate enough to be loved by her. Stacey was a feisty, fierce protector, hardworking, friend, mother, wife, sister, daughter, aunt, mother in law, and grandmother. Stacey found no greater joy than in being a grandmother to Xander and Jaxon Davis. Family was everything to her, including the family she was born into, the family she created with Steve and the family she chose.

Stacey continued to live with her family in Coffey Park until they lost their home in the 2017 Tubbs Fire. Stacey and her family re-built their home, but in recent years moved together to a family compound in Sebastopol, where she lived her final years surrounded by those she loved most. Those who were lucky enough to know her and be loved by her will never forget her smile, laugh, kindness, compassion, grace and strength. Stacey was truly exceptional.
Stacey leaves her loving family, husband, Steven Pimental, daughters Britni Pimental and Nicole Davis (Stephen), grandsons, Xander and Jaxon Davis, mother Norma Miller, father Alan Miller, brothers Christopher Miller and Dana Miller (Hillary). She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, family who were chosen family and friends. 

Here at the Center we remember Stacey's bright smile and beautiful spirit. She attended services with her mother, Norma. Stacey read the Science of Mind magazine along with our text book The Science of Mind and she enjoyed many hours of prayer with her Practitioner Tamarya Hulme. 

A private celebration of life will be held at Hook and Ladder Winery. Stacey and her family would appreciate any donations be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.