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Multiple generations of Foothill High School alumni have been mourning over the past month.
Scrolling down our Lasting Memories online obituaries page, you’ll soon find a cluster of beautiful remembrances for three former Falcons who died within nine days of each other — their individual stories unique, but collectively representative of the community impact and lifelong bonds forged from the unassuming campus along Foothill Road.
Brad Tucker, who grew up in the Pleasanton Meadows neighborhood and was known to many locally in recent years for his alter ego Angyl Thundarr performing in Re-Wind: That 80’s Band, passed away unexpectedly at his home in Tracy on Jan. 26. A businessman, husband, father, grandfather, friend, DJ, wedding officiant and man of God, Tucker was 61.
Fellow Falcon Jamie Yee, the former Pleasanton school board trustee who was two years Tucker’s senior at Foothill growing up, was the first to let me know about the sad news that jolted many of her classmates and beyond.
“Everyone knew the Tuckers. Many fond memories as everyone in the neighborhood attended Foothill High School. He was a talented drummer in the marching band, always bringing energy and enthusiasm everywhere he went,” Yee told me in a follow-up exchange this week.
“Recently, I hosted a party and had the pleasure of hiring his band, Re-Wind. Brad was such a vibrant person, overflowing with life and joy. His kindness and generosity with his time left a lasting impression on everyone who knew him,” she said. “Brad’s warm heart and spirited presence will be deeply missed by all of us.”
It should have occurred to me to ask Yee if she (or her kids) had Mr. Chiolis at Foothill.
Dan Chiolis, an Army veteran and short-time baseball minor leaguer who then posted a long career teaching PE, social studies and Spanish at Foothill and Dublin high schools, died on Jan. 18 — nine days after his 90th birthday.
Chiolis, who also coached many golf and soccer teams, and wife Cathy lived in Pleasanton since 1969 and raised their adopted children here. Outside of the classroom, he spent time “enjoying his growing family, pursuing his interests in classic cars, music, politics, and exploring his Greek heritage”, according to the obituary by his family.
Immediately below Chiolis on our obits webpage is the third Falcon in a row, and maybe the remembrance that jumps out the most.
Grace Tuttle, a member of Foothill’s class of 2020, died on Jan. 17 at just 22 years old. The avid swimmer, Cal State San Marcos alum and aspiring social worker had battled brain cancer for the past four years, according to her obituary.
Reading her story gave me pause in particular. My brother was also born in 2002 (and we’ll celebrate his birthday next week), also graduated from high school during those difficult first months of the COVID pandemic and also studied sociology in college.
Those personal links — even among strangers — can be why obituaries hit our hearts the most.
Get to know more about Tuttle’s life and legacy in the full remembrance inside this week’s Pleasanton Weekly paper. Her funeral is next Saturday (March 1) at St. Augustine Catholic Church.
Next to Tuttle on Page 11, you also can join family and friends in commemorating 92-year-old Pleasanton resident Dorothy Gomez, who raised two kids here with her late husband, worked at Eastman Kodak (and later part-time at Mervyn’s) and helped start the girls’ soccer league in the city, her obituary notes.
There have been many emotional and engaging obits in our newspaper so far this year – and even more online. By my count, we’ve had 22 obituaries published on our Lasting Memories page since our beloved Dolores Fox Ciardelli’s in December.
To read them all is to become better connected with the entire Tri-Valley.
Some were household names like “Coach Tony” Echavia (Dec. 11, also a Foothill alum), former judge Ron Hyde (Jan. 6), San Ramon Valley youth sports coach and referee Clifford Luengo (Jan. 12), or longtime owner of Alamo’s Town and Country Cleaners Frank T. Lin (Dec. 3).
Others were new to town, like Lucie Van Breen Brantenaar (94 years old) who moved to Stoneridge Creek in Pleasanton late in life; her obituary came in online as I was drafting this column on Wednesday.
Julia Roth (88) lived more than half of her life in Pleasanton – “She readily embraced others and was a magnet for friends due to her kindness, nurturing character, and wonderful sense of humor,” her obit read.
Sandy Kabealo (72) was known “for her kindness, quick wit, and warm friendship. A gracious hostess, she never met a holiday or event she could not not make special”. Jim Brittain (90) “had a zest for life that was contagious”. And Tracy Chiaramonte-Schmidig (64) “lived life to the fullest, embracing every adventure and always finding a way to make people smile”.
These are the kinds of people who make a city or a neighborhood become a community.
Editor’s note: Jeremy Walsh is the editorial director for the Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. His “What a Week” column is a recurring feature in the Pleasanton Weekly, Livermore Vine and DanvilleSanRamon.com.
