Our beautiful mother Dolores Sales left this earth on Dec. 26, 2020, at Los Alamitos Medical Center in Los Alamitos, California. Dolores was born June 27, 1940, in Alton, Illinois. She was raised in Wilmington, California, by her parents Jacob and Margaret Sales. She raised five children and was a loving mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She had two more children for whom she lovingly placed for adoption. Later, she was fortunate to have them both come into her life. She was hardworking and dedicated to serving her community as a security guard for over 20 years. She lived out her retirement years in the lovely Leisure World community of Seal Beach, California. She was very passionate about doing genealogy and learning about her ancestors. She enjoyed oldies music, live entertainment and Chinese food, and she loved a good game of 500 Rummy. Most of all, she loved her family. She will be dearly missed and forever in our hearts. – John Moya, son

Our mom, nana, grandma, sister and friend celebrated a wonderful Christmas before soon passing away.Bonnie is survived by her sister, Shirley; children Kelly “Linda,” Kris, Randy and Danica; grandchildren Christian, Tia, Tyler, Travis and Jillian; and great-grandchildren Paige and Kyler.Bonnie was preceded in death by her grandson Jabriel; her parents; and siblings Genie, Lester, Bill, Donny and Gary.Bonnie was born in Spencer, Iowa. She spent many years in Ralston, Nebraska, and moved to Seal Beach, California, in 1996.Bonnie was an amazing and supportive mother, grandmother, sister and friend. We are missing her terribly, but we are happy knowing she was not in pain, she passed peacefully and was surrounded by family.Bonnie has been cremated, and a celebration will be planned at a later date.

John began his life on earth in Venice, California, on May 11, 1932. Mary Louise Ryckebosch and John Jacob Vanderhorst were his parents. His paternal ancestry came from the Netherlands, and his maternal ancestry came from Belgium.When young “Johnny” was 6 years old, the family moved to a cute two-bedroom home on Jasmine Avenue in Culver City. In 1941, the family purchased a double lot on Braddock Drive and built a home and small store, Cottage Grocery. John’s dad ran the butcher shop, and his mother ran the grocery part of the business. John attended St. Augustine Elementary School and then Loyola High School, in Los Angeles. After graduating high school in 1950, he began his studies in business administration at Loyola University in Westchester.John’s dad, John Jacob, died in August 1952. John took over the butcher shop while continuing his education at Loyola University, graduating in June 1955.

ntonio Mendoza Tabora, a.k.a. Tony, passed away with his family by his side on Dec. 8, 2020. He was born on Jan. 5, 1939, in Manila, Philippines, and immigrated to Los Angeles at the age of 10. He joined the Army at the age of 16 and proudly served for eight years in Okinawa and Germany. He worked as an electronic engineer for companies like Northrop and Hughes Aircraft and is survived by his wife of more than 56 years, Felisa; their five daughters; and three grandsons.

Nelson Gene Melville succumbed to COVID-19 on Dec. 10, 2020, at 83 years old. Nelson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Wanda and Nelson Melville, on Feb. 16, 1937. He had one sister, Dorothy Hartshorn, who was 16 years older. His family moved to Los Angeles when he was a teenager and he graduated from John Marshall High School and enlisted and served in the United States Army. He was stationed in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He learned culinary skills after his service and went to work as a chef in Clifton’s Cafeteria in downtown Los Angeles and Lakewood, California. Nelson never married.After the death of his father, he purchased a home in Leisure World,Seal Beach, at the age of 55 and lived in Mutual 11, apartment 264-J, for 28 years. Nelson was active in the Garden Club and grew awesome tomatoes. Traveling was another pastime, in his early years, he would often go to Laughlin, Nevada, for a weekend of gambling with his friend, Pat. He spent his most rewarding hours in the Lapidary Room, creating and repairing jewelry, pressing glass pieces and designing amazing clocks. If you knew Gene (as his family called him) then you know he was a collector of Coke bottles, Campbell Kid soup ornaments, rocks and other odds and ends. He spent many hours on his front porch with neighbors and friends, and listening to the police and fire scanners. He watched nature shows, the History Channel and UCLA football. But last year, with the closing of the Lapidary Room for remodeling and the coronavirus, his front porch time became even more important. Survived by nephews David and Terry Hartshorn, two greatnieces, a great-nephew, and 11 great-great-neices and -nephews, Nelson will be missed by family, especially Terry and his wife, Sharon, who loved hearing his family stories over lunch, his neighbors in Mutual 11 and Lapidary Room partners.

Joan Louise Muenzer passed peacefully on Thanksgiving Day at home in Leisure World with family at her bedside. Joan was born in Millvale, Pennsylvania, to Daniel and Marie Saul. Joan graduated from Millvale High School in 1950 and married her high school sweetheart, Bob Muenzer, in 1951. They were blessed with three children and moved to Long Beach, California, in 1955, following in the footsteps of her oldest sister, Melva. While Bob worked, Joan worked part-time for Van de Kamp’s bakery and was devoted to raising her children and keeping the household in impeccable order. Joan was highly organized and took great care of herself and everyone around her. She was known for her perfectly styled red hair, beautiful smile, generous heart, exercising daily, keeping her floors spotless, clipping coupons, her attention to detail and healthy homemade dinners. Joan was a deeply loved and admired member of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Long Beach for 65 years. She served as a deacon, a leader of the church’s women’s group and an advocate for the church’s free after-school program to children of Long Beach called Rising TIDE.

Matilda Tsao passed away peacefully Dec. 16 at Los Alamitos Medical Center. The family welcomes any fun or serious story you have of Matilda. Send the stories to her son, Jeff, at tsaojef@ gmail.com.Matilda was unique and memorable, full of love and joy. She was born Ma Chien-Ling in Guangdong Province on Oct. 18, 1928, and was adopted by Ma Chao Jun and Shen Hui Lian as a little girl. She lived in various places in Guangdong, Nanking, Chongqing and Hong Kong before sailing to San Francisco in 1949.Matilda went to Jinling College in Nanking, Ursuline College in Kentucky, and the University of Chicago in Illinois. She met her husband, Ching, in Chicago and was married there in June 1952. They moved to Los Angeles, driving cross-country while she pregnant with her daughter Debbie, who was born in Oct.1953. She had her son Jeff in May 1955. They lived in various places throughout Southern California including Los Angeles, Culver City, Palos Verdes, Seal Beach College Park, and Leisure World, where they moved in 1988.

Patricia “Patti” Drumm, 84, a 20-year resident of Mutual 12, passed away at home on Dec. 4. She was born and raised in Hawaii with her two sisters. She met and married a U.S. Marine and raised two sons in Southern California while working for the phone company.Patti retired from the phone company, remarried and moved to Carson City, Nevada, to enjoy her retirement. After the death of her husband Bud, she moved back to California and into Leisure World to be closer to her sons.Patti attended the Lutheran church, enjoyed many Leisure World activities and had many friends. She is survived by her son Keith.Patricia S. Drumm lived a good life, was a great mother and a good friend, and is sorely missed.

Diane Wasserman passed away Dec. 10. She was born on May 18, 1933, to Max and Molvin Mendelson in Oakland, California. She is survived by her daughter, Ronda, and her three grandsons: Jeremy, Beau and Shane. If you met her, you would know three things about her: she loved to dance, she loved to sing, and she loved to eat. She loved square dancing–really any dancing. She loved singing karaoke. Her go-to song was “Boots.” Her favorite food was spaghetti and chocolate in any form. She loved glittery, sparkly clothes and red lipstick. She didn’t know a stranger and was loved dearly by all of her friends. She was always on the go. She loved playing cards and games. She loved old classic movies and music and recently became quite addicted to the Hallmark Channel. She had a big beautiful smile and we will all miss her beyond words. The world will never be the same without her.