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.