They were our neighbors. We knew their names because they served our communities, were leaders of business and industry, played or coached for the region’s sports teams, or entertained us at area events. And in 2021, we said goodbye.
Here are the stories of several notable residents who died this past year:
January
Carole Quan, 80: She was the first Asian American to serve as superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District; Jan. 2
Steve Hendrickson, 54: The former linebacker at Cal went on to play seven seasons in the NFL, including on the 1990 San Francisco 49ers team that won the Super Bowl; Jan 8
Prentice “Earl” Sanders, 83: The San Francisco homicide detective, who worked on such cases as the 1970s Zebra murders, later became the city’s first Black police chief; Jan. 11
Bryan Monroe, 55: The journalism industry leader, a former deputy managing editor at the San Jose Mercury News, was a political editor for CNN and later a professor at Temple University; Jan. 13
Joe Saccone, 107: The Oakland native was a co-founder of Marin County’s United Markets grocery stores; Jan. 18
Don Sutton, 75: The Baseball Hall of Famer pitched for several teams, including the A’s, Dodgers and Angels, then spent three decades as a broadcaster for the Braves and Nationals; Jan. 19
Mike Sadek, 74: The former MLB catcher played for eight seasons, all with the San Francisco Giants; Jan. 20
David Katzenstein, 69: The former Stanford and UC Davis professor was a virologist and clinician who helped advance the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HIV and AIDS, especially in sub-Saharan Africa; Jan. 25
Dick Callahan, 80: The beloved public address announcer for the Oakland A’s also served in a similar role with the Golden State Warriors for two decades; Jan. 29
Sig Sanchez, 100: The former Gilroy mayor and Santa Clara County supervisor was instrumental in developing Highway 101 through Morgan Hill and Gilroy; Jan. 29
February
Dustin Diamond, 44; The native of San Jose was best known for his role on TV’s “Saved by the Bell”; Feb. 1
Jack Palladino, 76: The famed San Francisco private investigator had such noteworthy clients as Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson and John DeLorean; Feb. 1
Charlie Krueger, 84: He was a star defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers who played from 1959-73, and is one of only a dozen former players whose jersey has been retired; Feb. 5
George Shultz, 100: The former secretary of state under President Ronald Reagan later was a fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution as well as a professor emeritus at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business; Feb. 6
Pedro Gomez, 58: The longtime baseball writer covered the Oakland A’s for the San Jose Mercury News and Sacramento Bee, then later moved on to ESPN; Feb. 7
Angel Mangual, 73: The former Oakland A’s outfielder played on all three World Series-winning teams in the 1970s, and his game-winning pinch hit in 1972 gave the A’s its first title in Oakland; Feb. 16
Mark Halvorson, 57: The wrestling coach at De La Salle High School led his team to 11 NCS titles, and he also served as a Greco-Roman coach for Team USA at the 2016 Summer Olympics; Feb. 17
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, 101: The famed poet and publisher was a co-founder of the Beat movement, ran San Francisco’s beloved City Lights bookstore and was the city’s first poet laureate; Feb. 22
March
Leo Allamanno, 99: He was the longtime boys basketball coach at Fremont High School in Oakland, and his teams won 14 championships in 29 years; March 1
Joe Altobelli, 88: He was the eighth manager in San Francisco Giants history, winning NL Manager of the Year in 1978, and went on to win the World Series with the Baltimore Orioles in 1983; March 3
Mark Pavelich, 63: He was part of the “Miracle on Ice” Olympic hockey team in 1980, and later played in the NHL for the New York Rangers, Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks; March 4
Daniel Helix, 91: The former Concord city councilman also served as mayor, and he struck a deal with a developer to build the Concord Pavilion; March 9
Bob Ingle, 81: The visionary journalist was the executive editor of the San Jose Mercury News, and under his leadership it launched the first news website; March 16
Dorothy King, 69: She was an owner of the beloved restaurant Everett & Jones Barbeque, and she also was an advocate for homeless residents; March 17
Oscar Frayer, 23: The prep basketball star at Moreau Catholic High School in Hayward went on to play college basketball at Grand Canyon University; March 23
Catherine Kuo, 48: She was a trustee for the Dublin Unified School District; March 24
Charles Davidson, 90: The Silicon Valley philanthropist and developer built thousands of homes and was a pioneer in affordable housing, and provided SJSU the largest private grant in its history; March 25
Jean Yonemura Wing, 70: She was an education activist and leader who fought to make classrooms more equitable and diverse; March 29
Brian Rohan, 84: The San Francisco attorney was known as the “dope lawyer” for such 1960s counterculture clients as the Grateful Dead and Ken Kesey; March 30
Ken Reitz, 69: The Bay Area native, a third baseman known for his fielding prowess, played for years for the St. Louis Cardinals but also spent one season with the San Francisco Giants; March 31
Larry Rogers, 74; The iconic aquatics coach at Bellarmine High School won 59 CCS titles — 34 in boys swimming, 25 in boys water polo — more than any other coach in CIF section history; March 31
April
Gene Mullin, 83: He was a former South San Francisco city councilman and mayor before being elected to the state Assembly; April 5
Ron DeMonner, 79: The longtime football coach, a fixture in the South Bay, coached several prep football teams as well as as at San Jose State and Santa Clara University, April 5
Reese Erlich, 73: The longtime journalist, who was a columnist for The Progressive magazine, also was an advocate for peace; April 6
Ira Keeler, 80: The longtime Industrial Light & Magic employee created costumes and props for several iconic film franchises, including “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones” and “Back to the Future”; April 15
Charles Geschke, 81: The tech titan, a prominent cheerleader of downtown San Jose, was a co-founder of Adobe Inc., and helped develop software that led the desktop publishing revolution; April 17
Gustavo Cabrera, 25: The San Francisco Giants prospect signed with the team when he was 16, and played for the San Jose Giants for a short stint, before giving up baseball; April 20
Betty Van Dyke, 88: She was a pioneer in the Bay Area organic farming movement, and she also broke barriers as one of the few women to surf in Santa Cruz in the 1950s and ’60s; April 20
Gregory ‘Shock G’ Jacobs, 57: The hip-hop icon, who co-founded and fronted the band Digital Underground, got his start in the music business in the Bay Area, and was a mentor to rapper Tupac Shakur; April 22
Nort Thornton, 88: The longtime men’s swimming coach at Cal led the school to two national championships, and he also coached several Olympic champs, including Matt Biondi and Anthony Ervin; April 22
Mike Davis, 65: The former Oakland Raiders safety was famed for an interception that helped the team go on to win Super Bowl XV; April 25
David Bruce, 89: The winemaker was a San Jose dermatologist when he started his namesake winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and was known as a “modern pioneer” of pinot noir; April 28
Sharon Anderson, 65: The longtime Contra Costa County legal counsel was the first woman to serve in the role
May
Laurie Roberts; The beloved radio DJ, who was a member of the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame, worked at such stations as KOME, KSJO, KPIG and KFOX; May 4
Rennie Stennett, 72: The former baseball star played with the Pittsburgh Pirates before becoming the San Francisco Giants’ first major signing of the free agency era; May 18
Lee Evans, 74: The legendary track star, who was part of San Jose State’s famed Speed City program, won two gold medals at the 1968 Summer Olympics and was a social justice activist; May 19
Paul Mooney, 79; The legendary comedian, who grew up in Oakland, was known for his bold insights on racism and was a writing partner of Richard Pryor; May 19
John Sutter, 92: The former Oakland city councilman and vice mayor, who also served as an Alameda County Superior Court judge, was an advocate for environmental justice and open space preservation
June
Jim Fassel, 71: He was an assistant football coach at Stanford and the quarterback coach for the Oakland Raiders before becoming the head coach of the New York Giants; June 7
Vivien Larsen, 80; She was a teacher and counselor who served for years on the Ohlone Community College District board; June 10
Fred Zehnder, 87: The former KTVU news director helped build the station into a ratings juggernaut, then later founded the San Leandro Times and owned the Castro Valley Forum; June 27
July
Terry Donahue, 77: He winningest coach in Pac-12 and UCLA football history before he joined the San Francisco 49ers, and served as the team’s GM for four years; July 4
Dicky Maegle, 86: He was part of one of the most famed plays in college football, then played seven season in the NFL, including five with the San Francisco 49ers; July 4
Richard Rainey, 82: He was a former Contra Costa County sheriff who later served in the state Senate and Assembly; July 4
Greg Clark, 49: The football star played for Stanford, then professionally with the San Francisco 49ers; July 7
Dick Tidrow, 74: The former MLB pitcher, who grew up in Hayward, was a member of the the San Francisco Giants front office and helped bring three World Series titles to the city; July 10
Phyllis Gould, 99: She was one of the first six women hired at the Richmond shipyard for the World War II effort, then later fought for recognition of “Rosie the Riveters”; July 20
August
Bob Ringwald, 80: The jazz pianist played in clubs across Northern California and founded the Sacramento Jazz Festival, and was the father of actress Molly Ringwald; Aug. 3
Markie Post, 70: The actress, who was born in Palo Alto and grew up in Walnut Creek, appeared in dozens of TV shows and films but was best known for her role on “Night Court”; Aug. 7
Steve ‘Zumbi’ Gaines, 49: The beloved Bay Area rapper was part of the hip-hop group Zion I; Aug. 13
James Hormel, 88: The San Francisco philanthropist, who made history as the first out gay person to serve as a U.S. ambassador, was co-founder of the Human Rights Campaign; Aug. 13
Cornell Maier, 96: He served as chairman and CEO of Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp., then volunteered for years as a “baby holder” at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland; Aug. 13
Michael Morgan, 63: The longtime conductor for the Oakland Symphony was a beloved figure in the Bay Area classical music scene; Aug. 20
Frank Sweeney, 78: The longtime reporter for the San Jose Mercury News covered an array of topics, including the environment, aviation and politics; Aug. 22
September
Parys Haralson, 37: The former San Francisco 49ers linebacker also played for the New Orleans Saints, then returned to the 49ers, where he worked as a team official; Sept. 13
‘Raider Rob’ Rivera: The Oakland Raiders fan was known as the co-founder of the Black Hole, the rowdy group of fans in the south end zone at the Oakland Coliseum; Sept. 20
Mary Everett, 65: She was the longtime owner of the Berkeley location of Everett and Jones Barbecue; Sept. 25
George Frayne, 77: The musician, also known as Commander Cody of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, rose to fame in the late 1960s and early ’70s in the Bay Area music scene; Sept. 26
Lee Quarnstrom, 81: The longtime journalist, who served as executive editor at Hustler magazine and later as a columnist for the Mercury News, was part of Ken Kesey’s band of Merry Pranksters, Sept. 30
October
Michael Stockley, 24: The Alameda resident was popular e-sports streamer and commentator who went by the name “KiXSTAr”; Oct. 11
Ray Fosse, 74: The former MLB catcher played for the Oakland A’s, Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland Indians, then served as an A’s broadcaster for 26 years; Oct. 13
Mort Sahl, 94: The political satirist, who got his start in San Francisco, took pride in having mocked every president from Dwight Eisenhower to Donald Trump; Oct. 23
Peter Hegarty, 56: The longtime journalist wrote for the Alameda Journal and the East Bay Times, and was a fierce advocate for Irish independence
November
Wilma Chan, 72: The longtime public official, who was a fierce advocate for children, served in the state Assembly and on the Alameda County board of supervisors; Nov. 3
Ronn Guidi, 85; The noted choreographer and teacher founded the Oakland Ballet, which became a proving ground for dancers under his leadership; Nov. 25
Andrew Romanoff, 98: He was a Russian prince who gave up his royal title and made a new life for himself in Marin County as a carpenter, entrepreneur and folk artist; Nov. 28
Dave Draper, 79: The famed bodybuilder won the Mr. America, Mr. Universe and Mr. World titles, appeared in several TV shows and films, and owned gyms in Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley; Nov. 30
December
Joan Didion, 85: The author and essayist, who was born in Sacramento and graduated from UC Berkeley, wrote such classic pieces as “The White Album” and “The Year of Magical Thinking”; Dec. 23
Wayne Thiebaud, 101: The painter, who was a professor at UC Davis for more than 40 years, was known for his vibrant depictions of ordinary life — from pastries and pies to delicatessen counters and diners; Dec. 25