Irreplaceable losses in Valley in 2009

They were coaches and doctors, artists and soldiers. Some were successful business people who shared their fortunes as community benefactors; others made the region a more colorful and lively place. All of them left their mark on the Valley and on California.

These are some of the notable Valley people who died in 2009:

January

Barbara McDowell, 56, prominent Washington, D.C., attorney. Jan. 2.

Dick Avakian, 93, owner of Dick’s Menswear & Shoes in Fresno’s Chinatown for 58 years. Jan. 11.

Jennifer McCoun, 40, president and chief executive officer of Tulare Chamber of Commerce for eight years. Jan. 31.

February

Harold Mathews, 89, owner of one of the oldest Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealerships in Northern California. Feb. 6.

March

Marco “Marc” Scalzo, 50, political consultant and former Madera City Council member and radio talk show host. March 6.

Ernest N. Mobley, 90, decorated World War II hero and Sanger farmer who served in the state Assembly from 1966 through 1976. March 10.

The Rev. Chester Riggins, 80, pastor of Saints Rest Missionary Baptist Church on Fresno’s west side for 44 years. March 10.

Dan Brown, Fresno State’s longtime football defensive coordinator. March 13.

Dolphas Trotter, 68, longtime Fresno Unified School District administrator and former interim superintendent of West Fresno School District. March 17.

Armando M. Canales, 75, a yeoman aboard the USS Pueblo spy ship when it was captured by the North Koreans in 1968 who spent nearly a year in captivity. March 20.

April

James Griffin “J.G.” Boswell II, 86, built a Corcoran company into one of the nation’s biggest farming operations. April 3.

Army Sgt. Raul Moncada, 29, of Madera Ranchos, killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. April 13.

Rosemary Morrison, 69, a Fresno community advocate for many causes. April 15.

Amy Kasai, 88, Fresno native who rose from a World War II Japanese internment camp to become a leader in the city’s arts community. April 17.

Dorena Koopman, 57, a beloved German teacher at Bullard High School for more than three decades. April 17.

Bill Stewart, 65, longtime Fresno-area football coach who bookended his career at Fresno State with stops at Edison and Bullard highs. April 19.

June

Jim Curutchet, 82, who served 33 years on the Chowchilla police force including seven as the chief. June 1.

Luke Cole, 46, environmental-justice lawyer well-known in the San Joaquin Valley for his defense of small communities against large corporate projects. June 6.

Army Sgt. Joshua Soto, 25, of Avenal, killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. June 15.

Nic Fiore, 88, the personable and charismatic ski instructor who graced the slopes of Badger Pass for more than 50 years. June 16.

August

Arthur Ellish, 74, longtime Fresno City College administrator and acting president on three occasions. Aug. 6.

September

Ralph Moore, 102, the Visalia rose breeder hailed as the “father of modern miniature roses;” Sept. 14.

Monte Clark, 72, a Kingsburg native who coached the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions. Sept. 16.

Jim Maples, 75, former Porterville College men’s basketball coach and Tulare County supervisor. Sept. 16.

October

Muriel Smittcamp, 92, matriarch of a philanthropic Clovis farming family. Oct. 7.

Marine Lance Cpl. Alfonso Ochoa Jr., 20, of Hanford, killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Oct. 10.

Larry Shehadey, 102, of Fresno, iconic Fresno dairyman, civic leader and namesake of the Save Mart Center tower at Fresno State. Oct. 10.

Carol Tomlinson-Keasey, 66, founding chancellor of University of California at Merced. Oct. 10.

Don Laub, 76, of Easton, a longtime grape farmer, civic leader and agriculture advocate. Oct. 20.

Ed Eames, 79, of Fresno, who lost his sight at age 42 and spent the rest of his life advocating for the needs of people with disabilities. Oct. 25.

November

Angie “Yo-Wis-Nuth” Osborne, 81, a Choinumni tribal member who fought to preserve traditional burial ground in Piedra on the south bank of the Kings River east of Fresno. Nov. 19.

Landon Guglielmana, 18, Madera South High School valedictorian and Bee All-Star volleyball player. Nov. 29.

December

Clement Renzi, 84, Fresno artist whose work is embodied in the well-worn statue “The Visit,” a 7-foot bronze of two women sitting side-by-side on Fulton Mall. Dec. 1.

Dr. Willie Lee Brown Sr., 77, delivered thousands of babies in Fresno County and trained many of the area’s obstetricians in his 47 years in practice. Dec. 10.

Jose Elgorriaga, 82, put Fresno State on the national soccer map as coach for 11 seasons, chaired Fresno State’s foreign language department and also collaborated with world class guitarist Juan Serrano on a book. Dec. 16.

John Milovich, 92, Fresno County’s last elected tax collector (1983-91). Dec. 17.

S. Kermit Koontz, 94, instrumental in starting the first special-education programs in Fresno County. Dec. 19.

The Fresno Bee