Obituaries 1-14-16

Alma Chiosi Buchignani
Alma Chiosi Buchignani died on Jan. 9, 2016. Alma was born Aug. 12, 1923 in Virginia City, Nevada, to Olympia and Antonio Chiosi (the house that she was born in now exists in Reno, Nevada.) She was preceded in death by her husband of 45 years, Cerri Buchignani, her brother Henry Chiosi and her sister Adelia Chiosi Lichau. She originally came to the Healdsburg area in 1940 from Petaluma. She worked for her uncle Ezio Chiosi at the Redwood Service Station where she met her future husband, Cerri, whom she married in 1942. Two children, Shirley and Rick, blessed their marriage. After living in Geyserville, the family moved to the Dry Creek Valley in 1958. She worked beside her husband for many years in the prune industry and C&F Nursery. She was also known as “The Ravioli Queen.” She was an original member of the St. Mary’s Guild at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church at Asti. She was a member of St. John’s Parish and Sonoma County Farm Bureau. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to any of the following: The Rose Pavoni Assistance Fund at the Senior Center, 133 Matheson Street, Healdsburg,CA 95448; Healdsburg Museum, 221 Matheson Street, Healdsburg, CA 95448; American Heart Association, 1400 N. Dutton Ave., Suite 20, Santa Rosa, CA 95401. Viewing will be at St. John’s Catholic Church in Healdsburg on Friday, Jan. 15 from 6 to 8 p.m., followed by funeral services on Saturday, Jan. 16 at 11 a.m. Private internment at Oak Mound Cemetery.
Florene Weldon
Florene Weldon died in her sleep with Savaira, her caregiver and close companion, by her side, at the age of 88 years. Her beautiful smile and kind heart will be greatly missed. She was a life-long Cloverdalian. A good Christian lady, she was born Feb. 15, 1927 to Robert Lee “Babe” and Ruth Vassar at the Cloverdale hospital. She had two loving brothers, Robert “Bob” (Lois) Vassar and William “Bill” (Janet) Vassar. She had many well-loved nieces and nephews. She was married 25 years to Stanley G. Gerdes until his death in 1972. The loving mother of Gary (Judy) Gerdes, Nancey (Mark) Gerdes and Julene Gerdes. Adoring grandmother of Chelsea Thompson and the great-grandmother of Penelope De La Cruz. Florene was remarried later to Travis Weldon until his death in 2005. They were married for 30 years. Florene enjoyed gardening, soft-ball, camp meetings and giving Jafra care classes. She loved her friends and family and always made time for those in need. Florene will be laid to rest Friday, Jan. 15, 2016 at Olive Hill Cemetery in Geyserville at 11 a.m.  Memorial Service will follow at the Cloverdale Seventh-Day Adventist Church at 1 p.m.; photos and memorabilia welcome. A potluck will be held at the school next door after the memorial service.
Shirley Ann (Sherry) Schuler
Shirley Ann (Sherry) Schuler died Jan. 6, 2016 in Yreka at the age of 83. She was born on Nov. 18, 1932 in Los Angeles to Fred and Eugenia Oster. When she was a child, her family settled north of Cloverdale on the Preston Ranch, where her parents ran a boys camp for a number of years. Sherry attended school in Cloverdale and later attended Santa Rosa Junior College. She was married to her high school sweetheart, David Schuler, for 18 years before they were divorced. Sherry raised her family in Cloverdale and was the cook for many years at Cloverdale’s former Italian restaurant, Mama Nina’s. Almost 40 years ago, Sherry moved to Siskiyou County, where she lived in the Shasta Valley. She cooked at the old Ma & Pa’s restaurant for 10 years. Sherry was an avid quilter and knitter, and she loved to read. She had a special appreciation for history and nature. One of her favorite things to do was to drive the country backroads exploring. Sherry was preceded in death by a son, Mark Thomas Schuler, and longtime companion Charles Cavagnaro. She was also preceded by her brother, Thomas Oster, and a daughter-in-law, Audrey Schuler. Sherry is survived by her sons, Peter Schuler (Audrey) of Carson City, Nevada and Paul Schuler of Cloverdale; her daughters, Susanna Black (Martin) and Amy Novak, all of Montague; nine loving grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held in the future. In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite charity. Online condolences may be made at www.girdnerfuneralchapel.com.
Edwin Robert Bailey
Family and friends of Edwin Robert Bailey (Eddie or Ed) are grieving the loss of a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, cousin and friend. Eddie died unexpectedly in Santa Rosa, on Tuesday, Dec. 8, following a routine medical procedure. Ed was born in Lewiston, Idaho, on Oct. 13, 1946 and was raised by his single mother, Elizabeth “Betty” Jane Bailey, as his father Robert Edwin Bailey was killed in a plane crash when Eddie was just a baby. Growing up, Eddie lived in Lewiston, Idaho and Spokane, Washington before he and his mom moved to Northern California. It was there he attended school, graduating from Mira Loma High School in 1966 and attending California State University Sacramento, graduating with a degree in journalism. Eddie covered many subjects, but his favorite was motocross and he and his daughters spent many weekends at Boomtown enjoying the races. As a boy, he spent many a summer day on Clear Lake enjoying the company of his cousins, whom he loved dearly, the Hanchett clan at their family home in Jago Bay. For the past several decades, Ed resided in Santa Rosa. Ed loved his motorcycle and took long rides to different areas of the country. He taught his daughters to ride at an early age, and he rode his bike around and across the country in the company of Dan “Paco” Perry, enjoying the wonders of the country that he loved and fought for in Vietnam, successfully completing two tours of duty with the U.S. Navy. For many years Ed worked at Hansel Ford in Santa Rosa and for the last two years was a salesman at W.C. Sanderson Ford in Healdsburg. As a salesman, Ed met many people and created relationships and friendships that lasted for decades. Everyone loved doing business with Eddie. He was widely known for his good humor and kindness, and friends often commented that they were always happy to see his smiling face. Eddie’s spirit is embodied and survived by his wife Barbara Clacher; daughters Amie Bailey and Kim Bailey with his first wife Tina Jackson, son David Clacher; grandchildren Klaytan Phillips and Kallie Sakamoto and many loving cousins in California, Washington and Idaho. A celebration of Ed’s life will be held at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 17, at the Rohnert Park Community Center located at 6401 Country Club Drive, Rohnert Park. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Wounded Warrior Project, 8880 Rio San Diego Drive, Suite 900, San Diego, CA 92108. www.woundedwarriorproject.org.