The legacies they left behind in Sonoma County and beyond

So many more of our neighbors, colleagues and friends who passed away in 2018 left behind legacies and voids and memories that will long survive them.

Among these individuals are:

Newt Dal Poggetto: The Sonoma Valley attorney, judge, novelist and raconteur took his lunch at Sonoma’s Swiss Hotel once a week for 25 years and was sorely missed if he failed to show for cocktail hour. He died Jan. 5 at 95.

Kay Voliva: The Santa Rosa resident’s passion for local history led her to become a treasured volunteer at Luther Burbank Home & Gardens, the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery and elsewhere. She died Jan. 7 at 74.

Bob Theiller: He grew up outside of Sebastopol and in 1968 was elected to represent western Sonoma County on the Board of Supervisors. He died at 90 on Jan. 14, not long after attending a dedication at Ragle Ranch Regional Park honoring his brother Rudy, who died at 19 in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Al Pisenti: He grew up in Santa Rosa as one of 14 children of Swiss-Italian immigrants, served in World War II and then became renowned as a Clover-Stornetta deliveryman. The last of the children of Rose and James Pisenti, he died Jan. 25 at 95.

Jud Snyder: For more than 40 years, he was the voice of Cotati-Rohnert Park as a reporter and columnist for the former Rohnert Park Clarion, then the Community Voice. He died March 3 at 92.

Glen Ghilotti: The Petaluma resident was the multitalented pillar of the Team Ghilotti construction company and world-class collector of Caterpillar tractors. He died March 25 at 59.

Ed Von der Porten: The former Santa Rosa High School teacher worked for 60 years on the premise that Sir Francis Drake’s 1579 landing was at Drakes Bay in the Point Reyes National Seashore. He died April 8 at 84.

Millie Rogina: She played violin in the Santa Rosa Symphony during World War II and, for more than 25 years, was resident manager of the idyllic ranch near Glen Ellen that was owned by founders of the Folgers Coffee Co. She died April 20 at 82.

Maurice Fredericks: The attorney and Navy veteran partnered with the late Paul Golis to transform a sprawling seed farm into the city of Rohnert Park. He died in the city he co-founded on April 20 at 93.

Marlina Boucher Harrison: The writer and publicist for years promoted the goings-on at the Sonoma County Fair and Harvest Fair, then directed her love of Spanish to teaching the language to children and adults. She died May 12 at 62.

Anita Porée: The Kenwood artist, social justice advocate and songwriter in the 1960s and ’70s composed hits for the Friends of Distinction and for Eddie Kendrick after he left the Temptations. She died July 8 at 78.

Elbert “Big Man” Howard: In 1966, he became a founding member of the Black Panther Party in Oakland. In retirement in Forestville he remained a political activist and delighted in playing jazz on the radio. He died July 23 at 80.

Harry Friedman: The Santa Rosa businessman, who was the younger brother and successor to Joe and Benny, served in World War II and returned to Sonoma County to found Friedman’s Home Improvement. He died Sept. 21 at age 89.

Lee Gong: He came to Santa Rosa as a teenager and became instrumental to his family’s business, G&G Supermarkets. He died Sept. 21 at 68.

Willie Benedetti: He grew a high-school Future Farmers of America project into a poultry empire that sent savored turkeys across the country. The Valley Ford resident died Sept. 28 at 69.

Jason Franci: The Windsor resident was the celebrated, 33-season Montgomery High School football coach and a mentor to young men. He died Oct. 29 at 75.

Art Janssen: Born in Santa Rosa in 1909, he worked in banking and insurance and in the 1950s served on the Sebastopol City Council. His death Dec. 14 came only weeks after he rode in the Hollywood Christmas Parade as a guest of Ripley’s Believe It or Not. He was 109.