Obituaries

John Allison, retired Caltrans executive

Note: The following obituary appeared in the Appeal Democrat (Marysville) last summer.

John Allison passed away peacefully on Friday, Aug. 16 at home, surrounded by his family and loved ones. He was 81 years old. He lived a long and full life and will be greatly missed.

He was born in Fresno on Sept. 3, 1942, to Margery and Clarence Allison. He had four brothers and two sisters: Robert, Margery "Susie", Carol, Charles, Richard and Ron. He graduated from Central Union High in 1961 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Fresno State University in 1972. He went on to earn a master’s in administration from San Bernardino State University in 1975.

After high school, John went to work for the California Division of Highways, and eventually joined the U,S, Navy Construction Battalion (aka the Sea Bees) in 1965 with an honorable discharge in October 1968.

He returned to work with the Division of Highways (now Caltrans) in Fresno and went on to have a long and prosperous career with the state. He transferred throughout the state to San Bernardo, Marysville and back to Sacramento as he promoted through the organization. He held positions of maintenance director of District 3, chief of structures in charge of Engineering Services, and finishing his career as chief of research statewide. John retired from Caltrans in 2003 after 38 years of service.

In 1989 he married the love of his life, Marie Gilbert-Allison. They enjoyed 35 years of marriage, friendship and love.

His passion was bass fishing. In retirement John and Marie spent their time fishing, playing golf, traveling and working in the yard.

He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Marie Gilbert-Allison, his children, Mark Allison of Aventura, Florida; Kimberly Allison of Phoenix, Bryanne Taylor (Brian Taylor), and Jacoby Gilbert both of Yuba City; five beautiful grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

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Donald Ernest Lampman, retired employee

Note: The following obituary appeared on the Paso Robles Daily News website on Nov. 29.

On Nov. 6, retired Caltrans worker Donald Ernest Lampman (94) finished his earthly course and went home to be with the Lord he loved, Jean (his wife of almost 68 years), his parents, and numerous other friends and family. What a day of rejoicing that must have been, although we who remain will miss him dearly here.

Don was born in Long Beach on Jan. 17, 1930. He moved to Atascadero when he was 2 years old, attended school here, and graduated from Atascadero High School in 1947. Following his graduation, Don worked at Atascadero Ford, attended Cal Poly, and served some time in the Army National Guard, before enlisting in the Navy in December 1950. He served aboard the aircraft carrier the USS Princeton as a radio repairman during the Korean War.

After being discharged from the Navy, Don went to work for the California Division of Highways (now Caltrans) until he retired. During this time he met his future wife, Doris Jean Clutter, at the feed store where she was working. He had gone there to get supplies for his mom, and after leaving he said that he had met the girl he was going to marry.

They wed in Ohio, where Jean was originally from, on Nov. 26, 1955. Their first home was in Solvang to be near Don’s work. They then moved to Santa Barbara, where their only son, James Donald Lampman, was born on March 8, 1957. They also lived in Grover City before building a house and moving back to Atascadero in the early 1970s, where they lived the rest of their lives.

Selflessness is a word that comes to mind when thinking about Don. He was constantly lending a helping hand to friends and neighbors, as well as any stray cat or dog, that he and Jean encountered. He also was a very generous donor to many, many charities that he faithfully contributed to year after year.

He was well known for his genius in all things mechanical, and for recreation he built several cars, dune buggies, a camper, and even a tractor as a teenager from parts salvaged from the nearby local landfill. He was very adventuresome, from taking friends dune buggying at the Pismo Dunes, to taking the camper he built on trips, or going on motorcycle adventures with friends ranging from the hills in Pozo or Ballinger Canyon in California to the mountains of Ouray, Colorado. Don liked to challenge himself to see if he could reach the top of difficult climbs with his motorcycle, often choosing the most rigorous trails.

Don is survived by his son, James Lampman, his cats Twerps and Campie, as well as several very close friends. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jean, his mother, Grace, his father, Ernie, and an older brother who died as an infant.

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Bettie Anne Rutan, retired employee

Note: The following obituary appeared on the Lost Coast Outpost website on Nov. 6.

Retired Caltrans employee Bettie Anne Rutan, 89, died quietly in her home in Eureka on Oct, 4. She maintained her love of family, profound sense of gratitude, and poise through her final days. Her deep faith filled her with hope and an abiding peace.

Bettie was born on Dec. 3,1934, in Roanoke, Alabama, to Naomi and Lamon Bailey. She spent her early years in rural Alabama. Her earliest memories included adventures following her adored older brother, Pete, and attempts to contain her mischievous baby brother, Tom.

When she was 11 years old, her family decided to leave their small town in Alabama and move to Petrolia, where her maternal aunt and uncle lived. Bettie often recalled the train trip west, her young head full of dreams about living in sunny California. She laughed about her disappointment upon arriving at the family’s ranch in Petrolia, where it rained every day for six weeks straight.

When her father went to work for the Hammond Lumber Company, she moved with her family to Crannell. After a partial year at Little River Elementary School, Bettie was enrolled in Arcata High School, even though she was only 12 years old. She graduated at age16 and spent a year in Tujunga with a paternal aunt and uncle. She enrolled in community college and enjoyed great times with her cousin Maddox and friends.

Bettie fondly recalled the sweet smell of orange groves which stretched for miles at that time around Los Angeles.

Bettie returned to Humboldt County where she met Kenneth Cringle. They married in 1954. The large, loving Cringle clan became her family and she cherished those relationships to her last days. The addition of their daughters Brenda, Pamela and Daphne brought great joy to Bettie; children, especially babies, were one of her passions. Her greatest sorrow came with the loss of their 5 week old infant son, Kenneth Randall.

She married her second husband, JR O’Connell, in 1964. They enjoyed many camping adventures with the girls, she expertly prepared the bounty of fish and game he brought home, and cheered for him as he raced stock cars at Redwood Acres. She even entered and won races herself!

Bettie began her work career in Arcata at a log scaling station in the early 1950s and recalled with pride working on one of the first computers in Humboldt County — it filled an entire room. She entered data using a card punch system. In the 1960s Bettie re-entered the workforce as an employee of the state of California, first for the Employment Development Department and later as a bookkeeper for Caltrans.

In 1979, Bettie married Don Rutan. She often said that she “finally got it right” as they enjoyed 29 years of adventure. Most of those years they lived in the Sacramento area where Don worked. They bought a property that had a pool, a large vegetable garden, and a horse pasture and barn. Their grandkids learned to swim in the pool, rode bareback on their horses, and developed a love for the taste of fresh tomatoes and corn from the garden.

Nana and Papa’s home is central in every grandkid’s childhood memories. Those years of simple pleasures with family were some of Bettie’s happiest.

Bettie’s green thumb was well known. Don took pride in her ability to grow anything, inside or out. He treasured her quick wit and remarkable memory. An animal lover to the end, she enjoyed many pets throughout her life and there was almost always a special dog by her side. She was an amazing cook=. Her southern roots were often recognizable in flaky biscuits, homemade creamed corn and large bowls of gravy common at her table. None of these culinary delights included a recipe so daughters had to watch carefully to learn the secrets.

Music was a constant in her life and she loved to dance, especially with Don. They attended numerous jazz festivals over the years but their favorite was the Redwood Coast Dixieland Jazz Festival in Eureka.

Bettie was a lifelong sports fan, knowing team players, stats, and standings. She and Don created and shared memories taking the grandkids to sporting events, as well as watching all of them compete in various sports. While each season or different grandchild brought interest in different games or competitions, none compared with baseball.

Bettie’s love of the game began as a young girl at her Dad’s side, listening to the Brooklyn Dodgers. In her adult years the Giants were her team through good and bad. Her baseball card collection was enormous and well-cataloged. Naming her final doggie companion Buster Posey was not a surprise to those who knew her devotion.

Bettie and Don enjoyed many travels - driving across the country, Sacramento to Florida, cruising through the Panama Canal, sunsets in Tahiti, Barbados, and several Hawaiian islands, parasailing in the Bahamas, climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge and always the many drives to visit their children’s homes for holidays, celebrations and grandkid time.

Her enthusiasm for travel did not diminish after she lost Don. She took a cruise to Alaska with Pam, enjoyed a road trip on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail with her daughters, and visited Kaitlin and the memorials in D.C. In 2013 Jim’s Mom, 80 year old Maureen, bought a week long stay for two at a safari lodge in South Africa. She immediately invited 79-year-old Bettie to be her traveling companion. Brenda and Jim felt compelled to be guides. The trip evolved into a three week adventure that included four countries, numerous game drives, and Victoria Falls.

In 2006 Bettie and Don decided to retire to Eureka, where they both lived the rest of their lives. They loved their house in Eureka and the community and family to which they returned. Bettie loved her greenhouse, her flowers, and the times that she could gather children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren in her home. She always had bowls of candy, toys for kids, and hot coffee ready for visitors.

Bettie was preceded in death by her son Randy, her husband Don, and brothers Pete and Tom. She is survived by her three daughters: Brenda Yarnall (James, who she called “my boy”), Pamela McNaughton (Peter), and Daphne Aguilar, her grandchildren: Brent Gaylord (Bekah), Kaitlin Yarnall (Shikhin), Ryan Gaylord, Morgan Aguilar, and Megan Yarnall (Will), and her great-grandchildren: Romeo, Alina, Douglas, Sophie, Cylus, Carter, Neila, Isla, James, Madeline, and Samira. Also her sisters-in-law, Barbara Bailey and Sharon Bailey.