Countdown to 2000: PASSINGS

The Rev. Kenneth Krause

On June 28, the Balboa Peninsula’s Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic

Church lost its revered pastor to pancreatic cancer. He was 63. Father

Krause was an inspiration to many, known as a practical joker and the man

who forged a bond between the English-speaking and Latino-speaking

communities. He spent 15 years at St. Joachim Catholic Church in Costa

Mesa and once worked at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana.

Sierra and Brandon

The two children who were killed on an Eastside day-care center

playground will forever be linked to a horrendous act on May 3.

Four-year-old Sierra and 3-year-old Brandon were run over as they were

waiting to be picked up at the Southcoast Early Childhood Learning

Center. Sierra had a flair for the arts, following in her mother’s

footsteps as a dancer. Brandon was a meticulous cleaner, always one to

pick up after himself and his siblings. Their names and their memories

are etched on a plaque that will be dedicated next year. Their spirits

live on, their innocence always remembered.

Sarah Nevins

She had a stalwart soul and the fight of a thousand men. But the tumors

kept coming and Sarah Nevins succumbed to cancer June 9. She was 22. The

OCC student had undergone several surgeries to relieve the worst form of

brain tumors. She was ready to embrace an alternative treatment when she

learned it would be too expensive. Her friends held a benefit concert to

help her out last December but in the end, the cancer wouldn’t let her

go.

Paul Troxel

A brain aneurysm and heart attack claimed the life of the beloved

baseball coach at age 40 on May 2. An Estancia High alumnus, he was the

school’s athletic equipment attendant. He coached baseball and football

at Estancia and baseball at Costa Mesa High and touched the lives of

thousands with his humor, compassion and zest for life.

Tom Fisher

For 33 years he dedicated his life to teaching at Estancia High School.

He was a favorite biological science teacher and beloved track and

freshmen football coach for years. He was known for his humor,

dedication, enthusiasm, caring and strength of character. On Nov. 23, Tom

Fisher died of a heart attack in the very room in which he dedicated his

life to teaching. When he wasn’t shaping young minds, he was out fishing

or tinkering on T-birds. He left a void in science, education and the

community at Estancia High School.

Sandy Pinkerton

She was the “guiding light” for the Costa Mesa Senior Center, and when

Sandy Pinkerton died Sept. 29 after a lengthy battle with cancer, the

news shocked the people she had worked with. But it didn’t stop them.

Instead, the center’s patrons dedicated themselves to boosting their

fund-raising as a tribute to Pinkerton, who was the Costa Mesa Chamber of

Commerce’s Woman on the Year in 1996 and a member of numerous city boards

and charitable groups. She was 74.

Yuridia Balbuena

The 15-year-old, who was seven months pregnant, was shot and killed May

29 while cooking dinner with her family in their converted garage home on

the West Side. Eduardo Yepez Guerrero, 18, of Santa Ana, allegedly fired

several shots from his .357-caliber Ruger handgun into the Balbuena home,

believing it was the home of a rival gang member. Costa Mesa police

arrested Guerrero with the help of tips from the public, which came after

they offered a $25,000 reward. Doctors delivered the baby by Caesarean

section, but it did not survive. Balbuena was buried in Mexico.

Nadine Sansone

She was a child advocate who gave her time to educational and reading

programs. Nadine Anne Sansone, wife of former Newport Beach Mayor Phil

Sansone, was the inspiration to her husband until she died on July 9

after a long illness. She was 77.

Jesse Valenzuela

A program aide in Newport-Mesa’s migrant program who inspired many

students to stay in school, died of a heart attack on June 1 at the age

of 37. Valenzuela worked for the school district for 12 years. He ran a

preschool program at Wilson Elementary School and a tutoring program at

Estancia High School. When he wasn’t inspiring students, Valenzuela took

his family biking and camping. A migrant scholarship fund is being

created in his memory.

Emma Jane Riley

A supporter of more than 35 charities, she was a devoted mother figure to

the community. Emma Jane Riley, the wife of former Orange County

Supervisor Thomas Riley -- who died in 1998 -- was diagnosed with lung

cancer in January and died in her home in Newport Beach on April 3 at the

age of 84. She was known as a woman of remarkable morality and integrity

and was regarded as a mother figure by many in the community.