Lake County News,California

Obits

: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Tuesday, 15 August 2023 02:31; 15 August 2023

Paul Bassham

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Paul Bassham passed away on Aug. 6, 2023.

He was born on Dec. 18, 1929, in Little Rock, Arkansas, to parents Vernon and Lucille.

He formerly lived in Napa, but made Lake County his home for the last 45 years.

Paul joined the Air Force at a young age, but found truck driving to be his career choice.

Paul is survived by his wife of 57 years, Sharon; daughters, Pamela, Peggy and Perrie; sons, Bob and Don; along with 8 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

He was so loved and will be deeply missed by his family and friends.

: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Saturday, 12 August 2023 00:01; 12 August 2023

Karen Wright

Karen Arlene Wright
Nov. 18, 1943 - July 22, 2023

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — On Saturday July 22, 2023, Karen Arlene Wright passed away peacefully in her home at the age of 79.

She was born in Alameda, California, on Nov. 18, 1943, to William J. and Arlene M. Talkin.

In the 1950s her family moved to Lake County, where she worked for the family business, the Baywood Beach Resort, throughout her high school years.

She attended Upper Lake High School where she met the love of her life, James L. Wright. They went on to get married in 1961 and had three children, Christine, Laura and Daniel.

As a young mother, Karen often worked in the orchards, quite literally "with a baby on her back" as she often took all three children with her.

In the late 1970s, she opened her own plant boutique in Nice, California, where she also taught macrame.

Once the children started school, she worked as a teachers aide at Upper Lake Elementary School for many years.

In the early 1990s, Karen and her daughter, Laura, opened up their own family business, The Wright Look Hair and Nail Salon, where Karen worked as a manicurist.

Karen loved her family dearly. Christmas was her favorite time of year, it was an “all month” event for her. Karen and Jim were well known for their annual Christmas parties.

Karen is survived by her daughters, Christine (Rex) and Laura; son, Daniel (Nancy); her eight grandchildren, Cody, Tyler, Bryan, Miranda, Jared, Rob, Dylan and Hailey; and four great-grandchildren, Josiah, Lennon, Desmond and Rozlyn.

She was predeceased by her husband, Jim Wright.

A memorial service will be held at Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 11 a.m.

A celebration of life will follow at Jim and Karen's home in Upper Lake.

Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com.

: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Tuesday, 08 August 2023 03:04; 08 August 2023

Parker Kenner

Parker Brian Kenner tragically lost his life at the young age of 19 while working in Colorado.

Parker resided in both Vacaville and Lakeport, California. He attended both Vaca High and Clear Lake High.

He is survived by his parents Brian and Becky, and younger brother, Trenton Kenner, as well as many family members and a huge tribe of friends.

Parker shared a true joy for life, love, music and friends. To know him is to love him.

His smile, laugh and adventurous personality lit up every room he entered. He could turn any time into a good time with his tenacious humor.

Parker will be sorely missed and remembered as being genuine and the one who gave the best hugs.

We love you, son!

A private celebration of life has been planned.

: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Saturday, 12 August 2023 00:19; 12 August 2023

Patricia Novotny

Patricia Jean Novotny, 73, passed away on Aug. 4, 2023, after suffering a stroke at her home in Noyo Harbor, California.

Pat was born on Sept. 6, 1949, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Stella and Frank Novotny.

She attended Collinwood High School where she was instrumental in welcoming the African American students who were integrating her high school.

After graduation, demonstrating her independent spirit, she traveled through Europe by herself and returned to attend Ohio University where she earned a degree in English.

After teaching three years in Connecticut, she and her life partner Terry Casey, made the decision to move to California where they fulfilled their dream of starting a landscaping business.

They opened Highland Nursery and Landscaping in Clearlake where they happily remained until their retirement. Sadly Terry passed soon after. They had been together for 40 years.

Pat survived the 2015 Valley Fire but lost her house and all her belongings where she lived in Hidden Valley Lake. She was able to escape the fire and stayed with a dear friend until she made the decision to spend winters in Florida and summers in California. In both areas she lived near the water, enjoyed the wildlife and took long walks in the natural environment she loved.

Pat’s two passions were birding and traveling, two activities she often combined. She traveled to Europe, Mexico, Madagascar, Costa Rica, Canada and throughout the United States. She shared many of these trips with friends who meant so much to her.

Pat was a great friend and companion. She was full of laughter, keen insight and a sense of adventure that made these trips memorable.

Pat is survived by her brother, Bill (Gail); two nephews; and their four children. They include David (Kerry) and their sons Benjamin and William, and Matthew and his daughter Petra and son Nicholas.

We will miss her dearly.

: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Thursday, 10 August 2023 02:15; 10 August 2023

Charles ‘Murray’ Pulse

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Murray was 78 when he passed away on July 29, 2023.

He was born in Vallejo on June 29, 1945, to Ruth Ada and Charles Homer Pulse.

He attended Clear Lake High School in Lakeport. After graduation, he joined the Navy and became an electrician onboard the USS Yorktown CVS 10 where he came into contact with Agent Orange off the shores of Vietnam. Possibly due to this, later in life he was diagnosed with Parkinsons.

Fresh out of the Navy, he was hired on by Pacific Gas and Electric, where he built and maintained substations around the state and then years later transferred to work at the Geysers. Thirty-three years later, he retired, only to return to the workforce with Calpine for another 10 years. On his days off he loved to hunt and fish.

On July 3, 1971, Murray married “the girl next door,” Cathy Deacon. They were married for 52 years until the day he died and had two sons, Charles “Jody” Pulse and Jesse Homer Pulse.

Murray leaves behind his wife, Cathy; his sons, Jody (Missy), Jesse (Julie); two grandchildren, Kate and Colin; his sisters, Colleen (Harold) Young and Kathleen Rodello; and numerous other relatives and loyal friends. We all miss him dearly.

As he requested, no services will be held. Donations in his honor may be made to Hospice of Lake County, 1862 Parallel Drive, Lakeport, CA 95453.

Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-262-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com.

: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Friday, 04 August 2023 01:54; 04 August 2023

Jason Mitchell

Jason Charles Mitchell born Dec. 1, 1973, passed away on July 22, 2023.

Jason was born in Santa Rosa, California, and passed away in Anchorage, Alaska.

He moved a lot as a kid but finally settled in the Sonoma County area of California for the longest portion of his life.

He spent most of his high school years at Analy high School but eventually graduated from Santa Rosa high School.

For most of his life he worked in the water industry. But was one of the best automotive troubleshooters there was. If he didn't know, he knew Google would. He wasn't afraid to learn new things and pass on to others what he knew.

Jason first met his wife Nicole (Nikki) in high school. After dating for three years, they went separate ways, until they reunited after they both had children, and created their own blended family.

Jason was smitten over his wife. He loved her with all he had. His kids meant the world to him. He was complete when everyone was together.

Jason loved passionately. He lived for his family and his friends. Many of his friends he never met. He had a huge family of off-road friends online that held him up when he was struggling and celebrated when he succeeded. The friendships he made spanned over many years. When he was your friend, it was for life. His closest friends knew how much he loved them even if they didn't talk every day. To be Jason's friend, meant you would always have a true friend. He made many memories with the people he loved and it's truly difficult to go anywhere without thinking of him.

Jason had a knack for making the world laugh. His laugh was contagious and goofy. He would do anything for those he loved and never wanted anyone to be blue. He certainly had his stubborn moments and was hard-headed, but his loving, loyal and witty self always prevailed.

He was unique and often marched to the beat of his own drum, not worried about what people thought. He was “OK with that.” Jason always had a joke to tell or a meme to pass along.

Jason enjoyed so many things including off-roading, a good game of Zelda or clash of clans, BBQing, and fabricating just about anything. He loved music and spending time with his family and friends. He was industrious and clever, and always had a plan for something brewing in his mind but would leave us all in suspense wondering what it was. He had the best surprises for people and put thought into every gift he gave.

The loss of Jason leaves an emptiness that will never be filled again. He was one of a kind. But the one thing he would tell us all is that we need to "motor on, come awn" and live life the best we all can. His time with us was short but he lived that time to the fullest, always planning, dreaming, and living his best life.

Jason leaves behind his loving wife, Nicole (Nikki); brother, Tommy and sister-in-law Fallon; twin boys, Andy and David; and daughter, Katelyn and son-in-law William. Katelyn and William were just two months away from giving birth to Jason’s first grandchild, Stella, something he was so excited about. He also leaves behind cousins, aunts, uncles and many friends who were part of his family.

Services will be at Jones & Lewis in Lower Lake on Aug. 19 at 11 a.m., followed by a reception at the Schoolhouse Museum in Lower Lake from noon to 3 p.m.

Obits

Paul Bassham

Karen Wright

Parker Kenner

Patricia Novotny

Charles ‘Murray’ Pulse

Jason Mitchell

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