Bay Area residents who died in 2023

We knew their names because they were our neighbors.

Some of them served our communities, others were leaders of business and industry, played or coached for the region’s sports teams, or entertained us at popular events.

And in 2023, we said a final farewell.

Here are the stories of several notable residents who died this past year:

January

Sal Bando, 78: He was the third baseman and captain on the “Swingin’ A’s” teams that won three straight World Series titles from 1972-74; Jan. 20

Chon Gallegos, 83: He played one season with the Oakland Raiders, then became a beloved South Bay football coach — first at James Lick High School in San Jose in the 1960s, then at Santa Teresa High from 1974-92; Jan. 17

John Kirby, 81: He was an iconic Santa Cruz High football player in the late 1950s, then became a teacher and coach in King City; Jan. 28

Lou Campanelli, 84: The men’s basketball coach revived the Cal Golden Bears’ program in the 1980s, and in 1986 led the team to its first upset of UCLA in 25 years; Jan. 31

Sal Bando died Jan. 20. He was 78. (Ron Riesterer/Bay Area News Group Archives)

February

David Harris, 76: The former Stanford student was an activist and journalist who in the late 1960s gained fame for encouraging young men to resist being drafted to serve in the Vietnam War — and went to jail after refusing the draft himself; Feb. 6

Richard Valle, 73: He was the founder of one of the state’s largest nonprofit recycling companies, then served as a councilmember in Union City and later as an Alameda County supervisor; Feb. 8

Jen Angel, 48: She was a community activist who co-founded Aid and Abet, a social-justice event-production platform, then later opened the beloved Oakland bakery Angel Cakes; Feb. 9

Benny Pierce, 89: The longtime football coach at Saratoga High School was the Central Coast Section’s all-time winningest football coach at the time of his retirement in 1994; Feb. 11

Raul Lozano, 68: The San Jose resident was executive director of Teatro Visión theater company for a decade, then later founded Valley Verde, a nonprofit that helps residents create gardens; Feb. 20

Jeffrey “JV” Vandergrift, 55: He was a longtime morning show host at Wild 94.9 who co-founded and co-hosted the popular Doghouse show during the early 1990s; Feb. 23

Robert Praetzel, 97: The Marin County attorney played a key role in defeating the Marincello housing project of the 1960s, instead helping preserve the Marin Headlands area as parkland; Feb. 25

March

Kathy Leighton, 75: The lifelong Byron resident was an author, community leader and East Contra Costa historian; March 4

Jack Spencer, 86: The man known as “Mr. Saratoga” served on the City Council, was a member of several community organizations and was the founder of the city’s Blossom Festival; March 4

Jesús Alou, 80: He played with both the San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s and was part of a famed baseball family: He and brothers Felipe and Matty all played with the Giants in 1963, making history as the first all-sibling outfield; March 10

Felton Spencer, 55: He played 12 season in the NBA, including three with the Golden State Warriors in the late 1990s; March 12

Gordon Moore, 94: He was a Silicon Valley pioneer as co-founder of microchip makers Intel and Fairchild Semiconductor, then later turned his attention to philanthropy, donating billions to scientific causes; March 24

Bill Leavy, 76: He was a retired police officer and firefighter in San Jose, but he also worked as an NFL official from 1995 to 2015, then became a referee supervisor; March 28

Gordon Moore died March 24. He was 94. (David M. Barreda/Bay Area News Group Archives)

April

Heklina, 55: The San Francisco drag legend, who started the Trannyshack show and performed with Golden Girls Live, also had several film and TV appearances; April 3

Katie Cotton: For nearly two decades, she was the communications chief for Apple Inc., who promoted the company’s brand during the Steve Jobs era and beyond; April 6

Bob Berry, 81: The native of San Jose was an NFL quarterback who played with several teams, including three Minnesota Vikings teams that went to the Super Bowl in the 1970s; April 17

Dave Wilcox, 80: The Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker played with the San Francisco 49ers from 1964-74; April 19

Carol Weyland Conner, 80: The Walnut Creek resident created a pair of nonprofit groups dedicated to helping unhoused residents in the Bay Area; April 22

May

Chris Strachwitz, 91: The East Bay music icon was the founder of Arhoolie Records, and he was famed for preserving the work of scores of authentic American roots musicians; May 5

Vida Blue, 73: The fan-favorite MLB pitcher won Cy Young and MVP awards in 1971 with the Oakland A’s, then was traded to the San Francisco Giants in 1978; May 6

Patrick J. McGrath, 77: He was a bishop with the Diocese of San Jose for more than two decades and was the second person to serve in the role; May 7

Joe Kapp, 85: The Cal football legend led the Bears to the 1958 Rose Bowl as a quarterback, then later was head coach for the infamous The Play against Stanford in 1982; May 8

June

Roger Craig, 93: He served as San Francisco Giants manager for eight seasons, winning two division titles and one pennant, and brought “Humm Baby” to the team’s lore; June 4

Bob Brown, 81: He was a Pro Football Hall of Fame who had a 10-year NFL career as a tackle, including three seasons with the Oakland Raiders in the early 1970s; June 16

Gus Newport, 88: The two-term mayor of Berkeley also was a progressive organizer and international social justice activist; June 17

July

CoCo Lee, 48: The singer, who was raised in San Francisco, was the first Chinese singer to break into American market and released albums in Cantonese and English; July 5

George Tickner, 76: He was a founding member of the Bay Area band Journey, playing rhythm guitar from the group’s start in 1973 through 1975; July 5

Nancy Pyle, 85: The longtime San Jose resident was a beloved elementary-school teacher who went on to serve two terms on the San Jose City Council; July 14

Angus Cloud, 25: The Oakland native was best known for his role as Fezco, a sweet-natured drug dealer, in the HBO series “Euphoria”; July 31

Angus Cloud died July 31. He was 25. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

August

John Warnock, 82: He was the co-founder of Adobe Systems and was considered a titan of the Silicon Valley tech industry; Aug. 19

September

Steve Harwell, 56: The San Jose native was the frontman for the band Smash Mouth, which had hits with such songs as “All-Star” and “Walkin’ on the Sun”; Sept. 4

Myiia “Sunny” Hawkins: She was a gospel star who worked with such artists as Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Luther Vandross, Chaka Khan and Ray Charles; Sept. 4

Buddy Teevens, 66: The well-known college football coach led the Stanford Cardinal from 2002-04 before moving on to Dartmouth College; Sept. 19

Dianne Feinstein, 90: The trailblazing Bay Area politician shot to fame after becoming mayor of San Francisco in 1978, then served as U.S. senator for California for more than 30 years; Sept. 29

October

Russ Francis, 70: The NFL star began his career with the New England Patriots, then played with the San Francisco 49ers from 1982 to 1987, winning a Super Bowl in 1984; Oct. 1

Jim Poole, 57: He was an MLB pitcher who played for 11 seasons, spending three of them with the San Francisco Giants; Oct. 6

Michael Chiarello, 61: The celebrity chef owned restaurants in San Francisco and Napa Valley, and hosted several TV cooking shows; Oct. 6

Dave Matsu, 54: He was the longtime girls basketball coach at Mills High in Millbrae, leading the team Central Coast Section Division III championship last season; Oct. 14

Suzanne Somers, 76: The actress, a native of San Bruno, shot to fame with her role on TV’s “Three’s Company,” then later authored several books on aging and wellness; Oct. 15

Steve Jacoby, 61: He played football at St. Mary’s College, then later served as the defensive line coach at De La Salle High School; Oct. 19

Vince Maiorana, 92: He played football at Cal in the early 1950s, then went on to become the longtime football coach at Contra Costa College; Oct. 19

Dusty Street, 77: She was a pioneering radio DJ, working at KMPX-FM and KSAN-FM in San Francisco, then later held high-profile jobs at KROQ-FM in Los Angeles and SiriusXM; Oct. 22

David Mitchell, 79: The Bay Area journalist was the publisher of the Point Reyes Lighthouse, and he won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the violent drug rehabilitation cult Synanon; Oct. 25

Patricia Mahan, 71: She was a longtime public official in Santa Clara, serving on both the City Council and as the city’s mayor; Oct. 28

Suzanne Somers died Oct. 15. She was 76.

November

Michael E. Fox Sr., 87: The Saratoga resident owned the M.E. Fox & Co. beer distributorship, was a member of the Santa Clara University board of regents and was a South Bay philanthropist; Nov. 3

Don Horsley, 80: The longtime San Mateo County public official held office for more than 25 years, serving as both sheriff and county supervisor; Nov. 24

Margaret Huntley Main, 102: The San Jose State graduate was the Tournament of Roses queen in 1940, meeting every Rose Queen from 1905 to 2020, then later went on to be a kindergarten teacher; Nov. 24

Paul Gaddini, 83: He served as the North Coast Section commissioner for 28 years, and helped to bring girls sports and playoffs to the section

December

Vic Davalillo: The Major League Baseball star played for 16 seasons, including on the 1973 Oakland A’s team that won the World Series; Dec. 6

Frank Fiscalini, 101: The longtime school superintendent was a civic leader in San Jose, serving two terms on the City Council; Dec. 8

Jeffrey Foskett, 67: The native of San Jose was a singer and musician who turned a gig in a cover band into a job as a touring musician with the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson; Dec. 11

Mike Grgich, 100: He was the winemaker at Grgich Hills Estate in Rutherford, and was part of a group of California vintners who bested French counterparts in the famed 1976 “Judgment of Paris”; Dec. 13

Gus Morrison, 88: He served five terms as Fremont’s mayor, and his tenure overlapped with the city’s rapid growth and ethnic diversification; Dec. 14

Gary Richards, 72: He was a longtime journalist at the Mercury News, and was best known for his Mr. Roadshow column about traffic and commuting; Dec. 17

Jack Hanson, 91: The longtime Bay Area TV personality worked at KRON, KPIX, KTVU, KGO-TV as well as the Cable Health Network

Betty Moore, 95: She was a Silicon Valley philanthropist who championed environmental and health care causes, and she was married to Intel founder Gordon Moore

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