Obituaries

Longtime Pacifica Resident 'Ranger Fred' of San Pedro Valley Park Dies at 85

Some of the people with ties to Pacifica who passed away recently.

Fred William Laughlin, a Pacifica resident since 1955, was born in San Francisco in 1927. He graduated from Balboa High School, San Francisco, 1945, and married Ruby Marie Jones (deceased) in 1950 where they lived in Pacifica married for 22 years, raising three children to adulthood. Fred was an Army Veteran, serving six years as a Medical Technician. After active duty, he worked as a Television Technician with, Sugarman's, Lackland Bros, and Macy's. He spent his retirement years as a volunteer park ranger at San Pedro Valley Park in Pacifica. He was well known by the local elementary school children as "Ranger Fred.” He spent many days giving tours and talks to elementary school children about the park and the wildlife, hiking in the park, trail blazing, and socializing with the friends of San Pedro Valley Park. He also spent many hours shopping at garage sales for used computers, fixing them, and donating them to the local senior center. He died peacefully on Sept. 26, 2013 at the age of 85.

Patricia "Pat" Coreris, a long time resident of Pacifica, moved from Pittsburgh in the 1960's to pursue a career in nursing. She worked as a RN at St. Luke's hospital in the newborn nursery for over 30 years. She was an active member of the community teaching religious education at St. Peters Church, leading local Girl Scout troops, volunteering at Vallemar School and the Sanchez Adobe. In her retirement she also volunteered at the San Francisco Zoo as a tour guide for elementary school groups. She was an avid outdoor enthusiast who loved to camp, hike, ski and garden. She had a love for performing arts having participated with her children in several Spindrift Players productions in Pacifica and she enjoyed going to the San Francisco Opera and Ballet. She was also a sports enthusiast rooting for the SF Giants, 49ers and Stanford Cardinals. She passed away on Oct. 2, 2013, away after a long battle with cancer at her Pacifica residence with family by her side.

Karen Nygren, the daughter of Ben L. and Rosalind B. Goldman, was born in Milwaukee, WI, on March 10, 1940. She grew up in Whitefish Bay and Fox Point, WI. She first attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison and later transferred and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Decorative Arts. She obtained a Life Time Elementary Teaching Credential from San Francisco State University. She taught elementary school for eight years in the Laguna Salada School District in Pacifica. Karen met her husband John while skiing at Lake Tahoe. After their marriage in 1970, they lived in Mill Valley, moving to Tiburon with their son Erik in 1984. Her civic involvement began in 1986 as a Planning Commissioner for the Town of Tiburon. After eight years on the Planning Commission, she was elected for one term to the Tiburon Town Council and served as Mayor in 1994. She died at the age of 73 on Sept. 30, 2013 after a courageous struggle with ovarian cancer.

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Eleanor Tomic, formerly a Pacifica resident, died on Oct. 15, 2013.  She resided in Pacifica until 2002, when she moved to New York to be near family. Eleanor was trained as a home economist, but spent her career as a caterer in the Bay Area.  She was 88 years old.


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