Hyrum Reece McInelly, better known as Skip to friends and family, passed away on April 28, 2020, in Walnut Creek, CA. After battling ill health for a few years.

He was born in Spokane, WA, October 15, 1941. During his early life the family moved a few times and ended up in a small town of Trona, CA, in the Mojave Desert. He attended school there and after graduation he took an apprenticeship class to become a machinist working in plants and made his living at this until his retirement. He later moved to Concord, CA, to pursue his career and worked as a machinist in the surrounding refineries. It was at this time of his life when he met his wife, Chantal McInelly. They were married August 12, 1976, and together as a family of 7, Skip having 2 daughters and Chantal had 3 boys, they began their loving relationship.

Skip enjoyed life, enjoyed the outdoors, camping, and just going for road trips. He was a kid at heart and tricks and pranks came naturally to the boy in him. When visiting his wife at work, he would string paper clips together at one of her coworkers desk, when going out for a meal with friends poke a hole in a straw when they weren’t looking, or when walking where there was a water puddle making sure someone was close and stomp his foot in it to splash the victim. He also enjoyed working with wood and making things, then giving them away. The same was done with stain glass projects that he and his wife made, or crochet items that were made by his mother when he was a child. He is a loving father, faithful husband, and truly a friend to all he meets. His warmth has touched many lives through his 78 years with us. Both friends and family will miss him.

He is preceded in death by his loving parents, Hyrum S McInelly and Violet McInelly, his sister Dorene (THS 1954) and a second sister that died at birth, and his daughter Julie. He is survived by his wife, best friend, soulmate and caregiver, Chantal, his children Sally McInelly of Henderson, NV, Brian Lund of Federal Way, WA, Mark Lund of Martinez, and Harold Lund of Concord. He is also survived by 5 grandchildren.

Skip was a cousin to Marian (Reece) Walsh (THS 1955), LeRoy Reece  (THS 1957)  and Vernon Reece (THS 1959).

Tim Burrell just called to let me know that our classmate Kenneth Carter (1943-2020) died last night  (4/22/2020) of cancer. Information about services and burial are pending. Ken was one of many favorite classmates. We are all saddened by news of his death.

Darlene Evelyn Kudlac was born on May 11, 1935, in Los Angeles County, California, her father was Albert Kudlac and her mother was Evelyn McConaha. She married her classmate Dale Frazier Roberts (1935-2015) in 1953. They were both in the class of 1953. Darlene and Robert had a daughter, Darci (Roberts) Bishop. After Darlene and Dale divorced she married Wayne Stephenson and had a second daughter, Linda (Stephenson) Bradford. On February 14, 1981. She married Rolland J Nicholson on February 14, 1981, in Marion, Oregon.

Linda and her husband Russ Bradford have been caregivers for Darlene over the past 10 years. Darlene had been on dialysis for past five years and passed away from natural causes on January 31, 2020.

While growing up Darlene and her parents lived at 107 Argus Avenue in Trona. This is one of the houses across from the Recreation Center. Darlene and her mother used to collect old bottles and jars in the desert and set them in the sun in their backyard to turn purple.

It has come to my attention, as the result of his sister’s recent death, that Jerry Wallace of the class of 1950 passed away July 21, 2005 in Vincennes, Knox, Indiana. He was the sister of Janice (Wallace) Draper who was also in the class of 1950. Please see Janice’s obituary for further details about his family.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/269420833/jerry_morgan_wallace