Today's Obituaries and Guest Books

1940 ~ 2013 Barbara Grabert Cox, beloved wife, mom, grandmother and great-grandmother, was born in March 1940 in Potsdam, East Germany, to Albert and Elsa Grabert, and passed away Thursday, May 16, 2013. Barbara married a special American gentleman, Phillip Cox, on October 13, 1961, and moved to the United States in 1963. They celebrated their 52nd anniversary this last October. Barbara is survived by her husband, Phillip; daughter, Christiana Hewitt (Mark) of La Vernia, Texas.; son, Craig Cox (Heidi) of Paso Robles; four grandchildren Daniel Hewitt, Sarah Hewitt, Samantha Hewitt and Curtis Cox; and three great-grandchildren Aiden, Autumn and newborn Kayden.

Anita Massengale Magnuson Giles, 78, of Arroyo Grande, formerly of Corcoran, Calif., passed away Wednesday, May 22, 2013. A service will be held at noon Tuesday, May 28, 2013, at the Church of Christ, 8th and Rockaway in Grover Beach. A graveside service will be held at noon Wednesday, May 29, 2013, at Corcoran Cemetery. Marshall-Spoo 489-5552 Grover Beach

Richard Dana "Rick" Harris passed away of cancer Monday, May 6, 2013, in Brookings, Ore., with his beloved life partner, Betty Stoller, and faithful German Shepherd, "Bert," by his side. He was 63 years young. Born in August 1949 in Santa Ana, Calif., to Daniel and Marguerite Harris, he was raised in Santa Ana and later lived in Morro Bay and Los Osos for many years. Rick was a proud U.S. Navy Vietnam veteran. He had sailed around the world with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Military Sealift Command as a U.S. Merchant Seaman, Licensed Deck Engineer and Pumpman. He later worked in the water well industry in the Central Valley of California. Rick is survived and missed by his mother, Marguerite Arledge of Los Osos; brother, Don Harris (Pamela) of Morro Bay; nephew, Trace Harris of Portland, Ore. niece, Brie Harris of Los Angeles; cousins Robert Heubner (Kathy) of Santa Ana; and Daniel Baker of New Jersey; and partner, Betty Stoller of Brookings. He was preceded in death by his father, Daniel Harris; maternal and paternal grandparents, aunts and uncles. Cremation has taken place.

Albert Joseph Jorge, 85, Morro Bay native, was born in May 1927 to Anna and Frank Gorge and passed away Monday, May 20, 2013. He served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Pelias. He received an Honorary discharge and Medal of Honor in 1945.  Albert graduated from Cal Poly in 1950 and married Delores Casper on February 19, 1950. His career with Caltrans was from 1950 to 1982. During his 32-year career, some of his favorite Resident Engineering projects included the Cambria Highway and Monterey Freeway. He came out of retirement for the completion of Highway 1 in 1984 after it has been shut down for almost a year due to the Big Sur landslide. He also served many years on the Cal Shasta SNRA Road Association.  During his life, he was very involved with many organizations: he served over 55 years with the Morro Bay Lions Club, was a recipient of the Melvin Jones Award for dedicated humanitarian services, participated in the building of Lila Keiser Park refreshment stand for community projects, was a Morro Bay volunteer firefighter, member of the Historical Society, American Legion, Knights of Columbus and Native Sons of the Golden West. In retirement, Albert built the Estero Professional Buildings in Morro Bay. He enjoyed golfing, fishing and the many world travels with Delores. His favorite vacation was to Madeira island for the beautiful scenery. He especially looked forward to his weekly golf and luncheon with fellow Cal Trans retirees and daily coffee visits with bother-in-law, Don Smith. He enjoyed taking his 1964 T-Bird out for joy rides and participated in the Annual Morro Bay Car Show. Albert was a devout Catholic and family man, cherished friend and admirable humanitarian, who was always there with a smile on his face, an ear to listen, some words of wisdom, a story to share and a little change in his pockets for the little ones. Cherished by family and grandchildren, he loved being a grandpa. The family values he rooted into his family will continue to grow for generations. He was an exceptional man and an exceptional example of a life well lived. He will be loved and missed by all.  Albert is survived by his wife of 63 years, Delores; sister, Mary Garcia; children Zoe Ann Mills, Gloria Hart (Steve), Frank Jorge and Dorene Stover (Dave); nine grandchildren; twenty two great-grandchildren; a great-great grandchild; and many nephews and nieces.  The recitation of the rosary will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 28, 2013, at St. Timothy's Church, 962 Piney Way in Morro Bay.  A Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 29, 2013, also at St. Timothy's  Church, followed by interment at Cayucos Morro Bay Cemetery, with a reception to follow at St. Timothy Hall. If you would like to make a donation, please send to California Nevada Lion Eye Foundation, c/o Morro Bay Lions, P.O. Box 343, Morro Bay CA 93443.

Mr. John T. Morosky Sr., 92, passed away Friday, April 19, 2013, at his home. He had resided in Pascagoula, Miss., since July of 2004, when he moved from his home in Bakersfield, Calif. John was born in Falls Creek, Pa., in November 1920 to Frank Klemens Mroczkowski and Mary Roskovich (Mroczkowski) Morosky. When John first started school, he spoke only Polish, but learned and quickly mastered the English language and later became an English teacher. He grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and played stick ball, a street form of baseball. He enjoyed taking photographs and developing them. He worked delivering telegrams around the Wall Street area. He once delivered a telegram to a passenger onboard the Queen Mary in New York Harbor, only to return to the main deck and realize that the Queen Mary had already left the dock. As an adult, he worked at Time Life Magazine in the War Information Section before he entered the service in the U.S. Navy during World War II. John was a Coxswain aboard the USS Sequoia, AG-23, and had been a Life Member of the American Legion. After his service, he attended and graduated from Cal Poly, where he earned his teaching degree. While there, he met and married the love of his life, Maxine Oliver. John was a teacher and an administrator in the California School system for 27 years. Many of his students became lifelong friends. John leaves to mourn his loss his son, John T. Morosky Jr. (Rhoda Marie); grandson, John T. Morosky III (Nancy); step-grandsons Mack Jefferson Pierce (Christie Hanegan), Tom Pace and Todd Pace (Talena); step-daughter, Bernadine Pace (Dan); great- grandchildren John T. Morosky IV, Jake Allen Morosky and Johnelize Marie Morosky; step great-granddaughter, Madelyn Parrish; step great-grandsons Daniel Thomas Pierce and Issac Pierce, Hunter Watts and Tyson Pace. He is also survived by his beloved brother, Henry Moroski (Joann) of Navato, Calif.; nephews Marty Moroski of San Luis Obispo; Mike Moroski of Caldwell, Idaho; nieces Kay Shirley of Washington; and Mary Asher of Long Beach, Calif.; goddaughter and niece, Barbara Burk of Westlake, Ohio; and nephew, Ray Matterson, of Kalamzoo, Mich. He was preceded in death by his mother, Mary Roskovich (Mroczkowski) Morosky; father, Frank Klemens Mroczkowski; sister, Irene Matterson; and beloved wife, Maxine Oliver Morosky. Interment, with military honors, was held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, 2013, at the Old Mission Cemetery in San Luis Obispo. Condolences may be expressed online at www.obryantokeefe.com O'Bryant and O'Keefe (228) 762-4311 Pascagoula, Miss.

Harold L. Rodriguez Sr., 92, passed away Wednesday, May 8, 2013, at the Marquis care home in Redding Calif. He was born in San Luis Obispo to Spanish father, Edward Rodriguez and German mother, Clydie Leitner.  Having grown up in a farming/ranching family, he tended his father's cattle on horseback and worked in the hay fields. In school, he was a member of the Future Farmers of America and started his own herd of dairy cows while still in junior college. In 1943, Harold married Shirley Ruda, of See Canyon, at the Old Mission in San Luis Obispo. They moved to the San Joaquin Valley to farm and raise their children. Later they parted. Eventually, Harold settled in the Fall River Mills Valley near Redding, where he worked for himself in construction. He loved the great outdoors and traveled often to Alaska, where he ventured down the Yukon and Chandalar Rivers. He never tired of viewing the glorious aurora borealis. Throughout his life he wrote poetry. Playing his guitar and singing the old cowboy songs was a favorite pastime.  He was a volunteer at the Montgomery Creek Playhouse, where he performed on stage or worked behind the scenes. Harold and long-time friend, Laura Recagno, shared a love of dancing and attended the senior dances every Thursday. They remained dear friends until his passing. Harold is survived by his children Sharolyn "Redwing" Klawin and husband, Eduard of Sonora, Calif.; Harold Jr. "Cisco" Rodriguez and wife, Vikki of Shasta Lake City, Calif.; Donald "Donny" and wife, Ramona of Fall River Mills, Calif.; Rebecca "Becky" McNair of Klamath Falls, Ore.; Randall "Randy" Rodriguez and wife, Kathi of Redding; 13 grandchildren; 37 great-grandchildren; and a great-great grandchild. A celebration of life will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 9, 2013, at the home of Randy and Kathi Rodriguez in Redding. Contact Sharolyn "Redwing" at (209) 533-9210 or Kathi at (530) 941-4683.