Lora Jean Gernreich Cartee

Lora Jean Gernreich Cartee
Aug. 15, 1929 - Aug. 9, 2013
Resident of San Jose, California
Lora Jean Gernreich Cartee died peacefully under Christian Science nursing care in Stockton, California on August 9, 2013. She was 83 years old.
Lora was born Aug. 15, 1929 in Los Angeles but lived most of her life in the San Francisco Bay Area. After graduating from Berkeley High School in 1947, she earned her BA degree with honors from the University of California, Berkeley in 1953 with a major in Classics. Lora worked her way through college at the Elwood Pharmacy on College Avenue in Berkeley while as a student at Cal.
Lora devoted her life to education and upon graduating from Cal Berkeley she began teaching in the Fremont Union High School District being one of the first teachers at the district's newly built Sunnyvale High School. Lora taught Latin and Ancient History at Sunnyvale High starting in September, 1955 and later transferring to Lynbrook High School in San Jose after her marriage to Tom Cartee of Sunnyvale in 1962. She often spent her summers traveling to Europe. Lora brought her experiences back to her classrooms bringing history to life for her students. She took early retirement in June, 1988. Lora was well regarded by her students and continued to keep in touch with them. She will be missed by her devoted students.
Although opera, travel and reading a good book were interests of Lora's, her passions were baseball and watching old movies on television. She continued to root for her beloved Oakland A's up until the day she passed on.
Lora was preceded in death by her father, George W. Gernreich, her mother, Ruth Gernreich Cave, and her sister, Georgia Pottol Bowden. Lora resided in San Jose from 1977 until she entered nursing care in 2012. Previously she and her former husband owned a home in Saratoga.
No services have been planned. Remembrances can be sent to The Tony LaRussa Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF), PO Box 30215, Walnut Creek, CA 94598 or a charity of your choice.