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 2024, we said a final farewell.
Here are the stories of several notable residents who died this past year:
January
Richard Thornton, 65: He was a member of the 1980 Olympic swimming team, then became a renowned swimming coach and founded the San Ramon Valley Aquatics program; Jan. 4
Bud Harrelson, 79: The native of Hayward was a beloved member of the New York Mets and was part of the team’s two World Series championships — first as a player in 1969, then as a coach in 1986; Jan. 11
Ruth Ashton Taylor, 101: She was a trailblazing TV and radio journalist, becoming the first female TV newscaster to work on the West Coast; Jan. 11
Frank Torres, 38: He was an executive with the San Jose Barracudas, overseeing the hockey team’s business operations and playing a key role in the opening of Tech CU Arena; Jan. 15
Dejan Milojević, 46: The native of Serbia was a star basketball player and coach in Europe, then came to the U.S. as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors; Jan. 16
N. Scott Momaday, 89: The former Stanford professor was a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer whose debut novel “House Made of Dawn” is credited as the starting point for contemporary Native American literature; Jan. 24
Irma Anderson, 93: She was a public health nurse who political history in Richmond as the first Black woman elected to the City Council, and again when she was the first (and only) Black woman elected as mayor; Jan. 28
Hal Buell, 92: He was the director of photography at Associated Press for four decades, and he helped the news organization transition into the era of digital photography; Jan. 29
February
Carl Weathers, 76: He was a San Francisco State graduate and former player for the Oakland Raiders before turning to acting, playing Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” movies and starring in other films such as “Predator” and “Happy Gilmore”; Feb. 1
Seiji Ozawa, 88: The legendary Japanese conductor led symphonies around the globe, including a memorable stop at San Francisco Symphony in the 1970s; Feb. 6
Edith “Edie” Ceccarelli, 116: The Mendocino County resident was the oldest living person in the United States at the time of her death; Feb. 22
March
Joe Bodovitz, 93: He helped build the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission and was the first executive director of the California Coastal Commission; March 9
James Cramer, 64: He was an Alameda County judge who in 2018 notably rejected a plea deal involving the two men charged in connection with the Ghost Ship warehouse fire; March 20
Richard Serra, 85: The acclaimed artist and sculptor, who was known for creating large metal structures, was a native of San Francisco; March 26
Daniel Kahneman, 90: He was a Nobel Prize-winning psychologist and one-time UC Berkeley professor who, with Stanford psychologist Amos Tversky, conducted groundbreaking work on decision-making; March 27
Daniel C. Lynch, 82: He was a computer network engineer whose exhibitions on networking equipment helped accelerate the commercialization of the internet in the 1980s and ’90s; March 30
April
Randy Isaacs, 59: He was a former basketball coach at Foothill High School in Pleasanton, leading the team to a state championship game berth in 2000; April 6
Ken Holtzman, 78: He was a starting pitcher for the Oakland A’s who, with Vida Blue and Catfish Hunter, helped lead the team to three consecutive World Series victories in the early 1970; April 14
Gail Dobson, 81: She was a singer, percussionist and teacher considered “the den mother for a large contingent of the Bay Area jazz community”; April 17
Mandisa, 47: The Grammy-winning singer, a native of Northern California, got her big break as a contestant on “American Idol” in 2006; April 18
Dave McCarty, 54: He was a college baseball star at Stanford, then played for the Oakland A’s and the San Francisco Giants in his 11-season career; April 19
Cecil Williams, 94: The co-founder of Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco put himself and his church at the forefront of many civil rights causes that shaped Bay Area history; April 22
Delaine Eastin, 76: She was a longtime politician who got her start on the Union City Council, then later became first woman to serve as California’s superintendent of public instruction; April 23
Sonja Christopher, 87: The Walnut Creek resident was the first person ever kicked off the reality show “Survivor”; April 26
May
Jimmy Johnson, 86: The Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback was an NFL legend who played all 16 of his seasons with the 49ers; May 8
Pete McCloskey, 96: The former South Bay congressman — a Republican who called for Richard Nixon’s resignation and opposed the Vietnam War — also was an environmental leader who co-founded Earth Day; May 8
Peter Buxtun, 86: He was a former federal public health employee in San Francisco who blew the whistle on the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study; May 18
Charlie Colin, 58: The bassist was a founding member of the San Francisco-based band Train; May 18
Larry Bensky, 87: The Berkeley-based activist journalist was the longtime voice of KPFA news radio, and he moderated live radio during some of the nation’s most turbulent times; May 19
Jim Otto, 86: He was a Pro Football Hall of Famer who played center as an original member of the Oakland Raiders; May 20
Willie Mims, 79: The longtime Pittsburg resident, a retired teacher, was a longtime civil rights activist who advocated for justice for people from all walks of life; May 22
June
Larry Allen, 52: He was a Pro Football Hall of Fame lineman who played college football at Sonoma State and later with the 49ers for two seasons in his 14-year career; June 2
Victor Garza, 86: He was a civil rights activist in Santa Clara County and received nationwide acclaim for his work on behalf of Latino, Mexican-American and veterans rights; June 6
Warren Winiarski, 95; The winemaker put Napa Valley on the map after his cabernet topped French versions at the famed 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting; June 7
Nathan Hare, 91: The noted sociologist created the first Black studies program in the country at San Francisco State and was co-founder of the The Black Scholar, an Oakland-based journal; June 10
Jerry West, 86: The much-loved NBA player, coach and team executive, whose silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo, also won two titles as a Golden State Warriors adviser; June 12
Willie Mays, 93: The legendary San Francisco Giants star, known as the “Say Hey Kid,” captured the imagination of fans with both his bat and glove; June 18
Yosh Uchida, 104: The legendary San Jose State judo coach was a major force in growing the martial art in the United States after World War II; June 27
Orlando Cepeda, 86: The longtime San Francisco Giants first baseman was an 11-time All-Star and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame; June 28
Brooks Johnson, 90: The track-and-field coach was a mainstay with the U.S, Track and Field staff, and coached at Stanford for more than a decade; June 29
July
Richard Bernes, 78: The former San Jose FBI agent launched the agency’s “high-tech crime squad” in the mid-1990s, when the theft of semiconductor chips was common; July 5
Jerry Miller, 81: The musician, once called “the best guitar player in the world,” was a founding member of the pioneering ’60s San Francisco psychedelic rock band Moby Grape; July 20
Edward Panelli, 92: The native of Santa Clara was a lawyer who went on to serve as a Superior Court judge before his appointment to the California Supreme Court in 1985; July 20
Kenzie Smith, 43: He was a well-known Black community activist in Oakland who was at the heart of the infamous “BBQ Becky” incident at Lake Merritt in 2018; July 20
Reyes Moronta, 31: The former MLB pitcher played for six seasons, including four with the San Francisco Giants; July 28
August
Frank Milo, 83: The longtime football coach at El Cerrito High School led his teams to eight league titles; Aug. 1
Chris Esparza, 57: The San Jose resident, who as founder of an events company planned many memorable events, also was known for being a creative entrepreneur and fervent arts supporter; Aug. 4
Tsung-Dao Lee, 97: The Chinese-American physicist, who worked briefly at UC Berkeley, won the Nobel Prize in 1957 and was considered one of the great masters in the field of particle physics; Aug. 4
Ellen Corbett, 69: The longtime East Bay public official was San Leandro’s first female mayor, then was elected to serve in both the state Assembly and the state Senate; Aug. 9