Tuesday, August 4, 2015 OBITUARIES Edward


Leroy Clucas 1922-2015


camp in April 1945. After the war, he moved with


Edward “Ted” Clucas loved


words. He loved their etymology, the meaning of their parts, and how they can be strung together to form incisive and evocative poetry and prose. Born in Nampa, Idaho, he moved at age 11 to San- ta Ana, where he graduated from Santa Ana High School in 1940. He eventually studied journal- ism at the University of Oregon, and then taught in the Santa Ana School District for more than 30 years, sharing his love of words with his students, especially those who worked on the student news- papers that he advised—the Wil- lard Echo and the Santa Ana High School Generator. He loved other things too.


Some were simple pleasures, like watching television and plays, reading books, drinking white wine or a martini, eating meals at Moreno’s and the Crab Cook- er, and sitting on his back patio with his wife, especially in the late afternoon when the ocean breeze would break the stillness in the air. Others were more ac- tive loves. No pursuits may have brought him greater pleasure than fishing and camping. He loved to walk along trout streams beneath high blue skies, casting his line into the deep pools where the fish would rest below the fast-moving rapids. He loved his three children—


Jean, Robert and Richard. He shared his love of words with them, reciting literary passages from memory to comment on their behavior, and teaching them how to write clean sentences and well-structured paragraphs. The passage he liked to cite the most when teasing his children was King Lear’s reproach to his daughter: “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child.” He wrote songs and poems, and made up words when playing Scrabble, providing a fictitious etymology to stifle any doubts about their validity. But most of all he loved his


wife Helen, with whom he shared his life for more than 71 years. He met Helen Selfridge at a De- Molay dance at Veterans Memo- rial Hall in Santa Ana. They were married on September 25, 1943, in Bloomington, Indiana, where Ted was going to school after be- ing inducted into the army. Ted was sent to the European Theater, arriving first in Le Havre, France, before being shipped further east. Rising to the rank of staff sergeant, he was part of the 20th Armored Division when it helped take the Dachau concentration


Helen to Eugene, Oregon, where he received his journalism de- gree. Moving back to California, he earned a master’s degree in Education from Cal State Uni- versity, Long Beach, where he also served as the first editor of the student newspaper, the Daily Forty-Niner. He was immensely pleased to be offered a job in the Santa Ana schools. He taught English and journalism at Willard Junior High School and Santa Ana High. He and Helen bought a house on Shelton Street in Santa Ana, where they had their three children. A few months af- ter their youngest child was born in 1958, they moved to Orange. They remained in Orange, raising their children, focusing on their careers and then their retirement, planning trips, and entertaining friends. While Ted loved words, it is


difficult to put into words just how much he was loved by his family and friends. He truly was. He will be dearly missed. Survivors include his wife and


children, his two daughters-in- law (Geri and Beth), his son-in- law (Dennis), and his three grand- children. A memorial service was held July 11 at Fairhaven Cem- etery.


Roland


Wedemeyer 1932-2015


Foothills Sentry


award. He was also invited to join Lambda Alpha, a real estate and land planning fraternity. The Wedemeyers moved from


Rossmoor to Villa Park in 1974. Roland was the original treasurer of the Friends of the Villa Park Library, and remained as such until Parkinson’s disease caused him to retire. He also served on the Villa Park Cable Board for many years. The City of Villa Park honored him by asking him to serve as Grand Marshal of the Villa Park Boat Parade. Roland’s memorial service is


planned for Aug. 29, at 10:30 a.m. at Covenant Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to any of the following: APDA, 135 Parkinson Ave., Staten Island, NY 10305; Friends of the Villa Park Library; or Covenant Presbyterian Church.


Family movie night returns


Villa Park Community Services


Foundation invites the public to a free familymovie night on Friday, Aug. 28 at the Serrano Elementa- ry School playground. Gates will open at 6:30 p.m., and the ani- mated movie “Home” will screen at dusk. Flashlights and chairs or blankets are recommended.


Foothill


engineering wins top honors


The Foothill High School En-


gineering Team (FEAT) took first and second places and won the overall champion award at the UCI Energy Invitational in a field that included 16 high school teams and four college teams. En- gineering teams were challenged to drive as many laps of a course as possible using only $1-worth of energy in an hour. The overall championship was awarded to the team best optimizing their energy usage in the time provided. The FEAT team, under the


Roland Wedemeyer, a Villa


Park resident for over 40 years, died peacefully at home on July 24, surrounded by family just two days before his 57th wedding an- niversary. Born Feb. 28, 1932, in Palo Alto, Roland enjoyed his youth in San Francisco, attended Lowell High School and was ac- tive in Boy Scouts, ultimately be- coming an Eagle Scout. He was fascinated with magic, and would put on magic shows for friends, a hobby that continued to entertain his children and grandchildren. After graduating in petroleum


engineering from UC Berkeley, where he was active in Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity, he worked for Signal Oil and Gas Company and its subsidiaries until his re- tirement. His final position was president of Signal Development Company, the industrial/commer- cial side of Signal Landmark. In 1958, Roland married Har-


riet Beaudoin. They have two children, Robert Wedemeyer and Christine Bullette, and four grandchildren, Rachael and Miles Wedemeyer and Matthew and Justin Bullette. Roland was active in the Los


Angeles Chamber of Commerce and received its Herb Nash


direction of teacher Jeff Farr, entered two cars. Car 88, a three-wheeled 72-volt electric car, placed first. Car 21, a four- wheeled, 48-volt electric car, took second in the standard division. Car 21 is brand new to competi- tion, while car 88 is in its third racing season and has won three races. Both cars were built from scratch by Foothill engineering students, and all are electric. This is the fourth year Foothill


engineering has entered the UCI Invitational, and the third year the team has placed first in the stan- dard division.


Winning car 88 was co-driven by Sean O’Bannon and Jake Paulson. Their team included Gavin Greek, Zachary Cushing-Murray, Yan Reyes and Bao Mai.


Real Estate


By Ken McCord


The OC real estate market ride


How is the real estate mar-


ket? That question has had many widely different answers over the last decade. How do I answer that today? Let’s take a look at the data, which feels like an upward- bound rollercoaster. At the halfway point of 2015,


the Orange County real estate market is shaping up to easily be the best in the last 10 years. That’s great news for homeown- ers who have now regained most of their lost equity during the downturn that began in 2007. During the month of June, pend- ed sales reached a new 10-year high of 3,544, up nearly 37 per- cent (up by 944 homes) over June 2104, and closed sales reached 3,141, up 14.7 percent over June 2014. Clearly, it remains a market


that favors the sellers. The sup- ply of homes (measured by how long it would take to sell what’s currently available) has de- creased from 2.9 months in 2014, to 1.9 months in 2015. While the number of months has decreased, that represents a decline of avail- able homes by nearly 35 percent. At present, we are experiencing a rise in home sales, despite the lack of inventory -- on a national regional and local level. Depen-


dent on the quantitative analysis used, prices have risen anywhere from five to eight percent in Or- ange County from June 2014 to June 2015. We expect prices to continue to rise due to low inter- est rates, a low unemployment rate of 4.3 percent for this June, and strong consumer confidence. The luxury market in Orange


County (in excess of $1 million) has experienced tremendous growth and activity with pended sales up 31.1 percent (up by 120 homes) when comparing June 2015 to June 2104. Closed sales increased by 26.3 percent during the same time period. The inven- tory in terms of months has de- creased from 5.8 months to 4.9 months, indicating a balance of supply and demand. In summary, prices remain


favorable, interest rates remain low, and consumers are express- ing a high level of confidence in an Orange County econo- my that is diversified and very strong. We expect interest rates to increase later in 2015 and into 2016, which will “flatten” prices throughout Orange County. So how is the real estate mar-


ket? Hold onto your hat and buckle up, as the OC market ride is not over yet.


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