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Edward Blau died peacefully at his home in Los Angeles on Jan. 31, 2017, surrounded by his family.

Ed was born in the Bronx, New York on Aug. 3, 1922. His parents emigrated from Hungary in the early 1900s and ran a successful neighborhood bakery.

He excelled at school from an early age and graduated from City College of New York with a degree in Business Administration. During World War II, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and was proud to achieve the rank of First Lieutenant. After serving in the army, he graduated from Harvard Law School, class of 1951. His career began with the MCA talent agency in New York, where he worked closely with the legendary Lew Wasserman. He then drove across country to Los Angeles and became a prominent entertainment attorney, becoming a partner at a prestigious law firm before eventually branching out on his own.

His client list is too numerous to list here. However, a sampling includes: the writer Henry Miller, Steve Allen, Fred Astaire, Bobby Darin, Rock Hudson, Dennis Hopper, Jerry Lewis, Rowan and Martin, Siegfried and Roy, Dionne Warwick, the Magic Castle, Jerry Mathers and Ralph Edwards Productions. He represented the legendary Johnny Mathis for over 50 years. He received an honorary award from the Caucus for Television Producers, Writers and Directors for his dedication to the organization. He always enjoyed mentoring junior attorneys, many of whom later became successful entertainment figures.

He loved to regale friends with stories and jokes, and approached every challenge as an adventure. He enjoyed his daily newspaper, watching movies at the Academy of Motion Pictures, playing tennis and playing with his grandchildren. Ed will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

Ed is survived by his wife, Rita, children, Gary, Roni and Sharon (Scott), cherished granddaughters, Ariella and Elana, and sister, Rita Goldstein, and nephew and nieces.

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Thelma Elkins, well-known social worker and founder and owner of Easy Going Travel Shop and Bookstore in Berkeley, passed away of metastatic cancer Feb. 15 at 12:53 a.m. at her home in Kensington, one month short of her 94^th birthday. She was surrounded by her three children, a grandchild, one of her caregivers and her tenant.

Thelma was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in the Bronx. She moved to San Francisco in the ’40s and married Mort Elkins (deceased), her husband of 45 years. They were both active during the McCarthy Era, the occupying force of that time. Thelma eventually earned a Master of Social Welfare degree from UC Berkeley, practicing as a licensed clinical social worker in the East Bay for nearly 40 years. Her second career was as the well-known owner of Easy Going Travel Shop and Bookstore in Berkeley, inspired after her son received a near- impossible-to-find list of items to acquire for an upcoming American Zionist Youth Foundation trip to Israel. Easy Going existed as a brick and mortar as well as online business for nearly 30 years.

Plagued by the onset of macular degeneration in both eyes in her later years, Thelma worked tirelessly to advance the rights and benefits for low-vision citizens. She was particularly proud of establishing the low-vision support group eventually adopted by the nonprofit Ashby Village senior support center when she could no longer sustain it. The group was also the subject of a UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare graduate project.

Most importantly, Thelma thrived on having close relationships with family and friends, who in kind were devoted to her. She leaves behind three children: Rachel (Dana), Judy (David) and Matt (Janet), and six grandchildren (Nathan, Sara, Lena, Madeleine, Melissa and Miles), beloved nephews and nieces Josh (Sumena), Shari (Alex) and Debi and their children, cousins and friends.

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Jill Ann Fetherolf

1954-2017

Jill passed away peacefully on Feb. 3, 2017 at age 62 from pancreatic and liver cancer. She was the devoted daughter of Barbara and the late Daniel Morafka. Loving mother of Nicholas (Sarah) James and Erin (Raul) Diaz. Grandma to Julia, Anthony and Christian. Sister to Gail (Michael) Morris. Jill was an aunt, great aunt, cousin and friend to many. Her funeral was held with a private service at Skylawn cemetery.

Jill worked for over 40 years as an RN at Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City, first in critical care, then in intensive care and lastly in the infusion center. She was a very caring and loving person and made many friends among her coworkers and patients. Jill will always be loved and missed by her family and friends.

There will be a memorial in her honor at the Redwood City Woman’s Club in Redwood City on Feb. 25.

If you wish to make a donation in her memory, please make it to your favorite charity.

We will love you forever.

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Ermet C. Mathews died on Friday, Feb. 17 after 91 years of good living. Born Ermete Cretarolo in 1925 in Haverhill, Massachusetts, he moved to Los Angeles with his parents, Vincent and Julia, and his siblings Nella, Lee and Hugo.

After graduating from high school, he joined the Navy, then put himself through Occidental College and Loyola Law School. He opened his own firm practicing probate law.

He was predeceased by his wife and dancing partner of many years, Eleanore (Pearlman) Mathews. He is survived by his children Janet Mathews, Larry Mathews and his partner Brian Saliman, Jake Mathews and his partner Heather Tierney, and Jennifer Mathews Friedman and her husband Abe Friedman, as well as three beloved grandchildren, Max, Aaron and Eleanore Friedman.

He was interred at Hillside Memorial Park on Sunday, Feb. 19. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in his memory to the American Cancer Society or the ACLU.

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Elayne Weinhoff, 86, of San Mateo passed away peacefully at home on Feb. 16, 2017, surrounded by her family and caregivers. She moved

to San Mateo in 1968 with her husband, Harold, and two young children, where she became an active member of Peninsula Temple Beth El. She was grateful for the amazing life she had, including many adventures traveling all over the world with Harold, who was the love of her life to the end.

Elayne was intellectually and artistically driven. She was proud of returning to college as an adult and received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from San Francisco State University. She was also a talented artist and exhibiting photographer, and her work expressed her experience and view of the world from her unique vantage point.

She loved sharing meals and playing bridge and Scrabble with her friends.

Elayne is survived by her son Larry of San Mateo, and daughter Marla Weinhoff and son-in-law Robert Gehorsam of New York City.