CLASS NOTES IN MEMORIAM
Our heartfelt prayers and condolences go out to the families of the following individuals. Requiescat in pace. After Orv’s death in 2004, Barbara moved to Hillsboro, where she became involved in WOW (Women of Wisdom) and Beaverton’s Faith Cafe. Survivors include four children and 10 grandchildren.
what a character, what a competitor, and a very, very proud man who lived a full life with a loving family and loved to tell you about it. May he find peace in his resting place and may his memory be a blessing.”
Patricia (Shea) Knapp ’50 passed away on May 9, 2020, in Tempe, AZ. She married her sweetheart, Robert E. Knapp, in 1950, and together they had nine children. She worked in the nursing field in Oregon and Arizona while raising her family. Pat was preceded in death by her loving husband, Bob, in 2012, her daughter Mary in 1991, and her grandson Bert in 2016. Survivors include her eight other children and 17 grandchildren.
Virginia (Ellis) O’Reilly ’52 passed away on December 10, 2020, in Los Gatos, CA. She was an accomplished musician and had a long career as an education counselor, retiring in 1989. Virginia played violin for the San Jose Symphony and a string quartet, the “Shrink N’ Violets.” She married widower Dr. Robert O’Reilly in 1973, and they enjoyed 40 happy years together until Robert’s death in 2014. Survivors include three stepchildren and four grandchildren.
Rev. Joseph Peixotto, CSC, ’54 died at Moreau House, the Holy Cross priests’ residence in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on February 4, 2017. He was 87. He was ordained a Holy Cross priest on June 6, 1961, and soon left for East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). There he joined Notre Dame College in Dhaka as a physics teacher, a duty he carried out for about 34 years. Fr. Peixotto was the principal of Notre Dame College from 1976 to 1998 and served as secretary of the Education Commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh for 15 years. Since 2014, he was the treasurer of Notre Dame University Bangladesh. Fr. Peixotto was presented with the University of Portland’s 2004 Oddo Service Award in recognition of his 60 years in Bangladesh.
Kenneth R. Seal ’54 died on November 20, 2020, in Bellevue, WA. At age 18 he joined the Navy and trained as a pilot in Pensacola and Corpus Christi before being deployed to Okinawa in the Korean War. Ken believed that it is important to serve the greater community, so he volunteered many work hours over many decades. He served on the board of Group Health Cooperative, was active in local politics, and served in various positions in his local church. Survivors include his wife, Maria; their seven children; and seven grandchildren.
Fr. Charles Dreisbach ’50 died on June 17, 2020, at the age of 94. He served in the US Navy as a rifle and pistol instructor before going overseas during World War II. During his time at UP, he worked for the U-Haul Company in Portland, becoming their first business manager. In 1952, he entered Mount Angel Seminary and was ordained a priest in May
Barbara (Fitzel) Bruton ’53 died on December 1, 2020, surrounded by her children. While working at a hospital and enjoying life in San Francisco, Barbara met her future husband and love of her life, Orval Bruton. She became involved in the English as a Second Language program and supported local migrant worker camps affiliated with Saint Pius X Church.
Robert E. Rudolph ’54 passed away on November 27, 2020. He served his country in the US Air Force and was a lifelong sports fanatic, playing and coaching football, baseball, basketball, tennis, and others. Bob met Terrye in high school on a blind date, and they were married in 1951. Survivors include three sons and 10 grandchildren. According to his family, “In retrospect,
John Lejardi ’47 died on November 13, 2020, at the age of 98. He enlisted in the US Army Air Corps during World War II, serving from 1943 to 1946. After the war, he finished earning his business administration degree from the University of Portland and then obtained his MBA from Stanford University in 1949. He met the love of his life, Florence, a feisty Italian, and in 1952 they married and settled in Los Altos, CA, where they raised three children. John worked as a CPA for his entire career. He is survived by his children and two grandsons.
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of 1959. Fr. Dreisbach served in various parishes in Eastern Oregon until his final assignment at Sacred Heart Parish in Klamath Falls. John A. Clarke ’52 died on January 19, 2020. He grew up in Portland, OR, and graduated from Grant High School. On December 11, 1954, he married Nancy Jane Barlow, and they raised five children. He was preceded in death by Nancy and their daughter, Janice. Survivors include his four other children and 11 grandchildren.
Jack R. Sullivan ’54 died on December 5, 2020, in Lake Oswego, OR. He and Wanda Jean Miller married in 1954, and they lived in North Portland, then Lake Oswego, with their three children. Jack was a CPA and worked at Standard Insurance Company as corporate treasurer. After Jack lost Wanda to cancer in 2000, he married Wanda’s best friend, Norma Ling, who had lost her husband as well. Norma gave Jack a new reason for living the past 19 years. Survivors include Norma, three children, six grandchildren, and a host of stepchildren and grandchildren from Norma’s side.
