Brentwood Press - Index

Brentwood Press - OakleyPress_07.04.08 - Index

4A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY JULY 4, 2008
Community educators remembered for their passion
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by Ruth Roberts
Staff Writer
The world of learning lost two valued
friends last week with the passing
of Elin Ovick and Bruce Stuart. Known
for their enthusiasm, compassion and
strong ties to the Liberty Union School
District (LUHSD), Stuart, 58, died suddenly
on June 24 at his home in Byron,
and Ovick, 60, lost her long battle with
cancer on June 25.
Stuart was a retired teacher, a director
of the Byron Irrigation and Sanitary
District, a lover of community theater,
and a philanthropist known for his work
with special-needs children and troubled
youth.
Hundreds of mourners gathered informally
at the Stuart home last weekend,
offering their memories of the professional
musician and popular director
of the Brentwood Concert Band.
Emil Geddes, who grew up with
Stuart on Bethel Island, remembers his
childhood companion as someone with
a deep and abiding sense of family and
friendship; a man who saved the best
parts of himself for his boys Ian and Jeff,
and wife Sue.
“His family was his life. He loved his
boys and Sue,” said Geddes. “What I’ll
miss are those spontaneous moments of
conversation that you share with some-
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(925) 779-9601
one you’ve known for so long. He was
just one of those people you looked forward
to seeing and were glad when you
did. It’s a tragic loss for the whole community.”
Family friend Annette Beckstrand
said Stuart’s compassion for others is one
of the qualities she will remember most
about him. “He had a way with kids, especially
the special-needs and challenged
kids, of getting into their souls and making
them feel as worthwhile and wonderful
as they were,” said Beckstrand.
“I’ll remember his laugh and his wisdom
and I’ll remember his compassion
and the way he plays a trombone and
tunes a piano. We’ll miss him.”
Ovick was the director of curriculum
and instruction with the LUHSD from
1998 to 2005. During her tenure with the
district, Ovick was responsible for helping
create the standards and benchmarks
program for the district, and the education
plan at Heritage High School.
It was while working on the Heritage
High plan that Ovick met friend Nancy
Torres. Even after both women retired
from the district a few years ago, they
remained close personal friends.
Talking through tears during a
phone interview this week, Torres said
that she and Ovick shared a close friend-
Bruce Stuart, here with wife Sue, died suddenly in his home on June 24. see Educators page 25A
2400 Balfour Rd,
Suite 230A
Brentwood, CA 94513
(925) 634-0425