The Napa Valley Register from Napa, California • 18

4C-The NAPA VALLEY REGISTER Tuesday, May 31, 1994 State Successor Mormon Church President to Benson Ezra Taft Benson dies at 94 APLASERPHOTO World War II veteran Peter Gianopoulos salutes during Memorial Day ceremonies at the Presidio in San Francisco Monday. Californians recall But during the 1980s, Benson became less vocal about his political views. During his time as church president, his speeches -as long as he was able to deliver them emphasized Mormon scripture and church missionary efforts. At first, Bensons presidency was a relatively vigorous one for a man who, at 86, already was experiencing dizzy spells, memory loss and difficulty in public speaking. Two months after assuming the presidency, Benson suffered a fainting spell.

Later in 1986, a pacemaker was implanted. In 1990, he was treated for bleeding on the brain. Bom in Whitney, Idaho, Benson formed his basic ideas on agriculture as a teen-age farmhand. A distant relative of the late Sea Robert A. Taft of Ohio, Benson had the support of the Taft and Thomas Dewey factions of the Republican Party and won an appointment to the Cabinet from Eisenhower.

His program of flexible price supports for major crops drew the wrath of farm-state congressmen, and South Dakota farmers once splattered him with eggs. Soon after President Kennedy took office, Benson was calling him soft on Communism. He described the John Birch Society as the most effective nonchurch organization in our fight against creeping socialism and godless communism. Bensons son Reed became coordinator for the John Birch Society in Utah in 1962, and its membership tripled within six months. Bensons attacks on liberal politicians and support of the John Birch Society fostered many inquiries from members asking if he was speaking for the church.

Church leaders denied having a position on the matter. many nieces and nephews, and grandnieces and nephews. Visitation is scheduled for Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at St. Helena Catholic Church, 1340 Tainter followed at the church with the rosary at 7:30 p.m.

The Funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the church. Interment will be at Holy Cross Cemetery, St. Helena. Arrangements are under the direction of Morrison Funeral Chapel St.

Helena. Memorial contributions may be made Hospice of Napa Valley, 3 Woodland Lane, Deer Park, 94576, or St. Helena Catholic Church. Obituary policy The Register runs death ho-: tices brief items identifying the deceased, immediate family funeral services and contributions free of charge. The Register charges, however, for obituaries longer accounts detailing farcify histories, hobbles and Information Register obituary rates is available from the newspaper's advertising department, 226-3711, or from local Amend homes, i will likely be Hunter By VERN ANDERSON Associated Press Writer SALT LAKE CITY If the Mormon Church adheres to tradition, the mantle of prophet, seer and revelator will fall on Howard W.

Hunter, an 86-year-old lawyer and former businessman with a history of health problems. The church presidency became vacant Monday with the death of Ezra Taft Benson at age 94. As the faiths senior apostle, Hunter, who nearly died a year ago of complications from gall bladder surgery, is next in line to become the 14th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After Bensons funeral, the 14 apostles in the churchs senior hierarchy will meet in the Salt Lake Temple to pray and ordain a successor. Never in the churchs 164-year history has anyone but the senior apostle been named president.

Nor can the pattern be changed except by revelation, since church leaders have described it as divine. The president of the 8.7 mil-lion-member church is revered as a living prophet of God. The appointment is for life. Apostle Boyd K. Packer, asked in a 1986 interview if aging apostles could ever be retired or given emeritus status, declared, Absolutely not." Historian D.

Michael Quinn, who has written extensively on the Mormon hierarchy, said Monday that any deviation from the tradition of apostolic succession would be a momentous change. If Howard Hunter as the senior apostle were to tell (his fellow apostles) there should be a change in apostolic succession, then that would change things, he said. Barring that unlikely turn of events, he said, the tradition will hold. The result since the 1960s often has been church presidents who become enfeebled in office and whose administrative duties are taken over by other members of the hierarchy. In Bensons case, the two most senior apostles after Hunter Gordon B.

Hinckley, 83, and Thomas S. Monson, 66 increasingly ran the church as Bensons health declined. Benson himself was 86 when he succeeded Spencer W. Kimball, who died at age 90. Despite a leadership vacuum at the very top, the Mormon Church has grown at an impressive rate from 5.9 million to 8.7 million members under Benson with a full-time missionary force of Hunter would be the first Mormon president bom in this century, and the second-oldest to assume the office.

In 1980 he had surgery to remove a benign tumor and then suffered a heart attack. In 1986 he underwent quadruple bypass surgery, and in 1987 he underwent operations for a bleeding ulcer and a painful lower-back condition. In 1989, Hunter, who had been receiving physical therapy for leg weakness, fell backward from the pulpit. He was helped up and resumed speaking, learning later that he had broken three ribs. His authorized biographer, Eleanor Knowles, wrote that when Hunter underwent gall bladder surgery in 1993, he suffered an adverse reaction to medication and went into a deep sleep from which he couldnt be roused.

At least once the doctors thought he wouldnt survive the night, Knowles wrote, and he did not awake for three weeks. those lost By The Associated Press A man who served in the U.S. Navy in World War and in the Marines during the Korean War remembered friends lost in battle at wreath-laying ceremonies commemorating Memorial Day. Basically, I guess, its a chance to say hi to my buddies that didnt make it back, and I had a lot of them that didnt, said Charles Thorpe, now a minister in Montreal, who visited the Los Angeles National Cemetery Monday. A range of Memorial Day events dotted the state, as veterans recalled their experiences, loved ones honored the dead and former first lady Rosalynn Carter discussed taking care of the living.

Flags waved over some 80,000 graves at the Los Angeles National 'Cemetary. Vietnam War veteran Carlos Mendez, who played taps on a harmonica at his friends graves, taught his daughter, Mia, about war and the loss of life. She has to understand that her father was part of that history, Mendez said. At the Oasis House, a rehabilitation center for the mentally ill in Los Angeles, Rosalynn Carter called for a national health care program that would include mental health treatments. If youre sick, youre sick, Carter said.

We cannot leave out those who suffer from mental illnesses. Elsewhere in Los Angeles, Gov. Pete Wilson dedicated a block of Benson became the 13th president of the church in 1985 at age 86 after the death of Spencer W. Kimball Up until then, Benson had been the churchs most outspoken and controversial apostle. Following service as agriculture secretary from 1953 to 1961, Benson became closely identified with the John Birch Society, though he was not a formal member.

His fiery speeches brought criticism from within and without the church. He once told a reporter he could not see how a person could be both a liberal and a good Mormon, and he called the civil rights movement a communist program for revolution in America. For nearly 20 years, church presidents and fellow apostles tried to curb Bensons efforts to give the Birch Society the churchs blessing. And church liberals often expressed concern over where Benson would lead Mormonism if he survived Kimball The rosary will be recited at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Claffey and Rota Funeral Home, 1975 Main St.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 6404 Washington Yountville. Internment will follow at Tulocay Cemeteiy. Contributions may be made to Queen of the Valley Home Health Care, 1000 Trancas Napa, 94558.

Marie Sculatti ST. HELENA Marie Mina Sculatti 87, died Sunday at her home. Mrs. Sculatti was born in Schwaiheim, Germany, on Jan. 6, 1907, to Adam and Emma Storck.

She grew up in Germany and came to San Francisco, then to St. Helena. She married Victor Peter Sculatti in St. Helena in 1926 and they moved to San Francisco where Mr. Sculatti worked for Pacific Telephone Company until his retirement in 1963, at which time they moved back to St.

Helena. Mr. Sculatti predeceased heron Oct. 4, 1986. Mrs.

Sculatti was a member of St. Helena Catholic Church. She leaves three sisters-in-law, By BOB KUESTERMAN Associated Press Writer SALT LAKE CITY An ultra-conservative firebrand as U.S. agriculture secretary and as a Mormon Church apostle, Ezra Taft Benson left right-wing politics behind in his 8Vfc-year tenure as the faiths president. At his death Monday at age 94, Bensons legacy as a churchman was a nonpolitical one that emphasized the faiths scriptural foundations.

Benson died of congestive heart failure at age 94 Monday after years of poor health. The church grew from 5.9 million to 8.7 million members since Benson became president in 1985. But unable to speak or at times to recognize close relatives, Benson spent his final years under the 24-hour care of nurses in his apartment across the street from church headquarters. The churchs two most senior apostles increasingly ran the church as Bensons health declined. Presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serve for life.

As the longest-serving member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, Howard W. Hunter, an 86-year-old former corporate lawyer, is by unfailing tradition the next in line to be president. He was a man of service and example to his church, his country, his family, his fellow men and women, said Utahs Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch. He was a strong but kind man, a spiritual giant of the world.

President Clinton said Benson served our country and his church with ceaseless dedication, and Gov. Mike Leavitt said Benson had the unusual distinction of providing significant leadership not only in religion, but in government, shaping Important -public policy for the nation. Obituaries Owen Duffy Jr. NAPA Owen Tiger" M. Duffy 84, died Saturday at his home of natural causes.

A native of Napa, Mr. Duffy attended St. Marys High School in Oakland where he was class valedictorian. He graduated from St. Marys College in Moraga where he was also valedictorian.

Prior to World War he enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve and served in many theaters during the war. While stationed in Philadalphia, he married Ann Lynaugh. Following his discharge, they moved to the Duffy ranch in Napa wherfe they resided for 48 years. His wife passed away in February of this year.

Mr. Duffy was weU-known around town for his interest in California history and his involvement with both local and state historical societies. His Irish charm and wit were evident in the annual ads for the Duffy Christmas Tree Farm, a family business which will be continued by his son. He is survived by his son, Dennis of Napa; his daughter, Patricia Duffy Mordecal of Novato; his brother, Phillip of Stanford; and his granddaughter, Kathleen Ann Mordecal Upcoming services WEDNESDAY HODGERS, Steve; 10:30 a.m., Napa Valley Memorial Park, 2383 Napa-Vallejo Hwy. SCULATTI, Marie Mina; 11 a.m., St.

Helena Catholic Church, 1340 Tainter St. MATTE Donald Rogers; 7 p.m. Wednesday, Skyview Funeral Chapel, 200 Rollingwood Vallejo. THURSDAY DUFFY Owen 10 a.m., St Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 6404 Washington Yountvllle. Our heritage has served Napa County families since 1863 24 HOURS: 226-7444 1660 Silverado lYail, Napa at the Lincoln Avenue Bridge in battle Wilshire Boulevard near a Veterans Administration hospital as Veterans Parkway.

Today, lets recommit ourselves to honoring our veterans who have been injured in war and especially to those who didnt make it back alive, said Wilson, a former Marine. At the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, another former Marine, Commandant P.X. Kelley, delivered a Memorial Day address. In Northern California, a ceremony at the San Francisco Presidio memorialized the 35 Medal of Honor recipients buried there the highest number outside Arlington National Cemetery. Children in Redwood City observed a tradition dating to 1885 by marching to Union Cemetery where they sang and listened to the Gettysburg Address.

Gunfire and smoke clouded the San Jose Historical Museums Kelley Park where a mock Civil War skirmish was reenacted and a Memorial Day service respected the nations fallen. The Civil War was a critical turning point in our nations history, said Floyd Oydegaard, president of the National Civil War Association which organized the event. It defined us as a nation, and it holds a fascination for us today, Oydegaard said. Frontier pioneers from Russia were remembered as a newly renovated cemetery was rededicated at Fort Ross 75 miles northwest of San Francisco. I moved here because its sale, but not now, said Sophia Lim-nios.

She was a friendly, nice girl. We are all so upset. Investigators believe Lin arrived home from school about 2:45 p.m. Friday afternoon. Her mother, Mei-lian Lin, called her once during the afternoon but Jennifer did not answer, Nelson said.

However, two of Jennifers friends said they spoke to her by phone, one of them as late as 5:15 p.m., Nelson said. Lins body was found about 6:45 p.m. A small dining room window on the homes first floor was broken but police do not know if an intruder came in that way. A sliding glass door was open when the father returned home, Nelson said. Deputies have combed the hilly area behind the 3-year-old housing development for clues but have found nothing, Nelson said.

A1 Honda, principal at Canyon Middle School, said counselors would be available to Lins fellow students on Tuesday. Lin, a straight-A student and talented violinist, was to graduate next month, and she likely would have been class valedictorian, Honda said. CLAFFEY and ROTA. FUNELHOMeJT Pre-need Planning Available 1975 Main St. (At St.) Napa 224-5210 Officials seeking help after brutal slaying NAPA VALLEY MEMORIAL PARK Funeral Home Cemetery The Valleys only combination facility Offering Complete Funeral, Cemetery Cremation Arrangements Before-Need Programs Tailored To Your Requests 255-3433 2383 NAPA-VALLEJO HWY, NAPA CASTRO VALLEY (AP) Alameda County Officials planned to seek the publics help this week in solving the mysterious and brutal slaying of a popular teenager.

Jennifer H. Lin died of multiple stab wounds Friday. Her father found his 14-year-old daughters partially clad body in a bathroom at the familys home in a quiet neighborhood known as Palo-mares Hills. Sheriffs deputies remained baffled by a motive. There were no signs of struggle, no apparent sexual assault and nothing was taken from the house, officials said.

One theory had the attacker as a stranger who took the girl by surprise, but investigators said they had no suspects. It appears the motive was to kill her, but why?" said sheriffs Lt. Ted Nelson. Shes just a cute little sweetheart of a girl, just a nice ldd. Also troubling was why the killer removed some of the girls clothes, apparently by force.

Wed sure like to know why he did that, Nelson said. Its one of the big issues." Deputies continued to question neighbors, and Nelson asked that anyone who saw anything unusual call police, The Jenny Lin Trust Fund was set up to raise reward money for any information that might lead to an arrest. Meanwhile, residents of the affluent neighborhood expressed shock. Some joined Sunday to discuss forming a neighborhood crime watch. Ifb C( 1 mill- Ilf 11 IMIM I lllMlf- HMI- li fr nititl -Idii in t(i(i iiiiin 1 ll lilf l.s Ilf- if If Mtiir Mm Mls-ilii- f-'Inii- UiMidili infill lift Ilf -t iiif Hi ItiliHUiHUlt fit Funeral Cremation Planning since 1902 Treadway Wigger 226-1828 623 Coombs St,.