Tiffany Honor von Emmel, PhD

Compassionate Angel and Teacher 1965-2020

Those who hold us believing we are more than we think, those are the teachers. Tiffany, above all, was a teacher as she was born.

Tiffany’s life was cut short by adrenal cancer on April 30th, 2020, but in terms of impact on the lives of those who knew her, and their descendants, she could well have been 1,000 years old.

Tiffany worked constantly and diligently as if she knew her time was limited on this earth. She facilitated and mentored for the “touchy feely” class and for the Women In Business program at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business for 15 years, and founded a global work cooperative, Dreamfish, which spanned 60 countries, including a retreat center in Nairobi, bringing hope and skills to the young people of Kenya. She co-founded the educational leadership nonprofit Include, and founded the Empowerment Place in Ventura, California to grow the community’s knowledge of self and self-support. In the past few years, she developed a meaningful new method called CARES, which is “a somatic approach to leadership, process facilitation, and inquiry.” There is more about this on her nonprofit website, Includeleadership.org.

With all of her impressive knowledge, amazing library, learning and network of loving students and friends, she explained her work in the simplest of terms: “I teach people how to talk nice to one another.”

She leaves behind her brother and sister-in-law, Jerry Greer, Jr and Jennifer Greer, her mother Camille Harris and stepfather Tom Stanley, and her niece and nephew Mackenzie and Riley Greer. In addition, her closest friends, Pien van den Herik, Lisa Kistler, and Paul Loper.

We may not understand why you left this earth so soon, or why you left before we were ready to say goodbye, but little by little, we begin to remember not just that you died, but that you lived. And that your life gave us memories too beautiful to forget.

Kathie Noguchi

Kathie Noguchi

1948-2017

Kathie was born in Oakland, California, and graduated from Pleasant Hill High School after spending her junior year as an exchange student in Concepcion, Chile. She attended UC Santa Cruz, studied in Madrid, Spain, and graduated with a degree in Spanish Literature. She and her husband Nao moved to Sebastopol in 1977, where they raised their five children. She taught first and second grade at Hillcrest Elementary in Sebastopol then at Lincoln Elementary in Santa Rosa, where she helped organize an annual bird festival, even after retiring from teaching several years ago.

Kathie was a longtime drummer and board member with Sonoma County Taiko. She loved quilting, gardening, bird watching, hiking & camping, and reading books with her book club. Her greatest joy was her six grandchildren who loved to play, read, and cuddle with "Obaachaan."

Kathie first came to Wischemann Hall with her sister Patty in 2015. From her first step onto the dance floor she was hooked. She always enjoyed the dancing and the incredible camaraderie and support of her fellow Redwood Rainbows.

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Unique Square Dance Chronology of Kathie Noguchi

A Remembrance by Lucy Whitworth

Kathie began square dancing with Redwood Rainbows one year after her sister Patty had gotten the square dance ‘bug’!  Patty had begun on Monday, October 7, 2013.

On September 16, 2014 Kathie joined a class of three students, which included Marcy Baskin and one of our current Monday new dancers, Michele Bishop. After one week, Marcy and Michelle dropped out, leaving Kathie as the sole member of the class. She was joined each week by a dedicated group of seven Angels.

This unusual configuration continued through January, 2015.  On Monday, February 9, 2015, Kathie joined the new Monday class which included some of our current  members:  Marcy, Janet, Bev, Debbie, Edie, Paula. and Rachel. It was at this point that Kathie realized that her comprehension
of square dancing was directly related to the good intentions of her 7 Angels who had made sure that she was always in the correct position.  Being part of a larger class, put more responsibility on her for truly learning the calls!  By October, 2015, Kathie was dancing twice a week with her own class and as a helper with the new Thursday night class.

Kathie graduated from Plus on February 15, 2016. She danced several times a week learning to dance all position throughout the following year.  She also had a great time attending the Stumptown weekend in May, 2016. In September, 2017, Kathie began learning the Advanced Program of square dancing. She attended class every Thursday even thought she had to leave 30 minutes early to attend her Japanese class at the J.C.

The joy that Kathie always brought to square dancing will live in our hearts forever.  We miss you, sweet friend!

Toni D'Angelo

Toni D'Angelo

1957 - 2017

Toni was born in Wisconsin on April 8th, 1957. Her family moved several years later to the Bay Area. She grew up in Walnut Creek and had fond memories of the many summers spent back in Wisconsin during her younger years. She studied at San Francisco State University and completed a Bachelor of Science degree in 1980. Shortly after she moved to Sonoma County where she studied and briefly practiced massage therapy. She eventually found her true calling and began what was to be a stellar career in real estate.

She acquired her real estate license in 1985 and became a real estate broker in 1989. Although she was recognized with many awards over her 30+ year career (rookie of the year, President's Elite Club, a top producing agent for 29 years in a row), what gave Toni the most joy was working with her clients. Whether her clients were buyers or sellers she wanted to make sure she did the best job possible in representing them and worked diligently to ensure their dreams were realized. A great deal of Toni's business was repeat clients and word of mouth referrals, many from existing or past clients. As a testament to her commitment to her clients and love for her work, despite the rigors of her medical treatments, she successfully closed her last transaction with multiple offers just four weeks prior to her death.

Toni was a beautiful spirit who touched us deeply; she enriched the lives of all who knew her. Toni was an adventurer always looking to partake in a new experience, joyfully inviting her friends along to share in the wonder. In addition to having a very successful career, she found time to basically try it all, including full moon kayaking, seaweed harvesting, camping, drumming, olive curing,  square dancing, partner dancing, basket weaving, loom knitting, card playing, biking (road and mountain), golfing, hiking, skiing, bowling, pickleball, gardening, cooking, baking, horseback riding, going to museums and plays, traveling, and entertaining.

Toni was an avid community supporter. The causes she supported over the years, either through volunteering or financially, are too numerous to mention. Toni lived life to the fullest, as if on some level she knew her time here with us was limited. She always had a big smile on her face and a warm welcoming heart. From the time before Toni was diagnosed and all through her three year battle, we never once heard her complain. Toni approached life head on and played the cards she was dealt with the utmost positivity, integrity, compassion, and love.

Toni was a very special soul. She was a devoted friend, pet parent, and life partner. We find peace in having been blessed by having had her in our lives for the time we did. She is survived by her spouse Sheila Ferguson, many dear friends she considered family, her uncle Louis Lasch, aunt Kathryn Semrau, niece Rachael D'Angelo-Keller, sister April Keller, brothers Phillip J. (PJ) and Daniele D'Angelo, along with other extended family (aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews).

Robert DeVee

Robert DeVee

1940-2016

Robert was a very talented artist who specialized in large impressionist paintings as well as silkscreens and monoprints. He lived for many years in Sonoma County, first in Cazadero, and then Sebastopol.  After he and Ren Brown got together in 1981, they eventually moved to Bodega Bay and opened The Ren Brown Collection art gallery in 1989.

As a young man Robert danced with the Oakland Civic Ballet and performed with Ronn Guidi who later became the Founding Artistic Directors of the Oakland Ballet.  Then at age 40 he took up competitive dance roller skating.  His coach for many years was Linda Galletta who became the Founding Director of the Sebastopol Center of the Arts.

Ren convinced Robert to join him in square dancing, first with the Foggy City Dancers in San Francisco, and then with the Redwood Rainbows.  He loved dancing, but never really got the hang of square dancing, despite starting six or eight beginner's classes.

He will be remembered for his ready smile, his sweet disposition, and his joyous artwork, even if he couldn't succeed at square dancing.