Asa John DeMatteo, Ph.D.

March 25, 1947 - June 11, 2021

Asa DeMatteo had an unexpected massive heart attack resulting in a deep coma at Eisenhower Medical Center, Rancho Mirage, California and passed away 14 hours later on July 11, 2021, at the age of 74. Asa was preceded in death by his father John DeMatteo, his mother Annie Irene Nebeker DeMatteo Clemence, his daughter Lori DeMatteo Jensen, and his sisters Delores DeMatteo Lee and Diane DeMatteo West. Asa is survived by his loving spouse of 45 years Thomas J. Brady, M.D. of Palm Springs, California, his first spouse Melinda Hutchings of Albuquerque, New Mexico, his baby sister Dawn Nagler Bibeault of Grass Valley, California, and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, great grandnieces, great grandnephews, and cousins.

Asa was born in North Hollywood, California and grew up in Northridge and Nevada City, California. He was the first member of his family to graduate from high school and went on to earn a B.S. and M.S. in Psycholinguistics from San Jose State University, all but dissertation in Linguistics from University of California at Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Asa was Director of the Center on Deafness and a faculty member at the University of California at San Francisco Medical School Department of Psychiatry and had a private psychotherapy practice in San Francisco for 28 years.

Asa was a character, a force of nature whose impact will be remembered by many. When his application for graduate school in Alabama was rejected despite being exceedingly qualified, he confronted the dean who said never in all his years had he been so challenged. The dean agreed to accept Asa the next year if he aced a couple of high-level math courses, which he did. He was the first openly gay graduate student admitted to UA.

Typically, his decision to join the fight against LGBTQ discriminatory politics in Belize surprised no one who knew him well but surprised Belize itself when they succeeded.

Asa was a lover of Miss Marple mysteries (the Joan Hickson versions), British comedies, new foods, dogs, and Oxford commas. He was larger than life, outrageous, dramatic, someone who made grand entrances and was over the top excessive in every way. Asa has left this earth, but his spirit and legacy will live on forever.

Celebrations of the life of Asa DeMatteo will be held in Palm Springs, California on August 7th and in San Francisco, California on August 14th. To attend a gathering, type the following URL into a web browser: http://evite.me/ YPZmv6q14u

In his memory, please consider contributing to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Robert A. Ortalda, decorated veteran of World War II, Cal graduate, geologist, loving husband, adored father, grandfather and great-grandfather, died peacefully in his sleep June 23, 2021 at his home in Tiburon, California. He was 97.

Robert enlisted in the U.S. Army after Pearl Harbor and was assigned to Officer Candidates School until after D-Day, when he and his OCS colleagues were shipped off to the European theater. He participated in the Battle of the Bulge, where he earned a Bronze Star for valor and three Purple Hearts.

Ortalda earned his Masters degree in Geology from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1948. He met his future wife, Jeanne Marie Georges, a nurse, on a blind date. The couple were married within 6 months and made their first home in Berkeley. Their marriage lasted 73 years.

Robert was hired as an exploration geologist by Standard Oil of California (Chevron), where he spent his entire career, with postings in Ojai, Salinas, Bakersfield,