Elsie Dawn Nazar

Dawn Nazar:

April 8, 1933 - December 24, 2021

Born Elsie Dawn France in Ravenscar, England in her home named Ravenhurst to Mary Ida and Rowland Ellis France. Dawn, as she was always known, passed away peacefully at the age of 88 on Christmas Eve, after wishing all her loved ones a Happy Christmas.

A life-long true English citizen, she resided most of her life in San Francisco with her loving husband, John Nazar Sr. (dec. 1995) and her adoring children. Born during the worldwide depression without her dad, who passed away when she was a year old, and growing up during her formative years during a World War II torn England, shaped Dawn’s appreciation of life. It was something to be embraced, cherished and to never waste a day. The youngest of 6 very adventurous siblings, and guided by her brave mother, the war was horrible, yet became the foundation of hundreds of stories (most true, but she never let the truth interfere with a great story) that she would tell to family, friends and hundreds of mesmerized school children at her own children’s’ elementary schools. Needing a way to support herself at the conclusion of the War, she was determined to experience as much of the world as possible so she chose to become a governess working for the very wealthy families of Europe. Living in most nations in Europe, she became a real life “Mary Poppins” to the many children she cared for and loved. She jumped at the opportunity to work in the United States for a family in San Francisco, where she met a fellow governess, Inge Bauer (Rhodes) who quickly became her life-long friend and partner in discovering all that the Bay Area had to offer. Attending St. John's Presbyterian church on Lake St. she met the most handsome bachelor who was immediately and completely taken by Dawn. John and Dawn were married in 1958 and began a love story that lasted beyond his passing. Soon after marriage came their beloved children, John (Karen), Roland, Helen and Joseph (Katharine) who became the focus of their lives. Wonderful vacations to the Russian River, Yosemite, Disneyland and San Diego always started with packing the backseat with at least the four children, and usually some of their friends, and not stopping until reaching the destination. Wrestling matches, pranks, and all kinds of mischief occurred in that backseat, with nothing but an occasional and unconvincing, “Knock it off, or we will turn around” ever stopping the constant action. Dawn allowed her children to grow and experience the world without fear or worry. She said that “No matter what, I want you (my kids) to have a great childhood; nobody can ever take that away from you.” And we did. She did not bind her children with a lot of rules; the main one being to always stick-together as a family and love one another. And we did.

Without doubt, her greatest gift to the world was how she viewed and treated each person. It did not matter if it was a child, an elder, a stranger on the street, or someone famous, she always treated every person as if they were the most important human on earth. Her focus was 100% on whomever she was speaking with, and that “gift” of true attention enriched the lives of all she came in contact with. Her wonderful and dear long-time friend, Maria Duggan said, “Your mom always could find the beauty in even the smallest things, and that is something I have tried to do ever since.” This resonated with just about everyone who knew her.

Despite suffering from many years of dementia, it could never take away the essence of who she was. To the last day, she always said, “I love you” and treated everyone with graciousness and love.

Dawn is survived by her children and grandchildren: Alexandria (Collin), Roland Jr.,Haley (Spencer), Christine, Michael, Matt, Ashley, Derek and Jack.

Services will be held on Monday, January 3rd at Duggan’s Serra Mortuary, 500

Westlake Ave, Daly City with her viewing at

10 - 11:00 a.m. and services beginning at 11:00 a.m.. All are welcome to attend. For those unable to, the service will be live streamed at:

Benjamin Franklin “Frank” Brunk, 95, passed away peacefully at home in Walnut Creek, CA on December 21, 2021. Frank was born September 14th, 1926 to Esther and Frank Brunk, Sr. in Berkeley, California. He spent the first eleven years of his life in Mexico on his grandfather and father’s 10,000-acre rice and wheat farm. Frank graduated high school in Willows, California where the family had moved after leaving Mexico.

Frank’s dream of attending UC Berkeley came true after having served in the Navy for two years. In 1946 Frank returned to Cal, joined Alpha Delta Phi fraternity and played football initially on the Rambler team before being promoted to varsity. His lifelong athletic skills helped him become something of a legend for his 102-yard kickoff return against USC in 1949 leading Cal to the Rose Bowl in 1950. Frank’s coach was the legendary Lynn O. “Pappy” Waldorf. Frank was one of a small group of former players who founded Pappy’s Boys, an organization dedicated to student athletes pursuing excellence in academics, athletics, and life.

Following college, Frank worked in the automobile industry, going into business with his father, having founded Brunk Leasing Company in Oakland, California. He was a trusted professional and dedicated community member. Frank was a long time Rotarian, President of Orinda Country Club, President of Northern California Golf Association, and Chairman of Cal Golf Committee.

Playing golf since age 12, Frank always said that it was a sport for life. One of Frank’s proudest moments was the honor of receiving the first ever Cal Athletics Hall of Fame Service award