General News

Egon Johannes Beer died March 25, peacefully and suddenly in his Guadalajara home. Although 90 years old, he remained active and alert, attending weekly luncheons at the American Society and entertaining friends in his home in Colonia Jardines de Guadalupe.

Antonio “Tony” Zennaro died March 8 in Italy due to complications of cancer. He was 45 years old.

Zennaro was born February 28, 1970 in Venice, Italy.  He came to Lakeside in 2005. He was a local fixture, zipping along on his bicycle from one home improvement job to another

He was a gentle soul and will be greatly missed by his friends and family.

Albert Wharton passed away April 1 in Riberas del Pilar.

Born August 6, 1935 in Laredo, Texas, Wharton joined the U.S. Army and served with the 32nd Infantry from 1956 to 1962. He was a welder and, before retiring in 2003, helped build a submarine using metal salvaged from the 9/11/2001 attacks in New York.

Wharton married his wife Nancy on March 23, 1993.

Wharton had always wanted to live in Mexico, so after retirement he loaded up his wife and three dogs, and drove to Chapala. His spouse says the following years were happy ones at Lakeside.

Wharton will be greatly missed by his wife, pets, family and friends.

William (Bill) Vaughan O’Brien died Monday, March 2 in Florida after a short battle with cancer. O’Brien was born October 21, 1949 in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Mamaroneck High School and attended Florida State College. 

The U.S. Marine corporal served 13 months active combat in Vietnam as a machine gunner. During his tour of service, he earned the National Defense, Vietnam Service, Rifle Sharpshooter medals and two  Purple Hearts. 

After O’Brien retired to Ajijic in 2000, be began volunteering for both the Lake Chapala Society and American Legion Post 7. 

A celebration of O’Brien’s life will be held on his favorite holiday, St. Patrick’s Day, Tuesday, March 17, at Tom’s Bar, Constituci0n 32, from 3-6 p.m.

Lakeside resident Thomas James Sumner succumbed to cancer on April 15.  

Born August 13, 1942 in Christine, Texas, Sumner was raised along with his sister, Janie, by his grandparents, Venice and Tom Hale.

Sumner moved to San Antonio, Texas at the age of 11 and lived there until he moved to Guadalajara in July 1995. In 2003, he moved to Lakeside and opened the Chapala Consignment Shop two years later.  His specialty was handling estate sales.

Sumner will be remembered most for his infectious laughter, his generous disposition, for helping his friends, both expatriates and Mexican, and as a businessman in the Lakeside community.  Although not a member, he was immensely helpful to the people at American Legion Post 7 and Unit 7, and was a member of Lakeside Baptist Church.

His beloved sister, Janie Carruth, and her husband Bob Carruth, their parents and grandparents, precede him in death.  His son, Thomas James Sumner II of San Antonio, Texas, and daughter Tamera Webb-Owings of Humble, Texas, and her husband Deano Owings, Jr. survive him.  He is also survived by his half-sister Anna Lee Harrington of Nebraska.  He leaves behind a very special nephew, Rocky Carruth of Houston, Texas and niece Pam and her husband Richard Johnson and niece Deborah Burnett, also from Texas; two grandsons, Cameron Fritz Webb, his wife, Channel, and Dalton Lee Sumner of Georgia, his granddaughter Chloe Lynn Webb, and great-grandchildren, Sadie Camryn Webb, Abigail Maria Bunch and Josey Bunch.

A memorial service will be held at the Lake Chapala Baptist Church on Tuesday April 28, 2 p.m.  The church is located at Santa Margarita 147, Riberas del Pilar, across from the Carretera.

Doris C. Forsell, a 25-year resident of Lake Chapala, died Tuesday, February 17 in Hamilton, Montana at the age of 98. 

Anita Corinne Henry died March 31 in Ajijic. 

Born December 8, 1945 in Missouri, Henry attended Clarksville High School. She received  bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and a PhD from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.  She was a life-long teacher and taught many years as a professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Her specialty was French language and literature.  She also traveled extensively, in France, Russia, Egypt and many European destinations.

Henry moved to Ajijic in 2008.  She loved and appreciated Mexico, and made many friends here. She particularly enjoyed live performances of Mexican music.  In addition, she was a valued member of the Ajijic Writers Group, as well as a volunteer instructor of English at the Wilkes Center.  She will be greatly missed.

She is survived by her son Walt Gray, IV of Los Angeles, California; her sister Reba Sue Haake King (Charles) of Corydon, Indiana; and her loving nieces and nephew Elizabeth Haake and Amy Chudzinski (Neil) of Austin, Texas, and David Haake (Holly) of Corydon, Indiana.

A celebration of her life will be held in the garden of the Nueva Posada on Saturday April 18, 4 p.m.

Well-known lakeside Tai Chi instructor and Focus on Mexico backbone and consultant Bill McConnaughey died December 26 in his Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos home. 

Born August 5, 1941, in Clinton, Missouri, McConnaughey discovered the world during his formative years while living with an uncle in France and Belgium. He planned a military career and joined the U.S. Army at age 18. After 12 years of service and achieving the rank of captain, it was his service in Vietnam that convinced him that he did not want to re-enlist. 

In the ensuing years, McConnaughey’s peaceful nature, sense of humor and 45-year practice of martial arts led him to his own gentle and characteristically quiet spiritual quest. He left the past behind him and learned to live in the current moment striving to help others and to joyously improve his knowledge, friendships and community. 

In April 2002, McConnaughey met the love of his life, Karen Marts Brown on Match.Com. After a visit to Mexico in September 2003, they returned to the United States and sold two houses, two lifetimes of belongings, planned a December 13, 2003, wedding and moved to their lakeside home.

As a 30-year instructor of the original Chen Tai Chi, McConnaughey began teaching Tai Chi almost immediately after moving to lakeside. He was a dedicated man with an exceptional work ethic. He eventually created his own form of Tai Chi, which he called Grulla Pacifica (Peaceful Crane) which according to his friends is the perfect description of this man. 

When the McConnaugheys’ IT, writing, website and social skills drew the attention of the Focus on Mexico founders in 2006, they both joined up, hosting up to 14 groups of tourists per year and managing the electronic media, social marketing  and group services.

A celebration of McConnaughey’s life on December 30 filled the Little Chapel by the Lake with his friends, students, admirers and Focus alumni. 

He is survived by his wife, Karen, his dogs, Ana and Maggie, and his six grown children.