Rosemary Virginia Barker became a new bright star in the sky when she left this world for a better one on February 19, 2020 at the Oaks at Cascade in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She was the wife of the late Robert L. Barker.
Rosemary was born on May 7, 1925 in Milburn, West Virginia. Although she lived in Chicago, Mexico, Milwaukee and Houston, West Virginia always held a special place in her heart.
The most important things in her life were her family, her friends and her cats. She welcomed everyone in her home and provided shelter and support for those in need. She let people stay with her when they didn't have a home, she fed hungry friends and neighbors and even strangers and gave everything she could for people. She loved her children more than life itself and would do anything for them always. With her periwinkle blue eyes and beautiful smile, she charmed everyone. And oh, she was smart as well as beautiful! She graduated salutatorian of her high school class and solved crossword puzzles well into her 90's.
She is survived by, and remembered lovingly by, her son Mack L. Smith and wife Marie-Anne, and her daughter Barbara Joe Stevens and husband Vance of Malaysia. She is also survived by her two grandsons, Glenn Royer Stevens and his wife Gulya Obokolova and Dustin Keahi Stevens and wife Michelle Daniel, great grand-daughter Gwen Rosemaria and great grand-son Kai Daniel. She will be sadly missed but we are better for having her in our lives.

Earl Eugene Smith (Trialfa Ankh-Maat Omega), 72, was born on November 19, 1947, and passed away on February 28, 2020. He was a Vietnam War Veteran, World-Renowned Grand Master Martial Artist, Grand Master Mason, Progressive Educator, and a Philosopher ahead of his time. His spiritual devotion, distinct laugh, sense of humor, and dapper style will be missed by many.

Trialfa most likely entered this world in either a 3-piece suit or a karate gi and was never seen without one or the other. He was born and raised in Moultrie, Georgia and attended Colquitt County High School. After graduation, he committed to serving his country by enlisting in the United States Air Force and fought two tours in the Vietnam War. Since the age of 12 he was a fan of martial arts and at 18 had the opportunity to train in the orient during his time in Vietnam. Martial Arts had a profound impact on him both physically and spiritually and would set a precedence in his life and legacy forever.

The war ended in 1975, but he would continue to battle the psychological effects of the war including depression. Warzone stress exposure and other combat-related experiences caused severe and chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that would impact his mental health until his last days.

Despite this struggle, after returning from Vietnam, Trialfa set off on a mission to revolutionize the way of martial arts in America and make the practice of Zen and martial arts an inseparable union of spiritual living. In 1970, he launched the Purple Dragons Martial Arts Movement in Rochester, N.Y. and developed his own proprietary style of martial arts called Nungkyyii (nung-ky-yi-ee), a unique combination of creative techniques, self-discipline, and spiritual training.

Between 1973 and 1979 Trialfa was the reigning Grand Champion of the Empire State Karate Championships Tournament in Syracuse, N.Y. six consecutive years and retired undefeated in 1979. During this time, he attended the Rochester Institute of Theology and graduated in 1977 with a Masters in Philosophy and a Doctorate in Theology.

Trialfa then moved to Denver, Colorado and would spend the next 30 years mentoring young adults, growing the Purple Dragon community and proving the power of combining academics with martial arts training to cultivate self-consciousness, self-discipline, self-confidence, self-worth, self-respect, and self-esteem in youth.

Trialfa’s life centered around his dedication to meditation, philosophy, rightful living, health of the body, mind and soul, and service to the Divine, which he expressed by serving those who crossed his path. His passion for reading, writing, teaching and evolving lead him to become an inspirational spiritual teacher for so many individuals. Trialfa would dedicate the remainder of his life fully and solely to pursuing his divine spiritual path and the purpose he was assigned by God. It was Trialfa’s dream to create a spiritual revolution in western society and completely reshape the education system for our youth by including a spiritual, moral, social, and technological curriculum. He never gave up on that dream.

He is preceded in death by son Sir Earl Smith, and survived by his mother Mary F. Wilson, 13 children, and 20 grandchildren. His life will continue to be celebrated by his family, those he mentored, and the Purple Dragon Community.


SENDING DONATIONS & CONTRIBUTIONS
Please send contributions to help support the family with immediate funeral expenses and a standing memorial: https://www.gofundme.com/f/earl-smith039s-memorial-fund (Emperor Emaan Omega 6149 S. Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89118).

PURPLE DRAGON APPAREL
https://www.bonfire.com/purple-dragons-forever/

PTSD RESOURCES & SUICIDE PREVENTION FOR WAR VETS
A recent Harvard School of Public Health study found that three to four decades after the Vietnam War, many combat war veterans continued to experience severe PTSD. And every day, 20 war veterans take their life. There is help. The National Center for PTSD provides resources for Veterans. https://www.ptsd.va.gov

On Monday, February 24th, 2020, Josè Lazo, a loving/caring man and father of 3, passed away at the age of 79.
Josè was born in, La Palma, Chalatenango, El Salvador. Josè, met his wife at the age of 22 and were married for 43 years until the passing of his beloved wife.
Josè, was a very hardworking man where he did construction work for 27 years. Josè, was the kind of man who was always willing to help anyone in need. Although, he enjoyed company, he loved to spend his time at home with his family.
Josè was preceded in death by his parents, wife, and 2 brothers. He is survived by his son, Alexander (Abby), his son, Cruz, his daughter, Gilma, his 5 grandchildren, (Amelida, Felix, Emparatriz, Jalen, Cecilia) , and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Funereal services will be Saturday, February 29th, 2020 at Carolina Funereal home at 3:00 PM. Flowers will be accepted and can be sent to the funereal home address.

Dr. John C. Kelleher, III, M.D. passed away on January 26th, 2020, of brain cancer, at the age of 49. Dr. Kelleher earned his M.D. at Brown University School of Medicine in Providence, R.I., and received his training in psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Behavior. Dr. Kelleher was trained in Mentalization-Based Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder by Dr. Peter Fonagy and Dr. Anthony Bateman, its originators. He was a clinical fellow at the Borderline Personality Disorder Initiative at UCLA and also worked as Medical Director at the Clearview Women's Center for Borderline Personality Disorder. At the time of his passing, he was a Clinical Associate at the New Center for Psychoanalysis, where he served as Co-President of the Clinical Associates Organization.

Dr. Kelleher was a dedicated advocate for the health of his LGBTQ community. In medical school, he co-led and revitalized the Queer Med student group, and in later life was a supporter of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. He also co-authored the chapter "Taking a Comprehensive History and Providing Relevant Risk-reduction Counseling," in The Fenway Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health, published by the American College of Physicians in 2008.

His patients were grateful to know Dr. Kelleher as a talented, humble, and devoted physician and psychoanalyst, who saved lives with his incredible empathy and the rare compassion and bravery to specialize in the stigmatized diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder. BPD is considered among the most painful and damaging mental illnesses, and there is a 10% mortality rate by suicide. Few mental health professionals are willing to take on this terrible disease, let alone to be so open-hearted to its sufferers and treat them with such love and respect as Dr. Kelleher did. His work will continue to help others for many years to come, via the impact made in the lives of his patients, and by a suicide prevention app developed by one of them in his honor. When launched, the app will be available at not-today.app. (If you are currently in need of support, please reach out to the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit https://tinyurl.com/yxlzd4qn to see an international list.)

In the words of pioneering psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott, a key influence on Dr. Kelleher's extraordinarily nurturing and committed style of practice: "the analyst survives." Dr. Kelleher most certainly will, in the hearts and thoughts of each and every one of the people he cared for.

Note: This memorial page has been created on behalf of Dr. Kelleher's patients who may be struggling with "disenfranchised grief." When a psychotherapist dies, the patients are not able to seek comfort in sharing memories of this very important person in their lives with anybody else, as when grieving a friend or family member. It is hoped this gesture would be in line with Dr. Kelleher's wishes, as in life he worked so hard and cared so abundantly that those he treated would not have to suffer alone.

After a long battle with cancer, Hilda Carlos passed away at the age of 81 surrounded by her 4 children at her home in Stockton. Hilda lived a long, full life and will be remembered as a force of nature by all who knew her.

She was born in 1938 in the Azores on the island of Faial to José and Rosa Vargas.
Hilda had many fond memories of her childhood in the village of Pedro Miguel.
From an early age, Hilda worked night and day to help with the household chores and sewed and crocheted along with her sisters, to earn extra money for the family. Most children in the village received three years of formal education, but she was always proud that she was among the few invited by the teacher to attend an additional 4th year. While life was difficult, she understood that it could have been much harder, like their neighbor who would come borrow an ember when their fire went out – at least her family could afford matches. Hilda’s parents emphasized the importance of family and community and that it was necessary to show up and support one another, no questions asked.

After the volcanic eruption of 1958 that devastated the island, Hilda and her father José were among the 1st group to immigrate to the United States in 1959 under the Azorean Refugee Act. The two of them came to establish themselves in California, find work, earn some money, and eventually send for the rest of the family.

In 1960, she married Frank Carlos, also from Pedro Miguel, at St Elizabeth’s Catholic Church in Sacramento. After their marriage, Frank and Hilda lived in Auburn, CA. Soon after, Hilda had their 1st daughter, Elda. In 1963, Hilda wanted to be closer to her parents who had moved to Pleasanton so she took the initiative and found Frank a job in Stockton. In 1964, Frank and Hilda bought the home they would live in for the rest of their lives and raise 4 children.

In Stockton, Frank would go on to open his own cabinet shop and build or remodel several rental homes. While he provided the labor, it was Hilda who, besides being a one-woman cleaning crew, ran the business side of things, learning bookkeeping, accounting, permitting, and eventually managing all of their properties. She even learned enough about drafting to submit her own architectural drawings to get Frank’s many building permits approved. In addition to this, Hilda also worked for over 20 years at Tillie Lewis Cannery in Stockton doing seasonal work. She chose to work the graveyard shift so she could be there for her children when they came home from school.

Hilda was a passionate volunteer giving a great deal of her time and energy to Our Lady of Fatima Society in Thornton, St. Michael’s Catholic Church and Glenwood Elementary School. Hilda traveled extensively taking several cruises and trips to Europe including pilgrimages to Fatima, Lourdes and Rome. She also treated her family to multiple return trips to the Azores.

In 2012, Hilda was diagnosed with cancer and courageously endured multiple treatments over an eight year period. Simultaneously, Frank’s health deteriorated and she became his devoted caregiver for the last 10 years of his life. In the face of these challenges, Hilda continued to be a devoted grandmother, manage her properties, and volunteer when called upon. Even though her children would plead with her to slow down, Hilda continued to work hard caring for her family and managing and maintaining her household and business interests until the end of her life. Up until very recently, her children would come to her house and find her climbing ladders to fix the roof, picking fruit, or some other physical task someone even half her age would find challenging.

Hilda is preceded in death (only by a month) by her husband Frank, also by her parents, a son lost early in pregnancy, and her sister, Zulmida. She is survived by her four children, Elda (Al) Garcia, Rose Marie (Dean) Kinnee, Dianne, and Gary (Christina), her grandchildren, Craig, Renee, Hailey and Francsco, her sisters, Maria, Ida, and Mary and her brother, Joe. Hilda also leaves many nieces, nephews, and multiple cousins in the United States, Canada and the Azores.