CITY HALL — A quiet City Council meeting ended with wet eyes on Tuesday.
Members of council spoke about three notable Santa Monicans who died in the last month.
John M. Bohn
Mayor Pam O'Connor tried to read a statement about former Councilmember John Bohn but ceded to tears. She passed the statement to Councilmember Bob Holbrook, who choked up but continued to read.
Bohn, who was 94 years old when he died, was a pinch hitter of sorts. He was elected in 1960 to fill the seat of a mayor who'd died in office. The term expired nine months later and Bohn, who was very active in the community, did not seek reelection.
A year later, another council member resigned and Bohn was appointed to fill the seat. In April of 1963 he was elected to the seat and served through 1965. While in office he voted against a county plan to relocate the Pacific Coast Highway as a causeway across the Santa Monica Bay.
In 1949, Bohn founded a real estate company that would ultimately become The Bradmore Group.
O'Connor called him "one of the kindest people I've ever met."
Services honoring his life will take place this Saturday at 11 a.m., at the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica, according a representative from The Bradmore Group.
John Sturgis
Former Santa Monica Fire Department Chief John Sturgis, who died on Sept. 24, got the 10-gong final alarm with the symbolic fire bell at the meeting Tuesday.
He served as chief, jumping two ranks from captain, from 1965 until his retirement in 1978.
He is known for bringing the paramedic program to Santa Monica in 1974, according to Battalion Chief Mike McElvaney.
"At the time, paramedics were delivering their service in ambulances or pickup trucks," McElvaney said. "He put the paramedics on fire trucks and that was the first time nationally that anyone had done that. It's a model now that's copied throughout the country. In Santa Monica, we're still using that model."
His life was celebrated at St. Monica Catholic Church. During his viewing, there was a fishing pole in his casket.
"Whenever I saw him, he was either going fishing or coming back," Holbrook said. "I think if someone put a bucket of water in his backyard he would have hooked a line up and fished it."
Maynard Ostrow
Maynard Ostrow, 79, died on Oct. 6.
He was a board member at OPCC, the Santa Monica Symphony, and Wise & Healthy Aging.
"Maynard participated in many political campaigns starting with the ‘Save the Pier,'" O'Connor said. "He gave back to the community tirelessly. He cared deeply about people and he loved Santa Monica."
John Heavens
John Heavens died on Oct. 4 from cancer.
While not part of the Council closing ceremony, Heavens was well known in local sports communities for his work with youth baseball and softball teams. As a little league coach, he won league championships and he was part of the coaching team for many Samohi softball teams including the 2010 group that brought home the CIF Championship. Heavens oversaw the development of many players that went on to professional careers but his friends said he helped players develop character as much as skill.
