Posted by Newspaper Transcriber on Saturday, October 21, 2006 at 17:58:12 :

Ada I. DeMeo

Longtime Coastsiders may recall Ada I. DeMeo, either through the business that she and her husband owned in the 1960s, or as the lady who drove the school bus that picked them up every morning as kids headed for school.

Mrs. DeMeo, a 33-year Half Moon Bay resident, died Sept 12 at Kaiser Hospital in Redwood City, as the result of a stroke, at age 84.

She was born Oct. 5, 1921, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, the youngest of five children of John and Mary (Lily) Lightburn. When she was a child her family moved to the United State and settled in Oakland, where Mrs. DeMeo grew up and attended elementary and high school.

In 1944 she married her husband, Nicholas C. DeMeo, and the couple came to Half Moon Bay in 1946. Together, they owned and operated Diamond Mill and Cabinet Works for 23 years from 1946 to 1969.

In the late 1950s, Mrs. DeMeo took the oath of citizenship. "She was proud of her Canadian roots, but was even more proud of becoming an American citizen," said her daughter, Mary Elizabeth Feldmann of Sacramento. Mrs. DeMeo also learned to drive and drove buses for the local school district for more than 10 years.

"Her favorite thing was to drive up the canyons and pick up the kids," said Mrs. DeMeo's daughter. "She loved that job more than any other one she ever held."

Mr. DeMeo served in the Half Moon Bay police department and on the City Council, and as mayor, and was instrumental in numbering many houses in the growing town.

Around 1978 the DeMeos moved to Westwood and lived there for 10 years, and then moved to Sacramento in the late 1980s, where Mr. DeMeo died in November 2000. Mrs. DeMeo returned to Half Moon Bay in August 2003.

"She was a very strong woman," said her daughter. "She was not a woman to mess with."

Mrs. DeMeo traveled to Europe three times and encouraged her family to see the world as well. She was an accomplished oil painter, who loved to create landscapes and paint china. "Painting was her great pleasure," said her daughter.

"She will be missed by our family, but it is comforting to know that she and Dad/Grandpa are finally back together," said her daughter.

Mrs. DeMeo is preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, Nicholas C. DeMeo, three brothers and one sister. She is survived by her children Mary Elizabeth Feldmann of Sacramento, Nicholas M. DeMeo and John E. DeMeo, both of Half Moon Bay, stepson Gil DeMeo of Santa Rosa, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12 at Skylawn Memorial Park at the top of Highway 92, followed by a graveside service and interment.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Salvation Army, St. Anthony Foundation, 121 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102, or to the Shriner's Hospital.

Half Moon Bay Review and Pescadero Pebble, Wednesday, October 11, 2006