Esthel William "Sandy" AMES

AMES, HOWARD, DAHLBERG, SMITH, SWEENEY, SCHWARZ

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 6/25/2009 at 09:26:41

San Francisco Chronicle, CA
June 21, 2009

Esthel Wm. "Sandy" Ames
October 8, 1922 - June 12, 2009

Resident of Foster City, CA

Sandy was a kind man who will be missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. Sandy is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Mary Elizabeth Howard Ames; Patricia and Ray Smith, his adopted family Ginger Dahlberg, Cary and Matt Sweeney and Dianne and Bill Schwarz.

Sandy was born in Burt, IA, and his family moved to Kanawha, IA, at an early age, where he graduated from high school in June 1941 and immediately enlisted in the Navy. He was a Navy veteran of the Pacific Theatre having participated in three of the Pacific war's major encounters aboard the USS San Diego. The Navy sent Sandy to Officer Candidate School at the University of Washington where he graduated with a degree in electrical engineering, Class of 1948. Following graduation he moved back to Pittsburgh, PA, for the next 12 years and worked at Westinghouse Electric. In 1960, he moved to Boeing in Seattle and in 1970 he came to Foster City, CA, and began working with BART. He retired in 1987. Sandy was a 32-degree Mason and a Shriner. He was an avid photographer and he and his wife traveled all over the world. Sandy was a committed electric car buff from his earliest days as an electrical engineer. He spoke at many groups regarding this mode of travel, too many to acknowledge separately. He was also a PC fiend from the beginning and even built his own computer. To say Sandy was ahead of his time would be an understatement!

Please join the family for a Celebration of Sandy's Life on Sunday, July 19, 2009 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm at the Foster City Parks and Recreation Department - 650 Shell Blvd, Foster City, CA. In lieu of flowers the family has requested donations be made to the Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children in Sacramento, CA; or the American Cancer Society or to the San Mateo County Hospital.