PASSINGS

Following are some of the more notable passings in the Newport-Mesa area in 2008.

 

PHIL ARST

He may have been known for butting heads as much as making friends, but Phil Arst pledged himself to a vision of Newport Beach that gave residents new tools to halt unpopular construction.

Arst was a pioneer of the Greenlight Initiative, which gives citizens the right to vote on any development that changes from its initial guidelines in the city general plan. Prior to the slow growth initiative’s passage in 2000, the City Council could approve such developments on its own. Arst, who had been struggling ever since a liver transplant four years before, died of complications from the transplant in July on his 79th birthday. The family man who once served with the Navy spent more than 30 years in Newport Beach, the town he hoped to keep as small as he could.

 

JACK FAULKNER

Once a coach in the early years of professional football, Jack Faulkner spent decades of his life as a scout for the [now St. Louis] Rams. For a time, he lived in Costa Mesa, and he raised money annually for local organizations such as Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian.

Faulkner died in September. He was 82, and was survived by sons Jon, Brandon and Ryan, and daughter Cathy.

 

JACKIE HEATHER

Jackie Heather spent 15 years in public office in Newport Beach, filling offices from mayor to planning commissioner to city councilwoman. In her time in politics, Heather supported building projects, pushed to remove silt in Newport Bay and helped negotiate an agreement to limit activity at John Wayne Airport.

Heather died in September of natural causes in Arizona, where she had spent the past six years. She was 82. Before that, she had lived nearly half a century in Newport Beach.

 

SANG THI HUYNH

Known by her fans on the OCC campus as “the hot dog lady,� Sang Thi Huynh ran her food stand for nearly two decades. Huynh died of a suspected heart attack in September. She was 59.

More than just a vendor, Huynh was called an inspiration by some, such as plumber Edward Hernandez. He credits her for getting him on the right track after growing up in a culture of gangs, leading him to work for her, practice the Vietnamese language and ultimately take a missionary trip back to her home country, where he met her family members there.

 

CHRISTOPHER LAURIE

Devotees of mega-church Harvest Christian Fellowship or its annual Harvest Crusade knew Christopher Laurie as their pastor’s son, but they also saw his graphic designs in everything from the church website to the crusade’s bumper stickers.

But the Newport Beach resident’s sudden death in a July car accident on a freeway in Corona galvanized the community to send thousands of caring messages on the blog maintained by his father, Pastor Greg Laurie. The family said Christopher Laurie had found his calling working in his father’s Riverside-based ministry.

Christopher Laurie was 33. He was survived by his wife, Brittany; daughter, Stella; mother, Cathe; and brother, Jonathan.

 

KEVIN PRYOR

Co-workers remembered him as a man of boundless energy, humorous celebrity impressions and an ironclad work ethic as a firefighter for the Newport Beach Fire Department.

Pryor died in June of a brain hemorrhage. He was 31.

Along with his family, hundreds of firefighters from around the state gathered at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in Westlake to honor one of their own.

“If you were working with Kevin, you knew it was going to be a good day,� said Jeff Boyles, Newport Beach Firefighters Assn. president, at the time.

 

DAVE WHEELER

A singular presence on the Costa Mesa City Council, Dave Wheeler was the youngest councilman in Costa Mesa history. Elected at 29 as a vocal Democrat in a Republican-dominated town, Wheeler fought for his chosen issues of animal rights, the rights of migrant workers and neighborhood preservation. He helped establish the city’s senior and day care centers, and worked to raise wages for Costa Mesa police.

Wheeler died in his home in Moreno Valley last week of lung and brain cancer. He was 54.

Wheeler did not give up on life when his prognosis became grim.

He fought repeatedly for more coverage from his insurance company, and he married his wife, Terri Fields, just three months ago.

 

DANE WILLIAMS

One of the tragic passings of the year was also the most mysterious, despite an outpouring of support from friends, family and the company the victim worked for: the unsolved death of Dane Williams, 23.

Last seen alive Jan. 26 leaving a San Diego nightclub, the Hurley International marketing intern was found dead, wrapped in a blanket, three days later in an alley of the City Heights neighborhood.

After autopsy and toxicology reports came back without a known cause of death — there was alcohol in his blood, but nowhere near a lethal amount — the police investigation ran out of easy leads.

But the community stepped up its support, as companies such as Hurley and Jack’s Surfboards kept donating money to raise the reward for information, first to $10,000, then to $20,000. Crime Stoppers also put up bus stop ads throughout Orange and San Diego counties asking for tips. Even with the community’s efforts, no one has come forward with the answer, authorities said.

The line for tips remains at (888) 580-8477.