Frances Louise Smith
June 15, 1926 - Aug. 14, 2026

Frances Louise Quillen was born in Pueblo, Colorado 10 minutes after her brother Bill.  She attended Denver University, earning a BA in nursing.  The day after she graduated, she married Victor Dwayne Smith on June 12, 1949.  They immediately moved to California, eventually settling in Orinda in 1957, where they raised their three children.

    She and Vic were founding members of St. Marks Methodist Church in Orinda.  They had a life dedicated to service-being Scout leaders, leading back-pack trips for the youth, building houses for Habitat for Humanity and in Colonet Mexico, and packing boxes at the Food Bank, just to name a few.

    When St. Marks Nursery School opened, she became a teacher there and then the director.  She loved working with pre-school children.  After retiring in 1996, she and Vic traveled and back-packed.  At the age of 72, they back-packed through the Sierra Nevada with their daughter Melanie.

    She was predeceased by Victor who died in 2022.  She is survived by Ann Gimbel (Frank), David (Cindy), and Melanie Ruesch (Scott), 6 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.  

    A memorial service will be held at Lafayette United Methodist Church on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 11 a.m., followed by a reception in the Fellowship Hall.  If you wish, donations may be made to Lafayette United Methodist Church or the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano.

    We are so appreciative of the members of LUMC, the staff at Moraga Royale, and the caregivers of Alameda Care Hospice who enriched her life so much. 

Rich Avanzino
 Sept. 16, 1942 – Sept. 20, 2026

Rich Avanzino, widely credited as the father of the no-kill animal sheltering movement, was born in Alameda, California, on Sept. 16, 1942, and died peacefully shortly after celebrating his 84th birthday.

    Rich served as president of the San Francisco SPCA from 1976 to 1999, transforming it from the city’s dog catcher, which euthanized nearly 29,000 animals a year, into the nation’s first no-kill city shelter. Along the way, Rich fought and won a widely publicized legal and legislative battle to save a dog named Sido from a will that called for her death. The case captured national

attention and helped establish Rich as one of the no-kill movement’s most visible and influential advocates.

    In 1999, Rich became the founding president of Maddie’s Fund, where he directed the family foundation and distributed more than $150 million in grants supporting animal shelters, veterinary shelter medicine programs, and community lifesaving efforts nationwide. He retired in 2015 but remained with the organization as a strategic advisor. He also served as mayor of Moraga, California, the community where he made his home and raised his children. Friends remember Rich as quick-witted, generous, and always willing to give others the credit. An avid tennis player who cherished his role as a grandfather. He spent his final three years in Granite Bay, California, cheering from the sidelines as his grandchildren played football, baseball, and volleyball.

    Rich was preceded in death by his devoted wife of 30 years, Susan Avanzino, brother Tony, and parents August and Frances Avanzino. He is survived by his three children, Lisa Jupille, Amy Dupree, and Scott Avanzino; 8 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; and a nephew.

James (Jimmie) Odell Collins
Aug. 26, 1934 – Sept. 10, 2026

Longtime Moraga resident James (Jimmie) Odell Collins, 92, finished his race and met his Lord on Sept. 10, 2026 in Walnut Creek, California, following complications from a fall. Jim spent his final days with his wife, daughters, and grandchildren, sharing his three top priorities in life:God, family, and a relationship with Jesus Christ.

    The only child of Jesse Odell Collins and Emma Bernice Collins (née Seymoure), Jim was born Aug. 26, 1934 in Fort Mill, South Carolina. His parents instilled in him enduring values of hard work, family, and faith, and he learned generosity early on watching his mother share food from her garden with others in need – a generosity he later demonstrated by funding post-secondary education for numerous young adults. Growing up in a mill village, he played baseball, chased the ice truck, and contributed scrap metal and newspapers to the World War II effort. He began working at age 9 and by 16 was working the night shift in the textile mill full-time alongside his parents while finishing high school.

    Jim graduated from Rock Hill High School in 1952 and chose college over the car his father offered him, enrolling at Georgia Tech and joining the Navy ROTC program to cover tuition. He earned his electrical engineering degree in three years, then served in the Navy, where he became a pilot, and – during his Midshipman cruise – serendipitously met Ernest Hemingway in Havana.

    After discharge, Jim accepted a top-security-clearance job at General Electric in Schenectady, New York, where he met his future wife, Lynne Nichols. Encouraged by senior staff, he attended Harvard Business School, with Lynne following him to Boston. After his first year at HBS, they married on June 9, 1962 in Swannanoa, North Carolina. Jim forwent his graduation ceremony to fulfill a promise to his bride, touring Europe for three months. When they returned to the States, they settled in Los Angeles, where Jim worked as senior project engineer on the Minuteman missile program at North American Aviation.

    Following his passion, Jim later moved into finance as a technology stock analyst and, in 1967, entered money management, eventually earning his CFA and managing institutional and private portfolios across California and Oregon. In 1984, following the & breakup, he launched Pacific Basin Telecommunications, Ltd. in Moraga, a venture he later called a gift from God. In 1988, he founded Insight Capital Management and its newsletter OTC Insight, along with the money management firm Insight Capital Research & Management. His three-point stock selection method earned him coverage in The Wall Street Journal and on Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser. He continued trading daily until the day before his death.

    An avid traveler and lifelong learner, Jim visited all seven continents, took mission trips to Africa with Cru, rode horses across the Tetons, Sierras, and Argentina, fly-fished with friends in remote locations, sailed the San Juan Islands, and gathered with family each Thanksgiving at Zion National Park. He shared his love of literature, opera, symphony, and theater with Lynne and later his children and grandchildren. A man of wit and imagination, he delighted friends and family with antics involving an invisible dog and a cane-as-air-guitar routine, and charmed everyone with his southern warmth.

    A Moraga resident for nearly 50 years, Jim served as an Elder and taught the Bethel Bible Series as well as children's Sunday School at Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church. His legacy of intellect, adventure, faith, and humor will be profoundly missed by all who knew him.

    He is survived by his wife of 64 years Lynne; his daughters Christy Camille Collins, Ashley Collins (Douglas Crowell), and Leslie Trautwein (Victor Trautwein); and his grandchildren Seymoure, Alma, Chase (Luke Edgren), Luke, Micah, and Samuel. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Seed to Sower Ministries (seedtosowerministries.org), P.O. Box 548, Winfield, IL 60190.

Frank Rhodes Frisch
Jan. 27, 1942 – Sept. 11, 2026

Frank Rhodes Frisch, 84, of Orinda, passed away peacefully in his sleep after struggling with declining health on Sept. 11, 2026. He was with his loved ones until his passing.

    Frank was born on Jan. 27, 1942, to Frank O. and Juanita E. Frisch in San Francisco. Much of Frank's childhood was spent in San Carlos, where he was active in the Boy Scouts and excelled in water polo and swimming at Carlmont High School. He continued to play water polo and studied political science at the University of California, Davis. After graduation, he attended UC Hastings College of the Law. For over 40 years, Frank practiced family law in Contra Costa
County with an office in Concord.

    In 1966, Frank married Shelley Reinhardt.  They had two kids together, Matthew and Nora. In 1993, he married Kathleen Zuehlsdorf. Frank and Kathy lived life to the fullest. They were fans of the Oakland A’s and often attended Spring Training. They could be found traveling to the coast, various wineries, as well as taking cruises around Europe. But their biggest joy was spending time with their grandchildren. 

    Frank is survived by his stepdaughter, Shaun Paul and her sons, Aidan and Nolan, son, Matt, stepson, Ryan Zuehlsdorf (Tracy) and their daughters, Mia and Shay and daughter, Nora Yanez (Jay), and their son, Xander. Finally, he is survived by his brother, Fletcher, and sister, Julia. He was preceded in death by his wife, Kathy.

    The family is grateful for the loving care he received at the Moraga Retreat Care Home. In lieu of flowers the family is asking for donations to be made to Hospice of the East Bay or John Muir Land Trust. No public services are planned.