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Mountain View News Saturday, November 1, 2025


Weather Wise

REMEMBRANCE


GEORGE EUGENE KOCH

George Eugene Koch, aged 95, passed away peacefully, Sunday, October 12, 2025, in his 
Sierra Madre home with his nurse practicioner, Renee Rillorta by his side.

George was born in Burbank on March 1, 1930 five months after the stock market crash 
of 1929. He was a true child of the Depression.

He grew up in Las Vegas along with the City. As a young teen, he had a job shining 
shoes, accidently shining a pair of suede shoes. They belonged to Bugsy Seigel who 
shrugged it off with a, "kidm it is ok, everyone makes mistakes."

He graduated from UCLA with a business degree and quickly joined the Navy in the final 
states of the Korean Conflict. There he flew jets, but loved the regiment. Everything 
taken care of, his paychecks going straight into his savings account.

That saving habit would leave a legacy for his children and their children, as it gave him 
the means to buy a house on Grandview in Sierra Madre in 1958.

Married to Margarent Florence Lawlor for 67 years, they had three children, Denise, 
Traci and John. Marge preceded George in death in March of 2023.

He loved everything about money, saving it, investing it, talking about it. He even buried 
some of it in his backyard, no joke. He also love California sports: Dodgers, Lakers, Bruins, Shoemake, Native Diver, 52 bets at 
Santa Anita, always to show.

But mostly he loved his family, children and grandchildren, always with a graceful humor. He was a listener in a home full of talkers, 
always kind, gracious and nice.

George was also an insurance underwriting Supervisor for Allstate in Pasadena for 20 years.

He is survived by his children, Denise, Traci and John and his six grandchildren, Meg, Jo, Samantha, Melanie, Kameron and Lauren. 
And Renee, who served both Marge and George for five years, a treasured member of the family.

6-Day Forecast Sierra Madre, Ca.

 Sun Sunny Hi 80s Lows 50s 

 Mon: Sunny Hi 80s Lows 50s 

 Tues: Sunny Hi 70s Lows 50s 

 Wed: Sunny Hi 70s Lows 50s

 Thur: Sunny Hi 80s Lows 50s 

 Fri: Sunny Hi 80s Lows 50s

Forecasts courtesy of the National Weather Service

SIERRA 
MADRE CITY 

COUNCIL 
MEETING

November 18, 2025 5:30 pm

THIS MEETING WILL BE HELD 
IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS!

As part of the City of Sierra Madre’s 

COVID-19 transparency efforts and The Brown 
Act provides the public with an opportunity to 
make public comments at any public meeting. 
Public comment may also be made by e-mail to 
PublicComment@CityofSierraMadre.com by 
3:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. 

Emails will be acknowledged at the Council 
meeting and filed into public record. The public 
may also comment in person at the meeting.

The meetings will be streamed live on Foothills 
Media website at foothillsmedia.org/sierramadre 
and broadcast on Government Access 
Channel 3 (Spectrum)..


WALKING SIERRA MADRE 

 The Social Side by Deanne Davis

“No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, no fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds… 
November!” Thomas Hood

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on 

a velvet cushion.” Henry David Thoreau

“Some say Fall is the season when the leaves change. I say it’s the season when 

my sweat pants never change.” Katie Nicole Felton

“In November, the smell of food is different. It is an orange smell. A squash and pumpkin 
smell. It tastes like cinnamon and can fill up a house in a single morning.” Cynthia 
Rylant

Today, November 1st, is the start of the holiday season. Yes, it is. Like it or not, we 
need to start planning all we need to do, want to do, don’t want to do, for the next 
two months; because, December will follow November way quicker than we wish it 
would. So, what are we doing for Thanksgiving? Set that aside for the moment and 
move right into December. Make your gift list, friends and neighbors, and open up 
Amazon! My granddaughter, Jessie, will be 18 on November 16th. I have already hit 
Amazon hard for three pair of leggings, two really cute shirts and four books. As soon 
as all this arrives, I’ll get out my gift bags and tissue paper and all I’ll need is a card. 

November abounds with birthdays: Daughter Leah, Son-in-law, Dave, Granddaughter Emily (the other Emily, not the one who lives up 
the street from me) and Amazon will be my go-to for these dear people, too. 

This week my major goal is to remove and pack up the Halloween stuff that is all over my house. I’ll leave the glass pumpkins but 
everything that looks like a jack-o-lantern has to go. We’re all still picking up candy wrappers from Halloween, which was such a 
glorious time and Sierra Madre was even more outstanding this year than ever. We truly are Halloween City! The picture this week is 
one last totally sentimental goodbye to Halloween. 

As you’ll recall, in last week’s Walking Sierra Madre I promised I would pass along Emma Gainsworth’s prize winning Giant Pumpkin 
Cookie recipe. This being the one that brought her enough contest winnings to get out of her little shack in the pumpkin patch and 
attend the Culinary Institute of America in New York. You’ll enjoy this recipe as it makes a lot of cookies, they are delicious and are 
splendid gift items.

GIANT PUMPKIN COOKIES

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2-1/2 cups old fashioned oats (not instant)

1-3/4 tsp. baking soda

1-1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon (generous)

½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground cloves

Combine all the above in a big bowl. Use your electric mixer to 

blend the following and then gradually add the flour mixture:

3-1/2 sticks butter, softened

1-3/4 cups white sugar

1-3/4 cups packed brown sugar

1 (15 oz) can Libby’s 100% pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

2 large eggs

1-3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Stir in as many pecans, walnuts, dried cranberries or raisins as you’d like to have. 

This dough is happier and makes better cookies for you if you chill it overnight and then bake.

Drop ¼ cup dough for each cookie onto greased baking sheet…remember these are GIANT Pumpkin Cookies! Bake in preheated 
350 degree oven for 14-16 minutes or until firm and lightly browned. Cool…Enjoy. 

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

There are treasures there! Trust me!

Including “Just Desserts” A Fall Fantasy of Pumpkins

“A Tablespoon of Love, A Tablespoon of Laughter”

Is also there, Loaded with Pumpkin Goodies!

1630 AM EMERGENCY RADIO & 

Free on-air publicity for local events

 Sierra Madre’s EMERGENCY radio station is now accepting scripts for 
Public Service Announcements (PSAs) about community events. PSAs 
will be broadcast on the air at no charge. The station operates 24/7 and can 
be heard at 1630 on the AM dial.

 Any local non-profit or non-commercial organization can have their 
event information broadcast to the public on Sierra Madre Community 
Information Radio. The station covers the city of Sierra Madre, plus 
surrounding areas of Pasadena, Arcadia, and Monrovia. 

Your event must:

• Benefit a non-commercial or non-profit entity
• Be open to the public
• Be of general interest to local citizens


Just 
write a Public Service Announcement that describes your event and 
e-mail it to radio@cityofsierramadre.com. 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com