Obituraries

Helen H. Gumbinger; Former Principal, Teacher

Helen H. Gumbinger, 81, who spent 30 years with the Los Angeles Unified School District as an elementary school principal and teacher. After retirement she became active at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, worked with the Assistance League and this month was named president of the Newport Harbor Panhellenic. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees at USC and was a leader of the Delta Kappa Gamma professional women’s sorority. In Corona del Mar on Wednesday.

* Fred Harmsen; Citrus Grower Helped Found College

Fred H. Harmsen, 94, one of the first successful citrus growers in the Southland and a co-founder 50 years ago of Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut. Harmsen came to La Verne in 1918 and eventually became manager of the La Verne Orange Assn., La Verne Lemon Assn. and La Verne Fruit Exchange. He held those posts from 1945 to 1960. He was a board member of Mt. San Antonio from 1945 to 1971 and president of the board for 18 years. In 1946 he and the so-called Committee of 100 prevailed on Richard Nixon, then a recently discharged Navy officer, to run for Congress. From 1956 to 1959 he also served as a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Education. In 1971 Harmsen moved to San Clemente, where he died May 2.

* Thomas Marrie; Executive of First Interstate Bancorp

Thomas Marrie, 57, executive vice president and chief financial officer of First Interstate Bancorp and a frequent spokesman for one of the nation’s largest banking firms. Marrie came to First Interstate Bancorp in 1988 from First Interstate Bank of California, the company’s principal subsidiary. He was formerly senior vice president and chief financial officer-treasurer of Northern Trust Corp. of Chicago and spent many years with American Express in New York, where he was senior vice president for American Express International Bank Ltd. In Torrance on May 8 after suffering an aneurysm.