Stanley M. Pearson; Salesman, Educator

Ventura resident Stanley Mark Pearson died Saturday in a local hospital following complications from open-heart surgery. He was 78.

Pearson was born Sept. 12, 1920, in Santa Ana. He attended grade school and high school in Santa Ana before earning a bachelor’s degree at USC.

Pearson served in the Army during World War II. He met his wife, Ruth Hazan, in Paris in 1945 when they were in a stage production entitled “The Drunkard.”

In 1947, the couple moved to Los Angeles and were married. They divided their time between Los Angeles and Santa Ana for about seven years before moving to Sacramento, where they lived for 30 years. They lived in Cambria until three years ago, when they moved to Ventura.

Pearson worked for many years as a salesman, television and radio moderator, and educator. In Sacramento, he made educational videos for children that aired on television, according to his wife.

The Pearsons also founded the Inverness Day School in Carmichael, where Pearson was a consultant and speech therapist.

Pearson enjoyed carpentry, sculpting, singing and telling jokes. He spent six years designing an 8-foot-tall redwood horse with wings, his wife said.

In addition to his wife, Pearson is survived by a son, Mark Pearson of Pasadena; a daughter, Robin Rose of Sherman Oaks; a brother, Thomas Richard Pearson of Mission Viejo; a sister, Mildred Hollowell of Mission Viejo; and two grandsons.

There will be a memorial service at 2 p.m. Oct. 24 at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Ventura. Interment will be private.