‘Jay’ Stoddard, 90; Former Newport Beach Mayor
Memorial services for James B. “Jay” Stoddard, a former Newport Beach mayor who died Jan. 12 in Newport Beach, will be held at 1 p.m. today at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar. He was 90.
Stoddard served on the Newport Beach City Council from 1954 to 1964. He was best known for helping to secure engineering and financing for the Big Canyon Reservoir project, said Robert Shelton, former city manager and a longtime friend.
He also was on the City Council that pushed for the city’s first rescue vessel, “Seawatch,” a 30-foot, twin-engine boat.
He earned a degree in chemical engineering at Caltech and was a chemical engineer.
He is survived by his wife, Florence; a son, Peter Stoddard of Sacramento; and a granddaughter, Margaret Detken of Costa Mesa.
The family requests that donations be sent to the Sherman Library, 614 Dahlia Ave., Corona del Mar, CA 92625.
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