Page 2 - Mid Valley Times 11-25-21 E-edition

Obituaries
Ma. De La Luz Castillo de Torres Ma. De La Luz Cas-
tillo de Torres of Reed- ley died Nov. 10. She was 47.
Mrs. Castillo de Tor- res was a homemaker.
She is survived by her husband, Salomon Torres Cortes; two sons, three brothers and six sisters.
Visitation and a ro- sary were held Nov. 23 at Dopkins Reedley Funeral Chapel. A mass was held Nov. 24 at St. Anthony of Padua Cath- olic Church in Reedley. Interment followed at Reedley Cemetery.
Dopkins Reedley Funeral Chapel handled the arrangements.
Ruben Armando Flores
Ruben Armando
Flores of Reedley died Nov. 12 in Fresno. He was 78.
Mr. Flores worked as a cable splicer.
He is survived by one son, one daughter, two sisters and seven grandchildren.
No services were held. Dopkins Reedley Funeral Chapel handled the arrangements.
Dahlia Moraga Montes
Dahlia Moraga Mon-
Thursday, November 25, 2021 | A2 | Mid Valley TiMes
Dinuba Unified's Akins honored by TCOE
tes of Sanger died Nov. 10 in Sanger. She was 101.
Mrs. Montes was the owner of the El Monte Restaurant in Reedley.
She is survived by one son, four daugh- ters, 23 grandchildren, 49 great-grandchildren and 26 great-great grandchildren.
Visitation and a chapel service were held Nov. 22 at Dop- kins Reedley Funeral Chapel. Interment fol- lowed at Reedley Cem- etery.
Dopkins Reedley Funeral Chapel han- dled the arrangements.
Juan Gutierrez Silva
Juan Gutierrez
Silva of Reedley died Nov. 10 in Fresno. He was 89.
Mr. Silva worked in field labor.
He is survived by three sons, four daugh- ters, 26 grandchildren, 42 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.
A mass was held Nov. 23 at St. Antho- ny of Padua Catholic Church in Reedley. Interment followed at Reedley Cemetery.
Dopkins Reedley Funeral Chapel han- dled the arrangements.
Administrator-Manager of Year award goes to longtime DUSC educator
MVT Staff Report
The longtime director of edu- cational technology for the Di- nuba Unified School District was honored earlier this month as Tu- lare County Office of Education's Administrator/Manager of the year for 2021 at the 27th annual Excellence in Education Awards program in Visalia.
Michael Akins, who has guided DUSD's Instructional Program Analysis & Educational Technol- ogy for nearly 18 years and been with the district for 27 years, was joined by Teacher of the Year Manuela Silveira (TCOE) and School Employee of the Year Jeff Lemos (TCOE) as the 2021 top re- cipients for TCOE Excellence in Education Awards. They and 25 other top educators and school employees were honored during a Nov. 3 breakfast awards program at the Visalia Convention Center.
Akins, Silveira and Lemos all were notified of their selection back in May. They were chosen by a selec- tion committee along with nominees from various Tulare County schools.
“During our presentations, it was heartwarming to hear each of the winners try to deflect the at- tention to other members of their teams,” said Superintendent Hire. “This speaks volumes about the character of these individuals and their care for their colleagues and those that they serve.”Akins has been an employee of Dinuba Uni- fied School District for 27 years, serving as a special education teacher, regular education teacher, and an educational coach for tech- nology integration. A biography on Akins supplied by TCOE said sup-
Tulare County Office of Education / Photo Contributed
From left, Tulare County School Employee of the Year Jeff Lemos (Tulare County Office of Education), Teacher of the Year Manuela Silveira (TCOE) and Administrator/Manager of the Year Michael Akins (Dinuba Unified School Dis- trict) stood with Tulare County Superintendent of Schools Tim Hire during the 27th annual Execellence in Education Awards program in Visalia on Nov. 3.
porters refer to him as “the Mac- Gyver of Dinuba Unified.”
Akins' passion for finding cre- ative solutions to technology in- tegration was more than evident this year as he served on the dis- trict’s COVID Task Force, the bio stated. He was a key player in seeing that all students had a Chromebook ready to start dis- tance learning in the fall. To sup- port teachers, he helped plan and implement a three-day virtual
Imelda Santillan (second from right) instructional aide for Wilson Elementary School, stood with (from left) Chad Morton, Wilson learning di- rector; Bev-Kell Worrell, Di- nuba Unified School District trustee; and Maria Lichten- waldt, Wilson principal.
Dinuba Unified School District / Photo Contributed
technology conference, followed by individual coaching sessions.
According to TCSO, Akins also contributes his expertise to out- side organizations, including the Tulare Kings College and Career Collaborative.
In addition to Akins, Dinuba Unified School District had a final- ist for the School Employee of the Year. Imelda Santillan, an instruc- tional aide with Wilson Elementary School, was selected as a finalist.
Charles Neufeld
Charles Neufeld was born on November 12, 1928 in Kingsburg California and died November 11, 2021 in Reedley. He farmed in Dinuba and Kingsburg all his life, until his retirement in 2018. He loved his family and his church (Kingsburg Mennonite Brethren), where he was active as a teacher and member of several different church committees. His Christian faith was very precious to him. He is survived by Verna, his wife of 71 years, and by his sons James, Andrew, Mark, Tom, and Douglas, and their families including ten grandchildren and ten great grandchildren. Services were Thursday November 18 at the Kingsburg Mennonite Brethern Church and Kingsburg
cemetary.
In lieu of oweres please contribute to MULTIPLY, the missions organization of the Mennonite Brotheren Churches.
November 12, 1928 ~ November 11, 2021
Fresno County retains top ag title for third straight year
Contributed
The Fresno County Department of Agri- culture’s 2020 Crop and Livestock Report was presented to the Board of Supervisors on Nov. 16. For the third straight
year, Fresno County is the number one agri- cultural county in the nation.
Overall, the 2020 ag- ricultural production value in Fresno County totaled $7.98 billion, an increase of $222.09
million or 2.86 percent above 2019’s total.
“Fresno County is the food capital of the nation, and the 2020 crop report showcased the many reasons why,” said FCFB CEO Ryan Ja- cobsen. “While 2020 was
a year that will always be remembered for its shuttered markets, sig- nificant price fluctua- tions, supply chain com- plications and workforce challenges, our agricul- tural community pulled together to continue to feed and clothe people both near and far.”
Even during these tumultuous times, the American farmer and rancher continued do- ing what they do best... growing a cornucopia of food, fiber and flora. Designated an essential infrastructure, farm- ers and their dedicated agricultural workforce continued to show up to fields and processing plants to feed the nation and world.
In total, California holds seven of the na- tion's top 10 agricultural counties, including Fres- no, Kern, Tulare, Mon- terey, Stanislaus, Mer- ced and San Joaquin.
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