Sunday RoundUp: A Day of Remembrance
VFW Memorial Day event at the cemetery tomorrow, a farewell to Mom of Mom's Apple Pie, an interesting correction about council pay, and a Chronicle reporter pays a visit to Sebastopol
VFW to honor fallen heroes and Gold Star families with Memorial Day ceremony
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 3919 invites the community to gather in remembrance this Memorial Day, May 25, for a ceremony dedicated to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. The event will begin at 11 am at the Sebastopol Memorial Lawn, located at 7951 Bodega Avenue.
This year’s observance features a dramatic airplane flyover and patriotic selections performed by the Sebastopol Community Band. A central highlight of the morning will be a special presentation honoring the families of the fallen.
VFW Post 3919 will present a commemorative certificate to former Master Sergeant Michael E. Mills, a veteran of the Operation Iraqi Freedom (more commonly known as the Second Gulf War). The presentation is in memory of his brother, Sergeant John Paul Mills, who was lost in Vietnam in October 1968 at the age of 21. Sergeant John Paul Mills was a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal, recognized for his initiative, zeal, and meritorious service. This presentation serves as a tribute to the Mills family’s enduring legacy of service and as a symbol of gratitude to all families of fallen service members.
“We come together not just to mourn, but to honor the devotion to duty that defines our military history,” said a representative of Post 3919. “The Mills family embodies that pride and sacrifice, and we are privileged to recognize them this year.”
Event Details:
Seating: Visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and hats for comfort.
Attire: Active duty, reserve, and veterans are welcome to wear dress uniforms. Civilians are encouraged to wear casual patriotic attire.
Reception: A complimentary lunch, which is open to the public, will be served immediately following the ceremony at the Sebastopol Veterans Memorial Building and Center for the Arts.
About VFW Post 3919: VFW Post 3919 is dedicated to supporting local veterans, their families, and the Sebastopol community through advocacy, service, and commemorative events. To learn more, visit vfw post 3919.org.
A correction and council compensation update
In our article on Friday about increasing city council stipends, we mentioned that two councilmembers—Mayor Jill McLewis and Councilmember Neysa Hinton—had been on the city’s health insurance plan in 2024. This information came from Transparent California, normally an extremely reliable site, but it turns out to have been wrong.
Mayor McLewis says she has never been on the city’s health plan. As she wrote us immediately: “I’d like to clarify that I have never taken health benefits from the city.” Nor, she said, has she ever been compensated for her own health insurance premiums, an alternative benefit that the city offers.
We contacted Transparent California about this correction. In their response, they said that since Transparent California gets its information from the cities themselves via Public Records Act requests, the city must request a correction and provide supporting evidence.
Administrative Services director Ana Kwong sent us the following information about city councilmember benefits:
Currently, the City provides medical coverage for two councilmembers—Councilmember Neysa Hinton and Vice Mayor Sandra Maurer.
Medical costs range from $965 to $1,050 per month, depending on the plan selected by each councilmember.
Dental and vision coverage, however, is provided to all five councilmembers.
Dental and vision coverage costs $94 per month per person, and additional benefits such as the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) are $3 per month per person.
City Manager Mary Gourley also sent along this quick guide to council benefits:
Sad news from Mom’s Apple Pie
We were sorry to read of the passing of well-known West County mom and entrepreneur, Betty Michiko Carr of Mom’s Apple Pie. Her sons announced her death on the company’s Facebook page:
It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved mother, Betty (Michiko) Carr.
For many years, our mom poured her love into every pie she made from scratch, creating not only a business, but a place filled with warmth, comfort, and community. Her kindness, hard work, and the love she baked into every pie touched countless lives.
In honor of her and the legacy she built, our family will continue keeping her business open — carrying on the traditions, recipes, and care that meant so much to her and to all of you.
Thank you for all the love and support you have shown our mom and our family throughout the years. She will be deeply missed, but never forgotten.
With love,
Harry, David & John Carr
Betty’s three sons
Originally from Japan, Michiko Kameshima was the daughter of a prominent Japanese family with Samurai roots. In her twenties, after finishing college in Japan, she immigrated to the United States in 1953, earning a second college degree in Home Economics. It was during this time that she learned and honed her pie-making skills and got her American mid-century name, Betty.
She married Sonoma County farmer, Harry Carr, in 1960, and soon after they moved to a 5-acre chicken ranch on Frei Road. In 1976, they founded Carr’s Drive-In in Forestville, and, in 1979, they purchased the current Gravenstein Highway property, which had eight acres of apple trees and a small farm stand, which they turned into a deli.
According to the Mom’s Apple Pie website, “The orchard was too small to compete with larger commercial farms, so instead of letting the apples go to waste, Harry decided to give apple pies a go. He said, ‘Oh, Betty, you make a great pie. Why don’t we sell it?’”
The rest is history. Her apple pies became their most popular item, and the couple founded Mom’s Apple Pie in 1984. It wasn’t long before Betty became known to locals and tourists simply as “Mom.”
She will be missed by all who knew her.
The Press Democrat wrote a lovely piece about her fascinating life this week. It’s well worth reading.
The San Francisco Chronicle’s take on Sebastopol: “A quirky getaway packed with public art, apples and fab desserts”
Pete Hartlaub, culture critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, wrote about his bike trip through Sebastopol. He took the SMART train to Santa Rosa and then came in on the Joe Rodota trail, which he noted was “regretfully trash-filled.” However, it was the 10-foot chicken, “A joyful junk art masterpiece” by Patrick Amiot at the Sebastopol Center of the Arts, that really made him feel welcome.
He had childhood memories of coming to pick Gravenstein apples and passing through town on the way to the Russian River.
He wrote: “But there’s so much more here. Public sculptures are everywhere. Homemade treats seem to be an alternative currency. And the small businesses, many with whimsical names and colorful logos, often employ multiple generations, as if no one ever leaves the city limits. And why would they?”
Hartlaub spoke to Jon Goehring of Toyworks, who told him, “Sebastopol is a small enough city that we all kind of know each other. But it’s big enough to support small businesses, and the city really works to preserve what’s local and help us survive.”
Hartlaub definitely has a sweet tooth, enjoying four desserts on his visit, which ended at Screamin’ Mimi’s. “This is hands down the best dessert town I’ve found in the Bay Area,” he concludes.
I will miss Betty's smiling face but her memory will live on through her pies!!