Passings

Following are some of the more notable passings in the Newport-Mesa area in 2008.

PHIL ARST

He may have been known for butting heads as much as making friends, but Phil Arst pledged himself to a vision of Newport Beach that gave residents new tools to halt unpopular construction.

Arst was a pioneer of the Greenlight Initiative, which gives citizens the right to vote on any development that changes from its initial guidelines in the city general plan. Prior to the slow growth initiative’s passage in 2000, the City Council could approve such developments on its own. Arst, who had been struggling ever since a liver transplant four years before, died of complications from the transplant in July on his 79th birthday. The family man who once served with the Navy spent more than 30 years in Newport Beach, the town he hoped to keep as small as he could.

JACK FAULKNER

Once a coach in the early years of professional football, Jack Faulkner spent decades of his life as a scout for the [now St. Louis] Rams. For a time, he lived in Costa Mesa, and he raised money annually for local organizations such as Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian.

Faulkner died in September. He was 82, and was survived by sons Jon, Brandon and Ryan, and daughter Cathy.

JACKIE HEATHER

Jackie Heather spent 15 years in public office in Newport Beach, filling offices from mayor to planning commissioner to city councilwoman. In her time in politics, Heather supported building projects, pushed to remove silt in Newport Bay and helped negotiate an agreement to limit activity at John Wayne Airport.

Heather died in September of natural causes in Arizona, where she had spent the past six years. She was 82. Before that, she had lived nearly half a century in Newport Beach.

SANG THI HUYNH

Known by her fans on the OCC campus as “the hot dog lady,” Sang Thi Huynh ran her food stand for nearly two decades. Huynh died of a suspected heart attack in September. She was 59.

More than just a vendor, Huynh was called an inspiration by some, such as plumber Edward Hernandez. He credits her for getting him on the right track after growing up in a culture of gangs, leading him to work for her, practice the Vietnamese language and ultimately take a missionary trip back to her home country, where he met her family members there.

CHRISTOPHER LAURIE