Frances Heussenstamm
Frances was a longtime Laguna Beach resident and was an enrichment teacher on over 40 cruise ships for the last decade. Besides being a world traveler, Frances was a professor of art and education at Sierra High School, Cal State Los Angeles, and at Columbia University when it was newly prestigious for a woman to have full professorship. She also was a licensed clinical psychologist for over 20 years and was an Intensive Journal instructor with over 12,000 students. She had a life full of spirituality, humor, traveling, and personal self-development. She is survived by her three sons, Paul, Mark and John, and two daughters-in-law, Leslie and Julie, along with eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Frances died on March 6, 2019, at 11:55 p.m. after 90 years of a very formidable as well as adventurous life. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, March 31, at 1 p.m. at the Unitarian Church on Cypress in Laguna Beach.
Kristin Lynn Heaton Peabody
After a courageous decade-long battle with cancer, Kristin Lynn Heaton Peabody quietly passed in her Laguna Beach home on February 7, 2019, surrounded by her loving family. Kristin was born on England Air Force Base in Alexandria, Louisiana, on April 15, 1970—six weeks before her father was deployed to Vietnam. An Austin, Texas-raised girl who attended the University of Texas, she was driven by a fierce determination and entrepreneurial spirit, which was only outshined by her generosity and compassion for others. Kristin is survived by her husband, Wyatt Hampton Peabody; son, Heaton Wyatt Peabody (9); grandmother, Joan Heaton; mother Janice Heaton, and Ahmad Modoni; father, Brigadier General Kencil Heaton and stepmother Gayle Heaton; half-sister, Stephanie Heaton; sister, Allison Heaton Thomas and brother-in-law Joshua Thomas; and nieces Meera Eleanor (5) and Nadiya Kristin Thomas (2). Kristin was blessed with the loving care of her sister, Allison, aunts and uncles—Dr. Caryl Heaton Bryant, Stephen Bryant, Dr. Paul and Letha Heaton—who supported her in the last months of her life, as well as many family members and exceptional friends. The family would also like to thank Dr. Ezra Cohen and the extraordinary team at UCSD-Moores Cancer Center and Jacobs Medical Center for their remarkable care.
Kristin and Wyatt’s mission to expedite the cure for cancer continues at UCSD through The Peabody Fund, which they established in August 2017, having exhausted every option for treating her rare form of head and neck cancer. What began as a humble fundraising effort helped launch a first-of-its-kind personalized vaccine trial, thanks to the generosity of the Strauss family and the tireless efforts of Dr. Cohen and his team; subsequently, UCSD and La Jolla Institute were awarded $4.5 million as part of the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Moonshot initiative for patients with head and neck cancer. Kristin’s commitment to Stand Up to Cancer and Charity: Water will continue to be supported by Hiatus Spa + Retreat in Austin, Dallas, Plano, San Antonio, Ft. Worth and Houston, which Kristin created with her partners and longtime friends, Sheila and Bill Garrison. Private family services are being held in Austin and Laguna Beach. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to The Peabody Fund-UCSD, Stand Up to Cancer or Charity: Water. Finally, the family asks in honor of Kristin, that you vote—in every election—do something to protect the environment every day and stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves. And remember that every day is a gift.
