Arthur Donald Stretton passed away peacefully in Camarillo surrounded by his loving family on May 19. He was 84.
Stretton lived in Westchester from 1956 to 1987 and was a parishioner of Visitation Catholic Church prior to relocating to Camarillo to be closer to family. Born on July 23, 1928 in Los Angeles, Stretton grew as an only child and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, of which he was very proud. He attended and graduated from USC’s School of Pharmacy in 1951 and served as a pharmacist in Korea during the Korean War.
After returning from the war, he practiced pharmacy with his father at Stretton Drugs in Hollywood and later went to work for Horton and Converse Pharmacy in Westchester. When Horton and Converse closed. Stretton went to work at Savon Drugs in Ladera, where he retired after many years of service. Stretton married nurse Sara Jane Hooper, and together they had five children: four of whom attended Visitation Elementary and St. Bernard High School in Playa del Rey. After Sara passed away in 1979, Stretton married Virginia Martin.
Stretton, who enjoyed the outdoors, was an avid fisherman and a member of the Torrance chapter of Bass Masters. He was preceded in death by his wife, Sara Jane Hooper, his son, Paul Arthur Stretton, and daughters, Sharron and Eileen Stretton. He is survived by daughter, Marianne Bruce of Camarillo; son, Matthew Stretton of Scottsdale, Ariz.; daughters-in-law, Sandy Stretton and Liz Stretton Reinke; five grandchildren, Laura, Kevin, Garrett, Blake and Sara; and two great-grandsons, Owen Paul and Cole. A funeral mass for Stretton is scheduled at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 1 at Visitation Catholic Church in Westchester, followed by a brief gravesite service at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.
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