Local residents who have died recently include:

• Christina Shaner, 79, who worked as a high school English teacher before moving to California and working in human resources at tech companies, and would go on to volunteer for Recordings for the Blind and at the Stanford Medical Library, on Sept. 12.

• Akram Piracha, 87, a Palo Alto resident with a long 35-year career with UNICEF working in countries including Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, China and the Philippines, and more recently became an active member of the Palo Alto Rotary Club and Avenidas, on Oct. 12.

• Ami Jaqua, 89, a champion for the environment who took on a stewardship role of a stretch of South Skyline Boulevard and endeavored to keep it litter-free, and who took in and cared for retired horses and volunteered for the National Center For Equine Facilitated Therapy (NCEFT), on Nov. 30.

To read the full obituaries, leave remembrances and post photos, go to Lasting Memories at PaloAltoOnline.com/Obituaries. n