We knew their names because they were our neighbors.

Some served our communities and others were tech pioneers, beloved athletes or favorite artists.

And in 2024, we bid a final farewell.

Here are the stories of several notable residents:

January

Frank Torres, 38 >> The executive with the San Jose Barracudas played a key role in the opening of Tech CU Arena; Jan. 15.

Dejan Milojevic, 46 >> The native of Serbia was a star basketball player and coach in Europe, then came to the U.S. as an assistant coach with the Warriors; Jan. 16.

N. Scott Momaday, 89 >> The former Stanford professor was a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer whose is considered a pioneer of contemporary Native American literature; Jan. 24.

Irma Anderson, 93 >> She made political history in Richmond as the first Black woman elected to the City Council, and as the first (and only) Black woman elected as mayor; Jan. 28.

March

Daniel Kahneman, 90 >> The Nobel Prize-winning psychologist and one-time UC Berkeley professor helped conduct groundbreaking work on decision-making; March 27.

Daniel C. Lynch, 82 >> The computer network engineer’s exhibitions on networking equipment helped accelerate the commercialization of the internet; March 30.

April

Dave McCarty, 54 >> The college baseball star at Stanford played for the A’s and Giants in his 11-season career; April 19.

Cecil Williams, 94 >> The co-founder of Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco put himself and his church at the forefront of many civil rights causes that shaped Bay Area history; April 22.

Delaine Eastin, 76 >> The longtime politician got her start on the Union City Council, then became first woman to serve as California’s superintendent of public instruction; April 23.

Sonja Christopher, 87 >> The Walnut Creek resident was the first person ever kicked off the reality show “Survivor”; April 26.

May

Larry Bensky, 87 >> The Berkeley-based activist journalist was the longtime voice of KPFA news radio; May 19.

Jim Otto, 86 >> The Pro Football Hall of Famer played center as an original member of the Oakland Raiders; May 20.

Willie Mims, 79 >> The longtime Pittsburg resident, a retired teacher, was a civil rights activist who advocated for justice for people from all walks of life; May 22.

June

Warren Winiarski, 95 >> The winemaker put Napa Valley on the map after his cabernet topped French versions at the famed 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting; June 7.

Nathan Hare, 91 >> The noted sociologist created the first Black studies program in the country at San Francisco State; June 10.

Willie Mays, 93 >> The beloved Giants star, a Baseball Hall of Famer known as the “Say Hey Kid,” captured the imagination of fans with his bat and glove; June 18.

Yosh Uchida, 104 >> The legendary San Jose State judo coach was a major force in growing the martial art in the United States after World War II; June 27.

Orlando Cepeda, 86 >> The longtime Giants first baseman was an 11-time All-Star and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame; June 28.

Brooks Johnson, 90 >> The track-and-field coach was a mainstay with the U.S. Track and Field staff, and coached at Stanford for more than a decade; June 29.

July

Edward Panelli, 92 >> The native of Santa Clara was a lawyer who served as a Superior Court judge before his appointment to the California Supreme Court in 1985; July 20.

Kenzie Smith, 43 >> The Black community activist in Oakland was at the heart of the infamous “BBQ Becky” incident at Lake Merritt in 2018; July 20.

August

Susan Wojcicki, 56 >> The Silicon Valley pioneer — who became Google’s 16th employee after the company started in her garage — also served as CEO at YouTube; Aug. 9.

Greg Kihn, 75 >> The founder of Greg Kihn Band, which had hits with “The Breakup Song” and “Jeopardy,” was also a longtime disc jockey for KUFX radio in the Bay Area; Aug. 13.

Al Attles, 87 >> The legendary member of the Warriors joined the team in 1960, and never left — first playing with the franchise, then coaching it to an NBA championship before moving on to front-office roles; Aug. 20.

Rich Firato, 64 >> The longtime Morgan Hill resident built a much-loved pirate’s outpost, dubbed Morgan’s Cove, in his backyard; Aug. 22.

December

Zakir Hussain, 73 >> The San Francisco resident was a prolific player of the Indian tabla hand drums and helped bring Indian classical music to an international audience; Dec. 15.

Sugar Pie DeSanto, 89 >> The legendary R&B vocalist, known for the hit song ““I Want to Know,” also performed with such musicians as James Brown and Etta James; Dec. 20.

Rickey Henderson, 65 >> The longtime Oakland resident and Baseball Hall of Famer, considered the greatest Oakland A’s player of all time, was a fan favorite who set countless MLB records, including most stolen bases; Dec. 20.

Associated Press and CNN Wire Services contributed to this report.