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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 2015)
2 A SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015 OBITUARIES Flight ceremony in Washington, D.C., which honors military vet- erans. He will be remembered by his family and friends for his posi- tive outlook on life, his hearty laugh, caring nature and wonder- ful smile. He was proud of his family and entertained it with silly jokes and beautiful hand- written letters. Rudy is survived by his wife of 25 years, Ursula; his sister, Herma Lamia; his son, Ron (Barb); daughters Diana (Jack) Bedell and Lynette (Ed) Cepeda; grandchildren: Cari Beck, Dallas Dusek, Matthew Bedell and Megan Dittl; and six great-grand- children. He is preceded in death by his parents, Rudolf and Anna Dittl; and his first wife, Lucille. Rudy will be laid to rest in the Roseburg National Cemetery in Roseburg, Ore. A celebration of his life will take place in the spring of 2016. Burns’s Riverside Chapel Florence Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. MCCAIN—Robert “Bob” Lyle McCain, 85, of Florence, passed away Nov. 29, 2015. Robert McCain Bob was born July 15, 1930, in Rock Elm, Wis. He was the old- est child of Lyle and Irene McCain, and came to Oregon in 1944 with his father and grand- parents, Fred and Dora McCain, who settled in Tiernan. Bob graduated from Mapleton High School in 1948, and was offered a baseball scholarship to Willamette University, which Bob declined. After high school graduation, Bob worked at Swartz Grocery Store, U.S. Plywood and Champion International for 35 years, and for Davidson’s, where he eventually retired in 1992. Bob enlisted in the U.S. Army and served during the Korean War. Upon his return to Oregon, he married Elizabeth (Liz) Babesh in August of 1957. They eventually bought a home up the North Fork, where they have lived for more than 41 years. Bob had a passion for sports. As a participant in his early years, he played on town basket- ball and baseball teams, and was in several bowling leagues. He followed the local high school athletic events until his death, and was a voracious reader of sports pages and sports maga- zines for the remainder of his life. His recall for statistics was amazing. He could watch three sporting events at a time by switching channels on the TV and never missed a play or score. His love for the New York Yankees was always known. Bob and Liz traveled to the east coast for years to visit fami- ly and baseball parks in Chicago, Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. His visit to Cooperstown was one of the highlights. During Bob’s final years, he enjoyed crossword puzzles, fish- ing, cutting wood and feeding the many variety of birds which vis- ited their home. He was preceded in death by his parents and a younger broth- er, Richard (Dick). Bob is survived by his wife of 58 years, Liz McCain; a sister, Joyce Love; a brother, Sam; and numerous nieces and nephews. Private graveside services were held. Burns’s Riverside Chapel Florence Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements. WAITE—Wilbur Warner “Bill” Waite, 86, formerly of Florence, passed away Nov. 30, 2015. Bill was born Aug. 9, 1929, in Eug-ene, Ore., to Warner C. Wilbur Waite and Ella Grace Waite, the youngest of eight children. Bill grew up on the family dairy owned by his father, east of Cushman on the Siuslaw River. He graduated from Siuslaw High School and went on to attend Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland. After one year of college he came home to help his father with the family dairy. In 1972, his father retired and sold the dairy. The family moved to Florence, where Bill did main- tenance for Pacific Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery. In 1977, he moved to Milwaukie, Ore., where he became an integral part of Stehn Family Funeral Homes. Bill was a very loyal partner in the busi- ness from the very beginning. Working closely with the owners Robert and Sandy Stehn, Bill enjoyed all facets of the funeral business; everything from work- ing on the grounds and landscap- ing to helping families. He was dedicated to providing meaningful service to those fam- ilies he served for 30 years, retir- $872 +20( &/$66,&&$5 02725&<&/( 59 .((3<285,1685$1&(/2&$/ :,7++(/3)520 $%(/,1685$1&( +:< )/25(1&(25 $%(/#$%(/,1685$1&($*(1&<&20 %2$7 &21'2 5(17(56 /$1'/25'3527(&7,21 80%5(//$ Safeco Insurance, with a principal place of business in Boston, Massachusetts. ©2013 Liberty Mutual Insurance ing in 2007. Bill had a love for music, trav- el, flowers, photography, the color red and collecting clocks. He went on many trips with the Philadelphians Group Tours and other tour groups, where he formed friendships along the way. He took several trips to the Holy Land, went to Canada, Hells Canyon, Disneyland and various other locations — during which he photographed his adventures. Bill played the piano and the organ. He loved Broadway musi- cals and had season tickets to Broadway in Portland for many years. He enjoyed singing in the choir at church and attended many church concerts that his friends invited him to. His favorite movie was “The Sound of Music.” While he did not eat seafood, Bill loved to go clam digging and fishing whenever he was at the coast. His sister-in-law would always make him her clam chow- der, which Bill always said was the best — and only — seafood he ate. He would never turn down a piece of lemon meringue pie or Tebo’s strawberry shortcake either. Bill spent his last eight years at King Road Adult Care Home, where Lucica and John Muresan and family took wonderful care of him. He is survived by one sister, Betty Jean Waite, of Brookings, Ore.; many nieces and nephews; and his family at Stehn Family Funeral Homes. Bill will be greatly missed by all who knew him. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9, at Stehn Family Chapels Milwaukie Tribute Center, in Milwaukie, Ore. Private entombment will be held at Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery. Those wishing to may con- tribute in his memory to the Siuslaw Pioneer Museum in care of Stehn Family Funeral Homes, A holiday adition for the entire family! 2906 SE Harrison St. Milwaukie, OR 97222 or by going to www.stehnfuneral homes.com. New Life Lutheran Church Presents an organ and violin concert, “Advent Contemplations” Dec.6 • 4:00pm Brian Lindsey, New Life Organist, on the pipe organ. & Steve Avery on the violin. A benefi t for “Helping Hands Coalition.” Th e community is invited. Free will off ering New Life Lutheran Church 21st and Spruce Sts., Florence More information call 541-997-8113 TONI PIMBLE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Nutcracker e Tuesday December 15 7:00 pm Florence Events Center TICKETS ore “Even m - family .” friendly a —Alask h Dispatc News eventcenter.org 541-997-1994 Florence Events Center Box Office eugeneballet.org CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK DITTL—Rudolph “Rudy” Carl Dittl, 94, of Florence, passed away at his home Nov. 20, 2015, with his wife Ursula and dog Rosie by his side. Rudy was born to Rudolf Dittl Rudolf and Anna Dittl in Czechoslovakia on Sept. 20, 1921. The family immigrated to the United States in 1930, residing in Detroit, Mich. Rudy attended Michigan State University before entering the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942. He received his citizenship in the military and fought with the first wave of Marines on Guadalcanal in the South Pacific theater dur- ing World War ll. In 1945, he received an honor- able discharge. While stationed at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, Calif., he met Lucille Kelly while attending a USO dance. They married in 1945 and settled in Anaheim, Calif., where Rudy worked for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for 10 years. In 1960, the Dittls moved with their three children, Diana, Ronald and Lynette, to Grass Valley, Calif. There, they pur- chased Blueberry Hill, a farm cultivating and selling blueber- ries and a variety of orchard fruits for more than 12 years. Rudy also worked for the U.S. Postal Service, retiring in 1990 with 25 years of service. Rudy and Lucille were active in the Grass Valley community and were founding members of the Peace Lutheran Church, lead- ers of the Peardale Pines 4-H club and the Mr. and Mrs. Dance Club. After Lucille’s passing, Rudy married Ursula Pehmoeller in 1990. They shared a love of trav- el and after Rudy’s retirement, they visited many places within the United States and throughout Europe. Relocating to the Oregon coast brought them enjoyment as they spent many hours walking the beaches gathering kelp for Ursula’s inspirational fiber art creations. Rudy loved woodworking, gardening and a variety of home crafts. They were also members of the German-American Dance Club and active members in the Seventh Day Adventist Church. In 2014, Rudy was proud to be chosen to take part in the Honor