Page A-2
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014
Life in the
Valley
of Riches
By DAN MANCUSO,
Publisher
A recent topic of debate has been vandalism versus art.
As many of you have noticed in recent months, we have
seen some grafitti on a few buildings in town, along with the
bathrooms at Jubilee Park and the new bathrooms on federal land
at Forks Park. I mention that it’s federal land because destruction
of government property carries a much harsher punishment for
offenders.
A group of people in our community feel that there has not
been enough done by the police to capture and bring to justice
the persons responsible for the hit-and-run incident that took the
life of Rab Calvin and Jarrod Houston. That, along with the mur-
der of Aaron Clouser, has many in the community shaken up.
One person in particular feels that by spray painting local
business and bath houses, they will keep Mr. Houston’s death in
the forefront. By keeping his name out there, maybe the family
will get closure to help them deal with their loss.
What it boils down to for me is this, painting a building that
is not yours, without the permission of the owner is by law called
vandalism. Yes the work may be art, but with out prior consent
it’s a crime.
Like many of you, I lived in large cities and saw graffiti on
a regular basis. I, for one, really don’t want our town to look like
one big rail car. I don’t want our Forks Park shut down because
of vandalism. Of course, I also want the people responsible for
not stopping after hitting two of our community members and
murdering another to face the consequences of their actions.
There are other more positive ways to keep Mr. Houston’s
name alive and keep pressure on the police to solve this.
I have received almost a dozen letters with photos of Mr.
Houston asking for help in solving the mystery of who was driv-
ing the vehicle that took his life. While not nearly as dramatic as
a huge painting on a wall in town, it is much more personal and
shows me the writer cared enough to choose a photo and write
a letter explaining who they are and what Mr. Houston meant to
them. It carries a lot more weight for me than grafitti.
Thank you for picking up this week’s paper, enjoy! ~ djm
Letters to the Editor
Illinois Valley News welcomes Letters to the
Editor.
Please e-mail them to
dan@illinois-valley-news.com
POLICY ON LETTERS:
‘Illinois Valley News’ encourages letters to the
editor provided they are legible and not libelous
or scurrilous. All letters must be signed, including
name, address and telephone number. The latter
need not be published, but will be used to verify
authenticity. The “News” reserves the right to edit
letters. Letters are used at the discretion of the
publisher.
***
(Editor’s Note: Views and commentary, includ-
ing statements made as fact are strictly those of
the letter writers)
Farewell
Our Post Master has retired. We wish to
thank you for your years of service with them
and for ending your career here in the Valley.
Your hard work and that of your great
crew during this past year of (Fire and 2 moves)
stress is very appreciated.
Best Wishes for your New Year and retire-
ment. I’m sure the whole community feels the
same.
Nora and Lou Trujillo
Cave Junction
Obituaries
Gary
Douglas
Trammell, age 60, of Sel-
ma, died Tuesday, December
17, 2013.
His life will be celebrat-
ed at a memorial in early sum-
mer. Interment will be at Eagle
Point National Cemetery. Con-
dolences may be sent to the
family at www.since1928hull.
com.
Gary was born January
19, 1953 in Medford, Oregon
to James and Muriel Tram-
mell. He enlisted in the United
States Air Force in 1972 and
served in the 10th Security
Police Squadron, 10th Tactical
Recon Wing. In the years fol-
lowing his service he moved
back to Oregon and pursued a
broad spectrum of profession-
al activities working as video
producer, sound-engineer, ul-
tralight pilot, musician, fire-
fighter and luthier. In 1990 he
settled in Selma, Oregon. He
was a devoted member of the
volunteer fire department in
the Illinois Valley and became
the battalion chief of stations 2
and 5. He was responsible for
the training of many firefighters
and was awarded officer of the
year on multiple occasions for
his exemplary service. Gary
was directly responsible for
saving many lives and homes
in the Valley and exhibited ex-
cellent leadership in high risk
situations. He also worked as a
wildland firefighter for the US
Forest Service battling forest
fires in the Pacific Northwest.
Gary was an active member of
the Veterans Center in Grants
Pass where he was well known
and friend to many.
Music was the focal point
of Gary’s life beginning in his
teen years as a member of the
band “The 3rd Sound”. Fol-
lowing his time as a firefighter
he focused on writing and re-
cording music, building and
repairing guitars, and invent-
ing innovative tone systems
for electric guitars. He loved
living in the forest and enjoyed
all the area wildlife, as well as
his domestic pet family.
In addition to his parents,
survivors include his wife of 25
years, Mary Trammell, son Ian
Trammell of Clayton, North
Carolina, stepchildren, Sam
Perkins of Portland, Oregon,
Jacob Perkins of Wellington,
New Zealand, and Rachel Per-
kins of New York, New York,
as well as grandchildren, Dar-
ian, Adrian, and Aiden Tram-
mell, Max Sadock, Asher Per-
kins, and Willa Perkins, sisters
Sheri Szabo of Minnesota and
Carol Quakenbush of Med-
ford, Oregon.
Of immeasurable service
to his country and community,
Gary was a compassionate
man of many skills and ac-
complishments. He was much
loved and respected will be
sorely missed.
Celestine “Cel”
Schmitz, age 89, of Grants
Pass, died Monday, December
30, 2013 at Redwood Terrace.
A memorial service will
be at 11:00 a.m., Saturday,
January 4, 2014 at St. Patrick
of the Forest Catholic Church
in Cave Junction. Hull & Hull
Funeral Directors are in charge
of arrangements.
Memorial contributions
may be made to Guide Dogs
for the Blind Inc., 350 Los
Ranchitos Road, San Rafael,
California 94903.
Please sign the fam-
ily guest book at www.since-
1928hull.com
Celestine was born July
18, 1924 in Seneca, Kansas to
William & Alice Schmitz. At
16 years old, he started work-
ing in the grocery industry.
He graduated from Seneca
High School in Seneca, Kan-
sas in 1941. In 1956 he mar-
ried Marilyn Anne Wittner in
San Carlos, California. From
1960 to 1965 he owned and
operated a grocery store, Cel’s
Handy Pantry in Red Bluff,
California.
From 1965 to
1970 he owned and operated
The Hilt Store in Hilt, Cali-
fornia. In 1970 he retired and
moved from Hilt to Cave Junc-
tion. In 2006 he moved from
Cave Junction to Grants Pass.
He was a member of the
Lions Club in Cave Junction
where he was the Sight and
Blind committee chair; Elks
Club in Red Bluff, California
and he attended St. Patrick of
the Forest Catholic Church in
Cave Junction.
Celestine was a sports
fan and especially enjoyed
baseball and football. He had
two guide dogs that he en-
joyed. He loved big bands and
especially spending time with
his wife.
Survivors include two
daughters, Dianne Videtto of
Fullerton, California and De-
nise Olson of Grants Pass;
one brother, Roger Schmitz
of Kansas City, Missouri and
four grandchildren and one
great-grandson.
Preceding him in death
was his wife, Marilyn Schmitz
in 1993; three sisters and five
brothers.
Merl F. Winter, 90,
of Cave Junction, died Satur-
day, December 28, 2013 in
Grants Pass, Oregon with his
daughter by his side.
Graveside services were
held on Friday, January 3,
2014 at Eagle Point National
Cemetery. Hull & Hull Fu-
neral Directors are in charge
of arrangements.
Please sign the fam-
ily guest book at www.since-
1928hull.com.
He was born on January
15, 1923 in Midland, South
Dakota. He enlisted in the
United States Marine Corps
August 20, 1945 to April 24,
1946. He met the love of his
life on February 14th, 1946.
On December 14, 1946 in Car-
son City, Nevada, he married
Corinne “Kim” Cantua. To-
gether they spent 59 years of
wonderful life adventures. He
was an owner and operator of
Dependable Welding and Ma-
chine Works in Stockton, Cali-
fornia for 20 years. He was
also known to always have a
Peterbilt truck throughout his
life. In 1995 he retired and
moved to Cave Junction, Or-
egon.
He loved flying his air-
planes and riding his motor-
cycles. After retirement he
enjoyed time in Southern Or-
egon.
Special thank you to
Noel Lesiecki and Jane Lar-
gent for the loving care they
gave Merl.
Survivors include daugh-
ters Lisa Winter of Linden,
California; Max Flint of Fish-
er, Indiana; and Beverly Strong
of South Dakota; three sisters,
Florence Wheeler of Sioux
Falls, South Dakota; Mary
Literal of Othello, Washington
and Kay Greenley of Portland,
Oregon; a brother Bud Win-
ter of Cave Junction, Oregon;
eight grandchildren and fifteen
great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death
by his wife Corinne “Kim”;
daughter Dia Winter; son Bill
Winter; brothers Dolan and
Clifford Winter; parents Peter
and Elizabeth Winter,
Dixie Lee (Reed)
Canfield , age 76, of Cave
Junction, died Saturday, No-
vember 9, 2013 at Highland
House Nursing & Rehabilita-
tion Center after a long bout
with lung cancer.
No services are planned
at her request. Illinois Valley
Funeral Directors are in charge
of arrangements.
Please sign the fam-
ily guest book at www.since-
1928hull.com
Dixie was born June 8,
1937 in Brawley, California to
Fred Alvin & Virginia McClain
Reed Chalfant. She attended
grade school in El Cajon,
California, Grossmont High
School District in San Diego,
California and completed the
Moving On Program at Rogue
Community College in Grants
Pass, Oregon.
Dixie loved making arts
and crafts and collecting west-
ern art, boots, purses, clothing
and antiques. Western music
was her favorite and she col-
lected old records, eight track
tapes, cassette tapes and CD’s.
She designed and made her
own doll clothes out of old silk
slips and scrap material. Dixie
loved roses and made beauti-
ful roses out of satin and silk
ribbon, leather and even bath-
room tissue, her favorite being
leather roses.
Her friend, Jerry West
wrote this about her: A sweet
spring rose has wilted in the
fall. She was of kind heart and
soul and was loved by all and
will be greatly missed.
Survivors include her
friend, Jerry West of Cave
Junction, Oregon; two daugh-
ters, Jamee Lee Young of
Lakeside, California and Su-
zie Lockwood of Quinlin,
Texas; a son, John Turman of
El Cajon, California; a sister
Virginia Lee “Ginny” (Reed)
Culver of Kerby, Oregon; a
brother, Michael Chalfant of
Sun City, California; grand-
children, Josh Mathern, Jason
Mathern, Jonah Mathern all
of Nevada; Rickie Lockwood,
Travis Lockwood and Kristle
Lockwood all of Texas; Keri
Young, Briana Turman, Ryan
Turman and Jennifer Morten-
son all of California; great
grandchildren, Alyssa Math-
ern, Airanna Mathern and
Caige Mathern all of Nevada;
Justice Mathern Lockwood
and Kaiden Lockwood both
of Texas and Steven Jepsen of
California; nieces and neph-
ews, Vicki Lyn Culver of Or-
egon; Andrea Reed, Victor
Culver and Kent Reed all of
California and Randy Reed of
Idaho; grand-nephew, Stevon
Lyle Culver of California and
grand-niece of Kylie Christian
Culver of Haiti.
Preceding her in death
were her parents, a son, Scott
Turman; a grandson, Mikie
Young; a brother, Val Jean
Reed and a nephew, Vernon
Culver.
Save The Date
Fri, January 10th - Young Mas-
ter Gardeners, 2 Sessions 2:30 &
3:30 Tree Talk: Do trees really talk?
If you know their names and listen
carefully, they will tell you many
things.
in the New Year FPA has scheduled
a Volunteer Potluck. This invitation
extends to all current and future vol-
unteers wanting to help us protect
the health of our air, water, soil and
bodies, by banning pesticides within
Josephine County. Saturday January
11th 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. @ the County
Bldg in Cave Junction. An opportu-
nity to break bread, share in plans for
the campaign, and find areas where
you may wish to help: Outreach,
Education, Research, Petition Gath-
ering, Food Committee, and more.
Join us in our quest to create a fu-
ture free from toxic chemicals. www.
FreedomfromPesticidesAlliance.org
connect@freedomfrompesticidesal-
liance.org 541-512-5051
Jan. 11
Jan. 15
Jan. 8
Wed, January 8th – Movie: Ge-
netic Roulette–The Gamble of Our
Lives, 6 p.m.
2012 Movie of the Year by the
Solari Report and the Top Transfor-
mational Film of 2012 by Aware-
Guide! Never-Before-Seen-Evidence
points to genetically engineered
foods as a major contributor to rising
disease rates in the US.
Jan. 10
Freedom from Pesticides Vol-
unteer Potluck - Meeting. As we ring
Illinois
Valley
News
Published weekly by
W.H. Alltheway, LLC
Daniel J. Mancuso, Publisher
Wed, January 15th – Library 2
Go Workshop, 5 p.m
Devices and Databases: Bring
POSTMASTER: Please send
address changes to P.O. Box 1370,
Cave Junction OR 97523
Illinois Valley News is published at
221 S. Redwood Hwy.,
Cave Junction, OR 97523
Telephone (541) 592-2541
FAX (541) 592-4330
Since 1937 periodicals postage
paid at Cave Junction OR 97523
P.O. Box 1370 USPS 258-820
your new device and we’ll help you
figure it out! Jeff Moore, from Or-
egon Books and Games, will be here
to show you how to download free
eBooks with Library2Go, discover
your 24/7 digital library databases,
and give guidance in using your new
toys. Remember to charge your item,
and with staff and volunteers at the
ready, you’ll master your eReader or
new gadget in no time!
Jan. 22
Wed, January 22nd – Movie:
Pipe Dreams, 6 p.m. Across the
heartland of America, farmers and
landowners are fighting to protect
their land, their water, and their live-
lihood in what has become the most
controversial environmental battle
in the U.S. today: The Keystone XL
Pipeline.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
One year in Josephine
County - $30.50
One year in Jackson and
Douglas counties - $32.50
One year in all other
Oregon counties and
out-of-state - $39.00
Illinois Valley News does not refund subscriptions.
Remainder of subscription will be donated to the
charity of your choice.
Jan. 23
An OSU Extension sponsored
class on January 23, 2014, from 8:30
a.m. to 5 p.m. Held at OSU Extension
Auditorium, 569 Hanley Rd, Central
Point, OR. Cost is $15 each; $20 farm
duo; $35 friends of farms. To regis-
ter-
http://wholesalesuccessthrive.
bpt.me/ This class is a great soup-
to-nuts overview of selling produce
into the wholesale channel, and is de-
signed for small and mid-sized fruit
and vegetable growers interested in
entering into or expanding their sales.
This “Wholesale Success” training
was developed by FamilyFarmed.org
and the USDA. It is the gold standard
for learning the best practices in food
safety, post-harvest handling and
produce packing. The all-day profes-
sional training includes lunch and a
complimentary copy of “Wholesale
Success: A Farmer’s Guide to Food
Safety, Selling, Post-harvest Han-
dling and Packing Produce”, a 312-
page manual, $70 value.
For questions call Maud Powell
at SOREC, 541-776-7371, ext. 208;
or by email: maud.powell@oregon-
state.edu for more information.
Wed, January 8th thru Friday,
January 31st - Fine Amnesty Days
Nonperishable food and pet item
donations will go to the Josephine
County Food Bank and Animal Shel-
ter. Each donated item credits $5 to-
ward overdue fees regardless of how
long the item/s may have been over-
due.
Jan. 29
Wed, January 29th – Craft
Night: Needle Felting, 6 p.m.
Join Rochelle and Roberta for a
fun evening of needle felting. Don’t
know how? Don’t worry, they’ll
show you quick and easy ways to get
started.
News - Dan Mancuso
dan@illinois-valley-news.com
Circulation - Kimberly Potter
office@illinois-valley-news.com
Advertising / Composition
Dan Mancuso
dan@illinois-valley-news.com
Mailroom - Millie Watkins
Office Manager-Laura Mancuso
office@illinois-valley-news.com
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POLICY ON LETTERS:
‘Illinois Valley News’ encour-
ages letters to the editor pro-
vided they are legible and not
libelous or scurrilous. All let-
ters must be signed, including
name, address and telephone
number. The latter need not be
published, but will be used to
verify authenticity. The ‘News’
reserves the right to edit letters.
Letters are used at the discre-
tion of the publisher.