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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (June 16, 2018)
2A | SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 2018 | SIUSLAW NEWS T HE R ECORD PASSENGER— Verne “Skip” Passenger Jr., 68, a beloved and devoted husband, father, grandfa- ther and b r o t h e r, passed away June 3, 2018, from con- gestive heart fail- Verne “Skip” ure while Passenger surround- ed by fam- ily at Pete Moore Hospice House. He was preceded in death by his brother, Brian; his fa- ther, Verne; and his mother, Evelyn. Skip is survived by his wife Jane; daughters Kaye and Brooke; brother Brad; and six grandchildren: Kaitlyn, Rylie, Emylie, Logan, Dylan and Jordan. Skip was born June 4, 1949, to Verne and Evelyn “Pete” (Griffith) Passenger in Van- couver, Wash. After their sec- ond son, Bradley, was born, the family moved to Florence in 1952. Skip lived in Florence for more than 50 years. His father opened a body shop in Florence where Skip later worked. During the 1950s, the family spent most of its leisure time beachcomb- ing and at the race track in Glenada racing cars they had built. Skip joined the fire ser- vice in 1972. After his father passed away in 1996, Skip served as Fire Chief for the City of Florence until he facil- itated the merger of the rural and city fire departments to form the Siuslaw Valley Fire Protection District. He served as Assistant Chief until he moved to Eu- gene in 2002. Skip loved to drive log trucks, chip trucks and fire trucks. He worked hard at ev- erything he did. Skip served in the Air Force for four years. He also served on several boards in Florence including the school board and was a Port of Siuslaw commissioner for four years. Skip and his former wife, Jerilyn Landwehr, had two daughters: Brooke Stonelake and Kaye Wheeler. Skip and his current wife, Jane, married in 2002 and lived in Eugene. In his younger years, Skip enjoyed exploring on the beach for glass floats and cut- ting firewood with his dad. He also liked to play golf, hunt, fish, race cars, read and work in the yard. In his later years he loved sitting on his porch watching the birds and neighbors go by. He had a big smile and a very big heart. A celebration of his life will be held Friday, June 22, begin- ning at 2 p.m., at Musgrove Family Mortuary/West Lawn Memorial Park, 225 S. Dane- bo Ave, in Eugene. In lieu of flowers, donations made be made in Skip’s mem- ory to the Pete Moore Hos- pice House in Eugene. Arrangements have been entrusted to Musgrove Family Mortuary. Sign the guestbook at musgroves.com. CLIFT— Patricia Lou Clift was a great woman who lived as she believed: Fiercely inde- pendent, intelligent, complex, honest, exceptionally charm- ing, and most notably a pas- sionate dog lover. Born in 1935 to Allon and Gladys Clift of Little Rock, Ark., Patricia attended Little Rock Central High School and the University of Arkan- sas. In 1957, she married Monte Tubb and, over the next six years, they had three children. The family came to Eugene in 1966, when Monte took a teaching position at the Uni- versity of O r e g o n’s School of Music. Pa- tricia con- tinued her education, earning her bach- Patricia Clift elor’s de- gree with a teaching certificate from the U of O. In 1972, Patricia started the Book & Tea Shop with two other women. The original location, at 24th and Hilyard streets in Eugene (and later, relocating to 19th and Agate), quickly became a popular neighbor- hood gathering place for the over-30 crowd, hosting rap sessions for women’s social and political groups as well as special events celebrating the arts. Patricia’s unique sense of artistry and business were reflected in the Book & Tea’s lively upbeat and friendly at- mosphere. A resident of Florence since 1996, Patricia enjoyed living in her ocean cabin with her dogs, her garden and her pas- sion for reading. She was well known at the Farmer’s Mar- ket, where she sold her succu- lent pots. She was unique and ahead of her time; from the book- store, to her handmade ce- ment planters, her creations were no doubt inspirations to all who knew them. Patricia died peacefully at her daughter’s home in Santa Rosa, Calif., on May 25, 2018, at age 84 after living with can- cer for 10 years. She is survived by her be- loved dog, Billy; and her three children: Daven Tubb of Eu- gene, Ore.; Lynette (Tom) Batson, of Santa Rosa, Calif.; and Brady Tubb of Smithfield, N.C. She was adored as “Gram- mies” by Steven, Krista, Jes- sica, Raleigh, Parker, Bran- don and Sailor, and as “Great Grammies” to Trae, Emma- lyn, Jackson and Mason. Patricia’s love for Oregon and her dear friends there were a source of great comfort and joy. A remembrance gathering will be held Wednesday, July 4, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Friends Meeting House, 2274 Onyx St. in Eugene. LaDUKE— Ganun LaDuke passed away at home in Wal- terville, Ore., sur- rounded by family members on May 14, 2018. S h e was a lov- ing wife Ganun LaDuke to John LaDuke. Ganun was born April 18, 1938, in Cleveland, Ark., to Tommy and Alpha McNew and was the third of six siblings. She moved to Oregon in the late 1950s and married John LaDuke on May 22, 1970, in Eugene. They lived in Florence un- til 1977, when they moved to Walterville, Ore. Ganun loved gardening, canning, feeding the lo- cal birds and animals, rock hounding and beachcombing. One of her fondest memories was one night in the early 1970s, her and John found over 100 glass fishing floats while driving their old Ford Bronco on the beach between the South Jetty and Siltcoos outlet. They spent many, many hours driving the beach. She is survived by her hus- band of 48 years; six children: Rick Berry of Jasper, Ore.; Debbie Mead of Springfield, Ore,; Pam Card of Florence; Angela Bartus of Sublimity, Ore.; Kim Herber of Pow- ell Butte, Ore.; and Bloise LaDuke of Salem; 10 grand- children, six great grandchil- dren and numerous nieces and nephews. She will be lovingly remem- bered by all who knew her. No service is planned. In her memory, donations can be made to the Cascade Raptors Center, 32275 Fox Hollow Rd., Eugene, Ore. Burns’s Riverside Chapel Florence Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. MARTIN— John O. Martin, 91, of Florence, died June 7, 2018, with family close by. J o h n was born March 5, 1927, in Brenton, Tenn. John was proud of his mili- tary ser- John Martin vice during WWII, doing service and be- ing honorably discharged in both the U.S. Marines and the U.S. Navy. He was proud that he joined the service under-aged at 17 to fight for his country. After the service, he was a manager of several types of businesses. He was a police officer for 10 years, followed by being a pro- prietor of a bar and a tavern. John is survived by his life companion Lillian Peters- en; her daughter, Elaine; son Ron Martin; two sisters, var- ious nieces and nephews; and other children he raised: Jerry Porter, Bruce and Mark Manning, as well as 26 grand- children, great-grandchildren and those who just called him “Pa-John.” John loved life, outdoors and family. He’s going to be greatly missed by all. Service will be held Satur- day, June 23, beginning at 1 p.m., at Deadwood Pioneer Cemetery. NICHOLSON— Thomas C. Nicholson, 62, of Florence, passed away June 11, 2018. A memorial celebration will be held at a later date. Burns’s Riverside Chapel Florence Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. BUCKLEY— Leonard Buck- ley, 89, of Florence, passed away June 13, 2018. Arrangements are being held through Burns’s River- side Chapel Florence Funeral Home. MILLER— John C. Miller, 84, of Florence, passed away May 19, 2018. A memorial will be held on Saturday, June 23, beginning at 1 p.m., at the Florence Elks Lodge. Burns’s Riverside Chapel Florence Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements FLORENCE AIR ACADEMY AND THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB Take to the Skies July 30th – August 10th • For Teens 6th – 12th Grade. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Lane County is partnering with Aero Legends for the 2nd Annual Florence Air Academy. The Florence Air Academy, led by COLs (Retired) T.F. “Sam” Spayd and Terry Tomeny, will be a two-week course teaching Boys & Girls Club members the principles of aviation and information on careers in the aviation industry. Classes will include a tour of the Coast Guard Helicopter, flying Remote Controlled planes, piloting drones, and the chance to fly one-on-one with an instructor pilot! The Academy activities will be a combination of classroom study, interspersed with hands-on activities and flight operations. There is no cost to Boys & Girls Club of Western Lane County members. All expenses for members are paid by Aero Legends Biplane Rides. Teens not already a CLUB member can join for a $25 membership fee and $50 Program fee. Date & Hours of Operation: The course will be conducted on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for two consecutive weeks, July 30th – August 10th. Class time will be 0800 - 1200 and 1300 – 1500. Lunch will be provided by The Boys & Girls Club. ' N!O ' N ! O Instructors: Sam Spayd is a former USAF and Commercial Airline Pilot with over 50 years of flying experience in aircraft ranging from the C-47 to the C-5A to Boeing 747/777’s worldwide. Terry Tomeny is a former USAF and Lockheed Martin Test Pilot and current Flight Instructor with over 45 years of flying experience in aircraft ranging from Reno Air Racers to F-16 Fighters to C-17 Transports. GREAT FUTURES START HERE. Don’t Delay! REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS JULY 16! ONLY 20 SPOTS AVAILABLE SO SIGN UP NOW! OF WESTERN LANE COUNTY HELP US, HELP THEM 541-902-0304 www.bgcwlc.org
