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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (July 15, 2020)
2A | WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020 | SIUSLAW NEWS On The Record OBITUARIES XAVIER—Nola Fran Xavier (Carter), born March 2, 1938, passed away June 28, 2020. Nola was born in Mi- ami, Ariz., to Newell and Frances Carter. As a young child she contracted polio and consequently spent prolonged periods of time in hos- pitals for treatments and surger- ies which e ve ntu a l ly allowed her Nola Xavier to sit-up, stand and eventually walk “normal- ly.” Her mother and fa- ther gave their all to her and she loved them dear- ly. She developed a life- long passion for knitting, crochet, sewing and arts and crafts during the all- too-short summers at her grandmother Whitehead’s house. After learning to drive, she quickly discovered that from behind the wheel of a car there were no phys- ical limitations; the fam- ily would like to formally apologize to anyone who has been a passenger in her car. At age 16, Nola entered BYU on a scholarship but found that it wasn’t the right fit for her and re- turned home to California to continue her studies. She met Joe Xavier at UCLA in 1964 and they were married before the end of the year in a small chapel on campus sur- rounded by family and friends. He was the love of her life and she knew it right away. Nola and Joe were mar- ried 55 years and sealed in the LDS Temple. Their ear- ly married life was spent in Santa Barbara, Calif., raising their two young daughters, Marie and Julie. In 1978, their small family moved to Seattle, Wash., where Joe and Nola lived and worked until retire- ment in 1997. At retirement, they found their coastal Shan- gri-La in Florence, Ore. Throughout her life Nola dedicated much of her time and energy to charita- ble causes finding purpose in the service to others through Welcome Wagon, Newcomers, PTA, CALM, Rotary, the LDS church, and City Council. She served as Mayor of Florence, Ore., from 2012- 2014, and dutifully con- tributed in many ways to her small town. Never one to brag, she worked hard to build relationships and get the job done in city gov- ernment. She loved her church calling as Beehive Leader teaching young women. Florence LDS young wom- en, you were a bright ray of sunshine in our mother’s life. In early 2015, Nola suf- fered a major stroke. Her life was saved by the inter- ventional radiology team at River Bend Hospital and forever changed. We rein- troduced ourselves to her as family members when she awoke from surgery, scared and her mind a blank — although strange- ly, she did remember her iPhone passcode. Tenacious as ever, through intensive rehab she relearned reading, writing, math, talking and walking (again). In 2016, Nola and Joe moved to Portland, Ore., to live a few doors down from their eldest daughter, Marie, and her wife, Bon- nie, in a home the girls had made completely accessi- ble for them. Joe and Nola were able to be quite independent in their new home. On warm summer days, Nola could be found driving her motorized chair down the street to go visit Marie and Bonnie. She continued to do everything she possibly could for herself and Joe, until she just couldn’t. She never gave up. Nola and Joe spent Christmas 2019 in rehab together — her with a bro- ken ankle and him with an incurable malady of age related problems. But they were together and that is all that truly mattered to them. Joe passed away Jan. 13, 2020; Nola passed away peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, June 28, 2020. She is survived by her daughters, Eva Marie Xavi- er (Bonnie Jeffs) and Julie Fran Martin (Niels); her grandchildren: Zachary Martin, Madison Owen (Mark), Katie Cooper (Barrett) and Tanner Mar- tin; and a brother, Cole Carter; her brother Shane “Rocky” Cater is deceased. In lieu of flowers, cards and donations, may we each take inspiration from mom to volunteer our time and energy to make our communities a better place. Burns’s Riverside Chap- el Florence Funeral Home was in charge of arrange- ments. SINGLETON—James E. Singleton passed away June 28, 2020. He was born in Browns- ville, Texas, at Ft. Brown Army Base, on Oct. 15, 1939. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Sandy; three children, a son-in- law, daughter-in-law and four grandchildren. Jim en- tered the US Navy u p o n g r a d - uation from high school and served two tours in James Singleton Vi e t n a m as a radio- man on the USS Hopewell. During his service, he was able to connect his officers and crew mates with their loved ones while overseas via the radio on- board ship; that spoke to his heart because he loved people and loved to help them. He had been an amateur radio operator since the early 1960s and continued throughout his life, pre- ferring SWAN radios. He was instrumental in many aspects of amateur radio operation, including safe- ty and emergency proce- dures. Jim loved to travel and experience new places. He and Sandy traveled all over the U.S. in their RV. Jim was full of life, loved his family above all, loved people and enjoyed talking with everyone. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date. Burns’s Riverside Chap- el Florence Funeral Home was in charge of arrange- ments. NENCINI—Leo Nenci- ni, 98, a longtime resident of Florence, Ore., passed away June 30, 2020. He was born Sept. 8, 1921, in Gate, Wash., to Italian immigrants Emilio and Bruna Nencini, who preceded him in death, along with his brother, Robert. Leo graduated from Rochester High School in 1940. After the b ombi n g of Pearl Harbor in 1941, he joined the U.S. Army. But before he Leo Nencini left for ba- sic train- ing, he married his high school sweetheart, Juanita Mackan. During his enlistment, he fought in three major battles in the Eastern The- ater of Operations, includ- ing the Battle of the Bulge, for which he received the Combat Infantry Badge and Bronze Star. He was honorably dis- charged in 1945. Looking for a job, he moved his wife and daughter, Don- na, to Westfir, Ore., where he worked in the logging industry hauling logs for Hines Lumber Company. He continued there un- til the mill was sold, after which he drove truck for Pope & Talbot, residing in Oakridge while Donna attended and graduated school in 1960. Leo and Juanita began a project in 1963 building a cabin on lakefront proper- ty north of Florence at Sut- ton Lake, where he learned to water ski. After retiring in 1983, Leo and Juanita became permanent resi- dents of Florence, spend- ing summers recreating on the lake, beachcombing; they spent winters in their motorhome in Arizona, traveling the western Unit- ed States visiting family and friends — including two trips to Alaska just for fun. Juanita passed away in 2014. During the last 4 years, Leo resided at Spruce Point Assisted Living in Florence. He is survived by his daughter, Donna Pedersen (Fred) of Redding, Calif.; grandson Todd Peder-sen (Sherri) of Redding, Ca- lif.; and granddaughter Renee Stilley (Mark) of Mount Shasta, Calif.; one great-grandson, three great-granddaughters, two great-great-grandsons and one great-great-grand- daughter. Services will be held on Oct. 23, beginning at 12:30 p.m., at the Northern Cali- fornia Veterans Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please send contributions in hon- or of Leo to NCVC P.O. Box 76 Igo, Calif., 96047. Curbside pickup is here! Call 541-997-3132 Mon-Fri, 10 AM - 1 PM to request up to three items. Holds are usually available the following weekday. Siuslaw Public Library COVID-19 STATS State and County COVID counts (As of July 14, 2020) Lane County Public Health (LCPH) — Lane County has 317 cases (+8), 52 cases that are current- ly infectious (-3), and 3 suspected COVID-19 deaths as of 8 a.m. on July 14. Four people are currently hospitalized (+1). At least 29,661 tests have been conducted for Lane County residents** (+377) (Note: The total includes con- firmed and presumptive.) Oregon Health Authority (OHA) (As of July 14) COVID-19 has claimed seven more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 244, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. on July 14. The last time Oregon saw seven deaths in a single day was on April 28. Oregon Health Authority reported 380 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 on July 14, bringing the state total to 12,805. The new cases are in the following counties: Benton (3), Clackamas (21), Clatsop (1), Columbia (3), Coos (1), Crook (1), Deschutes (9), Douglas (2), Hood River (3), Jackson (7), Jefferson (2), Josephine (6), Klamath (2), Lane (8), Linn (2), Malheur (35), Marion (46), Morrow (7), Multnomah (76), Polk (1), Tillamook (3), Umatilla (76), Union (3), Wasco (3), Washington (53), and Yamhill (6). For statewide daily count updates from OHA, as well as Lane Rods n Rhodies cancelled The non-profit Rods N Rhodies, Inc. has an- nounced that the 2020 Rods N Rhodies Car Show and Benefit has been can- celed for 2020. The next show will be held Sept. 10-11, 2021. This decision was not taken lightly, according to organizers, and was only made after much delib- eration. In a statement, the Rods N Rhodies Inc./ Transportation Solutions Board of Directors said it felt that the safety of vol- unteers, visitors and the community is of the ut- most importance. The board is already planning for the 2021 Rods N Rhodies Car Show and Benefit. For more information, visit rodsnrhodies.org WEATHER DATA Earth System Research Laboratory Global Monitoring Division D ATE H IGH L OW R AIN June 30 July 1 July 2 July 3 July 4 July 5 July 6 64 65 66 65 64 66 63 54 53 49 45 50 44 50 0.04 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.03 0.05 0.00 April 2020: 413.95 ppm April 2019: 411.09 ppm Rainfall Week: 0.07” Month: 4.63” Year: 43.74” Last updated: July 6, 2020 Courtesy of Roger Cunningham and Douglas counties, visit the Siuslaw News’ all-access Coronavirus Updates page online at www.TheSiuslawNews.com We're here to help you get through this. visit our website: florencefarmersmarket.org shop online with WhatsGood Marketplace pick up local goods, Tuesdays, 4-6pm SNAP shoppers : ask us about our DoubleUp program email contact@florencefarmersmarket.org JOIN LIFEMED TODAY! $65 Per Year WesternLaneAmbulance.com __________________ Serving Western Lane County Since 1976 Mission Statement: LES SCHWAB TIRE CENTERS Tires • Brakes Shocks • Alignment 4325 Highway 101, Florence 541-997-7178 HOME OF THE BEST TIRE VALUE PROMISE STOP BY AND SEE US... We focus on unique items that make great gifts for family and friends.Whether it’s a birthday, holiday or “just ‘cuz” you will fi nd the perfect something for your special someone here. 1255 Bay Street ~ Florence, OR (Next to Books N Bears) Hours: Wednesday - Sunday 11am - 5pm. Follow us on Facebook@fl orenceartefacts to see new items daily. “To provide quick, effi cient, professional emergency medical services, transport, and community education with the highest standards of excellence and compassion.” Renewal Applications are in the mail and can be dropped off at one of two secure locations: • 2625 Highway 101 • 410 Ninth Street For Questions or an Application Call 541-997-9614 or Visit: WesternLaneAmbulance.com