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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 2018)
2A • COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL • AUGUST 15, 2018 RECORDS OBITUARIES CROOKS—Billie Crooks, 67, of Creswell, Ore., passed away Aug. 4, 2018, surround- ed by her family. She was born to Orville (Pete) and Alice Billie Crooks Peterson in Cottage Grove on Oct. 17, 1950. She married Darryl Crooks on July 8, 1972. She is survived by her hus- band; her son, Darin, of Cre- swell; grandsons Derek of Creswell and Brad of Cottage Grove; adopted son Mykael McMahan of Creswell; sis- ter Bonnie Settera of Spring- fi eld; niece and nephew Terisa and Tim Settera of Spring- fi eld; and brother-in-law Rod Crooks of Cottage Grove. At her request, no service will be held. Th ere will be a celebration of her life TBA. Memorial contributions can be made to the Oregon Cancer Foundation. WELCH—Leota M. Welch, 91, of Cottage Grove, Ore., passed away Aug. 3, 2018. She was born in Pampa, Texas on Aug. 1, 1927, to Lee and Effi e (Vaughn) Horton. Leota married Chester Welch and had three chil- dren: Linda, Karen and James; six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. S h e enjoyed reading and her two cats. She was pre c e d e d in death by her Leota Welch husband and son and is survived by her daughters and two brothers, Don and Ed Horton. A celebration of her life will be held Aug. 18, at 11 a.m., at City Life Church located on Row River Road in Cottage Grove. TOW N SE N D — D e n n i s James Townsend, 65, of Cre- swell, Ore., passed away July 11, 2018. He was born June 1, 1953, in Cottage Grove to Clement and Ll- dean (Ad- amson) Townsend. Dennis graduated Dennis Townsend from Cot- tage Grove High School. He was a diesel mechanic, did asphalt paving and worked on heavy equipment. Dennis enjoyed car racing and wood working. He was a member of the Creswell Church of Christ. Dennis married Diana Bo- nilla on July 19, 1994, in the Church of Christ, Cottage Grove, Ore. He is survived by his wife, Diana Townsend of Creswell; son Brian (Debra) of Spo- kane, Wash.; son Sandivar (Ji) of Huntington Beach, Calif.; daughter Jane (Spencer) of Vancouver, Wahs.; daugh- ter Kristel of Cottage Grove; daughter Roxanne of Cre- swell; son Jeremy (Marci) of Cottage Grove; 11 grandchil- dren, four great-grandchil- dren and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother, Douglas Townsend. A memorial and pot luck reception will be held at noon on Saturday, Aug. 25, at Cre- swell Church of Christ. Arrangements by Smith- Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel. KEERAN—Billie Beebe (Wilson) Keeran, 92, passed peacefully Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018, in Elma, Wash., with family members by her side. Born Jan. 11, 1926, in Chil- dress, Texas, she was the el- dest daughter of Sam and Ruth Wilson. Billie Wilson grew up in Pomona, Calif., in a strong Christian house- hold and attend- ed the Church of God. It was there she Billie Keeran met Eli H. Keeran, whom she married on March 28, 1947. Billie and Eli both graduated from Ore- gon State College with educa- tion degrees and, aft er a stint teaching in Brazil, they moved in 1952 to Cottage Grove, where they lived, worked and raised their family. Th ey were active members of the Riverside Church of God. In 2001, Billie and Eli moved to Elma, Wash., to be closer to family members. Billie enjoyed bird watch- ing, gardening, crossword puzzles, reading, bookkeep- ing and listening to music. She loved her family, was a lifelong Church of God mem- ber, enjoyed working in her community and faithfully supported many Christian Police log August 5 • Illegal camping reported near Village Center. • A man said his bull dog was attacked by a neighbor’s pit bull. • Cigarette pack found in the grandstands at CG Speedway reported as hav- ing crystal meth inside. August 6 • Woman reported the possibility of transients moving into a home that should be vacant near Jef- ferson Ave. • Suitcase found at the Community Center. • Sprinklers at Harrison Elementary reported as be- ing operational for 48 hours. • Two dogs reported as being distressed in a vehi- cle, windows partially rolled down. • A man reported that a parrot fl ew into his yard and was killed by his dog. Con- cerned the owner may not be aware the bird was miss- ing and now, deceased. • Caller reported “lots of drug activity going on” on Main St. August 7 • Two individuals report- ed looking into vehicles on Main St. and carrying a plastic tote. August 8 Mary Lou Teel 1932-2018 Mary Lou Teel, was born October 20, 1932, to parents Adlore and Marie (Bren- ner) Crevier on the family farm in Millers- burg, Michigan. She grew up an outdoors girl and remained so all her life. In 1951 she met and married Harold Barber, the handsome Air Force man. They were transferred to Fairbanks, Alaska, and her ad- ventures there began. She hunted and fi shed and was comfort- able wearing a 357 pistol on her hip when we’d go berry pick- ing. She gardened, canned, and was an excellent seamstress. She discovered gold mining and it quickly became a loved pas- sion. Mary Lou never met a stranger, and was always there with a helping hand. Her caring and compassion was felt by all. She had been active in Alaska Women in Mining, Relay for Life, and Alaska Pioneers organizations. She retired as a secretary from the Alaska Department of Highways. Due to illnesses, she moved to Cottage Grove, Oregon in 2012, where she passed on August 4, 2018. Mary Lou, or “Nana” to most family members, is survived by her two children, Kathy Jo and Russell Gene; grand-children, Tonya LeClair, Joshua Uutela, Deanna Uutela, and Jason Barber; great-grandchildren, Myranda LeClair, Evan Uutela, Hannah Uutela, Riley Scofi eld, and Lillian Fraser; and great-great grandchild, Maddison Barnett. Mary Lou was one of fi ve children herself, and is survived by her sister, Jenny Sawyer. Her friends are too numerous to count and the love felt for her too enormous to measure. Arrangements are in the care of Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel in Cottage Grove. • $600 cash was reported lost between the bank and BiMart August 8 • Possible armed subject reported at the skate park. Individual was taking an air rifl e to his sister’s house for storage. August 9 • Suspicious car report- ed parked in same spot for three days. Additionally, someone on the roof of nearby house, took some wires. • Two roommates report- ed in a dispute over a towel near K St. • Caller reported shots fi red, thinks it’s a cannon. Call forwarded to Lane County Sheriff ’s Offi ce. Fern Faye Dixon May 6, 1918 – August 5, 2018 Fern Faye Dixon, 100, of Albany, passed away Sunday, August 5, 2018 at her home. Fern was born in Drain, Oregon to Howard and Opal (Krewson) Tracy. She grew up in Drain on the family ranch and moved to Cottage Grove, graduating from Cottage Grove High School in 1936. She married Boone E. “Dick” Dixon in 1942 in Vancouver, Washington. When Dick went to serve in the Army in World War II, Fern went to work at First National Bank in Cottage Grove. Upon Dick’s return, they lived in Portland until his employ- ment took them to Albany. Fern continued her banking career at First National Bank in Albany; as well as Citizen’s Valley Bank and Key Bank and also kept books for Dick’s tire company, Dixon Tire Co. in Halsey. Fern loved music and playing the piano, as well as traveling and growing fl owers. She is survived by her niece, Virginia Sherwood of Cottage Grove and nephew, Joe Tracy of Anchor Point, Alaska. Fern was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Dick; and brother, Herschel Tracy. A viewing will be from 3:00pm to 5:00pm, Wednesday, August 15, 2018 at Fisher Funeral Home. A memorial service will be at 10:30am, Friday, August 17, 2018 at the First Christian Church in Albany, followed by a graveside at 2:00pm at Rest Ha- ven Memorial Park in Eugene. Memorial contributions to the First Christian Church or Albany Boys and Girls Club may be sent in care of Fisher Funer- al Home, 306 Washington St. SW, Albany, OR 97321. Condolences may be posted online at www.fi sherfuneralhome.com. Charities. Billie is preceded in death by her husband Eli Keeran (2005); and a brother, Bob Wilson. She is survived by a sister, Patricia Van Der Veur; three sons: Kent Keeran (Nancy), Charles Keeran (Mary Lou) and David Keeran (Lisa); seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A burial service will be held at a future date. GARDNER— Susie MFN Gardner, 54, passed Th ursday, Aug. 2, 2018, in Dorena, Ore. Susie was born Oct. 2, 1963, in Hanford, Calif., to the late Donald MFN Gardner, Sr. and Marilyn MFN Gardner. She was the middle child of three born between her sis- ter Lynell MFN Gardner and Donnie MFN Gardner, Jr., both of which survived her. In life, Susie loved to go fast and play hard. She was pas- sionate about painting and artwork, she loved playing the poker machines at Jasper’s Deli and the Pub, and enjoyed spending time with her two sons, Timothy MFN Lowrey and Joey MFN Lowrey; her grandchildren; her dogs: Bud- dy MFN Gardner and Odis MFN Gardner; her nieces and nephews; and her wild bunch of friends up river and around Cottage Grove. As her children, we will fondly remember our mother for instilling in us a fearless strength, courage, resolve and confi dence; we will remember her laughter and smile; her witty intelligence and most of all her irreplaceable, uncon- ditional love and motherly pride. In celebration of our moth- er’s life we ask that her family, friends and those that loved her attend the memorial to be held at the Dorena Grange — 34360 Row River Rd, Cottage Grove, Ore., 97424 — on Aug. 18, from 2 p.m. to whenever. Leonard Bailey Waitman 1922-2018 Leonard Bailey Waitman of Cottage Grove, OR died on July 29, 2018 at the age of 95. He was born in San Bernardino, CA on August 8, 1922, to parents Her- man Bailey Waitman and Dollie Iva Arnold. He attended San Bernardi- no High School in 1940-42 before transferring to Grant Union High School in Sacramento, CA., where he graduated. War was declared in his senior year, and the entire class of seniors went down to join the service. He received his diploma while in training. Leonard served with the United States Army Air Corps. He participated in 3 major invasions: Africa, Sicily, and Italy. In addition, he aided in preparing for Col. Doolittle’s fi rst raid on Tokyo while in the States prior to going overseas. He shipped out on the Queen Elizabeth to England and was with the fi rst contingence to form the 8 th Air Force in England before invading Oran, North Africa. During the war in Europe, Leonard received the Legion of Merit, the American Defense Medal, European-Mid- dle Eastern Campaign with 7 stars, the Army Expeditionary Force Medal, a Good Conduct Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and a Presidential Unit Citation with OLC. He also had 3 years Overseas Bars. He had the rare view of being under Mt. Vesuvius when it erupted during the war. And on a special occasion he was privileged to be blessed by Pope Pious the 12 th . Leonard was discharged at the end of the war, and went on to attend San Bernardino Valley College, where he received his Associates Degree. He then attended the elite academic of the University of the Redlands, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree. After teaching for 12 years he re- ceived his PHD from the University of South Asia. In addition to teaching for 32 years, Dr. Waitman authored several books and articles on Desert Indians and Desert forts. He served as the President of Bethesda Bible College in Wenatchee, WA from 1978-80. He held 5 life credentials at all levels in Ed- ucation and Administration. Leonard was recognized for his historical research in Volume VI in the Dictionary of Interna- tional Biography (1969) and in the Book, Two Thousand Men of Achievement in 1971. He was awarded a place of note in The Personalities of the West and Midwest. Leonard lived with his lovely wife of 49 years, Patricia Jo Worley, whom he married in 1969. He is survived by a son, David F. Isaak; a daughter, Amber Harold; and 2 grandchildren, Avi and Stephanie. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Joanna Lynn Waitman, who died at the age of 4. Leonard’s body will be transported to the Riverside National Cemetery in California, where he will be in- terred in the Arlington section. He was always a strong believer in God and the Lord Jesus, and he leaves with our blessings. A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, Au- gust 25, 2018 at Calvary Chapel Cottage Grove, 1447 N Pacifi c Hwy., Cottage Grove, OR followed by Reception at the VFW Post #3473, 3160 Hillside Dr., Cottage Grove, OR. Arrange- ments in the care of Smith Lund Mills Funeral Chapel, Cottage Grove, OR. z å Funeral & Memorial Planning Cremation Options e Monuments & Memorials & e Memorials Cemetery Options e Monuments Cemetery Options e Funeral & Memorial Planning e Cremation Options e Please Celebrate the 4th of July Safely! 123 South 7th, Cottage Grove, Oregon th 123 South 7 , Cottage Grove, Oregon 541-942-0185 •www.smithlundmills.com z www.smithlundmills.com å