6A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • March 11, 2015
Polk County News
OBITUARIES
Ralph Wayne
Scranton
July 26, 1939 – Feb. 20, 2015
Ralph Wayne Scranton,
75, of Bakersfield, Calif., died
Feb. 20.
He was born in Salem to
Ralph and Blanche (Lewis)
Scranton.
He was raised in Inde-
pendence and graduated
from Cen-
tral High
School in
1957.
Wa y n e
married
Cora Swanstrom on Jan. 17,
1959, in Dallas. They were
married for 56 years.
Wayne attended several
colleges and universities be-
fore being drafted into the
Army. He completed basic
training at Fort Ord, Calif.,
and was stationed at Fort
Gordon, Augusta, Ga.
Following completion of
his service, he worked for
Bank of America for five
years and then attended
Fresno State University and
earned his degree and teach-
ing credentials.
Wayne began his teaching
career on Sept. 1, 1970, at
Standard School District in
Oildale, Calif. After 32 years
of teaching, he retired on
June 7, 2002.
After retirement he en-
joyed playing cribbage with
his friends and was a lifetime
member of the American
Cribbage Congress, where he
participated and won several
tournaments. Wayne loved
to take his grandkids fishing.
He was an avid sports fan
and enjoyed watching track
and field, professional sports
and NASCAR racing. He also
enjoyed spending time in
Morro Bay, Calif. Wayne was
a frequent blood donor and
had donated a total of 14 gal-
lons in his lifetime.
He was preceded in death
by his sister, LaVelle Foster.
Survivors include his wife,
Cora Scranton of Bakersfield;
c h i l d r e n , To n i ( J o h n )
Dougherty of Henderson,
Nev., and Terry (Lisa) Scran-
ton of Roseville, Calif.; sister,
Yvonne Pettit of Monmouth;
five grandchildren; three
great-grandchildren; and ex-
tended family.
No service will be held at
his request.
Mabel A. Melcher
April 15, 1915 – March 3, 2015
Mabel A. Melcher, 99, of
Dallas died March 3.
She was born in Peterson,
Iowa, to Charles and Eliza-
beth Clark (Morgan). She
was raised
by her
stepmoth-
er, Metta
Williams.
At
9
years of
age, Mabel
moved to
Minnesota
and attended school there.
After school she worked as a
housekeeper and nanny for
several families.
Mabel married Clarence
Melcher on March 3, 1935.
They moved to Dallas in
1940. Clarence died in 1990.
Mabel was mostly a
homemaker, but she did
work outside of the house.
Some of the work she did in-
cluded field work and can-
nery jobs at Tracy’s in Dallas
and Blue Lake in West Salem.
JACK DAWSON ANDERSON
November 28, 1947 - February 8, 2015
Jack Dawson Anderson was born on
November 28, 1947 in Salem, Oregon,
one of 9 children born to John and
Dorothy Anderson of Rickreall, Oregon.
He died on February 8, 2015 from com-
plications of diabetes that he had for sev-
eral years. Jack died at his sister’s home
in Keizer at the age of 67 where he had
great care the last week of his life from
Hospice and his nieces Lori and Tammy.
He attended Rickreall Grade School; Academy Junior High
School, and graduated from Dallas High School in 1966.
He worked for Westwood Products cabinet shop in Salem
for many years then transferred to California working for
Schuler Cabinet Company.
California is where he met his current wife Virginia. They
married while living in California then moved back to the
Salem are where he retired for health reasons.
He loved his family, often spending time at the family farm
outside of Rickreall helping his mother with projects after his
father died. He also loved family get-togethers at the farm. He
loved 4-wheeling, spending time with his 3 dogs, Floyd, BJ,
and Blondie, and he loved his red ’67 Camaro…
Fast, Fast, Fast!
His most favorite time was spent watching NASCAR Racing.
The family is sure that he saw every race there ever was.
Those that survive Jack are his wife, Virginia; son Michael
and daughter-in-law Deborah, and daughter, Sherry. Jack
adopted Mike and Sherry when married to his first wife
Jeanne. He also has a son David who lived in California. He
is also survived by his sisters, Kay Marsland of Keizer; Arlene
Olheiser of Salem; Marilyn Craig of Tennessee; and Margie
Warkentin of Bend; several grandchildren and numerous
nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents John and Dorothy
Anderson; brother David; sisters Janet Fleming, Janice Raby,
and Kathy Clark; a nice Cindy Sarff, nephew Rock Marsland;
and brother-in-law John Clark.
According to his wishes, Jack was cremated and at his re-
quest there will be no service.
When she wasn’t working,
Mabel enjoyed traveling with
Clarence and even went to
Alaska every year to visit her
daughter and grandchildren.
She enjoyed gardening,
counted cross-stitch em-
broidery, crocheting and
traveling. Most importantly,
the joy of her life was spend-
ing time with family and al-
ways having chocolate chip
cookies at the ready for her
grandkids.
She was preceded in
death by her brothers, Floyd,
Robert and Jim.
Survivors include her chil-
dren, Kathryn Slyh (Mike),
Joan Pond (Jerry) and Robert
Melcher; brother, Wilbur
Morgan; eight granddaugh-
ters; 14 great-grandchildren;
and five great-great-grand-
children.
Graveside service was
March 10 at Twin Oaks Me-
morial Gardens in Albany.
Contributions are suggest-
ed to the American Kidney
Foundation.
Dallas Mortuary Tribute
Center handled arrange-
ments. To send an online
condolence: www.dallastrib-
ute.com.
Katherine Irene
Jackson
Sept. 19, 1925 – March 8, 2015
Katherine Irene Jackson,
89, of Dallas, formerly of
Falls City, died Sunday in
Dallas.
Viewing is Wednesday
(today) from 2 to 6 p.m. at
Dallas Mortuary Tribute
Center. Memorial service is
Thursday at 10 a.m. at Dallas
Cemetery. A memorial serv-
ice will be held at a later
date.
To send an online condo-
lence: www.dallastribute.com.
Gunner Jay
Pedersen
Oct. 29, 2014 – March 4, 2015
Gunner Jay Pedersen died
March 4 in Portland.
He was born in Salem to
Randy and Felicia (McCarl)
Pedersen of Dallas.
Memorial service is Satur-
day at 2 p.m. at Dallas Mor-
tuary Tribute Center.
Contributions are suggest-
ed to SIDS Foundation.
To send an online condo-
lence: www.dallastribute.com.
Curt McBeth
Jan. 3, 1940 – March 3, 2015
Curt McBeth, 75, of Mon-
mouth died March 3 in Dal-
las.
He was born in Falls City
to Ira and Rocelia (Burbank)
McBeth.
Curt attended Fir Grove
a n d Pe d e e e l e m e n t a r y
schools and graduated from
D a l l a s
H i g h
School. He
had served
in
the
Army Na-
tional Guard.
He married Norma Jean
Peters on Dec. 23, 1961; with
this marriage came Curt Jr.,
Jeannie, Clayton, Ann and
Chuck. He married Marcia
Foster in Dallas on Sept. 2,
1988; with this marriage
came Scott and Shawn.
Curt worked for 18 years
as the animal control officer
for the Polk County Sheriff’s
Office. He retired in 1998.
He enjoyed horseback rid-
ing, camping, fishing and all
VERNON (VERN) OTIS POPE
Feb. 4, 1920 - Feb. 13, 2015
Vernon (Vern) Pope left his tempo-
rary life behind and began eternal life
with his Savior on February 13, 2015 at
the age of 95.
Born on February 4, 1920 outside of
Artesian, South Dakota, Vernon was the
first of Rollin Otis and Florence Etta
(Cundy) Pope’s six children. He gradu-
ated from Fedora High School in 1938
The family moved to Oregon in Decem-
ber of 1940, eventually settling in Dallas,
where they started the Pope Dairy.
In 1941, Vernon met Elaine Meyer whom he married in
Dallas on December 30, 1942. Their marriage lasted just over
72 years — an incredible legacy!
Vern was an accomplished self-taught mechanic who spe-
cialized in farm equipment. He was the “go-to guy” for farm
equipment repairs in the greater Stayton area for over 20
years until he retired in 2008.
Vern was a longtime member of Aumsville’s Bethel Baptist
Church. When he wasn't busy tending his own farm or work-
ing on machinery, Vernon enjoyed working on puzzles, visit-
ing with friends and family, and watching sports on
television.
Vernon is survived by his wife, Elaine Pope of Aumsville;
brother Burton (Bonny) Pope of Dallas; sister Beryl Garton
of Boise, ID; son Dennis (Gloria) Pope of Roseburg; daugh-
ters Marilyn Pope of Aumsville and Shirley (Michael) White
of Lebanon; 3 granddaughters and one great-granddaughter.
He is preceded in death by his parents; brother, Chester Pope;
and sisters, Carol Krause and Jean Gay.
A celebration of Vernon's life was held Saturday at Bethel
Baptist Church in Aumsville. At Vernon's request, he was in-
terred at the Aumsville Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Vernon's
memory to Bethel Baptist Church of Aumsville, or to the
American Heart Association. Arrangements by Weddle Fu-
neral Services.
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sports. He enjoyed visiting
with family and friends and
never knew a stranger.
He was preceded in death
by his brothers, Calvin Mc-
Beth in 1989 and Clifford
McBeth in 1993.
Survivors include his wife,
Marcia; children, Curt Jr.,
Jeannie, Clayton, Ann, Chuck,
Scott and Shawn; sister, Mar-
guerite Nice; 13 grandchil-
dren; one great-grandchild;
and extended family.
Service is Saturday at 11
a.m. at Dallas Church, 450
SE Washington St.
Peggy Sue
Freeman
May 19, 1933 – March 7, 2015
Peggy Sue Freeman, 81, of
Monmouth died Saturday.
Memorial service is Satur-
day at 10 a.m. at Dallas Mor-
tuary Tribute Center.
To send an online condo-
lence: www.dallastribute.com.
Ann Najar
Jan. 24, 1948 – March 2, 2015
Ann Najar, 67, of Inde-
pendence died March 2 in
Albany.
She was born in Lebanon,
where she grew up.
Ann re-
tired from
t h e O re -
gon De-
partment
of Rev-
enue.
A n n
l o v e d
spending
time with her grandchildren
and attending garage sales.
Survivors include her two
sons, mother, four siblings,
eight grandchildren and one
great-grandchild.
G ra v e s i d e s e r v i c e i s
Thursday at 1 p.m. at Hilltop
William George
Baumgartner
April 26, 1949 – March 3, 2015
William George Baum-
gartner, 65, of Phoenix, Ariz.,
died March 3 in Phoenix.
He was born in Tillamook.
Survivors include his wife,
Diane Baumgartner, former
longtime and recently retired
administrator in the Dallas
School District, and family.
Service is Monday at 1
p.m. at Morning Star Com-
munity Church in Salem.
Obituary
Information
Obituary information must
be submitted by 4 p.m. on the
Monday before publication to
be included in the newspaper.
Most funeral homes handle
obituary information and pro-
vide it to the newspaper. How-
ever, information can also be
submitted directly from family
members.
Color and black-and-white
photos can be submitted, but
photos will only be published
in black and white. The Itemiz-
er-Observer uses a flag logo in
the obituaries of people who
served in the armed forces.
Obituaries — like all infor-
mation submitted to the news
department — are subject to
editing for style, content and
length.
Information can be brought
or mailed to the Itemizer-Ob-
server, 147 SE Court St., Dallas,
OR 97338, or emailed to
nadams@polkio.com.
For more information:
Nancy Adams, 503-623-2373.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Foundation slated to present grants
DALLAS — The Dallas Community Foundation will celebrate its
20th anniversary by awarding grants to 26 local nonprofit organi-
zations at a presentation scheduled Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Dal-
las Retirement Village Chapel, 377 NW Jasper St. in Dallas.
This year the foundation’s $37,500 in grants will support a vari-
ety of projects benefitting youths, seniors and those in need. The
public is welcome at the event, which will also recognize the work
of local nonprofit organizations and the difference they are mak-
ing in the Dallas community.
For more information: Mia Mohr, 503-798-7847.
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