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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (May 20, 2015)
6A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 20, 2015 Polk County News OBITUARIES Kim Briggs Westlund Aug. 27, 1952 – April 17, 2015 Kim Briggs Westlund, 62, of Houston, formerly of Monmouth, died April 17 after enduring a tough battle associated with a rare form of cancer. She was born to Harold and Deloris Briggs in Mon- mouth. Kim at- tended Central H i g h School and gradu- ated in 1970, and went on to attend Oregon College of Education. Kim’s early years were spent on the family farm with her siblings, farm animals and cats and dogs. Kim married Samuel Dean Waters in 1974. He died in 1988. Her marriage to him left her with a family, and an amazing knowledge of love. In September 1985, Kim moved to Texas seeking a new outlook on life and went to work at the Houston Northwest Medical Center. There she met several friends and established her work career. In 2001, Kim married William Westlund, the love of her life, a man truly de- voted to her, and who re- lentlessly stood beside her during her illness. Kim and Bill remained in Texas and visited family in Oregon and Minnesota throughout the years. She always made it a point to attend the annual Briggs family reunion. Kim loved gardening, reli- gion, genealogy, grandchil- dren and arguments. She was preceded in death by her father, Harold. Survivors include her hus- band, Bill; mother and step- father, Deloris and Emmett; children, Misty Dawn, Samuel Slade, twins Jason and Joshua; stepdaughter, Jolyn Waters Shollenburg and with her marriage to Bill, it extended her family to include, Billy, Steven, Jack and Michelle; siblings, Bette Procknow, Jan Oar, Carol Eddy, Darrel Volesky, Dawn Monagon and Debbie Rib- ble; and numerous grand- children. Celebration of life is planned to take place in Au- gust, close in time to the family reunion. Details of the celebration of life will be announced through Farnstrom Mortu- ary in Independence. To send an online condolence: www.FarnstromMortuary.- com. Integrity Funeral Care of Houston handled arrange- ments. Ashley Lawrence June 3, 1961 – May 8, 2015 Ashley Lawrence, 53, of Dallas died May 8 in Salem. She was born in Newport Beach, Calif., to Thomas Callahan and Rita Corbett. Ashley attended high school in California and later worked in publishing, graphic design, and real es- tate in new sales. She moved to Battle- ground, Wash., where she also worked in real estate. She moved to Dallas in Oc- tober 2013. Ashley loved the out- doors, flowers, animals, and wearing baseball hats. Survivors include her son, Sean McIntyre and sister, Denise Rothwell. Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center handled arrange- ments. To send an online condolence: www.dallastrib- ute.com. Charles Howard Wilson Sept. 29, 1925 – April 28, 2015 Charles Howard Wilson, 89, of Monmouth died April 28. He was born in Ellens- burg, Wash., to Charles and Bertha Wilson. Howard completed high school and attended college in Pendleton. While in high Floral Tributes for your loved ones from.. Robert ‘Bob’ Leroy Phillips Heartstrings Florist & Artisans 503-831-1410 137 SW Court St, Dallas www.heartstringsflorist.com Introducing BrainHearing ™ technology. Give your brain exactly what it needs to hear. Call now for your Free Trial. Joyful Sound Hearing Salem 412 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97301 (503) 581-6265 312 Main Street 503-623-0290 I N D A L L A S Low Cost Cremation & Burial Funerals & Memorials Simple Direct Cremation $495 Simple Direct Burial $550 Traditional Funeral $1,975 Discount priced Caskets, Urns and other Memorial items. Privately owned cremation facility. Locally owned and operated by Oregon families. www.ANewTradition.com school he enlisted in the Navy during World War II and saw combat action in the South Pacific on a de- stroyer escort. Howard married Phyllis Ettles in Ellensburg, Wash., on June 20, 1948. They lived i n Wa s h - ington, Oregon and Alas- ka. Over a 50 year-ca- reer his ex- periences included farming, equipment o p e r a t o r, airport m a n a g e r, construc- tion superintendent, air- plane mechanic, flight in- structor, fire chief, building inspector, and city manager and mayor of Manzanita. Upon retirement Howard and Phyllis moved to Mon- mouth Howard was known for his generosity, volunteerism and work ethic. They became active with the Monmouth Senior Cen- ter and First Christian Church. One of his favorite activities was participating in the Wii bowling tourna- ments at the senior center. He was passionate about fly- ing. He built and flew various single engine aircrafts and shared his enthusiasm through flight instruction. Howard was skilled in me- chanics and could fix just about any mechanical de- vice. Howard also enjoyed deer hunting and being out- doors. He was preceded in death by his wife, Phyllis in 2008. Survivors include his son, Gary (Charlotte) Wilson; daughter, Cyndie Greiner; five grandchildren; Michelle Greiner; and three great- grandchildren. Memorial celebration is June 1 at 11 a.m. at Mon- mouth Christian Church. Contributions are sug- gested to Willamette Valley Hospice. Farnstrom Mortuary han- dled arrangements. To send an online condolence: www.FarnstromMortuary.- com. RECYCLE A little effort. A big difference. Feb. 7, 1942 – May 6, 2015 R o b e r t “ B o b” L e r o y Phillips Jr., 73, of Independ- ence died May 6 following a c o u ra - geous bat- tle against cancer. He was born to Robert Sr. and Rhoda Phillips in Water- town, S.D. in 1942. Bob gra- duated from North Salem High School in 1960. He then served his country in the Army Reserves and continued to work for Cen- tral School District for 22 years. He later married the love of his life, Clara Case on Aug. 7, 1970. Bob enjoyed his fishing, camping trips, the sports he played and spending time with his grandchildren. Bob had a big heart for the Inde- pendence community, help- ing kids during his service with Central School District and always reaching out to help whoever he could. His biggest joy was making memories with his family. Survivors include his wife, Clara Phillips; sister, Connie Mae; children, Julie DenBeste, Laura (Chad) Freeborn, and Casey (Carrie) Phillips; and five grandchil- dren. Farnstrom Mortuary in Independence handled arrangements. To send an online condolence: www.FarnstromMortuary.- com. Barry Lafayett Roberts Feb. 8, 1955 – May 14, 2015 Barry Lafayett Roberts, 60, of Monmouth died Thurs- day after four years of wins and losses with colon can- cer. He was born in Burlingame, Calif., to Her- bert and Rhonda Roberts. He grew up in Falls City on Sample Ro a d f o r most of his life. He spent his youth working alongside his father at the family farm and family roof- ing business. Barry was a 4-H member and showed Milking Short- horn cattle in the 4-H pro- gram. Fast cars began as a hobby for Barry and his fa- ther, but soon grew into a passion that would last his lifetime. He achieved Journeyman status, and continued build- ing his career as “The Door- man.” For the past 40 years, Barry prided himself on his unparalleled work ethic for the sake of his customers. The only things that could pry Barry from his work were his family and friends, going on camping trips, mo- torcycle rallies, farming and his passion for drag racing. The only object of affection outside of Barry’s wife, kids and his granddaughter Ophelia, was his ’62 Nova. In 2012, Barry won his long sought after award in drag racing, the Wally Parks trophy, a coveted award and accomplishment he had worked toward for 40 years. He was a force to be dealt with on the track ,while maintaining grace and sportsmanship off the track. Barry was a man of quiet character with comedic ten- dencies. All who knew him were blessed with valuable life lessons. He was preceded in death by his brother, Dennis. Survivors include his wife of 30 years, Laurie; daugh- ters, Jessica (partner Bran- don) and Jacquelyn; son, Jake; and one granddaugh- ter. Celebration of his life and service with a hot rod/mo- torcycle cruise-in was Sun- day at the Polk County Fair- grounds & Event Center. Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center handled arrange- ments. To send an online condolence: www.dallastrib- ute.com. John Whad Haney May 2, 1950 – May 12, 2015 John Whad Haney, 65, of Independence died May 12. Whad is what his loved ones and friends called him. He was born in Ontario to Alvin and Melba Haney. John was raised in Nyssa and right after high s c h o o l joined the Air Force. He served from 1968 to 1972. He drove for Hori- zon Trans- port, deliv- ering mo- tor homes across the United States and Canada for 12 years. John covered more than 871,000 miles without an accident, a great accomplishment. John lived for family re- unions that took place every summer. His favorite spot was always at beautiful Wal- lowa Lake. Whad also loved to fish and being outside on the river. His big smile was one his greatest and most memorable traits. John was the teddy bear of the family, and always gave the best, never-ending hugs. Not a single minute would go by that he wouldn’t crack a joke just to hear everyone’s laughter. John married Louinda Timmons and they had four children, Allen (Lori) Haney, Kimberly (Charles) Andre, Wendy (Jerry) Haney and Matthew Haney. He later di- vorced and married Darline Hunter which included stepchildren, Louie (Sheri) Hunter and Dawn Hunter. John came from a big family that included his brothers, Claire (Marlene) Haney, Steve (Kate) Haney, Mark (Cindy) Haney, and Russell (Robin) Haney; sis- ters, Gail (Jubal) Miller and Vicki (Ron) Hess; eight grandchildren; two great- grandchildren; and large ex- tended family. He was pre- ceded in death by his sister, Carol and her husband, Samuel Fluestch. Private service will be at Willamette National Ceme- tery. Farnstrom Mortuary in Independence handled arrangements. To send an on- line condolence: www.Farn- stromMortuary.com. Melvin ‘Mel’ Wesley Harms July 4, 1926 – May 16, 2015 Mel Harms, 88, of Dallas died Saturday in Salem. He was born in Fairbury, Neb., on the family farm to Peter and Anna Harms. At a very young age, Mel went to work for various farmers in the Paxton, Neb., area and finished school around the sixth grade. Mel ac- c e p t e d Jesus as his Savior and was bap- tized Sept. 29, 1940. While attending the Pax- ton Mennonite Brethren Church, Mel met the love of his life, Anne Buller, and after a year of courtship they were married. A few months after their wedding they decided to serve their country through alternative service with the Mennonite Central Commit- tee. They worked as a nurse and aide in several mental health hospitals in Virginia and Ohio for two years. They returned to Paxton to farm and then moved to Madrid, Neb., where Mel was em- ployed by the John Deere Co. In 1953, they moved to Dallas, their home for the re- mainder of their lives. In 1960, Anne and Mel created a company together called Orchard View Landscaping, which became well known in the Willamette Valley. Mel took great pride in growing and planting lawns, trees and shrubs, for area homes and businesses. Mel and Anne worked hard together in this business until their retirement. Mel and Anne were in- volved in the Salem Heights Baptist Church, ministering with the youth group and also a Sunday school class for adults. Other churches that they helped were Chris- tian Missionary Alliance Churches in Dallas and Salem, and Faith Evangelical Free Church in Dallas. They were members of First Bap- tist Church in Salem, and Mel later attended Grace Baptist Church in Dallas. He was preceded in death by his wife, Anne; siblings Herb Harms, Lee Harms, Irene Harms Sperling, Mer- lin Harms and Eldon Harms. Survivors include his son, Lindsey Jay Harms of Salem; daughter, Laurie Harms of Dallas; and brothers, Dale Harms of Arkansas City, Kan., and Jerry Harms of Madrid, Neb. Me m o r i a l s e r v i c e i s Wednesday (today) at Grace Baptist Church at 2 p.m. Contributions are sug- gested to Union Gospel in Salem. Virgil T. Golden Fu- neral Service in Salem han- dled arrangements. Nicholas ‘Nick’ A. Stephens June 30, 1980 – May 12, 2015 Ni c h o l a s “Ni c k” A . Stephens, 34, of Dallas died May 12 in Salem. He was born in Dallas and attended Dallas schools. He later earned and received his GED. Nick had worked for 15 years primarily as a glazier (window installer). He enjoyed playing the guitar with friends, w o o d working, drawing and writ- ing. He loved teas- ing and playing with his niece, Gra- cie. Nick struggled during is short life and always showed a brave face when facing his challenges. Nick had a con- tagious smile that would lift you up when you were down. Survivors include his mother, Christine “Tina” Lockwood and his brother, Nathan Stephens. Celebration of his life and potluck is Saturday at 1 p.m. at 266 SW Ash St., in Dallas. Contributions are sug- gested to research for de- pression. Keizer Funeral Home handled arrangements.