6A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 10, 2015
Polk County News
OBITUARIES
Charles ‘Chuck’
Henry Fitch
May 20, 1915 – June 4, 2015
Charles “Chuck” Henry
Fitch, 100, of Dallas, died
Thursday in Dallas.
He was born in San Fran-
cisco. His mother died when
he was 4 years old, and he
went to live with his elderly
grandmother in the Napa
Valley, Calif. When he was
12,
he
went to
live with
his aunt
Nan Fitch
Crary and
u n c l e
William H.
Crary in
Echo. They
were Mom and Dad Crary to
him. He celebrated his 12th
birthday on May 20, 1927,
on the train from Oakland to
Portland, and it was the
same day that Charles Lind-
bergh flew the Atlantic. That
event so impressed Chuck
that it shaped his future of
having a career in airlines.
Chuck graduated from
Echo High School in 1933
with honors. He was active
in school sports including
tennis, basketball and track.
During school and after
graduation he worked oper-
ating printing presses and
linotype in Will Crary’s
weekly newspaper, the Echo
News. Chuck was fascinated
by radio communication,
and he studied for and ob-
tained a ham radio license
and also an FCC commercial
radio operator license.
He met and dated Betty
Hawkins from Dallas, a
Willamette University grad-
uate, who was an English
t e a c h e r a t E c h o Hi g h
School. They were married
in 1937 in Dallas, just after
he was hired by United Air-
lines as a station agent in
Pendleton.
In 1939, Chuck was trans-
ferred by United to Salt Lake
City as a ground radio oper-
ator. In 1942, he was pro-
moted to chief radio opera-
tor and assigned to San
Francisco to work with Unit-
ed’s domestic operations
and their Pacific Military Air
Transport Command. Fol-
lowing the end of World War
II, he was transferred to
United’s headquarters in
Denver as director of system
air ground communications.
In 1948, the airlines ceased
operating their own air-to-
ground radio stations and
contracted with Aeronauti-
cal Radio Inc. (ARINC).
Chuck transferred from
United to ARINC as station
manager at San Francisco.
In 1950, he was transferred
to their headquarters in
Washington, D.C., as direc-
tor-operations. In 1968, he
was promoted to vice presi-
dent-operations and ARINC
headquarters was moved to
Annapolis, Md. He retired
from this position in Sep-
tember 1977, when his wife
Betty died of cancer.
After a consulting con-
tract with the United Na-
tions, he returned to Oregon
in 1979 and settled in Dallas.
In 1980, he married Veryl
Bratager, of Albany, original-
ly from Madison, S.D. Chuck
and Veryl moved to the Dal-
las Retirement Village in
2011. Veryl died in 2013.
Survivors include his sons,
David (Linda) of Reno, Nev.,
Michael (Jackie) of Clearville,
Pa., and Richard (Lin) of Cape
May, N.J.; stepdaughter, Ali-
son Warmann of Thousand
Oaks, Calif.; stepsons, Brian
Bratager and Mack Bratager,
both of Seattle; seven grand-
children; 14 great-grandchil-
dren; and three great-great-
grandchildren.
Jerry Lee
Blackwell
July 14, 1941 – May 17, 2015
Jerry Lee Blackwell, 73, of
Reno, Nev., formerly of Dal-
las died May 17.
He was born in Lewis,
Colo., to John Henry and
Lois Blackwell. In 1951, he
and his family moved to
Falls City and then to Valsetz
where he grew up. He later
Salem
412 Lancaster Drive NE
Salem, OR 97301
(503) 581-6265
moved to Dallas.
Jerry served in the Army
from 1960-1964 and was sta-
tioned in Germany from
1960-1963.
While liv-
ing in Dal-
las, he was
sworn in as
a member
of the Dal-
las City Po-
lice Re-
serves on
Se p t . 1 4 ,
1967, and
also served
as a Polk
County
Sheriff Reser ve Officer
through the late 1970s.
He had worked for Carl
May at the Texaco Station in
Dallas as a mechanic, and
later owned his own service
stations in Monmouth and
Independence. Jerry moved
to Reno in 1978.
He was preceded in death
by his brother, Patrick Leon
Blackwell.
Survivors include his wife
of 54 years, Doris (Chancel-
lor) Blackwell of Reno; son,
John R. Blackwell of Reno;
daughter, Deborah Gillett of
Dallas; and two grandsons
and one great-grandson.
At his request there will be
no formal service. Interment
will be at the Lower Falls
City Cemetery.
James Arthur
Lyons Jr.
July 15, 1928 – May 31, 2015
James Arthur Lyons Jr., 86,
of Dallas died May 31.
He was born in Chicago to
Madalin and James Lyons.
Jim grew up in the Chica-
go area and spent his sum-
mers in Minocqua, Wis. At
the age of 18, he and three
friends
traveled to
Alaska to
explore
w i t h
renowned
adventurer
S l i m
Wi l l i a m s.
After he
graduated
from Col-
o r a d o
A&M (Col-
orado State
University), he served in the
Army as a first lieutenant in
the Korean War and was
awarded a Bronze Star.
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I N D A L L A S
After his return from the
service, he met and married
Carol Schuldt. They lived in
Hinsdale, Ill., where Jim
worked as a manager at
Vaughn’s Seed Company. They
moved to Dewey, Ariz., in
1963, where they raised Dav-
enport Arabian horses, cattle
and sheep. Jim served on the
school board as well. They
moved to Barnett, Mo., in
1977, and to Oregon in 1989,
settling in Dallas in 1999.
Jim was interested in or-
ganic farming and soil con-
servation. He was a talented
wood carver for many years.
He was preceded in death
by his infant daughter,
Sarah, and his wife of 49
years, Carol.
Survivors include his son,
James (Sherrie) Lyons;
daughter, Diane (Ed) Lyons;
sister, Jean (Richard) Tyska;
two grandsons; and extend-
ed family.
Service was Saturday at Dal-
las Retirement Village Chapel.
Dallas Mortuary Tribute
Center handled arrange-
ments. To send an online
condolence: www.dallastrib-
ute.com.
Anita Janell
Crafton
April 29, 1928 – May 25, 2015
Anita Janell (Horton)
Crafton, 87, of Sheridan died
May 25.
She was born in Eugene
to Dale and Vineta Horton.
The family moved to Tole-
do, where she grew up and
graduated from Toledo High
School. She then attended
dental school in California
for a year.
She married Kelvin
Crafton in McMinnville on
June 28,
1952, and
t h e y
moved to
Vancouver,
Wash., in
1953. Anita
worked as
a health
nursing assistant at St.
Joseph Hospital in Vancou-
ver for 15 years.
Her interests included
cooking, knitting and cro-
cheting. Anita had cro-
cheted more than 100
afghans.
She was preceded in
death by her siblings,
George Horton in 2012, and
Larry Horton in 2003.
Survivors include her hus-
band, Kelvin Crafton of
Sheridan; children, Janell
(Crafton) Morris (Brian) of
Dallas, Doug Crafton (Beth)
of Spokane, Wash., Kenyon
Crafton of Scappoose and
Randy Crafton (Joann) of
Camas, Wash.; siblings, Dal-
ton Horton of McMinnville,
twin brother Arlin Horton of
Pensacola, Fla., and Mahlon
Horton and Danny Horton,
both of Montana; 11 grand-
children; and seven great-
grandchildren.
At her request, there will
be no service. Interment will
be in McMinnville.
Marlene Alice
Rose
Aug. 18, 1932 – June 4, 2015
Marlene Alice (Rein) Rose,
82, of Dallas died Thursday
in Dallas.
Marlene was born in Salt
Lake City to George Franz
Karl Rein Jr. and Alice Mar-
guerite Plewe.
She spent her childhood
in Oakland, Calif. Her family
later returned to Salt Lake
City, where she graduated
from South High School.
The family moved to Boise,
Idaho, where she attended
Boise Junior College (now
Boise State). There, Marlene
fell in love with Judd, who
was set to join the Air Force.
Judd and Marlene were
sealed in the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints
Salt Lake City Temple on
March 20, 1952. They lived
in Boise for eight years, then
moved to Livermore, Calif.
Marlene’s life was altered
by tragedy on July 4, 1966,
when she lost her husband,
father, sister and brother-in-
law in an airplane accident.
She raised four children on
her own, supporting her
family by providing beauti-
ful flowers for over 100 wed-
dings a year. She also did
daycare in her home. After
her children married, Mar-
lene moved to Dallas in
1988, and worked for vari-
ous departments for the
state of Oregon.
Marlene loved to keep up
with each child and grand-
child. She had a passion for
travel and history. She was a
faithful member of the LDS
Church, serving in many ca-
pacities. Marlene sang,
acted, and wrote original
scores and scripts, but was
most at home in the direc-
tor’s chair.
She was preceded in death
by her husband, Judson Har-
vey Rose Jr., and sister and
brother-in-law, Yvonne and
Richard Hardisty.
Survivors include her
children, Michael (Connie)
Rose of Plumas Lake, Calif.,
Rebecca (Craig) Kiser of
McMinnville, Tracy (Karen)
Rose of Richland, Wash.,
and Celeste (David) Lewis
of Alpine, Utah; sister,
Kathleen (Karl) Koenig, of
Costa Mesa, Calif.; 16
grandchildren; 24 great-
grandchildren; and extend-
ed family.
Open house and memori-
al was Sunday at her home.
Interment is Saturday at 11
a.m. at El Carmelo Cemetery
in Pacific Grove, Calif. Dallas
Mortuary Tribute Center
handled the local arrange-
ments. To send an online
condolence: www.dallastrib-
ute.com.
Phillip Drexler
Sperling
March 24, 1918 – June 3, 2015
~ Polk County’s ONLY Family Owned Funeral Homes ~
Phillip Sperling, 97, of In-
dependence died June 3.
He was born in Salem to
Herman and Odelia
(Drexler) Sperling.
Phillip attended Parker
School until he went to In-
dependence High School,
graduating in 1936. Phillip
had been the oldest gradu-
ate to attend the Independ-
ence all-classes reunions
each year.
Phillip married Delia
Moreland on Nov. 1, 1941, in
Independence. At that time,
he was a teller at the bank in
Independence. In 1944, they
moved out to their farm
south of Independence.
They had been married for
more than 64 years. Phillip
was a farmer most of his life.
He also was a mechanic who
worked on Ford Edsels,
diesel trucks and tractors.
Besides farming, he also did
some logging and electrical
work.
Phillip and Delia had a
habit of buying Ford Edsel
cars. He said it had been a
pleasurable addition, a poor
man’s hobby and a barrel of
fun to belong to the Edsel
Club. He had more than 60
Edsels on his Edsel Farm be-
hind the farm house. He was
a founding member of the
O re g o n C h a p t e r E d s e l
Owner Club and a member
of the Farmers Union and
Mary’s River Grange. He had
served as rural fire chief of
Polk County.
He was preceded in death
by his wife, Delia Sperling in
2006, and daughter, Kay Ann
Vre l l i n
2007.
Survivors
include his
daughters,
Marjorie
Ga r n e r
( Ve s ) o f
Va l e a n d
Marilyn
Boyer-Kern (Dennis) of Al-
bany; sons, Frank Sperling
(Anna) of Madras and Wen-
dell Sperling (Sherry) of In-
dependence; 10 grandchil-
dren; 21 great-grandchil-
dren; and five great-great-
grandchildren.
Celebration of life is Sun-
day at 2 p.m. at the Inde-
pendence Civic Center, 555
S. Main St.; entrance is in
the back. Phillip wanted a
casual celebration of life
with everyone wearing over-
alls or jeans and enjoying
food and visiting.
Contributions are sug-
gested to Independence
Gleaners, attention: Angie
Amos, 307 I St., Independ-
ence, OR 97351.
Farnstrom Mortuary in In-
dependence handled
arrangements. To send an on-
line condolence: www.Farn-
stromMortuary.com.
Robert C.
Patterson Jr.
Nov. 8, 1948 – June 6, 2015
The life of Robert C. Pat-
terson Jr., 66, of Independ-
ence will be celebrated at a
gathering at a later date.
Farnstrom Mortuary in In-
dependence handled arrange-
ments. To share an online con-
dolence: www.FarnstromMor-
tuary.com.
June Marie Smith
July 19, 1927 – June 6, 2015
June Marie Smith, 87, of
Sheridan died Saturday in
McMinnville.
She was born in Colorado
Springs, Colo.
Viewing is Tuesday from 2
to 6 p.m. at Dallas Mortuary
Tribute Center. Graveside
service is June 17 at 10 a.m.
at Salt Creek Cemetery in
Dallas. To send an online
condolence: www.dallastrib-
ute.com.
Judy Jo Wood
July 26, 1946 – June 4, 2015
Judy Jo Wood, 68, of Dal-
las died Thursday.
She was born in Lakeview
to Albert and Ona Burgess.
Judy married Turney
Wood on April 12, 1986, in
Dallas.
Judy was a homemaker,
and was known for baby sit-
ting and cooking the best
meals in town for her family.
She loved church and God.
Her pas-
sions were
g a r a g e
sales and
spending
time with
her grand-
kids. Al-
w a y s
happy, always loving, she
had a beautiful smile and a
good sense of humor. She
was preceded in death by
her brother, Calvin Burgess.
Survivors include her hus-
band, Turney; children,
Leslie, Sheila, Ray, Shannon
and Tim; brother, Ardyth;
twin brother, John; sister,
June; 11 grandchildren; and
six great-grandchildren.
G ra v e s i d e s e r v i c e i s
Wednesday (today) at 2 p.m.
at Dallas Cemetery.
Farnstrom Mortuary in In-
dependence handled
arrangements. To send an on-
line condolence: www.Farn-
stromMortuary.com.