10A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • August 5, 2015
Polk County News
OBITUARIES
Lucille Irene
Derksen
Nov. 29, 1925 – July 26, 2015
Lucille Irene Derksen, 89,
of Salem, formerly of Dallas,
died July 26 in Salem.
She was born in Bristol,
Colo., to Charles M. and Hila
Edwina Mitchell Headding.
Lucille was a self-made
woman, teaching herself to
read and write. She was a
prolific writer of poetry and
a reader.
She was
artistic in
making
and col-
lecting
dolls. She
was
a
p ra ye r
warrior and a member of the
Pentecostal Church of God
Harvest of Praise in Keizer.
She married Lester E. Hull
on Aug. 23, 1943, and he
preceded her in death on
March 5, 1956.
For a time she was by her-
self until she met and mar-
ried Menno Hiebert on Jan.
16, 1971.
He died on May 14, 1976.
Lucille married Leonard
Derksen on Nov. 6, 1979.
They lived on the Bottle
Ranch in Dallas for many
years.
He preceded her death on
Aug. 9, 1998.
She was preceded in
death by her sons, Jerry
Allan Hull and Michael
David Hull; daughter, Lois
Lee Hull Mead; and broth-
ers, Lloyd, Ed, Melvin and an
infant brother.
Survivors include her
daughter, Dawn Hull (Phil
Smith) of Salem; son, Jeff
Hull of Spokane, Wash.; 12
grandchildren; 33 great-
grandchildren; and six great-
great-grandchildren.
Graveside service was July
29 at Salt Creek Cemetery in
Dallas.
Dallas Mortuary Tribute
Center handled arrange-
ments. To leave an online
tribute: www.dallastribute.
com.
Anthony Ferdinand
Eisele
May 21, 1920 – July 28, 2015
Anthony F. Eisele, 95, of
Sheridan died July 28 in
Sheridan.
He was born to Joseph
and Anna Eisele in Buell.
Anthony graduated from
Sheridan High School. He
married the love of his life,
Marie Vincent, on May 4,
1946.
Anthony joined the Navy
on Jan. 14, 1942, at the age of
22, and was stationed at
Ka n e h o e Ba y A i r s t r i p,
Hawaii, as a machinist mate
3rd Class for three years.
Anthony and his brother,
Stanley, and their spouses
along with Herman and
Anna En-
dres oper-
ated E & E
O rc h a rd s
f o r m o re
than 50
years and
provided
a p p l e
cider, ap-
ples, pears,
plums and
strawber-
ries, all
over the
Willamette Valley.
They were the top Oregon
strawberry growers for sev-
eral years. Anthony was an
award-winning farmer and
master gardener.
Anthony had a wide range
of practical hands-on skills,
an incredible work ethic,
and strong Christian faith.
Although Anthony had
limited opportunity to pur-
sue higher education, he
was a lifelong learner and an
enthusiastic reader in sub-
jects ranging from history to
physics to law.
ARLIN SAUL SCHWANKE
aka Roo, Arlie, Schwankinator
Sept. 13, 1996 - July 30, 2015
Arlin Saul Schwanke, 18, of Monmouth
died Thursday as a result of a car accident.
From day one, Arlin was all boy and de-
veloped into a fine young man. He loved
farming, trucks, and America. As a young
child, he enjoyed riding on farm equipment
with his dad! Arlin evolved from working
on Tonka trucks to beefing up his tuff
trucks! He was the kind of son that would
make sure his mom’s car was in running order before his own.
Arlin was the best son a parent could ask for. When he was 3 1/2
years old he prayed with his dad to commit his heart to Christ. He
was always happy to help others. He grew into a man who spoke
his mind with compassion and conviction and had found the free-
dom to be his own person. Arlin was tender, caring and protective
of his sisters. He was a big brother, through and through, and was
the definition of “brother.” He enjoyed all things outdoors—four-
wheeling, shooting, fishing, swimming, camping, and more four-
wheeling! There are no words to properly express the son, brother,
nephew, grandson and friend that he was, or how much he meant
to those who knew him.
In high school, Arlin played football for Kings Valley/Falls City
with his best friends Bo and Tristan. He was chosen to play in the
Oregon All Stars 1A football game this year in La Grande. Upon
graduation from high school this year he earned a full scholarship
to the John Deere mechanic program. Arlin chose to serve his
country by joining the Marines and he and Bo were due to enlist
on Aug. 5.
Arlin was very outgoing and brought a smile to everyone’s face.
He was the life of the party, never missing an opportunity to put
his four-wheeling skills or his strength to the test! He was always
kind, and a born leader.
He was preceded in death by his sister, Jewell Newland and
grandfather, James Lewis.
Survivors include his mother, Jennifer Murphy and stepfather,
Joel Lanford; father, Eric Schwanke; sisters, Katie Schwanke and
Angel Church; stepmother, Suzie Wutzke; grandmother, Paula
Lewis; grandparents, Howard and Hannah Schwanke; and numer-
ous aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Viewing was Sunday, Aug. 2 at Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center.
Service was Tuesday, Aug. 4 at First Baptist Independence.
To send an online tribute: www.dallastribute.com.
He enjoyed polka and old
time country music. He
loved adventure, the out-
doors, camping and fishing.
He also enjoyed traveling,
dancing, playing pinochle,
spending time with family
and tending to his large gar-
den.
Anthony supported edu-
cation and community serv-
ice of all types, and included
his active and long involve-
ment in the Buell Grange
and St. Michael’s Catholic
Church in Grand Ronde. He
served as the Buell Grange
Grand Master and was in-
strumental in establishing
the Buell Park as a county
park.
The Buell Grange was
awarded second place in the
national community service
contest conducted by the
National Grange, and An-
thony and Marie traveled to
New York to receive the
$5,000 award.
He was preceded in death
by his wife, Marie, and sister,
Dorothy Clark.
Survivors include his chil-
dren, Thomas (Susan) of Al-
bany, Gerald (Rosie) of
Grand Ronde, Ann (Rod) As-
pillaga of Salem, Dolores
(Richard) Carmichael of La
Grande, and Pamela (Ken)
Reid of Portland; siblings, Is-
abelle Goosen, Stanley Eise-
le, Rosemary DeJong, Jean
Eisele, and JoAnne Veness;
16 grandchildren; and 18
great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial
was Saturday followed by a
reception, all at St. Michael’s
Catholic Church. Graveside
service was at St. James
Cemetery in McMinnville.
Contributions are sug-
gested to St. Michael’s
Catholic Church in care of
Dallas Mortuary Tribute
Center, which handled
arrangements,
To send an online tribute:
www.dallastribute.com.
Steve Waller
Nov. 30, 1945 – June 26, 2015
Celebration of life for
Steve Waller, 69, will be held
on Saturday at 2125 Mistle-
toe Road, Dallas.
Open house and celebra-
tion begins at noon with a
commemoration and
potluck supper from 4 to 7
p.m. Guests are welcome to
bring a favorite potluck dish
and instruments to join in
the bluegrass musical trib-
utes to Steve.
Contributions are sug-
gested to the Oregon Blue-
grass Association, Oregon
Public Broadcasting, or the
Sierra Club.
Robert ‘Bob’ J.
Hansen
Nov. 29, 1945 – July 25, 2015
Robert “Bob” J. Hansen,
69, of Sheridan, and former
longtime
Dallas resi-
dent, died
July 25.
He was
born in
To m a h ,
Wis., to
Robert L.
and Leah F.
(Street)
Hansen.
Bob had
served as a
corporal
reserve in the U.S. Marine
Corps and worked as an
auto-body mechanic.
He moved to southern
Oregon and lived there for
some time, and eventually
returned to live in Sheridan.
Bob loved anything and
everything that had to do
with the outdoors. Most of
all, he loved his family and
friends.
Celebration of life was
Sunday at the Dallas City
Park.
Deborah Lynn
‘Samantha’
Pearson
April 23, 1958 – July 15, 2015
Deborah Lynn “Saman-
tha” Pearson, 57, of Dallas,
died July 15 of complica-
tions of her second battle
with cancer.
She was born in Encino,
Calif., to Michael and Ma-
dine Olson.
WAYNE KESTER
March 12, 1959 - July 28, 2015
Wayne Kester, 56, of Dallas, Oregon
died on Tuesday, July 28, in Salem Hospi-
tal.
Wayne was born on March 12, 1959 in
Dallas, the son of Wes and Elsie Kester.
Wayne graduated from Dallas High
School in 1977. After graduation he at-
tended Western Oregon State College in
Monmouth where he aspired to be a his-
tory professor. He was very knowledgeable in Civil War his-
tory. Wayne later worked for Valley Rolling Mills and
VicWest Steel in sales for many years. Wayne was an avid
sports fan. He coached youth baseball in Dallas for many
years.
In 2005 Wayne suffered from kidney failure. He went on
dialysis for five years and got the phone call in 2009 to receive
a kidney transplant. This changed his life forever. The trans-
plant was successful and he had renewed health. He took a
trip of a lifetime and drove to Texas for Thanksgiving that
same year with his family. With his renewed health, this in-
spired Wayne to give back to others. He began volunteering
at JAMES2 Community Kitchen at the Dallas United
Methodist Church where his passion for cooking was able to
help provide dinners for the community. He was passionate
about giving and helping others. Wayne also helped at Stoller’s
Corn Stand at Rickreall for many years. Wayne enjoyed fish-
ing with family and friends at Olalla Lake and watching base-
ball. He also enjoyed attending Portland Winter Hawks
Hockey with his son Taylor.
He is survived by his wife, Terie; son, Taylor; daughter
Neka; father, Wesley (Marie); brothers, Wes, Warren and
Wyatt; stepsisters, Terri and Tamie; grandchildren, Abby,
Titus, Zed and Alakai; and also his pug dog, Max. He was
preceded in death by his mother, Elsie, in 1977.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Wednesday,
August 12 at noon in Trinity Lutheran Church on Fir Villa
Rd., Dallas. Memorial contributions may be made to JAMES2
Community Kitchen in care of Bollman Funeral Home in Dal-
las who is caring for the family. To leave an online condolence
for the family go to www.dallastribute.com
Samantha grew up in Ojai
and Ventura, Calif., and
graduated from Buena High
School in 1974, at the age of
16.
She attended Ventura Col-
lege, attaining an associate
degree in paralegal studies
in 1976.
She married Daniel Pear-
son in 1985 in Santa Maria,
Calif.
They lived in Santa Maria
and in Medford prior to
moving to Dallas in 1993.
Samantha worked for 13
years as an educational aide
in Dallas School District, fol-
lowing her 10 years as a ded-
icated volunteer in the
schools.
In her educational work,
she touched the lives of
hundreds of children in Dal-
las, many of whom contin-
ued to stay in touch with
her. Prior to her work in the
schools, Samantha worked
as a paralegal and book-
keeper.
After her children were
born, she was a full-time
mother and homemaker,
work to which she dedicated
the passion and intelligence
she brought to all things in
her life.
She loved her garden, her
books and her pets, and she
was a tal-
e n t e d
writer and
had com-
pleted two
novels.
She was
smart and
funny and
beautiful and always a lov-
ing and devoted wife, moth-
er and friend.
She was preceded in
death by her brother, Scott
Olson.
Survivors include her hus-
band of 30 years, Daniel
Pearson of Dallas; sons,
Trace Pearson (fiancee, Jes-
sica Link) of Corvallis and
Taylor Pearson of Independ-
ence; daughter, Anusha
Hoda of Monmouth; step-
daughter, Jennifer (Nathan)
McLucas of Vancouver,
Wash.; stepson, Joshua Berry
of Clackamas; brother,
Michael Olson of Portland;
and five grandchildren.
Service is Saturday at 10
a.m. at Trinity Lutheran
Church, 320 SE Fir Villa
Road, Dallas.
Dallas Mortuary Tribute
Center handled arrange-
ments. To send an online
tribute: www.dallastribute.
com.
Salem
NEWS
IN
BRIEF
Additional staff
added to district
attorney’s office
POLK COUNTY — Polk
County District Attorney
Aaron Felton announced Fri-
day the hiring of three new
criminal prosecutors and
two staff people as a result
of the passage of the public
safety levy in May.
New attorney’s hired are:
Gary Nelson, from the Kauai,
Hawaii, prosecuting attor-
ney’s office, where he han-
dled domestic violence and
complex property crimes.
Bradley Weyer, from the
Marion County DA’s Office,
where he worked as a clerk
during law school and a full-
time deputy in the misde-
meanor section.
Matthew Wilson, from
Willamette University. He
completed his third year
clerkship with the Marion
County DA’s Office.
Legal assistant Holly
Smith and office specialist
Katie Brown also will start
this month.
Transit changes
will affect West
Salem riders
SALEM — Starting Sept.
8, all bus routes will be
changing in Salem and Keiz-
er. West Salem will experi-
ence sweeping changes, ac-
cording to Allan Pollock,
general manager of Cher-
riots.
Several West Salem routes
will be discontinued on
Sept. 8 because of low rider-
ship, Pollock said in a press
release. The West Salem
Connector pilot project will
fill the gap those cuts create
with more efficient service
tailored to the area.
The West Salem connec-
tor was launched on June 1
to give current riders time to
transition to the new serv-
ice.
Indy’s drinking
water gets OK
INDEPENDENCE — The
city of Independence re-
leased its annual drinking
water quality report for
2014.
The report shows Inde-
pendence’s drinking water is
safe and meets federal and
state requirements.
The city uses ground
water, with seven wells to
draw from.
All samples tested within
acceptable levels of contam-
inants for things such as flu-
oride, nitrate, selenium, cop-
per, lead and tri-
halomethanes, according to
the report.
Find the full report online
at ci.independence.or.us.
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