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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 2015)
10A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • August 12, 2015 Polk County News OBITUARIES James D. Anthony May 28, 1957 – Aug. 3, 2015 James D. Anthony, 58, of Monmouth died of cancer Aug. 3. He worked as a project scheduler at Bonneville Power Administration. James was in- volved in the lives of his family a n d friends, providing wisdom and care when needed. He was also a strong and stub- born man who loved his family and friends dearly. Survivors include his wife, son and daughter-in-law, stepdaughter, grandson, mother, three brothers, and large extended family. Wayne Kester March 12, 1959 – July 28, 2015 Celebration of life for Wayne Kester, 56, of Dallas is Wednesday (today) at noon at Trinity Lutheran Church, 320 SE Fir Villa Road in Dal- las. Contributions are sug- gested to James2 Communi- ty Kitchen in care of Boll- man Funeral Home in Dal- las, which handled arrange- ments. To send an online tribute: www.dallastribute.com. Virginia Vesper Feb. 19, 1924 – Aug. 3, 2015 Virginia Vesper, 91, of Dal- las died Aug. 3 in Dallas. She was born in Toledo, Ohio, to George and Beat- rice (Cook) Schooley. Virginia married Warren Vesper on May 4, 1940, in Y u m a , Ariz. War- ren and Virginia were recently fea- tured in the Itemizer-Observ- er for celebrating 75 years of marriage. They lived in Bur- bank, Calif., and later moved to Lake Tahoe, Nev., where they resided for 27 years. T h e y m ove d t o Pa l m Springs, Calif., and lived there for 12 years before set- tling in Dallas in 2013. She was an excellent seamstress. She made dress- es and clothing for her fami- ly. She also did needlepoint and shared her work with her family and grandchil- dren. Virginia was a wonder- ful hostess and cook. She enjoyed playing bingo, bridge, canasta and pinochle. Virginia and Warren had many fun camping trips with family and friends. She watched golf, tennis and baseball with Warren. Vir- ginia loved caring for her grandchildren and great- grandchildren. Always loving, faithful and kind, Warren and Virginia have been a perfect example of married love for all who have known them. Survivors include by her husband, Warren Vesper; daughters, Karen (Paul) Box and Linda (George) Potsic; 11 grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren. Service was Monday at the Dallas Retirement Vil- lage Chapel. Interment was at Bethel Cemetery. Contri- butions are suggested to Willamette Valley Hospice in care of Dallas Mortuary Trib- ute Center. To send an online tribute: www.dallastribute.com. Elden Ray McKinney Dec. 6, 1937 – Aug. 4, 2015 Elden Ray McKinney, 77, of Monmouth, and longtime Silverton resident, died of cancer Aug. 4 in Monmouth. He was born in Silverton to Azel Glenn McKinney and Sylvia Anna (Dick) McKin- ney. Elden attended school in Silverton, later serving in the Navy from 1959 to 1963. Upon his return to Silverton, he had various jobs until finding his career as a finish carpenter. In 1980, Elden married Virginia “Ginger” Neuling, who preceded him in death. Survivors include his sis- ters, Glenva Ann Smith of Monmouth and Elma Fay Pack of Salem; children, Susan Preston of Idanha, C a r r i e Thomas of Oregon City, Frank Preston of Salem, Brenda (Scott) Schulte of Hillsboro, Jim (Laurie) Pre- ston of Idanha and Rogue River; 10 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and a large extended family. Service is Saturday at 11 a.m. at Farnstrom Mortuary, 410 Monmouth St., Inde- pendence. To send an online tribute: www.FarnstromMortuary. com. Stefan Michael Ernst Dec. 11, 1978 – Aug. 7, 2015 Stefan Michael Ernst, 36, of Dallas died Friday in Dal- las. He was born in Salem to Michael Ernst and Jody An- derson. He grew up in Hillsboro where he attended high school and lived for many Salem 412 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97301 (503) 581-6265 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 Introducing BrainHearing ™ technology. Give your brain exactly what it needs to hear. Call now for your Free Trial. Joyful Sound Hearing 312 Main Street 503-623-0290 I N D A L L A S years. Stefan was a person that never met someone he didn’t like and ended up being friends with. He al- ways enjoyed spending time with friends and family. Ste- fan was a prankster and loved to get his family with his antics and have a good laugh. He was someone that loved the night life and looked forward to going to the next party and hanging out with his friends. Stefan never really liked to be alone and so he sur- rounded himself with peo- ple he liked, doing the things that he liked. Stefan was a person that didn’t judge. Survivors include his mother, Jody Anderson; fa- ther, Michael Ernst; son, Trenton Ernst; brother, Robert Plourd; grandparents Marvina and Ed Pohrman; and a large extended family. Private family service was held. Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center handled arrange- ments. To leave an online tribute: www.dallastribute. com. Joyce Eileen Frank Oct. 24, 1935 – July 30, 2015 Joyce Eileen Frank, 79, of Dallas died July 30 in Dallas. She was born in Wiley, Colo. She grew up on a farm and enjoyed horseback rid- ing in her youth and also trained horses. As a y o u n g a d u l t , J o y c e’s other in- terests in- cluded m u s i c , dancing, singing in a church choir and spending time with friends. She married young and had four children. A loving mother, Joyce spent years at home raising her kids. When circumstances re- quired it, she went back to work at Hewlett Packard and retired in the 1990s. She was a wonderful cook and created many needle- work projects over the years. Joyce and her husband moved to Oregon in 1995. There she enjoyed square dancing, gardening, and participating in an RV club. She also liked bird watching and feeding them in her yard. She was an avid reader all her life. Joyce was active in the Trinity Lutheran Church in Loveland, Colo., and in Dallas. She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Frank, and her son, Alan Wood. Survivors include her chil- dren, Jessica Hopkins of Salem, David Wood of Taco- ma, Wash., and Paul Wood of Loveland; and nine grand- children. Contributions are sug- gested to a charity of your choice. Josie Elizabeth Francis Feb. 13, 1929 – Aug. 7, 2015 Josie “Jo” Elizabeth Fran- cis, 86, of Salem died Friday in Salem after suffering a heart attack. She was born in Aztec, N.M., to Andrew and Mar- garet Tyler. Growing up, she and her older sister Molly were in- separable as kids and re m a i n e d close all of their lives. Molly pre- ceded her in death in December 2014. When they were younger, Molly played the guitar and they sang togeth- er. They cut a record and laughed at the notion that they were asked to go on tour. Jo grew up in the Dallas area where she met Donald Ray Francis. They were mar- ried on Jan. 9, 1947, in Van- couver, Wash. He preceded her in death on Jan. 25, 2002. Before she married, she and her sister worked at the Salem State Hospital. They were both very young and they talked about how scary that job was. For most of her life she raised her family and enjoyed cooking great meals and keeping her home immacu- late. When her children were older she worked as a maid in a motel, a waitress, and, ultimately, as a dietician for the Veteran’s Hospital in Roseburg. One of her proudest achievements was that she studied for and earned her GED. After retiring from the Vet- eran’s Hospital she moved to Salem to be closer to her family. She and her husband spent the next 10 years trav- eling to Arizona and across the United States before her husband’s stroke prevented them from traveling. For the next four years she devoted her life to taking care of her husband. After his death she spent her free time working in her yard, crocheting hundreds of doilies and afghans, watching old westerns on T V, traveling with her daughter and son-in-law and treasuring times with her daughter’s family. Everyone who knew her said she was an elegant lady. She was also preceded in death by her son, Dale LeRoy; and sisters, Pearl Mae Tyler Bowser and Molly Nora Tyler Goforth. Survivors include her sons, Donald Joe Francis of Bow, Wash., Michael Ray Francis of Brownsville; daughter, Linda “Lyn” Fran- cis Jobe (Bill) of Monmouth; brother, Andy (Peggy) Tyler; five grandsons; seven great- grandchildren; and extend- ed family. Me m o r i a l s e r v i c e i s Wednesday (today) at 11 a.m. at Faith Lutheran Church, 200 Monmouth In- dependence Highway in Monmouth. Contributions are sug- gested to Faith Lutheran Church in her memory. To send an online tribute: www.FarnstromMortuary. com. Leslie Kay Pedigo Wilson Nov. 9, 1953 – July 20, 2015 Leslie Kay Pedigo Wilson, 61, died July 20 in Mesa, Ariz., from complications of myotonic muscular dystro- phy. She was born to Alan L. and Betty L. Pedigo in Salem. She graduated from Cen- tral High School in Inde- pendence in 1971. She lived in Seattle for eight years a n d worked for Tr a v e l e r s Insurance Co. She returned to Salem and finished her working ca- reer with Oregon Cascade Plumbing. She enjoyed reading, fam- ily gatherings and playing board games with family. She was also quite a movie buff. She was baptized at the First Christian Church in Monmouth. She was preceded in death by her father, Alan L. Pedigo and brother, Steven A. Pedigo. Survivors include her sons, Christopher Svehaug and Kevin Wilson; mother, Betty (Ron) Kline; stepmoth- er, Patty (Jack) McElravy; sis- ters, Shirley (Rick) Davis, Lori (Rob) Coffman, Melinda (Mike) DeRochier; and ex- tended family. No service will be held. She was cremated in Mesa, and her ashes will be placed at Fir Crest Cemetery in Monmouth. Contributions are sug- gested to the Muscular Dys- trophy Association, 4800 SW Macadam No. 205, Portland, OR 97239. Farnstrom Mortuary in Independence handled arrangements. Eileen Holmes Dec. 17, 1927 – July 29, 2015 Eileen Holmes, 87, of Lib- erty Lake, Wash., and former longtime Dallas resident, died July 29 in Liberty Lake. Memorial service is Sept. 11 at 4 p.m. at Guardian Angel Homes, 23102 E. Mis- sion, Liberty Lake. Contributions are sug- gested to the American Can- cer Society at www.runfor- nana.com or to St. Jude Chil- dren’s Hospital. To send an online tribute: www.hennesseyfuneral- homes.com. Garland Bennie Roy ‘Ben’ Goforth until he joined the Army at the age of 17. He served in Germany during the Korean War. He played for the Army football team, was an expert marksman and received the Good Conduct Medal. He was chosen to drive his commanding officer be- cause of his sharp dress and keen attention to detail. When he left the Army, he fell in love with cooking and began a ca- reer that would last his lifetime. Ben had a God-given gift and whatever he did was done with excellence. He mar- ried his wife, Terry Slack on Nov. 12, 1974, and they raised three children togeth- er. He and Terry operated the Fireside Café in Sheridan from 1978-1981. On April 30, 1981, they opened the Fort Hill Restaurant, which they still own and operate today. In 1992, he opened the Arbor Inn Restaurant in McMinnville and operated it for eight years. He had a generous spirit and gave to the community in various ways. He loved sports and especially liked feeding the Willamina Bulldog football team before their games. He operated a concession stand at the Yamhill County Fair- grounds for many years and was very active with the 4-H horse program. In December of 1977, he committed his life to Jesus Christ. He was a recovering alco- holic and loved sharing his story of redemption. He was a member of the Sheridan Baptist Church. He was preceded in death by his son, Patrick Fortner. Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Terry of Willami- na; daughters, Julie Marston of Oceanside, Calif., Pamela Fortner of Lincoln City, Sarah (Josh) Jones of Salem, Oretha ( Jaron) Dunn of Willamina; son, John (Shelly) Goforth of McMin- nville; brother, Gene Go- forth of Louisville, Ky.; and five grandchildren. Service was Monday at the Sheridan Baptist Church. Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center handled arrange- ments. To send an online tribute: www.dallastribute. com. Leta Velma Watson Dec. 30, 1916 – Aug. 9, 2015 Leta Velma Watson, 98, of Dallas died Sunday in Dal- las. Viewing is Friday from 2 to 7 p.m. at Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center. Graveside service is Satur- day at 1 p.m. at Salt Creek Cemetery. To send an online tribute: www.dallastribute.com. Sept. 5, 1935 – Aug. 6, 2015 Garland Bennie Roy “Ben” Goforth, 79, of Willamina died Aug. 6 in Willamina. He was born at home in Howe, Texas, to Opal Mae Brannon and Sadler Garland Goforth. Ben left home at the age of 14 and worked odd jobs Fred Carlton Griffith May 24, 1925 – March 13, 2015 Memorial gathering for Fred Carlton Griffith, 89, of Dallas is Sunday at 1 p.m. at Oak Grove Grange, 2760 Oak Grove Road, Rickreall.