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6A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • September 23, 2015 Polk County News Seattle man takes over Hayward Ford Workshop to Davenport plans to invest in facilities, dealership, now named Capital Ford By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Selling cars wasn’t Jeff Davenport’s first career choice. The new owner of Capital Ford in Dallas, formerly Joe Hayward Ford, aspired to be an opera singer growing up. “I learned from a very young age to sing. I studied music. It was something that came to me,” Davenport said. “Then I looked at the economics of it. To be very successful, you have to be in the top 0.2 percent in the world.” Those discouraging odds forced him to look elsewhere for gainful employment. A friend recommended the automotive industry, and there, Davenport found a second dream job. “I tried it out and I ex- celled at it, enjoyed it,” he said. “It’s probably the one job that I’ve been able to get up and look forward to going to each day. There’s never two days that are the same. That’s what really makes it exciting.” Davenport spent the ma- jority of his career in the Seattle area, working in all aspects of the industry, from sales to finance, since the JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer Jeff Davenport runs the new Capital Ford in Dallas. 1980s. When Joe Hayward, want- ing to retire after more than 40 years, put his business on the market, Davenport and his wife, Dee, decided to make the move to Dallas. They took over the business on Aug. 28. “This opportunity pre- sented itself and we had to take advantage of it,” Daven- port said. “This is an out- standing group of people that’s here. When we looked at the opportunity and talked to a few of the people involved in the process … everybody knows these guys. There’s an outstanding foundation of employees here at the dealership al- ready. Nothing but opportu- nity.” For now, the only differ- ence in the business is the name. Davenport is keeping the team of employees Joe Hayward had on board. “These people are assets to the community,” he said. Changes will be coming, though, mostly at the dealer- ship’s facilities and service department. “We are going to make some substantial invest- ments into the facilities,” Davenport said. “We are looking to enhance the exte- rior of the facilities and the showroom.” The service department’s equipment will be upgraded to “state-of-the-art tools,” he added. “I’m hoping in the next 90 days, people will see some visible changes here and know that this isn’t just a blip in the pan,” Davenport said. “This is a real invest- ment into Dallas, Ore., and the surrounding communi- ties.” Once settled — Daven- port and his wife are still in the process of moving — the couple plans to get to know their new home. “What is most important is investing in the communi- ty here,” he said. “We want to be a community partner and do what we can to sup- port initiatives to move Dal- las ahead.” He may even decide to sing again. In 2011, 30 years after leaving the possibility of a career in opera behind him, Davenport auditioned for and joined the Kirkland Choral Society. “It’s strictly is a hobby thing. I might find some- thing in the area once we get the organization moving in the right direction,” Daven- port said. help business Connect 2 Oregon event aims to get local businesses in touch with agencies By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer POLK COUNTY — When a gover nment agency needs a service — catering or landscaping, for exam- ple — employees use a pre- ferred provider list. That list is lacking in b u s i n e s s e s f ro m Po l k County. Government employees must open a phone book or open bidding, said Chelsea Metcalfe, director of the Dallas Area Chamber of Commerce. “They’d rather work with a business who’s already a preferred provider,” she said. Metcalfe and Jean Love, director of the Monmouth- Independence Chamber of Commerce, have teamed up to provide a free open house where businesses throughout the county may come and learn how to get on one of those lists. The event, Connect 2 Oregon, is at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Independ- ence Event Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. “It’s a great way for busi- nesses, (chamber) mem- bers or not, to get connect- ed beyond here, Polk County,” Love said. “There’s a system to get on the ap- proved contract list. This event will explain how that process works.” The hope is that the event, which features wine tastings from area vine- yards as well as light appe- tizers, will be both fun and expand the reach of local business owners, Love said. “It’s a new concept for people to think beyond a certain target audience,” Love noted. Me t c a l f e s a i d m o re workshops on how to work with state and federal agencies could follow this one. “I can’t impress how not complicated it really is for our small businesses want- ing to go through the process,” she said. For more information: micc-or.org or dallasore- gon.org. OBITUARIES Lynn Chester Cook Aug. 27, 1946 – Sept. 14, 2015 Lynn Chester Cook, 69, of Monmouth, died Sept. 14 in Salem. He was born to Chester and Lola Cook in Kalispell, Mont. Lynn served in the Army and Oregon Army National Guard for more than 34 years. He mar- ried Verna Jean Row- ton in Independence on Jan. 16, 1985. Lynn enjoyed hiking, art work and reading. Survivors include his wife, Verna Jean Cook, of Mon- mouth; children, Michelle Poole and Hope Guenther, both of Dallas, Jeremy Wright, of Falls City, Jason Wr i g h t a n d Ca s s a n d ra Rooke, both of Monmouth, and Jennifer Urwin, of Ephrata, Wash.; 23 grand- children; and one great- grandchild. Celebration of life was Saturday at Cornerstone Church of God in Independ- ence. Farnstrom Mortuary in Independence handled arrangements. To send an online tribute: www.FarnstromMortuary. com. Ina Mae Penney Sept. 20, 1926 – Sept. 13, 2015 Ina Mae Penney, 88, of Dallas, died Sept. 13 in Dal- las. She was born in Ree Heights, S.D., to Walter and Hulda Lowrie. Ina grew up in Hubbard and graduated from Hub- bard High School in 1944. She worked for her uncle, who started Lowrie’s Market in Aurora. She married George Pen- ney on July 18, 1948, in Hub- bard. They moved to Mon- Salem 412 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97301 (503) 581-6265 mouth and later settled on a small farm north of Dallas. Ina was a seasonal worker for Schellenberg Prune Dryer. She also was a baby sitter caring for children. Ina and George raised five sons. Ina was a member of the Dallas First Christian Church. She also belonged to the Rickreall Grange and en- joyed the Thursday potluck dinners. Ina was an avid sports fan and fol- lowed the Portland Trail Blaz- ers, Seattle Se a h a w k s, a n d Se a t t l e Mariners. She especially enjoyed following her nephew, Jed Lowrie, a professional base- ball player who plays for the Houston Astros. She was preceded in death by her husband, George, on June 24, 2010; son, Douglas Shane Penney on Aug. 18, 2015; and nine siblings. Survivors include her chil- dren, David, Steve, Calvin and Ross Penney. Service was Saturday at the Dallas First Christian Church, and interment was at Restlawn Memory Gar- dens. Contributions are sug- gested to Ross Penney for the Ina Penney Memorial Fund in care of Dallas Mor- tuary Tribute Center, which handled arrangements. To send an online tribute: www.dallastribute.com. Lorraine Kelley Lorenz July 25, 1921 – Sept. 18, 2015 Lorraine Kelley Lorenz, 94, of Waxhaw, N.C., former- ly of Dallas, died Friday in Waxhaw. She was born in Putnam County, Mo., to Emery Kel- ley and Faye Wilkins. Lorraine and her family moved from Iowa to Dallas in 1959, where she resided with husband, John. She moved to Waxhaw in 2004. Lorraine loved gardening, line dancing, and had won several ribbons for her flow- ers and baking at the Polk County Fair. She was preceded in death by her brother and her husband, John. Survivors include her son, Craig (Gabriele) Keeler, of Amity; daughter, Cheryl (Frank) Walling, of Waxhaw; four grandchildren; seven 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 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchil- dren. G ra v e s i d e s e r v i c e i s Thursday at 2 p.m. at Dallas Cemetery. Gordon Funeral Service in Monroe, N.C., and Dallas Mortuary Tribute handled arrangements. Contributions are sug- gested to a hospice facility. To send an online tribute: www.dallastribute.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 ~ Polk County’s ONLY Family Owned Funeral Homes ~ Connie Marion Zinzer Aug. 21, 1931 – Sept. 14, 2015 Connie Marion Zinzer, 84, of Dallas, died Sept. 14 in Salem of an aortic arch aneurysm. She was born in Buhl, Idaho, to Harold and Marion Hamby. At the age of 13, the family moved to Milwaukie and later to Wheeler. Connie graduated from Wheeler High School in 1949, and married Jasper Wilmarth. Connie worked as a wait- ress to help her husband through college. They lived in Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco; and had three children, Vincent, Rebecca, and Phillip. After divorcing in 1958, Connie m o v e d back to Wheeler and later married Art Zinzer. T h e y owned a dairy farm in Ne- halem and had a daughter, Linda. In addition to being a farm wife, Connie was a cer- tified nursing assistant and worked at the hospital in Wheeler. She was later a vet- erinary assistant in Ne- halem. She liked styling hair, giv- ing perms, and ran a beauty parlor in Wheeler for a few years. They sold the dairy farm and moved to Dallas in 1977. Connie completed her de- gree in cosmetology and worked briefly at Meier and Frank Beauty Salon in Salem. She helped train many cosmetologists at the Dallas Beauty School. Connie separated from Art and shared a house with her daughter, Linda, for her remaining years. She had been a support staff member for Partner- ships in Community Living Inc., providing compassion- ate care to their clients until she retired. Connie loved to cook, vacuum, rearrange furniture, and kept a beauti- ful home inside and out. She loved taking care of her kids, grandkids, and great-grand- kids and being involved in their lives. She liked animals and had many pets over the years. Survivors include her sis- ter, Jeannine Howard; chil- dren, Vincent Wilmarth, Re- becca Glaus, Phillip Wilmarth, and Linda Brown; stepdaughters, Kay Dean and Colleen Hager; 10 grandchildren; 10 great- grandchildren; one great- great-grandchild; and a large extended family. Celebration of Connie’s life is Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. at Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center. Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center handled arrange- ments. To send an online tribute: www.dallastribute.com. Dee Ann Michelle Sunde July 14, 1969 – Sept. 10, 2015 Dee Ann Michelle Sunde, 46, of Monmouth, died Sept. 10 in Salem. She was born in Portland to Tee Jay and Diane Mae Buser Sunde. Dee Ann’s favorite things were country music con- certs, people watching, fam- ily meals, all holidays — es- pecially Thanksgiving, and being with friends and fami- ly. Her favorite song was, “You Are My Sunshine.” Survivors include her mother and stepfather, Diane and Gary Witcher; fa- ther, Tee Jay Sunde; and best friend, Danelle. Memorial service is Friday at 11 a.m. at the Partner- ships in Community Living Inc., main office, 480 Main St. E., Monmouth. Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center handled arrange- ments. To send an online tribute: www.dallastribute.com. Joseph R. Birdsong Dec. 31, 1965 – Sept. 17, 2015 Joseph R. Birdsong, 49, of Dallas, died Thursday. He was preceded in death by his s o n , Mathew Pearse, on Ju l y 1 5 , 2015. Loved by many, he is sur- vived by his mother, Patsy Hutton; brother, Patrick R. Birdsong; children, Tyler Elias, Megan Dryden, Emelie Duh, Amanda Keys, and Brenden Birdsong; and six grandchildren. Celebration of his life is Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Dallas City Park. Crown Memorial in Salem handled arrangements. Itemizer-Observer • www.polkio.com