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
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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.
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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