Polk County News
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • January 6, 2016 13A
OBITUARIES
Carolyn Overstreet
Heath
March 7, 1944 – Dec. 16, 2015
Carolyn Overstreet Heath,
71, died Dec. 16 in Salem.
There will be a drop-in
memorial gathering from 3
to 7 p.m. on Jan. 16 at An-
nette’s Restaurant, 1311
Edgewater St. NW, in West
Salem.
James ‘Jim’
Francis Feehan
May 6, 1933 – Dec. 28, 2015
James, “Jim” Francis Fee-
han, 82, of Grand Ronde,
died Dec. 28 in McMinnville
as a result of Alzheimer’s dis-
ease.
He was born in Dublin,
Ireland.
At the
age of 20,
Jim trav-
eled by
boat to
America
w i t h
dreams of
eventually
reaching
Alaska.
Instead
he fell in
love with
Oregon and settled in Port-
land where he worked for
the railroad until being
drafted into the Army.
After the service, he began
his 40-year career at the
Oregonian newspaper.
He became an American
citizen on St. Patrick’s Day in
1960.
While working at the Ore-
gonian, Jim met co-worker
Barbara McKnight at a Port-
land Buckaroos hockey
match.
It i s l o s t t o h i s t o r y
whether the Buckaroos won
that night; however Jim had
a victory when Barbara
agreed to accompany him to
another hockey game.
They were married in
Portland on April 23, 1970.
W h i l e Ji m l ove d h i s
adopted home in the states,
he also prioritized maintain-
ing connection with his Irish
family, traveling home to
Ireland regularly.
After retiring, Jim and
Barbara traveled throughout
the West and Hawaii.
As he had throughout his
life, he continued to priori-
tize his time with family. Jim
will be remembered as a lov-
ing, humorous, life-loving,
and epic story teller.
Survivors include his lov-
ing wife, Barbara; daughters,
Kathleen and Bernadette;
three grandsons; and ex-
tended family.
Funeral Mass is Wednes-
day (today) at 10:30 a.m. at
St. Michael’s Church in
Grand Ronde followed by in-
terment at the Grand Ronde
cemetery.
A fellowship meal will be
served at the Tribal Elder’s
Center.
Contributions are sug-
gested to the Oregon Chap-
ter of the Alzheimer’s Associ-
ation.
Dallas Mortuary Tribute
Center handled arrange-
ments.
To send an online tribute:
www.dallastribute.com.
Gary L. King
Dec. 14, 1949 – Nov. 23, 2015
Gary L. King, 65, of Burns
died Nov. 23 in Burns.
He was born in Dallas to
Ivan and Betty King.
Gary graduated from Cen-
tral High School in 1968 and
was named to the Central
Sports Hall of Fame.
He had lived his entire life
in Oregon.
He was preceded in death
by his father, Ivan King.
Survivors include his
mother, Betty King; brother,
Dan King; children, Lacy,
Brady, Jason and Jennifer;
and a large extended family.
Memorial service will be
held in the spring.
Gary Lee Wilson
Aug. 30, 1950 – Dec. 15, 2015
Celebration of life for
Gary Lee Wilson is Friday at
2 p.m. at Partnerships in
Community Living in Mon-
mouth.
Farnstrom Mortuary in
Independence handled
arrangements.
To send an online tribute:
www.FarnstromMortuary.
com.
Mike Mattern
Sept. 27, 1951 – Dec. 30, 2015
Mike Mattern, 64, of Dal-
las died Dec. 30.
He was born in McMin-
nville to John and Helen
Mattern.
He grew
up with his
siblings in
McMin-
nville in
the same
house his
father still
lives in.
In high school, he played
football and went to state in
gymnastics.
He also played the clar-
inet and saxophone and
went to Mt. Hood Commu-
nity College to study music
and play in the jazz band.
He wanted to become a
music teacher.
He met and married Terry.
After five years they adopted
Sarah and later Mandy. He
started working at McMin-
nville Water and Light and
continued for 30 years. They
divorced and he married
Roselle in 1995.
Mike embraced Roselle’s
five children and he com-
muted to the Water and
Light from Dallas until 2004
when he retired.
He took a job at Perrydale
Water Association in 2010
where he worked until his
death.
Mike was very active in
the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, where he
served diligently and self-
lessly in bishoprics, Sunday
schools and young men’s or-
ganizations.
He and Roselle loved tak-
ing trips to the coast, eastern
Oregon and Mike recently
bought a canoe so Roselle
could go fishing and “out-
fish” with him on the lake.
He was a beloved Papa to
his grandchildren. He often
had a baby in his arms, a
toddler hanging on his leg or
little girl coloring beside
him. He was a wise and kind
friend who could make any-
one smile.
He was preceded in death
by his daughter, Dixie Hazel-
ton; and mother, Helen Mat-
tern.
Survivors include his wife,
Roselle Mattern; children,
Sarah Ogsaen, Mandy Mat-
tern, Danae Winder, Teresa
Crossley, Jared Brown, and
Amanda Brown; father, John
Mattern; sisters, Penny
Piper, Kathy Hopton; broth-
er, Scott Mattern; and 23
grandchildren.
Service was Tuesday at
The Church Of Jesus Christ
Of Latter-day Saints in Dal-
las. Interment followed at
Mt. Olive Cemetery in Hills-
boro.
Dallas Mortuary Tribute
Center handled arrange-
ments.
To send an online tribute:
www.dallastribute.com.
Esther E. Olsen
Classen
Feb. 10, 1923 – Jan. 1, 2016
Esther E. Olsen Classen,
92, of Dallas died Friday.
She was
born in
Ya n k t o n ,
S.D.
Esther
married
her child-
h o o d
s w e e t -
heart, Verlyn Olsen, and they
had three children, who
married and blessed them
with six beautiful grandchil-
dren; 11 great-grandchil-
dren; and six great-great-
grandchildren.
Esther’s family was one of
the most important things
in her life and she loved
spending time with them.
She loved the word of God
and to sing hymns and
songs of praise to her
beloved Savior.
Memorial service is Jan.
16 at 1:30 p.m. at South
Salem Church of The
Nazarene, 1661 Boone Road
SE, Salem.
Dallas Mortuary Tribute
Center handled arrange-
ments.
To send an online tribute:
www.dallastribute.com.
Wilma Louise
Tolley Rogers
Aug. 3, 1923 – Dec. 19, 2015
Wi l m a L o u i s e To l l e y
Rogers, 92, of Neotsu, for-
merly of Dallas, died Dec. 19
in Neotsu.
She was born in Omaha,
Ill., to Martin Tolley and
Bessie Glover Tolley.
She grew up in southern
Illinois and entered college
at Southern Illinois Univer-
sity in 1941.
During World War II,
Wilma was offered a job as a
journalist for The Panta-
graph newspaper in Bloom-
ington, Ill. Her journalism
career led her to Pueblo,
Colo., in 1951, where she
met and married her hus-
band, Howard A. Rogers.
The family lived in Col-
orado and California before
a career in the Christmas
tree growing industry led
them to Olympia, Wash., in
1966.
Wilma started a career as
a teacher and librarian at St.
M i c h a e l ’s E l e m e n t a r y
School.
She continued her educa-
tion at Pacific Lutheran Uni-
versity in Tacoma, Wash., at-
taining a Bachelor of Arts in
Education and a Master of
Arts in Library Science.
The couple relocated to
Dallas in 1980, where Wilma
worked in the library at
Chemeketa Community
College until retiring in
1988.
In Dallas, she was a mem-
ber of St. Thomas Episcopal
Church and helped establish
the Delbert Hunter Arbore-
tum and Botanical Garden.
Wilma made a final move to
Neotsu in 2004. She was ac-
tive in St. James Episcopal
Church in Lincoln City.
Wilma will be remem-
bered for her lifetime love of
reading and gardening.
She is preceded in death
by her husband, Howard A.
Rogers and daughter, Melin-
da Cowdery.
Survivors include her
daughters, Julie Peters of
Salem and Emily Rogers of
Neotsu; two grandchildren;
and three great-grandchil-
dren.
Contributions are sug-
gested to the St. James Santi-
ago School, P.O. Box 789,
Lincoln City, OR 97367.
Obituary
Information
Obituary information must
be submitted by 4 p.m. on the
Monday before publication to
be included in the newspaper.
Most funeral homes handle
obituary information. Howev-
er, information can also be
submitted directly by family
members.
Photos will be published in
black and white. The Itemizer-
Observer uses a flag logo in the
obituaries of those who served
in the U.S. armed forces.
Obituaries — like all infor-
mation submitted to the news
department — are subject to
editing for style, content and
length.
Information can be brought
or mailed to the Itemizer-Ob-
server , 147 SE Court St., Dallas,
OR 97338, or emailed to
ionews@polkio.com.
Two Polk gardeners honored Trees: Demand is high, supply low
Jiricek, Walton recognized for years of Extension service
Itemizer-Observer staf report
C O R VA L L I S — Tw o
dozen Oregonians from
around the state received
the year’s highest honors
from Oregon State Univer-
sity’s Extension Association
at a banquet Dec. 9 at the
CH2M Hill Alumni Center
in Corvallis.
“Our volunteers are the
backbone of Extension,”
said Deborah Maddy, asso-
ciate provost for University
Outreach and Engagement,
in a press release. “They
bring so much talent and
skills to the organization,
including that most pre-
cious commodity — their
time. We want to honor the
dedication of individuals
and businesses that have
significant impacts on our
educational programs.”
Three other Extension
suppor ters were hon-
ored by Epsilon Sigma
Phi, a national organiza-
tion of Extension profes-
sionals.
OSUEA Cooperator Awards
Volunteers with less than
10 years of service from
Polk County:
John Jiricek, Polk County:
A skilled culinary expert,
Jiricek became a Master
Food Preserver two years
ago and has used his ex-
pertise to answer questions
a n d g i ve g u i d a n c e a t
farmer’s markets and other
venues.
He also represents the
county’s Family and Com-
munity Health program on
the Polk Extension Citizen
Advisory Network.
His many connections in
the community have bene-
fited Extension with an in-
creased network of sup-
porters.
Five other volunteers
from throughout Oregon
were honored with this
award.
Volunteers with more
than 10 years of service in
Polk County:
John Walton, Polk Coun-
ty: Walton and his family
have been involved in 4-H
and Extension agriculture
programs for more than 50
years.
Walton, who is livestock
nutrition specialist at Wilco
stores in McMinnville, has
served on the Polk County
Livestock Association Board
of Directors, currently as
president.
Under his leadership, the
association’s auction profits
have grown to more than
$200,000.
Walton has supported 4-
H educational programs in
Polk and Yamhill counties.
Walton was one of six
volunteers to receive this
recognition.
The Extension also rec-
ognized businesses or or-
ganizations, and friends of
Extension at its annual ban-
quet.
Created in 1911, the Ore-
gon State University Exten-
sion Service provides the
public with easy-to-under-
s t a n d , re s e a rc h - b a s e d
knowledge through work-
shops, hotlines, about 900
publications, online assis-
tance, videos, and faculty in
each of Oregon’s 36 coun-
ties.
It adapts the research for
practical, local uses by farm-
ers, ranchers, foresters, fam-
ilies, gardeners, youths, sen-
iors and coastal residents.
Its programs include 4-H
and Master Gardeners.
Continued from Page 1A
As an industry, Christmas
trees were in demand.
“There was an oversupply
for a number of years,”
Norby said. “We seemed to
have worked through that
oversupply, with some peo-
ple getting cautious about re-
planting.”
Christmas trees grow on
about an eight-year cycle, so
Norby said to expect a couple
more years of even shorter
supply.
“Prices are probably going
to go up,” he said. “The thing
we’re going to have to resist
is pushing our prices up too
far and pushing people from
natural to artificial trees.”
EMILY MENTZER/Itemizer-Observer
With the season over, tree farmers will start replanting.
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