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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 2016)
Polk County News 6A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • February 3, 2016 OBITUARIES Robert L. Comella June 1, 1928 – Jan. 24, 2016 Robert “Bob” Comella, 87, of Dallas died Jan. 24 in Dal- las. He was born in Portland and attended high school at Benson Technical School. During his youth, he spent a good amount of time at the Oaks Park R o l l e r R i n k , where he competed in dance skating. He won a West Coast d a n c e skating competi- tion and later went on to compete nationally in De- troit. He was married and had his first child before being called into active service during the Korean War. Bob was a radio operator on fly- ing status with the Air Force. Bob built almost every home he lived in, including a horse arena and stables in Sherwood known as the WelComella Ranch. Bob retired three times. After working 31 years for RTE, an electrical trans- former company, he then worked for General Electric rebuilding generators on hy- droelectric power plants (dams). After retiring from GE, he and his wife, Lois, moved to a resort communi- ty on Puget Sound planning to spend their golden years enjoying themselves. That did not last long, as his need to be busy soon took him to the field he loved, building homes. He got his contrac- tor’s license for the state of Washington and became Edgewater Homes Inc. This was one of the joys of his life, as he spent the next 14 Salem 412 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97301 years building beautiful cus- tom homes. In 2006, they moved back to Oregon to be able to spend more time with their children and grandchildren. After finding the perfect spot in Ceres Gleann Dallas, he continued to fulfill his call- ing by helping the commu- nity doing odd jobs, land- scaping needs and teaching line dancing. He also en- joyed bowling, leather tool- ing, having dinner with friends and, lately, jigsaw puzzles. He regularly attended Grace Community Church in Dallas. Survivors include his wife, Lois; brother, Ray; children, Lavelle, Debra, Mark and Renee Michelle, Paul and Renee Christine; 22 grand- children; and 22 great- grandchildren. Service was held at Rest- lawn Funeral Home in Salem. Contributions are sug- gested to Willamette Valley Hospice. Berna Dene Howry Nov. 30, 1921 – Jan. 24, 2016 Berna Dene Howry, 94, of Dallas died Jan. 24 in Dallas. She was born in Engle- wood, Kan., to Frank and Vera Walker. After high school, she at- tended business college in D o d g e City, Kan., a n d worked in the Ash- land Selec- tive Serv- ice Office. O t h e r work through the years in- cluded grocery clerking and insurance record keeping. Her last career was with the Forest Service at the Detroit (Oregon) Ranger Station. In 1944, she moved to Oregon, living and working in Portland. She married John A. (Bud) Howry in 1946. He preceded her in death in 1999. Berna moved to Dallas in 2000. Throughout her life, Berna enjoyed music, play- ing, and teaching piano. She also sang in choirs and at- tended concerts whenever she could. She spent many hours sewing and quilting, making quilts for each of her grandchildren. Berna also enjoyed playing golf into her 70s. At Dallas Retirement Village, she was involved in many activities, including singing, Wii bowling, domi- noes, and bridge. Berna was also active in PEO Sister- hood and in her church, in- cluding Presbyterian Women. She was preceded in death by brothers, Darrell, Ordell, Lyle, and George Walker; and sister, Gail Tucker. Survivors include her daughter, Susan ( John) Buckingham of Dallas; son, John W. “Bill” (Vicki) Howry of Pacific City; sister, Phyllis Blankenship of Virginia; five grandchildren; and 12 great- grandchildren. Memorial service is Satur- day at 11 a.m. at the Dallas First Presbyterian Church. Private family inurnment will be in the Willamette Na- tional Cemetery in Portland. Contributions are sug- gested to the Willamette Val- ley Hospice or PEO Sister- hood. Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center handled arrange- ments. To send an online tribute: www.dallastribute.com. Clyde Bruce Pruett Sept. 20, 1930 – Jan. 25, 2016 Clyde Bruce Pruett, 85, of Dallas died Jan. 25 in Dallas. He was born in Bakers- field, Calif., to Burton and Clarice Miller Pruett. At the age of 9, B r u c e m o v e d with his family to Marion. He worked in the fields picking crops as he grew up in Oregon, and at- tended schools in Marion and Aumsville. Bruce enlisted in the Army at the age of 16, giving a false year of birth so that he could enter. He transferred to the Air Force when it was established and retired after 20 years with the rank of chief master ser- geant. For a time, he worked for Boeing in Seattle and then bought a Western Auto Store in Issaquah, Wash. He moved to Oxnard, Calif., where he purchased an In- terstate Battery franchise. Bruce married Aloma Rae Barnes Malone on Dec. 29, 1990, and they recently cele- brated 25 years together. In February of 1991, Bruce re- tired and they moved to Scio to live on a farm. In 2012, they moved to Dallas to be close to family. He enjoyed gardening. He was preceded in death by two grandchildren. Survivors include his wife, Aloma of Dallas; children, Bruce Pruett of Monroe, Wash., Gerary Pruett of Shel- ton, Wash., Laura Goldsbor- ough of Issaquah, Matt Pruett of Capali Crossing, Wash., Tawnza Church of Dallas, J.R. Malone of Paso Robles, Calif., Mike Malone of Leitchfield, Ky., and Shel- lie Murphy of Salem; sisters, Barbara Baker of Salem and Joyce Jones of Albany; 17 grandchildren; 11 great- grandchildren; and a large extended family. Graveside service was Thursday at Willamette Na- tional Cemetery in Portland. Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center handled arrange- ment. To send an online tribute: www.dallastribute.com. Lt. Col. David Malcolm Fry (ret) April 11, 1922 – Jan. 27, 2016 David M. Fry, 93, of Buena Vista, died Jan. 27. He was born in Taft, Calif., to Malcolm and Sara Fry. David served his country through war time. During World War II, he was a fighter pilot in the European Theater and was a prisoner of war in Ger- many. Dur- ing the Vietnam War he flew recon- naissance missions over Vietnam, out of Thailand. He retired from the Air Force in November 1976, after 34 years of serv- (503) 581-6265 Low Cost Starkey’s Z Series 20 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 Dudley’s wireless technology. Custom in the ear or behind the ear. $1159 each, includes: Hearing Aid Service • 2-year warranty • Hearing Test Curtis Dudley, serving better hearing to Dallas and Polk County going on 30 years. Come see Curtis every Tuesday 10AM - Noon at Dallas Senior Center, 955 SE Jefferson St. “In Home” Service 541-741-2936 “To Hear Better is to Live Better” ice and moved to Buena Vista. David was a Mason, serv- ing as Worshipful Master of Lyon Lodge in Independence three times. He was a mem- ber of many veteran organi- zations. He was an avid hunter and fisherman, but he loved working on his farm. He was preceded in death by his younger brother, Richard, who was killed in the invasion of Guam in 1944. Survivors include his wife of 70 years, Bennie Fry; daughter, Penny Fry Mend- heim (Dudley) of Jack- sonville, Fla.; sons, Dr. David M. Fry Jr. (Linda) of Mont- gomery, Ala., and, Rich Fry (Stephanie) of Salem; six grandchildren; and 14 great- grandchildren. Interment will be at the Willamette National Ceme- tery in Portland with full military honors. Celebration of life is March 1 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Temple, 4090 Commercial St. SE, in Salem. Farnstrom Mortuary han- dled arrangements. To send an online tribute: www.FarnstromMortuary.com. Kathryn Louise Adams Jan. 6, 1923 – Jan. 8, 2016 Kathryn Louise Mitchell Adams, 93, of Monmouth died Jan. 8. A gathering for family and friends was held at the Mon- mouth Senior Center on Sat- urday. Her full obituary, Kathryn Louise Mitchell, appeared in the Jan. 27 issue of the Item- izer-Observer. Arianna Mattson March 4, 2003 – Jan. 29, 2016 Arianna Mattson, 12, of Dallas died Friday. Celebration of her life is Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Sundial Mobile Home Park Community Center, 2300 Lancaster Drive SE, in Salem. Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center handled arrange- ments. Obituary Information Obituary information must be submitted by 4 p.m. on the Monday before publication to be included in the newspa- per. Most funeral homes handle obituary information. Howev- er, information can also be submitted directly by family members. For the Itemizer-Observer’s full obituary policy, visit www.polkio.com. AMELIA ROSE DELANEY May 2, 1929 - Jan. 28, 2016 AMELIA ROSE DELANEY, 86, a resident of Dallas died Thursday, January 28, 2016. She was born on May 2, 1929 in Newberg, Oregon the daughter of Harry Pierce and Mathilda Gemaehlich. She was the eighth of ten children and the last surviving sibling. She grew up in Silverton, OR and graduated from Silverton High School in 1949. In 1959 Frank, Amelia and the girls moved to Valsetz, OR and in 1972 they moved to Dallas. Amelia was one of the first woman to go to work at the Valsetz Plywood Mill where she worked from 1966-1984 a total of 18 years. She was proud of her hard work, being able to work alongside of men, and being able to produce as much or more patched veneer in a day. She was probably the longest working woman at the Valsetz Mill. Amelia and Frank moved to Dallas in 1972 and continued to work at the Valsetz Boise Cascade Plywood Mill until 1984 when the mill was closed. They made the hour drive from Dallas to Valsetz every day until Frank retired. After that she would ride along with co-workers to make it to work. After the mill shut down, she took secretarial classes at Chemeketa Community College and went on to work at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem in the Superintendent’s office and later at the Polk County Community Development Department. Amelia stayed in Dallas the rest of her life, living the last three years at the Dallas Retirement Village. She enjoyed reading, going out to dinner, the casino and spending time with her family. For many years she loved going on our annual Mother’s Day trip to the Flying M Ranch with her children and grandchildren. A sweet and caring person to her family and friends, her caregivers at the Village knew her to be spunky even though she was living with a lot of pain from rheumatoid arthritis and Parkinson’s disease. She is survived by her daughter Michele Delaney Kliever and husband Robert of Dallas, Son-in-law Bill Elliott of Dallas, grandson Jason Elliott of Pacific City, granddaughters Amanda Elliott of Beaverton and Jessica Kliever of Pacific City. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Frank Delaney in 1986, oldest daughter Colleen Delaney Elliott in 1999 and grandson Alex Kliever in 2009. Viewing will be from 10:00am to 8:00pm Tuesday, February 2nd and Wednesday, February 3rd from 10:00am to 1:00pm in the Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center. Graveside services will begin at 2:00pm Wednesday, February 3rd in the Dallas Cemetery. A reception will follow at Murphy’s Grill. To leave a message or memory for the family please go to www.dallastribute.com. “Dear Mom, Grandma, Aunt and friend we will miss you and love you forever.” Help and encouragement after the death of a spouse, child, family member or friend. Please join us for a 13 week seminar and support group that meets weekly to help you face the challenges of grief. Each session focuses on a specific topic and offers a DVD presentation and small group discussion time. A personal workbook is included for taking notes on the presented material and On Your Own sections. $35 registration includes workbook. Scholarships available. First session, “Is This Normal?” begins Monday, Feb. 15 • 6:30 pm Weekday Bible Building , 1156 SE Holman Ave. ~ Polk County’s ONLY Family Owned Funeral Homes ~ For more information or to register please call Kate or visit our website. 5039171625 www.crossandcrownministries.org