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-
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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