Polk County News
6A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • February 24, 2016
OBITUARIES
Elmer ‘Buck’
Buchanan
March 8, 1923 – Feb. 12, 2016
Elmer “Buck” Buchanan,
92, of Dallas died Feb. 12 in
Salem.
He was born in Burns to
Harold and Laura McFad-
den. Later in life Buck was
adopted by his stepfather
Roy Buchanan and was
known by
that name
all of his
adult life.
B u c k
met Do-
nna Muno
at Oregon
State Uni-
versity
during the
World War
II years.
Buck mar-
r i e d
Donna on Dec. 29, 1946, in
the Oregon City United
Methodist Church. Buck
served in the Army Air Corps
during World War II.
They lived in Woodburn
where they owned and oper-
ated the local bowling alley
for 11 years.
Buck had been a member
of the Woodburn Jaycees.
They later settled in Dal-
las in 1958, where Buck and
Donna owned and operated
the Dallas and Monmouth
Ben Franklin stores until
their retirement.
Buck was awarded Ore-
gon retailer of the year in
1982. Buck was very active
in the Dallas community,
serving on the Dallas School
Board, Dallas Rotary and
Breakfast in the Park, Kids
Inc. and, MDA area coordi-
nator. Buck and Donna also
hosted Rotary exchange stu-
dents. Buck was one of sev-
eral who founded the annu-
al Dallas Krazy Days.
He enjoyed serving the
Dallas community and rais-
ing their family here.
Buck was part of the
group that helped build the
Dallas High School Football
Stadium. Buck and Donna,
Curt Lamb, and Mel Gilson
were the founders of Dallas
Kids Inc., which continues
on today helping Dallas
youth sports programs.
He was a member of the
Dallas United Methodist
Church.
He was preceded in death
by his wife of 60 years,
Donna on June 18, 2006.
In 2009, Buck exchanged
vows with a longtime friend
Rose Livesay, and they were
blessed with each other’s
companionship.
He is survived by Rose
Livesay; his children, Karyn
Buchanan, Claudia Drill,
Conni Anderson and Rod
Buchanan; 13 grandchil-
dren; and numerous great-
grandchildren.
A celebration of Buck’s life
will be on Monday at 11 a.m.
at Trinity Lutheran Church
in Dallas.
Contributions are sug-
gested to the Dallas Educa-
tion Foundation, Dallas Ro-
tary Scholarship Program or
the Dallas Blue Dolphin
Swim Team in care of Dallas
Mortuary Tribute Center
which handled arrange-
ments.
To send an online tribute:
www.dallastribute.com.
John David
Finkbeiner
Sept. 4, 1936 – Feb. 12, 2016
John David Finkbeiner,
79, of Dallas, died Feb. 12.
He was born in Vancou-
ver, Wash., to Chester and
Marguerite (Mowry)
Finkbeiner.
John attended Wenatchee,
Wash., schools and later at-
tended Northwest Nazarene
University in Nampa, Idaho,
where he
met his
wife, Mary
Wing.
T h e y
were mar-
ried in
1957, and
t h e n
moved to Seattle. John re-
ceived his Bachelor of Arts
from Seattle Pacific Univer-
sity.
He taught two years in
Seattle and then moved to
Medford, where he was in
education and track
DENISE L. WALKER JENKINS
July 14, 1939 - Jan. 27, 2016
Denise L. Walker Jenkins, 76, born on July 14, 1939, passed on
January 27, 2016, in Mesa, AZ. She was preceded in death by her fa-
ther, Beverly Duane Walk and mother, Esther Orea (Meinke) Walker.
She is survived by her husband of 20 years, Lorne K. Jenkins; her
brother, Colin L. Walker, M.D., and wife, Susan; brother, Ronald
Walker and wife, Marie; as well as three nieces, and one nephew.
After graduating from Central High School in Independence,
Denise attended Oregon State, and later began a career in accounting
services. She enjoyed a passion for cooking, especially Asian cuisine.
Her interest in art developed with participation in local classes when-
ever possible, and she became an accomplished Tole painting artist.
Always known for her spirited response and sense of humor,
Denise will be missed by her family, by friends in Mesa, and by many
of her high school peers/friends locally, with whom she had remained
close over the years.
Graveside service will be at Restlawn Memory Garden near Salem,
March 4, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. Reception will follow at Oak Knoll Golf
Course Clubhouse located nearby.
RON HAENER
September 27, 1935 - Feb. 13, 2016
Ron Haener of Independence Oregon, died
February 13th in The Dalles Oregon. Ron (or
Captain Ron as he was known by many) was
born September 27th, 1935 in Salem, Oregon to
Ray and Lucy Haener. Ron was preceded in
death by his true love, Jan Haener and many of
us believe that Mom got tired of waiting for him
and called him up to be with her this last Valen-
tines Day weekend.
Dad met Mom back in 1962 in Sutherlin Oregon, while working
as a Lineman for PP&L and they were married soon after and moved
to Hood River, Oregon. Mom brought with her, 3 Sons, Tony, Brad
and Mark Owens and Dad added a Daughter, Diane Haener, and 2
Sons, Ray and Joe Haener to the mix. Then, since they knew they
wouldn’t have enough farm hands for the farm in Independence, they
got together and added a 6th Son, Ronnie Haener.
Ron left PP&L in Hood River in 1964, at his Dad's request, to
run the farm and loaded up the truck and moved to Independence.
Oregon. Ron worked the farm, and us, for 10 years before selling the
farm. While running the farm and raising 7 kids, Ron became an ac-
tive member of the Elks Lodge and soon worked his way up to be-
come the Exalted Ruler of BPOE 1950.
Farming and Elking was a way of life for the Haener/Owens family
back then and we all have fond memories of Elks picnics and con-
vention trips around Oregon and equally fond memories of moving
irrigation lines, hoeing weeds, driving tractor, picking up rocks, milk-
ing cows and hoeing more weeds on the farm. Ron raised Beans,
Berries, Cherries, Corn and Hops while at the same time raising us
and teaching us the value of hard work.
In 1974 he sold the farm to help pay medical expenses for his Dad
and moved back into town where he went back to work at PP&L
until he retired in 1998.
While at PP&L, Ron was active in League Bowling, with him and
Son Ronnie winning League Championships for Mootharts IGA. Golf
and Trap Shooting were high on his list, too, and many of the old
pictures we have of him, show him leaning against a 9 iron with a
beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He pretty much really
enjoyed life and did what he wanted to do.
After Dad retired and especially after Mom died, he was happy
and content to volunteer part time, delivering meals to homebound
folks here in Independence and Monmouth. He loved Sports more
than just about anybody and went to WOU and Central games all
the time. He ran the scoreboard time clock for football games at
WOU for quite a few seasons.
The only thing on his TV at this time in his life was Football,
Baseball, Basketball, Golf, Westerns and Perry Mason. And he was
A-OK with that.
Ron is survived by 3 siblings, Dolores (and Wally) Newton, Den-
nis (and Nancy) Haener and Karen (and Glen) Adams. Sons Tony
Owens, Brad Owens, Mark Owens, Ray Haener, Ronnie Haener and
Daughter Diane Morris, 18 Grandchildren and 16 Great Grandchil-
dren. He was preceded in death by his wife Jan Haener, parents Ray
and Lucy Haener and his Son Joe Haener.
coaching for 15 years. Due
to his entrepreneurial de-
sire, he opened Athlete’s
Foot stores in Boise, Idaho,
and Bend.
His love of track and field
led him on several sports
trips to India, Guatemala
and Singapore.
In the 1980s, he taught
business classes at Central
High School in Independ-
ence and offered students a
chance to get their start in
entrepreneurial work by set-
ting up a laundry room and
a greenhouse, which the stu-
dents operated.
John was on staff at two
Nazarene churches in Ore-
gon: Bend and Medford.
From 1995 until 2001, he
worked as an instructor in
the Maryland/D.C. area
doing safety classes.
He returned to Dallas to
retire. Retirement was not
to be and he served as
principal at Luckiamute
Charter School for several
years and was interim prin-
cipal at Faith Christian
School in Dallas. Still not
ready for retirement, he
volunteered assisting the
track program at Central
High School.
It was coaching track that
was the love of his life.
He was president of the
nonprofit, Road Works, at
the time of his death.
His son, John Randal
Finkbeiner, was serving
HIV/AIDS patients in
KwaMhlanga, South Africa,
and helping with orphan
care, so John made several
trips to observe the area.
His passion for helping
the poor, the orphans and
observing the poor educa-
tional opportunities in-
spired him to start Road
Works to increase educa-
tional programs.
Survivors include his
wife, Mary; brother, James,
of Port Townsend, Wash.;
son, John R. ( Victoria)
Finkbeiner, in South Africa;
daughter, Sherri (Barry) Ma-
roni, of Redmond; five
grandchildren; and one
great-grandchild.
John’s request was for
people to meet in small
groups to honor him; there-
fore, no large group memo-
rial service will be held.
Contr ibutions in his
honor can be made to Road
Works, P.O. Box 1148 Dallas,
OR 97338.
Sethan Sprague
July 8, 1984 – Feb. 16, 2016
Sethan Sprague, 31, of
Salem, died Feb. 16.
Seth was the first child in
a large and blended family.
He graduated from St. Vin-
cent’s Catholic School in
sixth grade as valedictorian
and gradu-
ated from
Perr ydale
H i g h
School as
salutatori-
an. After
h i g h
school, he
received a
full schol-
arship to
attend Car-
roll College
in Helena,
Mont., where he double ma-
jored in theology and politi-
cal science. He graduated
from college with honors.
After college, he enlisted
in the Navy. He served as a
gunners mate on the sub-
tender, the USS Frank Cable,
and spent most of his duty
in what he called the “big
ocean.” He was stationed in
Guam, Diego Garcia, and
the waters of the Persian
Gulf. After six years in the
Navy, he returned home and
moved into a house with an
old high school friend. He
worked at Ames Laborato-
ries in Salem.
He was an introspective
and intense intellectual and
could always be counted on
for stirring dialogues and
robust conversations. Upon
returning from military
service, he had difficulties
with finding meaning and
purpose.
He was preceded in death
by his uncle and godfather,
Rick Bainter; infant brother;
Franklyn; and infant sister,
Francis Rae.
Survivors include his fa-
ther, Karl Sprague; mother,
Peggy Boquist; stepfather,
Brian Boquist; brothers,
Samuel (Tanya) Sprague,
William Boquist, Robert Bo-
quist; stepbrother, Mathew
Kinney; sisters, Ashten (Bo-
quist) Rich, Daria Boquist,
and Julianna Sprague; and
extended family.
Contributions are sug-
gested to “Lines For Life”
5100 SW Macadam Ave., No.
400, Portland, OR 97239.
Lines For Life is a suicide
hotline oriented toward vet-
erans, military members
and families.
Dorothy Marie
Wise
June 16, 1922 – Feb. 9, 2016
Dorothy (Meader) Wise,
93, of Dallas died Feb. 9.
Known to all as “Dottie,”
she was born to Mark F. and
Lulu (Miles) Meader in Mt.
Morris, Ill. She was a sev-
enth-generation American
descended from John Mead-
er who arrived in the Ameri-
can colonies in 1647.
Dorothy married Marvin
G. Wise in 1942 and they
soon traveled to California
where Marvin was engaged
in the war effort at Kaiser
Shipyards.
After the
war, they
continued
living in
the San
Francisco
Bay area
for several
years. They migrated to
Santa Cruz, Calif., and Yuba
City, Calif., following busi-
ness opportunities and fi-
nally moved to Oregon in
their retirement years.
Dorothy was preceded in
death by her husband, Mar-
vin G. Wise, and daughter,
Mary O’Connell.
Survivors include her son,
William (Dawn); one grand-
daughter; one great-grand-
son; and extended family.
Celebration of life will be
held at a later date.
Dallas Mortuary Tribute
Center handled arrange-
ments.
To send an online tribute:
www.dallastribute.com.
Hermelinda ‘Linda’
‘Mellie’ (Ruiz)
Garcia
Nov. 26, 1949 – Feb. 16, 2016
Hermelinda “Linda” “Mel-
lie” (Ruiz) Garcia, 66, of In-
dependence died Feb. 16.
She was born and raised
in Asherton, Texas, the
daughter of
Lazarro
and Josepha
(Alfaro)
Ruiz.
Linda
lived in St.
Paul until
she moved
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to Independence with her
new husband in 1969.
As a child, Linda had a
passion for styling hair, and
she turned that love into a
profession. Linda success-
fully owned and operated
Hermelinda’s Beauty Salon
in Independence for 43
years. Linda’s face and smile
would always light up when
friends or family visited the
beauty shop. In August of
2015, due to declining
health, Linda sold her shop
and retired.
Linda was an active mem-
ber of the Independence
community. She was a Cul-
ture Awareness Commission-
er and a member of the Inde-
pendence Library Board,
where she served as presi-
dent. Linda enjoyed volun-
teering at St. Patrick Catholic
Church, where she assisted
with classes and activities.
Family was Linda’s No. 1
priority. She devoted her
time to her sons and her
grandchildren. Her hobbies
included playing bingo, col-
oring and reading with her
grandkids. Linda also had a
joy of reading books, travel-
ing, going to movies, but
mostly she loved working on
her flower garden.
She was preceded in
death by her sister, Dolores
Ruiz and her beloved daugh-
ter, Sophie Garcia.
Survivors include her hus-
band of 46 years, Julio Garcia;
sons, Julio Antoine (Victoria)
and Andres (Tonia) Garcia;
sister, Marylou (Roy) Garcia;
brothers, Gilbert (Nicki), Ri-
cardo (Zulema), Lazarro
(Diana) and Arnulfo Ruiz;
eight grandchildren; and one
great-granddaughter.
Funeral Mass was Friday
at St. Patrick Catholic
Church in Independence.
Farnstrom Mortuary in
Independence handled
arrangements.
To send an online tribute:
www.FarnstromMortuary
.com.
Mary Beth
Thielsen
March 29, 1946 – Feb. 19, 2016
Mary Beth Thielsen, 69, of
Independence died Friday
in Independence after a long
battle with cancer.
She was born in Sioux
Falls, S.D.
Mary enjoyed being a mil-
itary wife and lived in Ger-
many twice, Japan, and
many of the states, until she
settled down in Polk County
She worked with the spe-
cial needs, and retired from
Sunny Oaks. She went back
often to visit with the ladies.
She enjoyed ceramics, bowl-
ing, fishing and hunting. She
loved going to the coast.
Survivors include her
partner, Dennis Stage; broth-
er, Glenn Austad (Karen);
children, Liz Marrs (Wally),
Laura Gagznos (Larry), Joe
Gagznos (Laurie), Zackery
Mersch, and Denise Carras-
co.; seven grandchildren;
one great-grandchild; and
extended family. She was
preceded in death by son,
Christopher.
Celebration of life is
March 12 from noon to 5
p.m. at the Recreational
Center at Ash Creek Mobile
Park in Independence. It will
be a potluck.
Farnstrom Mortuary of
Independence handled
arrangements.To send an
online tribute: www.Farn-
stromMortuary.com.
www.ANewTradition.com
More OBITS, Page 11A