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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 2016)
Polk County News Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 13, 2016 9A OBITUARIES Lawrence Vern Monagon March 15, 1955 – Feb. 25, 2016 Lawrence Vern Monagon, 60, formerly of Monmouth, died on Feb. 25. He was born to Leslie Lewis and Gladsie Huntley Monagon in Johnson City, N.Y. He moved to Phoenix, Ariz., with his family when he was 3. F r o m there, he moved to L y l e , Wash., later moved to the Beaver- ton/Aloha area, where he graduated from Aloha High School. Larry continued his edu- cation at Oregon College of Education (now Western Oregon University) and re- ceived his Bachelor of Sci- ence degree in social sci- ences in 1978. In 1981, he re- ceived his Master of Science degree at the University of Portland. Larry married Dawn in Beaverton in 1979. They raised their family in the Beaverton area. In 1996, he moved to Keizer to craft an olive business. Larry contin- ued to work full time for Multnomah County until his retirement. Larry went on to a long career in corrections. He maintained his ties and con- tinued to work on a tempo- rary or part-time basis in the corrections field after retir- ing. Larry grew up with six sib- lings, Cindy and Sheila, and Ivin (deceased), Lester, Kenny and Eugene. Larry was always willing to help another, regardless of the task. He liked to travel, and ei- ther went with friends and family, or went to visit family and fr iends. He never backed down from new ad- ventures: scuba diving, snor- keling, bee keeping, growing olives, or raising teenagers. He liked to visit the muse- um, or sit and visit with the locals as he traveled. He loved camping, fish- ing, hunting, and hiking. He appreciated wildlife and liked to arrange a yearly feeding and viewing of the elk at the Jewel Wildlife Refuge for family and friends. He volunteered with many organizations, includ- ing Oregon Hunter Educa- tion, where he was selected as Oregon Instructor of the Year in 1995, Fishing Educa- tion, Keizer Grange, Keizer Elks, and St. Vincent School. Contributions are sug- gested to St. Vincent de Paul School in Salem. He was father to son, Michael (Craig), and extend- ed family. Memorial celebration of life will be from 2 to 5 p.m. on May 1 at the Keizer Elks Lodge. Farnstrom Mortuary han- dled arrangements. To send an online tribute: Farn- stromMortuary.com. Victor Charles Richert Richert; brothers, Jerry and Kenny Richert; 14 grandchil- dren; and six great-grand- children. Funeral services were held at the Valley Life Center in Dallas. Interment was in the Reedley Cemetery in Reedley, Calif. The Dallas Mortuary Trib- ute Center handled arrange- ments. To send an online t r i b u t e : www.dallastribute.com. Edith Werner Vanderburg April 9, 1925 – April 4, 2016 Edith Vanderburg, 90, for- merly of Independence, died on April 4. She was born to Carl and Helen Olson Werner in Nor- folk, Va. She met Neil Vanderburg in San Diego in 1944. They were married on June 10, 1945. They were married for 68 years. T h e y lived in La M e s a , Calif., until 1 9 5 5 , when they moved to Corvallis. Edith and Neil moved to Inde- pendence once their chil- dren were grown. There, Edith spent summers creat- ing flower gardens. During the winter months, she and Neil enjoyed traveling and rock hounding. In 2012, they returned to Corvallis, to a home where family members were better able to provide their care. Her husband, Neil; daughter, Joyce Commons; son-in-law Thomas Com- mons; and grandchildren, Jessica Houck and Laurilee Commons died before she did. Survived by Carol (Duane) Bolster, David (Janece) Van- derburg, Mary (Jack) Stone, Pauline (Doug) Houck, and Dawn Winokur; 10 grand- children; and eight great- grandchildren. Memorial service was at First Baptist Church in Inde- pendence. Farnstrom Mortuary han- dled arrangements. To send an online tribute: Farn- stromMortuary.com. Dennis Ashby Spencer Nov. 3, 1939 – March 27, 2016 Dennis Ashby Spencer, 76, formerly of Monmouth, died of cancer on March 27 in Vancouver, Wash. He was born in Morton, Wash., to Evelyn (Betty) and Ron Spencer. Dennis was the second of five boys. He spent the majority of his life in Tillamook, and gradu- ated from h i g h s c h o o l there in 1957. He attended Oregon College of Education (now Western Oregon Uni- versity) in Monmouth, ma- joring in mathematics. He graduated from OCE at age 21 and began teaching math courses in schools in Lin- coln City, Dallas, and Albany before settling at Tillamook High School, where he worked for longer than 20 years. D e n n i s re t i re d f r o m Tillamook High School in 1992, and began teaching part-time at WOU. Dennis accumulated nu- merous accolades over his 30-year career, including many for coaching basket- ball, baseball, and golf, as well as for excellence in edu- cation. He was an avid music-lover and an accom- plished pianist. Dennis married Nancy Brewer in 1961 (later di- vorced) and had three chil- dren, Dana, Eric, and Gavin. In 1978, he married Carole Anne Anderson, joining her f o u r c h i l d re n , D a y n a , Michelle, Karena, and Re- bekah, with his three, and soon adding an eighth, Amy. Dennis and Carole spent their 37 years together rais- ing their large family. Dennis enjoyed taking his children camping, and loved cruising with Carole to see the world. He enjoyed biking, garden- ing, camping, disc-golf, and annual golf trips. Dennis was active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving many callings over the years, including organist and pi- anist. Dennis is survived by his wife, Carole; children, Eric (Crystal), Dana (Dan), Gavin (Michele), Dayna (Mike), Michelle (Dave), Karena (Adam), Rebekah (Brian), and Amy; brothers, Bob (Joanne), Gary (Pat), Mike (Gloria), Steve (Tess); 25 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Service will be at 11 a.m. on May 21 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Vancouver, Wash., 7101 NE 166th Ave. Florence P. ‘Phyllis’ Gore May 16, 1932 – April 3, 2016 Florence P. “Phyllis” Gore, 83, of Dallas, died on April 3. She was born in South Dakota to Phillip and Flo- rence Van Schoonhoven. S h e m a r r i e d Ve r n o n Henry Gore in June of 1950. Together they had two sons, Vernon Phillip and Archie Dale Gore. They were mar- ried for 43 years. Her interests included family, gardening, and painting. She had an incred- ible talent for painting ce- ramics and even gave les- sons. She devoted much of her time and energy as a caregiver to family. Her hus- band, Ver- non Henry; son, Ver- n o n Phillip; and all of her siblings died before she did. She is survived by son, Archie Dale Gore; two grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Private service was held. Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center handled arrange- ments. To send an online tribute: www.dallastribute.com. Pearl Lucy Embree July 22, 1919 – March 30, 2016 Pearl Lucy Embree, 96, of Dallas, died March 30, at her home in Dallas. She was born in McTim- monds Valley, south of Dal- las, to Charles Henry and Lucy May (Meekins) Bree- den. The family settled at Bridgeport when Pearl was 12 years old. She graduated from Dal- las High School in 1937, and from Oregon College of Edu- c a t i o n (now West- ern Oregon University) in Mon- mouth in 1939, with a degree in elementary education. She taught for 30 years in schools in Sherwood and Oakhurst, then at Whitworth Elementary School in Dallas before retiring from Falls City Elementary in 1981. Pearl married Norval Em- bree on Dec. 20, 1941, in Dallas, and moved to his farm on Gardner Road. She lived there for over 72 years before moving to Dallas in 2014. Pearl enjoyed reading, sewing, gardening, crossword puzzles, and travel. She and Norval visited all the conti- nents except Antarctica. She was a longtime mem- b e r o f t h e Br i d g e p o r t Women’s Club, Bridgeport Sunday School, a life mem- ber of both the Dallas Chap- ter of Pythian Sisters and Re- tired Teachers Association, and active in support of her girls’ involvement in 4-H. She was the first woman — and second person — in Polk County to be awarded a life- time teaching certificate. Her husband, six sisters, four brothers, and two sons- in-law died before she did. Pearl is survived by her daughters, Ruth Hargreaves and Letha Randall, of Salem, and Penny Marlene (Michael) Cox, of Rickreall; four grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; five step-great-grandchildren; one sister; and extended family. A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. on April 23 at the First United Methodist Church in Falls City. A reception will follow. Private interment will be in the Smith section of Fircrest Cemetery in Monmouth. In lieu of flowers, dona- tions be made to the Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland for macular de- generation research: www.ohsucasey.com. Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center/Bollman Funeral Home handled arrange- ments. To send an online tribute: www.dallastribute.com. James Otis ‘Jim’ Foster II, June 16, 1926 – April 1, 2016 James Otis “Jim” Foster II, 89, of Dallas, died April 1, in Dallas. He was born in Dallas, to James and Meda Thiesies Foster. He was a member of the Dallas High School Class of 1944. Jim was drafted out of his first semester at Willamette University. He trained as a photogra- pher in the U.S. Army Air Corps and flew recon- naissance in B-25s off the Califor- nia coast. On Dec. 27, 1947, he married Florence “Betty” B oy d s t o n in Dallas. Jim worked in the Valsetz Mill for a couple of years before getting hired at Pacific Power & Light as a lineman. Joyful Sound Hearing 312 Main Street • Dallas • Hearing Testing • Hearing Aids • Service Call today for your FREE Consultation Mark Sturtevant 503-623-0290 Personally involved and invested in the Dallas community Welcoming new patients. Most insurance health plans accepted. Also a Moda preferred provider. Aug. 14, 1945 – March 29, 2016 Victor Charles Richert, 70, of Dallas, died March 29 in Keizer. He was born in Reedley, Calif., to Talmon and Hilda Warkentin Richert. He farmed before becom- ing a long-haul truck driver. He also drove log trucks. He retired f r o m W h i t e’s Hauling and Farm LLC divi- sion. For the past 47 years, he lived in Dallas. He was a member of the Valley Life Center. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, scrapping metal and working around his house. His son, Charles; father, Talmon; and sisters, Judy and Martha “Susie” died be- fore he did. Survived by daughters, Heidi Hicinbothom and Chrystal Ellis; son, John Richert; mother, Hilda Salem 412 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97301 (503) 581-6265 Low Cost 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 ~ Polk County’s ONLY Family Owned Funeral Homes ~ He worked for PP&L from 1950 until he retired in 1986. He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers for 65 years. Jim served his community as a volunteer for the Dallas Fire Department from 1957 until retiring at the rank of battalion chief in 1992. Jim was also a member of the Carl B. Fenton American Legion Post No. 20, Benevo- lent and Protective Order of the Elks No. 1950 Independ- ence Elks Lodge, past mem- ber of Dallas Kiwanis, and past member of the Dallas Planning Commission. Jim received the Dallas First Citizen award in 1975. He was also a past board member of the Southwest- ern Polk County Rural Fire Protection District and served on the budget com- mittee until his death. Jim was a member of the Dallas Evangelical Church in Dallas for many years and taught Sunday school, as well as being active as an usher. For the past several years, he attended the Evangelical Bible Church in Dallas. He enjoyed bowling. Jim was an outdoor en- thusiast and enjoyed fishing, hunting and camping. He was an avid gardener and took pride in his roses. His wife, Betty, died on Dec. 20, 2015. His sister, Dorothy Tilson, and brother, Theodore Foster also died before he did. He is survived by his sons, James Otis Foster III, of Dal- las, and Philip John Foster, of Medford; two grandchil- dren; and two great-grand- children. Funeral ser vices will begin at 1 p.m. on Thursday in the Dallas Mortuary Trib- ute Center. Vault interment will follow in the Dallas Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Dallas Fire Department Harpy Bo- vard Scholarship fund or James2 Community Kitchen, or to the charity of choice in care of Dallas Mor- tuary Tribute Center. To send an online tribute: www.dallastribute.com. See OBITUARIES, Page 5A
