Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2017)
Polk County News 8A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • February 15, 2017 OBITUARIES Charles R. Hazel May 19, 1929 – Feb. 5, 2017 Charles R. Hazel, a long- time resident of Dallas, passed into the Lord's care on Feb. 5, 2017. Charlie was born May 19, 1929, in I n d i - a n a p o l i s, Ind. He was the first of Samuel and Lucille Hazel's seven chil- dren. Charlie grew up in Indianapolis and then attended high school in Bloomington, Indiana. He then came west to Cal- ifornia, where he started his stint as a tech sergeant in the USAF from 1947 to 1956, and where he met Doris Pierre on a blind date; they married three months later on Sept. 15, 1951. While in the USAF, they lived in Northern California, Illinois, and Germany before returning to Northern Cali- fornia. Charlie and Doris had started their family and he entered higher education, which was a testament to his intelligence and deter- mination because he had not graduated from high school. He started at Santa Rosa Junior College, earned his master’s at Humboldt State College and his doctorate at Oregon State University. The family ventured back to the Sacramento, Calif., area where Charlie started working at the Department of Fish and Game before taking a position at the envi- ronmental/engineering firm of Jones and Stokes Associ- ates. He finished his career there as the CEO. Charlie and Doris both retired in 1989 and moved back to Oregon. In retirement Charlie en- joyed many of his interests; golfing, reading, camping, hiking, fishing, church, and family. Charlie was a member at Dallas First Presbyterian Church, where he served as an elder and attended week- ly Bible study with “the old farts club.” He served proudly and enthusiastically with Habitat for Humanity, Rotary, and Polk County Soil and Water Conservation District. Charlie led his family with love and practiced his faith daily. He loved God and hon- ored Doris always. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Max, and sister Cindy. He is survived by his lov- ing wife Doris; his daughters Charlotte Hazel, Roberta Lindenfelser, and Suzanne Ryans; five grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; brothers Bob and Bill Hazel; and sisters Barbara Canfield and Linda Goins. Charlie also loved his dogs, and we know he was happy to re- unite with them all. Memorial services were at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Dallas First Presbyteri- an Church. In lieu of flowers memori- al contributions welcomed for the church or Habitat for Humanity in care of Boll- man Funeral Home, 694 Main St., Dallas, OR, who is caring for the family. To leave an online condo- lence or share a memory for the family go to www.dallas- tribute.com. Shirley Irene Reynolds Dec. 2, 1935 – Jan. 20, 2017 Shirley Irene Reynolds is p re c e d e d in death by J e r r y Reynolds. Survived by sister, N a n c y Neal; chil- d r e n , Debra Salzman, Lenny Reynolds and Cindy Lazarre; a n d g ra n d c h i l d C i e r ra Reynolds. Celebration of life on June 3 at Dallas City Park. Virginia Christensen Feb. 3, 1928 — Jan. 21, 2017 Virginia Christensen, of Ashland, died Saturday, Jan. 21. She was 88. She was born Virginia Thompson in Portland to Matthew Roy and Helen King Thompson. The family lived in Port- land, then Ashland, Prairie City, Salem, Sweet Home, and finally Monmouth, where her father was princi- pal of the high school. She had fond early memories of Ashland, where as a small child she rode her tricycle d o w n Church Street to the foun- tain in Lithia Park. The elder Thompsons were mountaineers and avid campers, and they led their five children on many a hike and climb in Oregon and Washington. In 1944, the family moved to Iowa City, Iowa, where her father taught navigation to Navy pilots in training. Virginia graduated from University High School in Iowa City in 1946. She returned to Oregon after graduation and worked as a shorthand-typist in the Eugene office of the higher education chancellor. She entered the Universi- ty of Oregon in 1947. She majored in English and roomed in University House, where she became friends with a girl from Coos Bay named Eunice Peterson. During their summers, Vir- ginia and Eunice worked as singing waitresses at Para- d i s e L o d g e o n Mo u n t Rainier. On her days off, Virginia donned hiking boots and rambled all over the moun- tain. Eunice introduced Vir- ginia to her handsome brother, Bert Peterson, who was building several sawmills in Coos and Curry counties. Soon Bert was driving reg- ularly from Coos Bay to Eu- gene (and, during summers, a l l t h e w a y t o Mo u n t Rainier) to visit his sister and his sweetheart. Virginia graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. In 1951, she and Bert Pe- terson were married. They moved to Coos Bay into a house Bert built for her. While he tended his sawmills, she cared for their first three daughters, Gail, Me l i n d a , a n d L a u r e n . Daughter No. 4, Leslie, came along after the family moved to Port Orford in 1957. The Petersons returned to Coos Bay in 1959. Virginia played the organ at Emmanuel Episcopal Church and took her girls to many musical and cultural events. They also enjoyed hiking, camping, and picnics at the beach. The family moved to Ukiah, Calif., in 1965. She and Bert divorced soon after, and Virginia began her career as a social worker. In 1968, she moved with her daughters to Vancouver, Wash., and earned a mas- ter’s in social work from Portland State College in 1970. She worked in Oregon’s adult and family services agency in Salem, and then opened a private practice helping elderly and disabled clients. On weekends, she took the girls hiking and back- packing. S h e c l i m b e d Mo u n t Rainier with her brother Paul when they were both well into middle age. Her retirement was one long adventure. From her home in Mon- mouth, she journeyed to Boston to set foot on ances- tral turf — Thompson’s Is- land in Boston Harbor. She spent a year in Chengdu, China, teaching English to university stu- dents. She saw Paris, Tahiti, Moscow, Uzbekistan, Tibet, Denali, Australia. She trav- eled the blue highways of the West in her little red camper, Rosebud. In 2001, back in Iowa City for a high school reunion, she got reacquainted with Mar vin Christensen — they’d both sung in a school production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe. They were married and lived in Marvin’s lake house in northern Minnesota in the summers and wintered in Texas. They moved to Oregon in 2005, settling finally in Ash- land. Marvin died in 2013. Virginia is survived by her sister Ann (Thompson) Neuman; sister-in-law Eu- nice Peterson; daughters G a i l ( Pe t e r s o n ) We l l s ; Melinda Peterson; Lauren (Peterson) Chilson; and Leslie (Peterson) Stone; stepdaughter Barbara Christensen Kamp; stepson Steve Christensen; eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. 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. S OME D ECISIONS H AVE A V ERY P ROFOUND E FFECT . She lived boldly, loved deeply, held her opinions fiercely, and always cher- ished a good debate. She will be greatly missed. A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 18 at 2 o’clock at the First Co n g re g a t i o n a l Un i t e d Church of Christ, 717 Siskiy- ou Blvd., Ashland. Please send condolences, memories and happy thoughts to Leslie Stone, 700 Windemar, Ashland OR 97520. Warren Buell Vesper May 1, 1919 – Feb. 3, 2017 Warren Buell Vesper, passed away peacefully in his West Salem home on Fri- day, Feb. 3, 2017. He was born on May 1, 1919, in El P a s o , Texas, the second son of Charles and Grace Vesper. Warren married Virginia Schooley on May 4, 1940. They celebrated 75 years of marriage in 2015. After serving in the U.S. Navy, Warren and Virginia moved with their two little daughters to Burbank, Calif., where he worked at Lock- heed Martin Aircraft, work- ing in the “Skunk Works” di- vision. Warren was the group en- gineer of 40 men, involved in the development of the U-2 spy plane and other special projects. Warren and Virginia re- tired in South Lake Tahoe, Nev., where they resided for 27 years. Warren loved tennis, golf, fishing, hiking, and snow skiing. He shared these skills with the beloved younger members of his family. Warren was an accom- plished artist and wood worker. After a separation of 18 months, Warren is with his precious Virginia again. He is survived by his daughters, Karen (Paul) Box, Linda (George) Potsic; along with 11 grandchil- dren; and 18 great-grand- children; and one great- great-grandchildren arriv- ing in September. Funeral services were Monday, Feb. 13, at 9 a.m. at Dallas Retirement Village Chapel. Visitation will be on Sat- urday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. at Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center. Memorial contributions may be made to Kindred Hospice in care of Dallas mortuary Tribute Center. To leave online a condo- lence or share a memory with the family go to www.dallastribute.com. Warren will be remem- bered as enriching every life he touched: A most loved man, living forever in our hearts. Viola Laura Dunn March 31, 1926 – Feb. 6, 2017 Viola Laura Dunn, 91, a resident of Monmouth, died in her sleep Feb. 6, 2017, at her home with her cat, But- terscotch by her side. She was born on March 31, 1926, in Stamford, Neb., the daughter of Everett and Annis Mary Case (Ray). She was the last child of 12 to die. She is survived by h e r youngest son, Gary Everett, of Prineville; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Vi was preceded in death by her husband, James War- ren IV; her daughter, Deena Ann Madison; and her eldest son James W. Vi was a homemaker who supported her husband’s logging, fishing, hunting ca- reer, and his chronic COPD. Up until two years ago, Vi and her youngest sister and closest friend, Clara, talked on the phone two or three times a day. Vi’s passion was land- scaping and gardening. She took great pride in designing her own yard with flowers, shrubs and trees. Her yard was beautiful in the spring and summer. She harvested vegetables through her last summer. She also loved to fish. She would can the salmon her husband caught. She also liked to read, and could read while her hus- band watched TV. A funeral service will be held Wednesday, Feb. 15, (today) at 1 p.m. at the Farn- strom Mortuary in Inde- pendence. Memories and condo- lences at FarnstromMortu- ary.com. Obituary Information Obituaries cost $8 per 25 words (column inch) and in- clude photos and flags for vet- erans. Obituaries placed by private individuals must be prepaid. Death notices may run free of charge. 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 and pro- vide it to the newspaper. How- ever, information can also be submitted directly from family members. Color and black-and-white photos can be submitted, but photos will only be published in black and white. The Itemiz- er-Observer uses a flag logo in the obituaries of people who served in the 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. For more information: Emily Mentzer, 503-623-2373, ext. 117. Visit our website, www.polkio.com Salem 412 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97301 (503) 581-6265 M AKE O NE T HAT B ENEFITS Y OUR E NTIRE F AMILY . ©2002 Adfinity™ The effects of a single decision can ripple through a family for years... even generations. We’re experts on one of the most profound decisions your family will face—preplanning your funeral. Knowing that everything is taken care of, you spare your family any stressful or confusing considerations. Preplanning is simple, and surprisingly, not something you have to pay for immediately. Preplanning... a decision that’s easy to make as picking up the phone. Low Cost Cremation & Burial Funerals & Memorials Simple Direct Cremation $595 Simple Direct Burial $710 Traditional Funeral $2,275 Discount priced Caskets, Urns and other Memorial items. Privately owned cremation facility. Locally owned and operated by Oregon families. ~ Polk County’s ONLY Family Owned Funeral Homes and Crematory ~ www.ANewTradition.com ...for local news, sports and community events.
