Polk County News
10A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • March 15, 2017
OBITUARIES
Henry Warkentin
Robert A. Johnson
Feb. 26, 1927 – March 2, 2017
April 15, 1929 – March 8, 2017
Henry (Hank) Warkentin
was born in Montana on
Feb. 26, 1927, to parents
Jacob and Justina
Warkentin.
Because
of the diffi-
culties of
the times,
t
h
e
Warkentin
f a m i l y
moved to
western
Oregon in 1937.
Hank attended Dallas
High School and, during
those years, he got ac-
quainted with Lenora Edi-
ger, both at school and at
church.
This is where their
courtship began, and their
continuing romance lasted
for over 65 years.
They were married on
May 9, 1947, in Dallas, Ore-
gon.
They raised a family of
five children:
Timothy
and wife Paulette
Warkentin, of Christmas
Valley; Randall and wife
Patti Warkentin, of Salem;
Rebekah and husband
Gerald Schmucker, of Tan-
gent; Teresa and husband
Stan Rolfness, of
Prineville; and Peggy and
husband Mel Neufeld, of
Lebanon.
They have 14 grandchil-
dren and 27 great-grandchil-
dren — with more on the
way!
Preceding Hank in death
is his wife, Lenora; his sister,
Rosella Peters; his brother,
Jake Warkentin; and great-
grandchild, Landon James
Warkentin.
Hank’s joy was to make
friends and share the Good
News of the Gospel wherev-
er he was.
He spent the last three
years at Quail Run Men-
nonite Village in Albany,
Oregon where he made
many special friends and
got reacquainted with old
ones.
Hank passed away in Al-
bany, and went to be with
his Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ on March 2, 2017, at
the age of 90.
He will be greatly missed
and remembered by his
family and friends as a lov-
ing and godly man.
Robert A. Johnson passed
away March 8, 2017, in Dal-
las.
Bob was
born April
15, 1929, in
Su p e r i o r,
Wis., to
Arthur and
A g n e s
Johnson.
B o b
graduated from the Univer-
sity of Idaho with a degree in
forestry.
He met his wife, Lu, in
Duluth, Minnesota and mar-
ried her Dec. 29, 1951. They
moved to Oregon in 1952
and settled in Dallas in 1960.
Bob was the logging man-
ager at Boise Cascade for
most of his career. Forestry
was his occupation; trees
were his passion. Bob and
Lu owned their own Christ-
mas tree farm for many
years on the outskirts of Dal-
las, where family and friends
joined in planting and har-
vesting.
He enjoyed singing with
the Norwegian Thorsman
singers for more than 20
years. He enjoyed singing for
many years with the Trinity
Lutheran Church choir.
He is survived by his wife,
Lu; son, Dan (Judy) Johnson;
a n d d a u g h t e r , Te r r i
(Richard) Robinson; along
with five grandchildren and
nine great-grandchildren.
He is also survived by his
brother, Tedd Johnson, of La
Crosse, Wis.; and sister, Judy
Jackson, of Newark, Del.
Services will be held
Thursday; March 16, at 2
p.m. at Trinity Lutheran
Church in Dallas. Dallas
Mortuary Tribute Center is
caring for the family.
To share an online condo-
lence, go to: www.dallastrib-
ute.com.
Kevin Allen Staggs
May 3, 1968 – Feb. 14, 2017
Kevin Allen Staggs, 48, of
Longview, Wash., died on
Feb. 14 at
his home.
H i s
adoptive
parents
were Bill
and Betty
Staggs. His
biological
mother was Patricia Staggs.
He was a cook and a con-
servative Baptist.
Kevin married Georgia on
June 8, 2005, in Salem.
He is survived by his wife,
Georgia; children: Tyler,
Anastaisia, Kevin Jr., Melissa;
brothers: Michael and Billie
Staggs Jr.; sisters: Bobbi,
Melody, April and Summer;
and many friends and fami-
ly; plus stepchildren.
A celebration of life was at
Salt Creek Baptist Church at
2 p.m. on March 11. Pastor
David Curtis presided.
Michael Lloyd
Lalack
Dec. 7, 1951 – March 9, 2017
Michael Lloyd Lalack
passed away on March 9 in
Salem. He was born in Dal-
las, the son
of William
Charles
Lalack Sr.
and Betty
Mae Jones
Lalack on
Dec. 7,
1951 — the
10th anniversary of Pearl
Harbor.
The family lived in Dallas,
then for several years at a
farm on Gooseneck Road in
Sheridan before returning to
Dallas. Mike attended Mor-
rison Grade School in Dal-
las, Willamina Grade School,
LaCreole Junior High, and
Dallas High School.
Mike married Karen Lynn
Pegg in Dallas on Feb. 6,
1970.
Their daughter Jennifer
Ann Lalack was born May
10, 1970, in Dallas.
Karen passed away on
Jan. 21, 2011. Mike later
married Elaine Mark on
Dec. 16, 2015, in Salem.
Mike was a logger, and
sometimes worked along-
side his father. He was a log
truck driver at the time of
his retirement.
Mike participated in
many logging shows. He en-
joyed the woods, fishing,
hunting and motorcycles.
Mike also collected tools for
the kitchen and enjoyed
cooking.
Survivors include Mike’s
wife, Elaine Mark; mother,
Betty Lalack, of Dallas;
daughter Jennifer (Larry)
Foster, of Dallas; grand-
daughters Kristina Foster, of
Otis, and Kayla Foster, of
Dallas; and siblings William
Lalack Jr. (Cheryl), of New-
port, Patti Lalack, of Port-
land, and Cindy (Michael)
Hayes, of Salem.
A memorial gathering for
Mike will be held on March
19, which was his father’s
birthday, at the Dallas Sen-
ior Center, 955 SE Jefferson
St., from 2 to 4 p.m. Casual
attire only, as Mike would
have preferred.
Those who wish may
honor Mike with a contribu-
tion to the Michael Lalack
Memorial Fund in care of
Bollman Funeral Home,
who is caring for the family.
To leave an online condo-
lence for the family go to
www.dallastribute.com.
Robert ‘Bob’ Guy
Miller
Nov. 12, 1926 – March 4, 2017
Robert “Bob” Guy Miller
was 90 years young when he
passed away on March 4,
2017.
Born in
Sioux City,
Iowa, to
Martha
Mae Harri-
son Wynn
Miller Hix-
son and
Guy Miller,
on Nov. 12.
1926, he
spent his
y o u n g
childhood
years in
S o u t h
Dakota.
He dear-
ly loved the
Black Hills
and re-
c a l l e d
watching
as the Mt.
Rushmore monument was
being carved.
Bob had six siblings and
was the youngest. He has
only one surviving sister,
Delores Wynn Thompson, of
The Dalles.
When he was a teenager,
Bob and his family moved to
Vancouver, Wash., where he
attended Vancouver High
School.
At the age of 17, he en-
tered the Navy. While in the
Navy he completed his high
school education and re-
ceived his GED.
He spent four years of ac-
tive duty during World War
II, and another four years of
active duty in the Korean oc-
cupation.
He loved the destroyers he
served on in WWII, but was
not as fond of the cargo ship
he was assigned to in the
Korean occupation.
Bob started college at
Vanport College in Portland,
then after his stint in Korea,
he returned to college at Pa-
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S OME D ECISIONS H AVE A V ERY P ROFOUND E FFECT .
cific University in Forest
Grove, where he graduated
with a teaching/coaching
degree in 1954.
Between his naval career
and a return to college, Bob
met and married his wife of
65 years, Evelyn Bonita
“Bonnie” Updike Miller on
Sept. 20, 1951.
They have two children.
Marilyn Miller-Colistro, of
Portland, and David Warren
Miller, of Depoe Bay.
Bob began his teaching
career in Cove, then relocat-
ed his family to Glide, where
he taught and coached for
eight years.
After Glide he taught and
coached at Central High
School in Independence. His
final 23 years of teaching
were at Whiteaker Middle
School in Keizer, until he re-
tired in 1989.
Retirement years were
packed with lots of activities,
mostly traveling in the
motor home, camping with
many friends, Good Sam
friends and lots of family
outings.
Bob loved hunting and
fishing, reading, and listen-
ing to good music.
He always was a history
buff, and enjoyed taking
many classes and listening
to lectures.
Bob dearly loved his chil-
dren; wife; grandsons, Peter
Colistro (Ashley) and Joe
Colistro, both of Portland;
and granddaughter, Natalie
Ayre, of Honolulu, Hawaii.
He will be missed and is
loved by all.
Memorial contributions
are suggested to be made to
Polk County Fire District No.
1, Independence, or
Willamette Valley Hospice,
Salem.
Private interment will be
in Willamette National
Cemetery with military hon-
ors.
Final arrangements are
being made by Farnstrom
Mortuary. Please share your
memories and condolences
at FarnstromMortuary.com.
Audrie Catherine
Turner
Oct. 28, 1924 – March 4, 2017
Audrie Catherine Turner
died peacefully in her sleep
on March 4, 2017. She was
92 years old.
Audrie was born in Sham-
rock, Okla.,
on Oct. 28,
1924, to
Andrew
L e e Br i t -
tain and
Jessie Hal-
sted Brit-
tain.
She married Claude Allen
Turner on Feb. 14, 1940, in
Oilton, Okla.
They lived in Oklahoma,
Kansas, and California, be-
fore moving to Oregon in
1950.
Audrie had a gift of mak-
ing the people around her
feel loved and cared for. She
was a loving and generous
mother, grandmother, sister,
aunt and friend.
She was very creative, and
would share generously
whatever she had.
She was a founding mem-
ber of Egg Artists of Oregon,
and taught her craft to many
others.
She created two decorat-
ed eggs for the White House
that now reside in the
Smithsonian.
Audrie was preceded in
death by her husband of 64
years, grandson, brother
and two sisters.
She is survived by her
children, Anna Gallaher (Ed-
ward), Kathryn Goe, David
Turner (Becky), Clifford
Turner (Kandace Brewer); 10
grandchildren; 23 great-
grandchildren; 11 great-
great-grandchildren; and
numerous nieces and
nephews. She is also sur-
vived by her family of
choice, Carol Bispham
Hashagin (Keith), Julie,
Trevor, Matthew, Preston
and Phil Krussow.
In lieu of flowers, please
make donations to the
Willamette Valley Hospice.
A memorial service will be
at 11 a.m. on Saturday,
March 18, 2017, at St. Hilda’s
Episcopal Church, 245 Main
St. W., Monmouth, OR
97361.
Charles Ralph
Richter
Aug. 18, 1949 – March 6, 2017
Charles Ralph Richter, 67,
of Dallas, died March 6 at his
home.
He is survived by his
brother Paul Richter, of Dal-
las.
Private interment will be
in the Willamette National
Cemetery in Portland. The
Dallas Mortuary Tribute
Center handled arrange-
ments.
To leave an online tribute:
www.dallastribute.com.
Obituary
Information
Obituaries cost $8 per 25
words (column inch) and in-
clude photos and a flag for
veterans. Obituaries must be
prepaid if placed by a private
individual.
Death notices run free of
charge and may include date
and place of death, date and
place of birth, birth parents, a
brief list of survivors and de-
cedants, and service informa-
tion, including the mortuary
that handled arrangements.
Obituary information must
be submitted by 4 p.m. on
the Monday before publica-
tion to be included in the
newspaper.
Most funeral homes han-
dle obituary information and
provide it to the newspaper.
However, 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 Item-
izer-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 sub-
ject to editing for style, con-
tent 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.
Visit our
website,
www.polkio.com
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Salem, OR 97301
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