Polk County News
10A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 12, 2017
City Council to discuss city manager search
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
FALLS CITY — Discussion on
beginning a search for a city
manager is on the agenda for the
Falls City City Council meeting
Thursday.
In March, Falls City Mayor
Terry Ungricht said he would be
researching recruitment options
for a professional city manager,
which he said would be a more
effective.
Ungricht has been filling in the
role for about two years.
In a report to the council, Un-
gricht said he met with Local
Government Personnel Institute
and Mid-Willamette Valley Coun-
cil of Governments, often re-
ferred to as Cog, about a recruit-
ing and hiring process.
Cog helped the city find its last
three managers.
“It is looking like we can use
their services at an estimated
cost of between $5,000 and
$10,000,” Ungricht wrote in the
report.
Ungricht included information
about the duties of the city’s last
manager and list of what other
small cities in Oregon pay for dif-
ferent management positions.
“I have put together informa-
tion to help council decide what
duties the council would like the
manager to in charge of,” Un-
gricht wrote. “Both Cog and LGPI
said that the first step will be to
draft the scope/duties of the job.”
Ungricht estimated the search
would cost $7,500, and $80,000 to
$100,000 per year to pay for a city
manager.
Also on Thursday’s agenda is
a resolution to approve an
agreement with the city of Inde-
pendence to provide municipal
court services; an ordinance to
allow nonresidents to serve on
the city’s Historic Landmark
Commission; and a water serv-
i c e a g re e m e n t w i t h G re e n
Haven RV Park.
The Falls City City Council
meets at 6 p.m. on Thursday at
the Falls City Community Center,
320 N. Main St.
For more information: 503-
787-3631.
OBITUARIES
Lee Baker
May 30, 1923 – April 3, 2017
Lee was born in the min-
ing town of Fullerburg,
Colo., raised in Virginia City,
Nev., and as a boy moved to
Southern California with his
family.
Lee joined the Naval Avia-
tion and served proudly in
World War
II.
Lee was
stationed
on Palm-
yra Island
in the Pa-
cific and
served as a
gunner on
a Douglas
SBD.
After the
w a r, L e e
attended
college at the University of
Maine where he met his first
wife and where his son,
Gary, was born.
Lee and Gary moved to
Southern California to be
near family, and Lee worked
as a Hermosa Beach Police
Officer, a job he loved very
much, eventually becoming
a detective.
He met and married
Susan, and they had daugh-
ter Jackie and son Ken.
Salem
412 Lancaster Drive NE
Salem, OR 97301
Lee retired from the po-
lice department and the
family moved to Oregon in
1980, after falling in love
with the Willamette Valley
while on vacation the year
before.
Lee purchased a beautiful
log home on Cooper Hollow
Road for his family to enjoy.
Lee worked for a short time
as a deputy for the Polk
County Sheriff ’s Depart-
ment, and his patrol includ-
ed the towns of Falls City
and Valsetz.
Lee and his friend and
business partner, Jim Burke,
opened B & B Guns, a gun-
smith shop on Court Street
in Dallas.
It was later known as Ore-
gon Police Supply, and Lee
loved to provide custom .45
work and teach classes.
Lee and his new wife Ann
moved to Arizona in 1987,
and remained there for sev-
eral years before finally
moving back to Oregon to
be close to his children and
grandchildren.
Lee has many friends who
are more like family. His
friends were always a central
part of his life and remained
so until his last moments.
Lee lived a full life of fun
and adventure. Many envied
the stories he told, including
a trip to Mexico to meet
Pancho Villa’s widow; hair-
raising close calls as a test-
jumper for parachutes while
in college; fiery roll-over
crashes while a race car
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driver in Maine and Califor-
nia; fights with bad guys
while a police officer; and
many, many others.
Lee was constantly re-
modeling the homes he
lived in, always building cars
and engines, and collecting
and trading guns, which
kept him busy and his wife
working.
Lee was a wonderful fa-
ther to Jackie and Ken, tak-
ing them with him on ad-
ventures across the West
Coast.
He provided them a
unique childhood, with sto-
ries of their own to tell.
Lee is survived by his wife
Ann, his faithful companion
for over 30 years; also by his
daughter Jackie (Doug) and
son Ken (Katie); his grand-
children Tom and Amanda;
his former wife, Susan
(Robert); and countless
close friends, including
John, Jay, Bruce, Terry, Bill
and many more.
Lee died just shy of his
94th birthday, following al-
most a year in hospice care
for kidney failure, proving
that he was as tough as nails
and embodying the phrase,
“They don’t make them like
that anymore.” Services at
Willamette National Ceme-
tery will be at a later date.
Lavina Anna
Brixius
July 17, 1922 – April 2, 2017
Lavina Anna Brixius, 94, a
resident of Dallas, died Sun-
day, April 2, 2017, in the Dal-
las Retire-
ment Vil-
lage.
She was
born on
July 17,
1922, in
Hender-
son, Neb.,
the youngest of nine chil-
dren born to Gerhard and
Katherine Epp Friesen.
She moved to Madrid,
Neb., and graduated from
Grant High in Nebraska.
During high school, she
dated Don Brixius.
He enlisted in the Army
Air Corps before World War
II while Lavina completed
her normal training to be a
teacher.
Lavina moved with her
parents to Salem at the start
of the war, following her two
brothers who were already
in Oregon.
On April 3, 1942, Lavina
and Donald were married in
Walla Walla, Wash., while
Don was on a 48-hour pass,
as he was stationed in
Pendleton.
They lived in several
places before Don was sent
to North Africa. Lyndal, their
first son, was born while
Don was overseas.
After military life, the
young family lived in Den-
ver, Colo., while Don com-
pleted watch-making
school, and then worked for
a downtown jeweler.
Their second son, Terry,
was born in Denver. They
moved to Ordway, Colo., and
opened Brixius Jewelers,
which they operated for 13
years. Lavina served as office
manager.
In 1959, the family moved
to Dallas where Robert
“Bob” was born, and they
ran Brixius Jewelers until
their retirement in the latter
1980s.
Lavina and Don, coming
from the Midwest, enjoyed
the Pacific Coast and the
mountains of the west, and
eventually, with two other
couples, bought a home on
the Central Oregon Coast.
They enjoyed their coast
getaways for over 25 years.
In retirement, Lavina and
Don enjoyed travel to warm
Arizona and San Diego cli-
mates in the winter for sev-
eral years, along with travel
to Europe once and several
ocean cruises. Lavina was a
member of the Trinity
Lutheran Church, Dallas
Woman’s Club, and the Dal-
las Chamber of Commerce.
Lavina is survived by sons
Lyndal and Robert. Lyndal
has three children, Michael,
Stephen and Stephanie.
Mike’s life partner is Laura
Desmond. Steve has two
children, Kyler and Amanda;
312 Main Street • Dallas
503-623-0290
Personally involved
and invested in the
Dallas community
May 22, 1961 – April 8, 2017
Walter Fred Huston, 55, a
resident of Independence,
died peacefully on Saturday,
April 8, 2017.
Fred loved the outdoors,
hiking, fishing, rock hunting
and his dog Dazia.
He was preceded in death
by his father, Walter. He is
survived by his son Justin;
mother Freddena Huston;
brother Rockne (Coleen)
Huston; sisters Kathleen
(Jerry) Wilson and Susan
(Garth) Mulkey; aunts, un-
cles and several nieces and
nephews.
A graveside service will be
held at a later date. Farn-
strom Mortuary is handling
arrangements.
Memories and condo-
lences may be shared with
the family at FarnstromMor-
tuary.com.
March 12, 1933 – April 7, 2017
Joyful Sound Hearing
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Walter Fred
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Lilly May Cowan
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Stephanie has two daugh-
ters with her husband Clark
Looney, Melissa and Kate.
She was preceded in
death by her husband Don
and son Terril and all of her
siblings.
Viewing will be from 2 to
6 p.m. Wednesday, April 12,
(today) in the Dallas Mortu-
ary Tribute Center. Funeral
services will begin at 11 a.m.
Thursday, April 13, in the
mortuary. Private interment
will be in the Dallas Ceme-
tery.
In lieu of flowers, a dona-
tion to the Jewelers for Chil-
dren Foundation can be
made. This is a jewelry foun-
dation which supports Make
a Wish, St. Jude’s Children’s
Hospital, CASA (Court Ap-
pointed Special Advocates)
and the Glazer Pediatric
AIDS Foundation.
Contributions may be
sent to 120 Broadway, 28th
Floor New York, NY 10271
(www.jewelersforchildren.or
g), or Brixius Jewelers or the
Dallas Mortuary Tribute
Center. To leave a message
or memory for the family
please go to www.dallastrib-
ute.com.
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Lilly May Cowan, of Dal-
las, died in Independence
on April 7, 2017, at the age or
84.
Lilly was
one of 11
children
and was
born in Ok-
mulgee,
Okla., on
March 12,
1933, to
James F. and Nettie (Wood-
ley) Sullivan.
At a young age, the family
moved to Bakersfield, Calif.,
where she graduated from
High School; she later
moved to Oregon. She mar-
ried Rod Cowan in Reno,
Nev., on March 17, 1974.
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She worked in the health
care field as a physical ther-
apy assistant for Fairview
Hospital in Salem for over 22
years.
When Lilly wasn’t work-
ing, she loved to work in her
garden growing vegetables,
flowers, roses and every-
thing else.
She was also a very talent-
ed seamstress and very cre-
ative in everything she did.
After retirement, she contin-
ued to enjoy her hobbies, in-
cluding traveling with Rod,
camping, fishing, gold pan-
ning, and just getting out
and enjoying each other’s
company. Lilly also enjoyed
spending time with her fam-
ily.
She is survived by her
husband Rod Cowan; chil-
dren Don E. Dodson and
Karren Dayton; brother Carl
Sullivan; sisters Audrey Mc-
Garity, Shirley Clay and
Hazel Morse; seven grand-
children, 15 great-grandchil-
dren and four great-great-
grandchildren.
A private gathering will be
held. Contributions can be
made to the American Can-
cer Society in her name.
Dallas Mortuary Tribute
Center is caring for the fam-
ily. To share an online con-
dolence, go to: www.dallas-
tribute.com.
Stephanie ‘Peni’
Calvin
Aug. 7, 1956 – April 4, 2017
Memorial service 2 p.m.
on Tuesday, at Bridgeport
Community Chapel, Falls
City. Dallas Mortuary Trib-
ute Center handled arrange-
ments.
Karen Jean
Reardon
May 6, 1953 – April 6, 2017
Karen Jean Reardon, 63, of
Dallas, died April 6 at her
home.
She is survived by her
husband Alan; son Michael
Keyes; daughter Diana (Bob)
Robledo; and son James
Reardon; two grandchildren;
birth father Jack; brothers
Stan, John, Danny, Michael
and Jimmy; and sisters
Marcy, Renee, Jeree and
Frances.
A memorial service will
begin at 11 a.m. on Tuesday,
April 18, in the Evangelical
Bible Church. The Dallas
Mortuary Tribute Center
handled arrangements. To
leave an online tribute:
www.dallastribute.com.