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Desiree Jean Caspers
24, passed May 19, 2004. Born July 28, 1979, Desiree is survived by her father Jerry; mother and stepfather Terry and Jack Brennan; 3 daughters, Samantha, Kaitlyn and Chloe; brother Chad; and eight sisters, Lisa, Kathy, Kristin, Carrie, Kelly, Shannon, Jacque and Lindsey.
Services were held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 25, 2004 at Calvary Chapel of Big Bear.
Big Bear Mortuary, directors.
Elton John "E.J." Klatt
29, passed May 15, 2004, in Hemet, Calif. Born Sept. 28, 1974, in Hemet, fishing was one of E.J.'s favorite activities along with a good story. A very active young man, he was a good tree trimmer, liked working with tools and working as a groomer at Bear Mountain Ski Resort.
E.J. Is survived by his loving mother, Joyce Elaine Reynolds; stepfather James K. Reynolds; daughter, Kailey Raelyn; brother Joshua Thomas Cook of Missouri; sister Mindy Tock of Moreno Valley; and stepsister Christy Marie Reynolds.
Robert F. Smith "Smitty"
Robert Francis Smith, better known to the Valley as "Smitty" passed away peacefully at home May 18, 2004. He was 84 years old. Robert and his wife, Joyce, moved to Big Bear in 1950. Robert was best known as the owner of Smitty's Nursery. Along with his wife, he operated the nursery for over 30 years. What many residents didn't know about Smitty was his war record during WWII. He was a staff sergeant with the Army Air Corps. Acting as a tail gunner, his crew flew several successful missions over the European theater. But on Sept. 13, 1944, his plane was shot down and he was forced to bail out. Smitty was captured by the German Army and was held prisoner until the end of the war in Europe. He and the surviving members of his outfit were part of the famous "shoe leather" march across Germany. Along with other decorations, Robert was awarded the Purple Heart and the Air Medal. Robert is survived by his devoted wife of 60 years, Joyce; his children Janie, Nancy and Roy; his grandsons Richard, David, Robert, Ryan and Kyle.
Millie HOLLIS
Born Lois Mildred Rice in Marshall, North Carolina on February 19, 1929, Millie passed away, after a short illness, on May 20, 2004, at the City of Hope Hospital in California.
Her survivors include her partner Dan Masuga; her two sons Mark and Randy Connors, their wives Anne and Claire; her grandchildren Sean and Matthew Connors, Malia, Lauri, and John Connors, Patrick and Drew Bauman, Darren and Scott Connors; her great-grandchildren Ashton, Alexia and Haley; Dan's children Amy, Katy, and Eddy, Dan's extended family, grandchildren and great-grandchildren; Keith Hollis and Laurie and Wayne Bauman.
Millie was a 25-year resident of Big Bear Lake. Before that she lived for 30 years (in the 60s and 70s) near Hollywood, Calif., where she developed many friendships and very much enjoyed working in popular restaurants with many people in the entertainment industry. Millie always enjoyed being with her family and loved entertaining friends, especially when it involved sports and horse racing. After moving to Big Bear Lake, Millie became active in real estate alongside Danny, and the two had great fun traveling together to many places such as the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska and Mexico. Millie loved gardening and took joy in watching her plants grow. She enjoyed boating on the lake but was always ready for a trip to Las Vegas in her Corvette.
If so desired, please send any donations to the City of Hope Hospital, 1500 Duarte Rd., Duarte, California 91010. A memorial gathering will be held at 2 p.m. June 13th. For information call 909-866-2078 or 719-487-8992.
Millie's compassion, generosity, courage and dignity inspired us all. She will be sadly missed and always remembered.
Kathryn Cummings - Williams
75, of Council Bluffs, Iowa died May 7 at Jennie Edmundson Hospital of natural causes.
She was born in Moberly, Missouri, to James and Betty C. (Graves) Rudder on January 2, 1929. She spent her early years in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and returned there after her marriage to Donald Williams on June 22, 2002. She also resided in Big Bear City, Calif., from 1985 to 2001, where she was a floral designer.
Cummings-Williams was preceded in death by her first husband of 54 years, Art Cummings, in 1998. She is survived by her husband, Donald E. Williams, of Council Bluffs; daughter, Coni Cummings, of Victorville, Calif.; son Michael Cummings and wife, Vicki of Big Bear, Calif; two grandsons, Josh and Jim Cummings.
A memorial service will be held at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, June 12 at 1 p.m.
Carol Hernandez Fingerle
58, passed May 28, 2004.
She was a resident of Huntington Beach, Calif., for the past five years, Big Bear, Calif., for 14 years, and Victorville, Calif. for 35 years.
Born November 20, 1945 to Ignacio and Josefina Lopez, Carol was preceded in death by her son, David Hernandez, and brothers, Eddie, Casey, and Ray Lopez.
Avery Hubbard Wray
92, passed May 14, 2004, in Placerville, Calif.
Born December 16, 1911, in Redlands, most of her summers were spent in Big Bear, first as a camper and later a counselor and co-director of the Tamarack Lodge for girls.
A teacher in Los Angeles and Hawthorne, Avery returned to Big Bear after retirement and became a volunteer in the local classrooms.
Gilbert Dick
former resident of Big Bear Lake, passed away at City of Hope in Duarte, Calif, May 30. Gil owned The Grey Squirrel Cabins in Boulder Bay from 1967 to 1975. He was a member of the Elks and Rotary clubs and was involved with the Old Miners Association where he was instrumental in the forming of the powder puff burro derby. Gil moved to Apple Valley in 1978 where he resided until his death. Gil is survived by his wife, Gloria; sons and their wives Geoffrey (Teresa), and Gregory (Kathy) of Apple Valley; daughter Glorianna (Robert) Wood of Desert Hot Springs; grandchildren, Heather of Long Beach, Jacob, Sara, Zach and Sami of Apple Valley. Gill was completely devoted to his family and a loyal friend. He worked at many trades during his lifetime. Working with his son Geoffrey in construction, Gregory's pool service and geocaching with Glorianna were his passions. He enjoyed watching Nascar races and would never turn down a chance to go deep sea fishing. Every year he looked forward to his trip to his little house in Gonzaga Bay, Baja, Calif. where he could fish all day. Gil will be terribly missed by us but the Lord decided that his work here was done and that he could finally be pain free. A memorial service will be held at The Church of the Valley, 14933 Wakita Rd., Apple Valley on Saturday, June 12, at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, Gill wished that donations be sent in his name to the City of Hope, 1500 E. Duarte Rd., Duarte, CA 91010 or www.cityofhope.org.
Lawrence Alan Carlisle
49, of Big Bear City, passed July 10, 2004, following complications from open heart surgery. Born in Steubenville, Ohio, on September 15, 1954, to John and Shirley Carlisle, his family relocated to Southern California in 1956. After graduating from Palm Springs High School in 1972, Larry worked in the wholesale refrigeration business for several years, eventually settling in Big Bear City and became adept at electrical, plumbing and carpentry trades. He enjoyed guitar, golf, bowling and flying. He spent many happy years in this mountain community and was proud to call it his home.
Betty M. Rodgers
81, of Big Bear City passed July 3, 2004. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Betty is survived by son Michael (Mary) Rodgers of Riverside, CA.; daughter Kathleen (David) Wilson of Kaneohe, HI.; 5 grandchildren; 6 great-grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life was held July 10 at the residence.
Inurnment at Riverside National Cemetery.
Margarete "Peggy" Charlotte Hoogendyk
66, passed July 21, 2004, in Palm Springs, Calif. Born December 30, 1937, to Emil and Meta Rader-Maier in Solingen, Germany, Margarete was a hotelier for 30 years. A former resident and owner of the Fireside Lodge, she also operated the Sunbeam Inn and the Colibri Inn, both in Palm Springs, Calif.
Margarete is survived by her husband, Cornelis "Neil," of 46 years, two sons, Mark of Palm Springs and Carl of Big Bear Lake; daughter Monique Warner of Blue Springs, Mo.; sister Ilse Sonjia Lee of Morongo Valley; brother Karl Hans Maier of Palm Springs and three grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held July 31, at 10:30 a.m. at the Palm Springs Mortuary, Cathedral City, Calif. In Lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the American Cancer Society.
Deborah L. Hull-Boll
49, passed September 16, 2004 in Escondido, Calif. An eight year resident, Debbie was born March 14, 1955 in Detroit, Mich. and was a proud owner of the Timberlodge Lodge and Big Bear Marina.
She is survived by her husband, Greg and daughter Megan of Big Bear Lake; sister Jenny, brother-in-law Tim and niece Amanda Michalski of Troy, Mich.; brother John J. Hull IV of Lake Elsinore, Calif. plus many friends who will miss her bright smile and happy nature.
A celebration of life will be held Thursday, September 23 at 5 p.m., at the Timberline Lodge, 909-866-4141.
In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be sent in her name to the Rotary Foundation, P.O. Box 615, Big Bear Lake, CA 92315.
Services were private.
Debbie will always be remembered for her kind, caring, loving nature. Those who had the honor of knowing her will never forget the strength and courage she embraced in her life. Her hopes and dreams will be fullfilled by those who knew her.
