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Mabel Teresa Beers
Mabel Teresa Beers, 85, affectionately known as Teresa, of Hood River, Ore., passed away April 1, 2008, in Moab, Utah, while traveling with family.
A service of remembrance is planned for 2 p.m. Friday, April 18, at Anderson's Tribute Center. Pastor Terry Abbott of the Hood River Assembly of God Church will officiate.
Teresa was born May 4, 1922, in Quinter, Kansas, to Vern and Pearl (Sturdivan) Kinzie. She attended school there through the seventh grade.
One of her favorite pastimes all of her life, beginning in her childhood, was fishing. Her brother would stay home and she would go fishing with her dad. Her family moved to Odell and she began the eighth grade at Odell Grade School in 1935. She and her family spent countless hours fishing in this new outdoor paradise.
She and Glen Albert Beers began dating the summer after their junior year. After graduation in 1940, Teresa attended beauty school in Portland and worked for a short-time as a beautician in Hood River. On Sept. 21, 1941, she married
Glen at Hood River, Ore.
In September 1942 they moved to 'The Mine' up the mountain from Stayton, Ore., and spent a year there; Glen mostly hauling logs and Teresa mostly fishing and 'learning' to make bread! In September 1943 they moved back to Odell and bought their home there in 1944.
They were blessed with three children: Ellen, Marilyn and Russ. Teresa was always a stay-at-home mom, the June Cleaver type! She kept the books for Glen's trucking business, and for recreation she and Glen loved to camp or take one-day road trips just for the scenery. She spent countless hours taking Marilyn and Ellen to their piano lessons and then listening to them practice!
She and Glen joined a dance club and enjoyed many hours of learning different ballroom dances with their friends. They purchased a ski boat and took up waterskiing along with the kids. Later, when they retired from the trucking business they purchased a large apartment complex in Vancouver, Wash., and lived there for a few years, managing the apartments with JR and Betty Ogden, who had been in the trucking business with them as well.
They began traveling some at this time, but in 1977 they sold those apartments, put everything in storage and were able to travel for 10 years full time in their RV, visiting every state in the union including Alaska and Hawaii. Those were memorable years with numerous picture albums to prove it!
In 1985 they purchased some land alongside JR and Betty in Yuma, Ariz., where they'd been wintering for several years, and put a nice modular home next to their longtime friends and partners. They spent from 1980 to 1999 in Yuma enjoying their winters among friends and church members, and their summers in 'Grandma Kinzie's' back yard in Odell, spending time with their grandchildren and family.
In 1999 they sold their home in Yuma and made the move to Flagstone Retirement Home in The Dalles, where they made many special new friends. Finally, in 2005 they decided to move into an apartment closer to daughter and family in Hood River, where Glen continues to reside.
Teresa and Glen's biggest love outside their family was to travel, and they'd seen a big part of the U.S. So, on March 24, they set out for one last trip with their daughter, Ellen. They traveled to St. George, Utah, to see Teresa's brother, Darrell, and had a most precious visit with family there.
On impulse, they decided to go on to Yuma, Ariz., to see friends. Another great visit there and then took the scenic route home through eastern Utah. It was there, just south of Moab, Utah, that Teresa suffered congestive heart failure as they were driving and seeing the beautiful sights. One of Teresa's last statements that morning was, 'Oh, I'm sooooo glad we decided to come back this way.'
Teresa took pride in her children and in the later years, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren; she will be dearly missed.
Teresa is survived by her husband of 66 years, Glen Beers, of Hood River, Ore.; daughters Ellen Anthony of Hood River, Ore., and Marilyn Bray, of Gresham, Ore.; and son, Russell Beers, of Petersburg, Alaska; grandchildren Joshua Bray, Todd Wells and Shelley Cox; great-grandchildren Joel Piersall, Camie Piersall and Savannah Cox; brother, Darrell Kinzie, of St. George, Utah; and other distant family and many, many friends. She was preceded in death by her parents.
Teresa and Glen have been active in the Assembly of God Church in Hood River as well as in Bingen. Teresa's family suggests that any memorial contributions be made in her memory to the Hood River Assembly of God Building Fund and sent care of Anderson's.
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center (Funerals, Receptions, Cremations), 1401 Belmont Ave., Hood River, OR 97031; (541) 386-1000
Arthur 'Jay' Hobbs
Longtime Hood River Valley resident Arthur 'Jay' Hobbs passed away April 5, 2008, at Hawks Ridge Assisted Living facility in Hood River, surrounded by his loving wife of 63 years, Violet, his children and his guardian angels, Heart of Hospice nurses, at his side. Jay was 81 years of age.
A public celebration of Jay's life will be held at the Hawks Ridge facility Saturday, April 26, at 2 p.m., led by Celebrant speaker and longtime family friend Bob Huskey. Friends are asked to bring a special memory of Jay to share.
Jay was one of six children born to Arthur and Mabel Hobbs on July 15, 1926, in Rush Center, Kansas. He was raised and educated in Kansas, moving with his family to Missouri and Colorado.
While attending church in Eaton, Colo., Jay met a young lady by the name of Violet Cecil. He and Violet were married
on Jan. 23, 1945. At that time, Jay worked for a local beanery.
Shortly after their marriage, both Jay and Vi went to work for a local dairy farm where their jobs were driving the big John Deere tractors. As their family grew they eventually moved to Greeley, Colo., to work in the sugar factories.
While living in Greeley, the Hobbs family had their own saw mill. The entire family played a role in the operation of the mill, even skidding logs with a team of horses.
Their next move was to Palisades, Colo., working in the peach industry and where Jay first started working for the Colorado Carpenters Union. They had made numerous trips out West to visit family and work in fruit industry of the Hood River Valley before eventually settling here with their three children in 1965.
Jay started working as a security watchman, eventually working construction through the Union Hall. Jay stayed active in the Carpentry Union in both Colorado and Oregon, retiring after 45' years of service.
During his Union Carpentry career Jay worked on The John Day, The Dalles and Bonneville dams, and the aluminum plant in The Dalles; Spring Creek Fish Hatchery, and the Odell plants and cold storage units of Diamond Fruit and Duckwall.
Jay's lifelong hobbies included music, fishing and hunting. He loved to trap with his hounds and once trapped a black bear which was later relocated to the Portland Zoo.
Jay also loved woodworking, reading old westerns by Louis L'Amour, playing pinochle and cribbage (and making you kiss the skunk's tail), treasure (JUNK) hunting at flea markets and garage sales, family gatherings, making up songs, playing his banjo and bantar, listening to his grandchildren sing along, dueling banjos with his son, and having two desserts!
Jay was especially passionate about two things: his wife, Violet, and sweets!
Jay was preceded in death by his parents and five brothers and sisters. He is survived and will be dearly missed by his wife, Violet Hobbs, of Hood River; his daughter, Sharon Hobbs, of Mosier; sons and daughters-in-law Buck and Mary, of Hood River, and Rocky and Heather, of Odell.
Also surviving are his 10 grandchildren: Pam, Devin, Gary Jr. (J.R.), Carrie, Kyle, Theresa, Troy, Kelsey, Jake and Amy; his 11 great-grandchildren: Brittany, Joshua, Megan, Michelle, Taylor, Brandon, Tryston, Ethan, Brandi, Phillip and Courtney; and his great-great-granddaughter, Allyssandra (Ally).
Donations in memory of Jay Hobbs can be made to Heart of Hospice, 1020 Wasco St., Ste. C, Hood River, OR 97031.
Robert McDowell
Robert Lon McDowell, a longtime resident of Cascade Locks, passed away in his sleep on April 13, 2008, in Troutdale, with family by his side.
A service to celebrate his life and mourn his passing is planned for 11 a.m. Friday, April 18, at the Cascade Locks Assembly of God Church. Interment with military honors will follow at the Cascade Locks cemetery. Pastor Don Howell will officiate.
Visitation is scheduled for Thursday from noon to 5 p.m. at Anderson's Tribute Center.
Robert, or Bob, as he was known to most, was born Nov. 9, 1914, at Crider, Ky., to Lon D. and Carrie (Nelson) McDowell. He moved to Indiana for a short time while he was a young boy and then moved to Akron, Ohio. He enjoyed acrobatics and gymnastics.
Bob served his country proudly during World War II in the U.S. Army. He served in Greeenland during most of the war. While on leave and visiting family and friends in Ohio, he met Marguerite Friedrich, they fell in love, wed and have celebrated 63-plus years together and were blessed with four children.
In late 1958, Bob moved the family from Akron to Cascade Locks. He built the family home in Cascade Locks while working at the Cascade Locks Lumber Mill. In the early 1960s he built a large cabin cruiser boat to enjoy on the Columbia River.
In 1968 he moved to Perth, Australia, and worked building box cars for the Western Australia Railroad. Two years later, Marguerite and young Lon joined him in Perth. He built another family home there. In 1979, Bob and Marguerite moved back to Cascade Locks to spend their retirement.
Robert is survived and will be dearly missed by his wife, Marguerite McDowell, of Troutdale, daughters Judy (and Dan) Bausch, of Gresham, Kathy (and Don) Strain, of Castle Rock, Wash., and Barbara (and Mike) Irving, of Cascade Locks, son, Lon D. McDowell, of Portland, grandchildren Sean Williams, Marnie McCall, Tray Bausch, Kirk Bausch, Tyson Irving and Mason McDowell; and great-grandchildren Amanda McCall, Ashley McCall, Mary Williams, Luke Williams, Charissa Bausch, Mikylah Bausch, Ethan Bausch, Ryan Bausch and Brooklyn Bausch.
In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by two sisters, Nell Wade and Dorothy Peck.
The family suggests that memorials be made in Robert's name to the Cascade Locks Assembly of God Church Building Fund and sent in care of Anderson's.
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center (Funerals, Receptions, Cremations), 1401 Belmont Ave., Hood River, OR 97031; (541) 386-1000
George Sparks Jr.
George Sparks Jr. was born April 12, 1954, in Cheney, Wash., to George Henry Sparks and Helene Berta (Tscache) Sparks. He died Dec. 11, 2007, in Kettle Falls, Wash.
Through many of his younger years George Jr. raised rabbits and showed them in 4-H. He attended school in Hood River, Ore., and graduated from Hood River Valley High School in 1972.
He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army on Sept. 19, 1974.
He was also naturally skilled in fine carpentry and working with many kinds of wood. George Jr. completed many building and remodeling projects for others during his time on Earth and also worked in a lumber mill in Kettle Falls, Wash., until he was badly injured on the job. He also had a deep love of his immediate family and lived close to his daughter and two young grandchildren.
George Jr. and his wife and lifelong partner, Cheryl Ann (Oberg) Sparks, enjoyed raising animals and living free in the clean air and blue skies that surround the last remaining wild section of northeast Washington, near the town of Kettle Falls. They lived there for the last 28 years, where George and Cheryl worked helping others and spending time with friends in need.
George Jr. Sparks will be missed by his family and friends.
George Jr. is survived by his wife, Cheryl Ann; daughter, Crystal Blu Sparks/Johnson; grandsons Joshua Paul Karl Johnson and Samuel Jense Johnson; mother, Helene Berta Tscache Sparks; sisters Monica (Sparks) Young, Georgine Helene (Sparks) Merz and Joann Dale Sparks; nephew and nieces, Peggy Gene (Young) Oberg, Tabatha Luann (Young) Mahan, Rebecca June Young, Robert D. Yung, Denver Bryon Merz, Molly (Merz) Semingson, Amanda Kunhausen and Jacob Kunhausen.
Helen 'Pegi' Patterson
Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008, Pegi lost her battle with ocular metastatic melanoma (a 6-in-1-million type of cancer).
Born Helen Margaret Winter on May 13, 1941, Pegi grew up in the farming community of Ontario, Ore. She graduated from Nyssa High School in 1959.
She went to nursing school at the Good Samaritan School of Nursing in Portland, Ore.
She was in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and was a first lieutenant. 'Pegi' married
Kenneth D. Patterson Jr. in 1965. They had two children, Susan, in 1966, and Matthew, in 1971.
She was a registered nurse at the Hood River Memorial Hospital for many years before moving to Eugene and becoming an ICU R.N. at Eugene's Sacred Heart Hospital for 18-plus years.
She lived in Portland, Hood River and Eugene before eventually moving to Redmond, Ore., in 2004.
In Redmond, she commuted to Bend's St. Charles Hospital CCU and worked her final two years of her nursing career before retiring at the age of 65.
But before long she was diagnosed with ocular metastatic melanoma, and lost her battle on Jan. 27, 2008.
She is survived by her daughter, Susan Schuch, 41, of Redmond, Ore., and her son, Matthew Patterson, 36, of Phoenix, Ariz.; and three grandchildren: Lexi, 11, Nicole, 3, and Amanda, 2.
She was a great mother and grandmother and took tremendous pride in her 40-year nursing career.
Anyone who knew Pegi, loved her. You will be sorely missed by all the people you have touched. Anyone can visit her memorial Web site at: www.PegiPatterson.com.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 19, at Sacred Heart Hospital Auditorium in Eugene, Ore., from 4:30-6 p.m.
A gathering after the memorial is planned to be held at the Oregon Electric Station for those who would like to mingle and visit with our family. We'd love to see you there if you can't make the service.
Walter Funston
Walter W. Funston, 95, of Yakima, Wash., passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008, at Crescent Health Care Center.
Walter was born April 7, 1912, in the gardener's house on his grandfather's estate, to Pogue and Ella Funston. He was high-spirited, adventurous and on the rebellious side, which led him to leave home when he was 14 years of age, to see where life would take him.
Walter had no desire to go into politics, like his grandfather, or the military, like his uncle, General Frederick Funston, who held martial law over the San Francisco earthquake in 1906. Walter spent over five years on the rails with his two best friends.
He had several brushes with death during these turbulent years. Some of these included being forced to leap from moving trains at gunpoint. He was also lost for a week in the Florida Okefenokee swamp, doing his best to dodge alligators.
In later years he kept his grandchildren riveted with his stories of his wild adventures. He meant the world to his grandchildren and was a very loving and supportive father to all of his children.
Walt finally found his niche as an iron worker in his early 20s and taught himself to read blueprints for dams and bridges. At the age of 27, he met and married
his sweetheart, Lois Harling, after dating for only 17 days.
Lois was a quiet country school teacher, teaching grades 1-12. Needless to say, life with a strong-willed and high-spirited husband was a little bumpy at times.
Walt was a natural at his craft and became a foreman and superintendent, and instructed large work crews to tie steel on all but two of the Columbia River dams and many bridges. He took pride in his trade and retired at 65, only to be called back because his expertise was needed to help build the Bonneville Dam. He permanently retired at age 69.
At age 70, Walter was spiritually born again when he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He and Lois had 20 years to enjoy a much tamer life, and the home they had built in Hood River, Ore. After retiring, he was an avid fisherman and loved bowling.
He is survived by his loving wife, Lois, and daughters Leone Nunley, of Yakima, Wash., and Sandra Alm, of Graham, Wash. He is also survived by seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Walt was preceded in death by his parents, three siblings and one nephew. He will be missed by all of his loving family.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 13, at Keith & Keith Terrace Heights Chapel, 2807 Terrace Heights Drive, Yakima, Wash. A short period of time for visitation will be available after the funeral. Burial and graveside committal will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 14, at Mountain View Memorial cemetery in Hood River, Ore.
Arrangements are in the care of Keith & Keith Funeral Home.
Garold Collett
Garold Ray Collett, 63, journeyed from this earth into Glory on Feb. 14, 2008. He passed into the Father's arms at home with his family by his side after discovering he had cancer.
Gary was born Dec. 23, 1944, in Corpus Christi, Texas, to John and Mary June Collett, where John was stationed with the Navy. Growing up his parents instilled a love for the Bible and a great respect for Israel and Archeology.
At the age of 16 Gary, with the help of others, started the horse program at the Warm Beach Retreat Center, with three horses. To this day the horse program is thriving and blesses many children.
It was at Warm Beach Camp that Gary met Donna Diane Dorsten. They were married
from 1965 until 1986 and had three children: Andrew, Jeffrey and Melissa. Gary worked for Boeing in Washington state before the family finally made its home in Arlington, where Gary began working at the Arlington School District as the custodial and grounds maintenance supervisor. He retired in 1988.
During his time in Arlington Gary was a farrier, and in the 1980s he began teaching Bible studies on Friday and Saturday nights at the Coffee House. He was a great father who loved animals and the outdoors, and passed on that love to his children.
Beginning in 1983 Gary had several opportunities to travel to Israel, where he became involved with an archaeological dig at the Dead Sea. His parents and his sons, Andrew and Jeff, worked alongside him. Gary was given an honorary doctorate degree from Wings of Faith Graduate School in 1988 for his studies in Biblical Prophecy and Interpretation.
Gary was married
to Debra Kay Ervin from 1988 to 2007. They started and incorporated the nonprofit ministry known as Jerusalem Ministries International of which they were the international directors/founders. In 1990 they moved to Jerusalem, Israel, along with Debra's son, Jeremy, to continue their work in archaeology, focusing on the Dead Sea region. For 16 years they had opportunities to sponsor several digs and fund technology research.
While living in Israel Gary had the opportunity to work alongside Dr. Jim Fleming, Director of Biblical Resources, building archaeological hands-on displays. Gary was also very concerned for the poor in the West Bank, where he raised funds to help purchase food and help the needy with their bills.
Gary found his greatest joy in teaching God's word. He loved sharing the truth he found within the pages of the Word of God. In 2003 Gary and Debra adopted their daughter, Tynnae. In 2005 they returned back to the States to live.
Gary is survived by his son, Jeffrey Collett (wife Jennifer), of White Salmon; his daughter, Melissa Ocampo, of Seattle; and Tynnae Collett, of Oakville, Wash.; his stepson, Jeremy Ervin (wife Sarah), of Ft. Lewis, Wash.; and seven grandsons.
He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Mary June Collett; his brother, Jim, and his son, Andrew.
The family would like to thank the Gorge Hospice nurses and aides for all of their wonderful help. We are so very grateful for the loving care they showed Gary.
A memorial honoring Gary's life will be held on Sunday, Feb. 24, at 2 p.m. at the Hood River Alliance Church, 2650 Montello Ave., Hood River, Ore.
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center (Funerals, Receptions, Cremations), 1401 Belmont Ave., Hood River, OR 97031; (541) 386-1000.
