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Miller
James Miller, after whom Miller Gymnasium at George Fox University is named, died Aug. 8 at his Portland home. He was 86.
He was born March 10, 1920, in Portland, and attended Grant High School and Staub Memorial Church, where he met his future wife, Lila Jensen.
He proposed to Lila in 1942, on the eve of his induction into the U.S. Army. He was deployed with a field artillery unit in the South Pacific. They were married
on July 9, 1944, following his return from the war.
Miller joined his father George and brother Robert in the family business, Cascadia Lumber Co., where he became company president. The business operated sawmills in Sweet Home and Toledo, and sold lumber nationally and internationally.
The Miller family sold Cascadia Lumber in 1973, and James turned to real estate development as a partner in the Willamette Pacific Land Co., along with other investments and philanthropy.
He served on the George Fox Board of Trustees from 1974 to 1986 and held honorary trustee status thereafter. He made the lead gift to fund the construction of the James and Lila Miller Gymnasium, built inside the Wheeler Sports Center in 1977. The gym includes three basketball courts and seating for 2, 500 people.
The Millers' first connection to George Fox came through their son, Paul, a 1969 graduate of George Fox. Their daughter-in-law, Judy, is also a graduate and serves on the board of trustees.
Over the next three decades, Miller and his wife gave millions to help fund the construction of the Edward Stevens Center, the current Hoover Academic Building remodel, and several endowed scholarships, including the Miller Leadership Award for freshmen. A balcony in the Stevens Center also bears their name.
In 1985, Miller and his wife established a charitable trust to continue providing annual gifts to deserving causes in perpetuity.
Survivors include: wife Lila; sons Ted and Paul; grandchildren Lauren, April, Drew and Audrey; and great-grandson Tyler.
A memorial service was held on Monday at the Portland First Church of the Nazarene.
Memorial contributions may be made to the church's Upward Basketball program, or to the American Diabetes Association.
James W. Wright
James Warren Wright died Aug. 10, 2006, in Newberg. He was 89.
He was born May 24, 1917, in Abbyville, Kan., to Walter and Edith (Canfield) Wright. He moved to Newberg at the age of 18.
He married
Thora Wood in 1938, and served in the U.S. Army and civil service, constructing roads in Alaska. He returned to Oregon in 1948 and worked in the Portland shipyards, later becoming a real estate broker and starting his own firm, Wright Realty.
He enjoyed hunting, fishing and beekeeping. He was a member of the Newberg Masonic Lodge and Shriners.
Survivors include: sons, Ron of Dundee and Tom of Monmouth; daughters, Donna Ovist of Prescott, Ariz., Joyce Reilly of Elgin and Beckie Roberts of Pendleton; sisters, Ester, Ruth and May; 18 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his first wife Thora in 1993; by his second wife June in 1999; and by his brothers Bill and Dorance Wright.
A funeral service was held Aug. 15 in Valley View Memorial Park in Newberg.
Betty J. Groth
Betty Jean (Inns) Groth died Aug. 5, 2006, at her Dayton home. She was 85.
She was born June 13, 1921, in Hastings, New Zealand, to to Stanley and Violet Inns. In 1942, she met and married
Bernard Groth, an Oregonian stationed in New Zealand as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps.
She journeyed to the United States with a group of fellow war brides. After the war the couple traveled to several military postings before settling near Camp Pendleton in California in the 1950s.
She worked as a bookkeeper in Encinitas, Calif., and following her husband's retirement from the Marines, they built a second home in Dayton, where they moved in the 1980s. She was a hospice volunteer.
Survivors include: daughter Jacqueline Salkield of Dayton; brother Brian Inns of New Zealand; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by husband Bernard in 1993, her parents and sister Roma O'Shannessey of New Zealand.
A family graveside service was held Aug. 11, 2006, at the Pioneer cemetery in Dundee.
Thomas L. Hickman
Thomas Leonadus Hickman died July 30, 2006, in Newberg. He was 79.
He was born March 15, 1927, in Rogersville, Tenn. to Fred and Rose Hickman. He attended school in Weiser, Idaho.
He married
Diane Warren on Feb. 14, 1951, and the couple settled in Portland. The couple moved to Newberg in the 1980s and were members of the First United Methodist Church. She preceded him in death in 2001.
He enjoyed talking about politics and was an amateur boxer.
Survivors include: sons David and Roger; daughters Loretta, Barbara and Cheryl; brother Fred; sister Carmen; seven grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by son Michael.
A memorial service was held Aug. 3, 2006, at First United Methodist Church in Newberg. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that Hickman's memory be honored by contacting one's congressman to urge an end to the Iraq occupation.
Marilyn J. Willis
Marilyn Jean Willis died Aug. 5, 2006, in Sacramento, Calif. She was 59.
She was born Jan. 8, 1947, in Sacramento. She attended California State University at Chico, where she graduated with an accounting degree in 1969.
She moved to Newberg, where she worked as a certified public accountant in the Portland banking industry. She married
Bob Willis in 1972; they divorced in 1988.
She enjoyed travel, bowling, attending movies and plays, and raising her sons.
Survivors include: sons, Jason and Derek of Los Angeles; sister Margie Jones of Wilton, Calif.; niece Sally Sanders of Galt, Calif.; and nephew Floyd Pyle of Los Angeles.
A memorial service was held Friday in Elk Grove, Calif. Disposition was by cremation.
Memorial contributions may be to Woman Power Retreat, sponsored by the Lewis and Clark AIDS Project, P.O. Box 832, Helena, Mont. 59624.
Leola J. Myers
Leola Joyce Myers died Aug. 5, 2006, at a Tualatin hospital. She was 81.
She was born March 25, 1925, in Scottsville, Mich., to Percy and Bertha (Mauller) Hoffman. The family moved to Oregon when she was 9 years old.
She married
James Gray on July 11, 1941. He preceded her in death in September 1984. She married
Harry Myers, who also preceded her in death.
Survivors include: sons, Robert Gray of Lake Oswego and Ronald Gray of Carlton; daughters, Cathy Lovell and Sharon Marsh of McMinnville and Joyce Riley of Lafayette; brothers, Ralph Hoffman of California and Orby Hoffman of Portland; sisters, Janice Shine of Hillsboro, Betty Swanson of Portland and Shirley Boyer of Tigard; 22 grandchildren; and 37 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by son Richard Gray and brothers Virgil and Howard.
A graveside service was held Aug. 8, 2006, at Dundee Pioneer cemetery.
Winona M. Oare
Winona Mable Oare died Aug. 5, 2006, at Providence Newberg Medical Center. She was 91.
She was born Dec. 26, 1914, in Eugene to John and Rama (Miller) Robertson. She was the granddaughter of Nancy and Solomon Zumwalt, an Oregon pioneer family. She married
Glendon Oare in Florence, where they made their home for 42 years before moving to Newberg.
She was a member of the San Jose Community Church and the Eastern Star. She enjoyed oil painting and poetry.
Survivors include: sons, Richard of Newberg and David of San Jose, Calif.
She was preceded in death by son Robin, one brother and four sisters.
A graveside service was held Aug. 10, 2006, at Rest Haven cemetery in Eugene.
Ray `Smoky' Schmoe
Ray Othel 'Smoky' Schmoe, owner of Smoky's TV Repair, died of cancer July 26, 2006, at his family farm. He was 81.
A member of the Newberg business establishment for more than 50 years, 'Smoky' was known for his cluttered downtown shop and his expertise in fixing all types of home electronics, especially televisions and stereos.
He was born July 19, 1925, in Olney Springs, Colo., to Gary and Tracie Schmoe, and grew up and attended school in Newberg, earning the nickname 'Smoky' while in high school.
He was drafted in 1943, later earning a general equivalency diploma.
He served in the Army during World War II, earning two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star in Europe, and was discharged as a disabled veteran with the rank of sergeant.
He learned electronics in the service, and later served as an apprentice before opening his own shop in 1946.
At his repair shop, he offered internships to Newberg High School students during the 1970s and 1980s. Some of these apprentice repairmen still kept in touch with their mentor at the time of his death.
He was also a member of the Newberg Boat Club, and provided audio equipment for their annual races.
At his family farm, which he purchased from his parents in 1980, he constructed an earthen dam and artificial pond - twice, when the first attempt proved unsuccessful - where he enjoyed rowing with his niece Nila.
He is survived by his sisters Lila Browning of Newberg and Garyanna Stalick of Albany; brother Merl Schmoe of Filer, Idaho, and many nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Attrell's Newberg Funeral Chapel. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Schmoe's name to the Newberg Open Bible Church at 1605 N. College St., Newberg OR 97132.
Jeremy P. Burrows
Jeremy Patrick Burrows died Aug. 5, 2006, of cancer at his Newberg home. He was 20.
He was born Aug. 21, 1985, to Daniel and Lori Burrows of Newberg. He graduated in 2003 from Newberg High School, where he was a member of the baseball and wrestling teams. He was a member of the Newberg First Baptist Church, and was a staff assistant with middle school and high school programs.
He enjoyed the outdoors, dirt biking, wake boarding, snowboarding and restoring a classic Volkswagen Bug.
On Aug. 5, 2006, he married
his childhood sweetheart, Emily Ann Cook of Newberg.
Survivors include: wife Emily of Newberg; parents Daniel and Lori of Newberg; brother Nicholas of Newberg; grandparents Pat and Jerry Barnes of Cheshire; grandmother Patricia Rybacki of Nevada; great-grandparents Lynn and Ethelma Barnes of Halsey; and great-grandmother Marcella Burrows of Tacoma, Wash.
A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Newberg Christian Church. Burial will follow at Valley View Memorial Park in Newberg. Visitation hours will be from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday at Attrell's Newberg Funeral Chapel, 207 N. Villa Road.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Jeremy Burrows Fund or the OHSU Cancer Research Fund, in care of Attrell's.
Alva J. Seward
Alva Jacob Seward of Yamhill died Aug. 1, 2006, of an aneurysm in a Portland hospital. He was 84.
He was born Sept. 2, 1921, in Merriman, Neb., to John and Elva (Saxton) Seward. When he was 15, the family relocated to Newberg. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942 and was stationed at the Kaneohe Naval Air Base in Hawaii. After receiving an honorable discharge in 1946, he purchased land near Yamhill. After an attempt at goat ranching, he started a sawmill and logging operation to clear land for area farmers. On May 24, 1953, he married
Fern Payne in Yamhill Christian Church.
He enjoyed family gatherings, camping, talking politics, bargain hunting and CB radio.
Survivors include: wife Fern of Yamhill; sons, Mark, Randall and Russel of Yamhill; daughters, Carol Nelson of Nampa, Idaho, Darcy Davis of Yamhill and Darla Bair of Vale; 22 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Clarence Seward, half-brother Mark Booth, half-sister Evelyn Edge and daughter Linda Whitney.
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. today (Saturday) at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Yamhill.
Memorial contributions may be made to Dogs for the Deaf or the Perpetual Education Fund of the Church of Latter-day Saints, in care of Macy and Son Funeral Directors, 135 N. Evans St., McMinnville, OR 97128.
