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Samuel R. Kerr, 94
Longtime Keizer-area grower Samuel Raymond "Ray" Kerr, 94, died on Feb. 25.
Mr. Kerr was surrounded by his family "where he was able to express his love to everyone," relatives said.
He was born April 15, 1909, on the family farm in St. Paul, Ore. He was an active member of St. Edward Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus, a member of the St. Paul Rodeo Association, Oregon Hop Growers Association, and the McNary Golf Club.
He was a respected hop grower and buyer for a New York firm. In addition, he owned a hop supply business. His business associates were also his friends. As a member of the McNary Golf Club, Ray was an avid golfer and enjoyed playing with his foursome three times a week until his 93rd birthday. Only a few weeks ago, he was presented a jacket as the "most senior booster" by McNary High School Boosters.
He received many awards and acknowledgments during his lifetime. He received the international "Order of the Hop" award in 1988. Oregon State University awarded him "Diamond Pioneer" for his contributions to Oregon's agriculture. He received a Papal Apostolic Blessing in 2002, acknowledging his years of work in the Catholic Church. He was a fourth-degree Knight of Columbus. He was also a member of the building board that assisted in designing and building St. Edward Catholic Church in Keizer.
He married
Catherine Van de Wiele in 1929 and moved his family to Salem in 1945. After Catherine died in 1976, he married
Marguerite Davis, a family friend.
Mr. Kerr adored his family and kept in touch with them all. For the past 30 years, he hosted an annual family Christmas dinner. This group eventually grew to more than 80 family members. The love and admiration of his children and grandchildren was evident in the love and respect they gave him.
He was proceeded in death by his wives, Catherine and Marguerite; a son, Albert Francis; and a son-in-law, Carl Weathers. He is survived by his children, Roger and Lynne Kerr of Salem, Charlene Weathers of Keizer, Rosalie and Don Weathers of Keizer; 20 grandchildren; 42 great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews; and longtime caregiver, Diane Murphy.
A Rosary will be said at 10 a.m. Saturday, followed by a funeral Mass at 10:30, both at St. Edward Catholic Church, 5303 River Road N. Interment will be private. Contributions can be made to St. Edward Church. Arrangements are by Keizer Funeral Chapel.
Frank C. Hills, 81
Man served his country
Frank C. Hills, 81, of Salem died Dec. 27.
Mr. Hills was born May 17, 1922, in Mills, Wyo. He lived there until he moved to Salem in 1946. He married
Mary on Nov. 21, 1985, in Carson City, Nev.
He served in World War II and the Korean War with the U.S. Marines. He received a Purple Heart and belonged to the Order of the Purple Heart Chapter No. 305. He also belonged to American Legion Post 9, the VFW, the Keizer Eagles No. 3895 and the Keizer Elks.
Survivors include his wife, Mary; stepsons, Frank Allen and Robert W. Hills; stepdaughters, Wanda Allen, Kelly L. Anderson and Brenda J. Payton; eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Services were held Dec. 31 at the Virgil T. Golden Funeral Service. Contributions may be made to the Willamette Valley Hospice or the Humane Society of the Willamette Valley.
Raymah Henson (Callihan), 103
Raymah Henson (Callihan) died Dec. 4 in Silverton. She was 103.
Born in Humphreys, Mo., on April 12, 1900, she was the ninth of 10 children of J.C. and Jennie Callihan. In 1916, the family moved to the panhandle of Oklahoma, where J.C. filed claim on a homestead near the town of Forgan.
Raymah married
Ralph Henson in 1922 in Forgan. They had two daughters who survive her: Beulah, who married
Don Carne, an Air Corps captain in 1946, and Peggy, who married
Marine Cpl. Dale Boyer in 1950, now deceased, then Harry Neuwirth in 1988. Raymah also is survived by six grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.
A lifelong Methodist, she held most offices in the Weiser, Idaho, congregation, where they moved in 1937 from the Oklahoma dustbowl. She lived in Weiser until Ralph died in 1971.
She joined the Rebekahs iin 1919 and served in all offices of the lodge. She was awarded the Declaration of Chivalry. She worked at Farber's Dress Shop in Weiser, was a superlative seamstress, was secretary of the Weiser Cancer Society for many years, and was enthusiastic in helping the elderly and shut-ins during all of her active years. Born in 1900, she delighted in telling folks that the calendar year was a recitation of her age.
Services were held at Thomason Funeral Home in Weiser on Dec. 9, with interment at Hillcrest cemetery. The family suggests that memorials be contributions to the Church of the Redeemer in Weiser.
Richard "Tim" Schmerber
Nevadan enjoyed wood crafts
Richard Timothy Schmerber died Nov. 25 at his home in Moundhouse, Nev. He was 42.
He was born Dec. 3, 1960, in Salem. He enjoyed woodworking and making things for people.
He had lived in the Carson City area for the past seven years, and previously lived in San Diego. For the past three years he was an armored car driver for Loomis Fargo & Co. He had served in the U.S. Navy for 18 years.
He is survived by his parents in Keizer, Karl and Carolyn Schmerber; son Christopher Todd Schmerber of Moundhouse; daughters, Jacqueline Marie and Amanda Nicole Schmerber of Moundhouse; brother, Steven Gregory Schmerber of Vancouver, Wash.; and sisters, Karla Marie Hoffman of Oregon City and Elizabeth Diane Ferry of Salem.
A Celebration of Life was held Tuesday in Nevada. The family suggests that memorials be contributions to the Richard and Tamara Schmerber Fund and Trust for the Children, account #004967825191, Bank of America.
FitzHenry's Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Donna May Hough, 76
Service held for longtime Keizerite
Donna May Hough died Dec. 5 with her family at her side. She was 76.
She was born Nov. 12, 1927, in Silverton to Oliver and Mabel Holman. She moved with her family to Salem in 1935. She attended Salem High School, and married
Eugene Hough in 1951.
After working several years as a medical transcriptionist for local doctors, she opened her own office.
She was preceded in death by her husband Eugene and her parents.
She had lived in Keizer for the past 43 years.
Mrs. Hough is survived by her daughter and son-in-law Vicki and Tony Meek of Klamath Falls; grand-daughters, Elizabeth and Angela, also in Klamath Falls; brothers, Gerald and Gordon Holman of Salem; and sister, Lorelei Clark of Salem.
Graveside services were held Thursday at Valley View cemetery in Silverton, with a memorial service following at Holy Cross Lutheran Church.
The family suggests that memorials be contributions to the American Cancer Society.
V. Jeannette Samples, 76
Keizer woman loved grandkids
V. Jeannette Samples, 76, of Keizer passed away on Dec. 4 at Hopewell House Hospice Center after a long battle with cancer. She passed peacefully with family and the caring Hopewell staff in attendance.
Mrs. (Ochampaugh) Samples was born Sept. 11, 1927 in Swiss Home, Ore.and resided in Chewelah, Wash. and Eugene before moving to Colton, Ore. where she graduated from Colton High School. She later moved to Portland, where she met Bill, her husband of 54 years, at the Oaks Park Skating Rink. The couple resided in Portland for 14 years, and then moved to Anchorage, Alaska for the next 25 years with their son, Bill.
While in Anchorage, Samples worked for the Federal Aviation Administration, and was very active in the First Christian Church. The family enjoyed traveling through Alaska.
The couple retired to Keizer in 1998 to be closer to family. They enjoyed traveling, gardening and researching genealogy during their leisure years. Most of all they enjoyed watching their grandsons, Brad and Tyler, grow up. Missing a grandson's sports or special event over the years was a very rare occurrence.
Sample's husband, Bill, passed away in June of this year.
Survivors include her son and daughter-in-law, Bill and Judy; grandsons, Brad and Tyler of Portland; sisters, Joyce Stuart of Brooks and Patsy Strean of Keizer; brothers, Jim Ochampaugh of Keizer and Bill Ochampaugh of Brooks; 11 nieces and nephews; and 11 great-nieces and great-nephews.
A memorial service was held Friday at the First Presbyterian Church of Salem. Arrangements were made by the Virgil T. Golden Funeral Service. Memorial contributions may be made to Hopewell House Hospice Center.
Sue McDonnell, 75
She loved family, bridge
Sue McDonnell of Keizer died July 21.
Mrs. McDonnell was born July 16, 1929 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
She married
Hank McDonnell on July 1, 1950 in Davenport, Iowa. They moved to Keizer in 1956, where they raised their four children.
Second to her family, her passion was bridge, both teaching and as a master player.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Hank, and her daughter, Laurie.
Survivors include sons, Mike McDonnell and wife Sandy, Greg McDonnell and wife Madeline, and Jeff McDonnell and wife Sheryl; daughter, Susan Bones; and seven grandchildren.
A memorial service was held July 28 at Keizer Funeral Chapel. Interment was at Willamette National cemetery, where her husband is laid to rest. Contributions can be made to Providence Benedictine Care Facility in Mt. Angel. Arrangements were by Keizer Funeral Chapel.
Elizabeth Eleanor Kimball
Cannery retiree liked cats, garden
Elizabeth Eleanor Kimball, a former Keizer resident, died Thursday, March 9, in Salem. She was 89.
Mrs. Kimball was born Christmas Day, 1916, in Johnstown, Neb., and relocated to Oregon in 1942. She was married
to her husband, Art, for 52 years.
Mrs. Johnson spent most of her life as a devoted mother, rearing her children and grandchildren.
She spent her later years working in canneries where she developed life-long friendships. She enjoyed gardening and had a love of flowers.
She like cooking specialties for family gatherings and was always more than willing to share a good game of rummy or pinochle with friends. She also employed her golden touch during the occasional pull of a handle in Reno, Nev., family said.
She most recently found comfort in the company of four feline friends and was a very generous and giving woman who always put the needs of others before her own.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Art, and son, Richard.
She is survived by her son, Henry W. Kimball and his wife, Evonne, of Salem; son, Arthur "Jerry" Kimball, Jr. of Salem; daughter, Roberta R. Major and her husband, Ted, of Salem; daughter, Linda L. Strobehn and her husband, Richard, of Lafayette; daughter, Kathy K. Bennett and her husband, Jim, of Aumsville; 17 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 9 a.m. Friday, March 17, at Keizer Funeral Chapel, followed by a private interment at Belcrest Memorial Park in Salem.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Oregon Humane Society or Legacy Hospice.
Helen Evelyn Christensen
Retired news writer and newspaper owner Helen E. Christensen, a loving mother and grandmother, died at the Providence Benedictine Nursing Center in Mt. Angel on Oct. 15.
She was 96 and lived with her daughter since 1995 after the death of her husband.
Born Oct. 12, 1910, in Tacoma, Wash., She was the eldest of three children. Brothers Edward and Robert Downs are deceased. Helen moved to Oregon in 1992 from Los Banos, Calif.
She was married
to Carl Mittman of Indianapolis, Ind., from 1927 to 1938; to Edwin Abbott of Indianapolis from 1939 to 1944, and then to Kenneth Christensen of Greenfield, Iowa, from 1945 to1995.
In 1950-51, Helen and Kenneth owned weekly newspapers in Montana. Helen was a news writer in 1952 at the Oregon City Enterprise-Courier; in 1961 at the Lodi News-Sentinel, Lodi, Calif.; in 1966-67 at the Contra-Costa Times, in Walnut Creek, Calif.; in 1975 at the Gilroy Dispatch, Gilroy, Calif., and in 1979-80 at the Los Banos Enterprise, Los Banos, Calif.
Survivors include her son, Richard (Patricia) Mittman of Indianapolis; daughters, LuAnne Mittman Wulf of Richmond, Ky., and Patricia Abbott Shepard of Keizer; 13 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren.
Placement of remains will be held at the Willamette National cemetery in Portland. Arrangements are by Virgil T. Golden Funeral Service in Salem.
In honor of Helen's love for her pets, the family suggests that memorials in lieu of flowers be donations to an animal care-giving organization of your choice.
