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Joan Hamerstrom Hawley
Obit dated: February 4, 2006
Joan Hamerstrom Hawley, 87, died Dec. 21, 2005, at Curry Good Samaritan Center in Brookings of natural causes.
Her daughter Carol was in attendance.
Mrs. Hawley was born Feb. 28, 1918, in Gloucester, N.J., to Burt and Lillian Backman Hamerstrom.
She graduated from Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., earning a degree in English and Biology, after which she went to the American Academy of Art in Chicago.
She moved to Washington D.C. to work as a cartographer for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II.
She married
Frank Edward Johnstone III in 1944. They moved to Chicago where Mrs. Hawley began her career in engineering.
They moved to Paducah, Ky., where the couple worked for the Atomic Energy Commission. In 1953, the couple divorced and she and the children moved to California.
In 1958 she met Phil Hawley at the California Pellet Mill where they were both employed. They married
in San Francisco.
Mrs. Hawley went on to work for Secode, Frieden Calculators and Memorex, designing packaging and circuit boards, before retiring in 1983 after more than 40 years in the industry.
After living a few years in Sonoma, Calif. she and her son, Frank, moved to Brookings.
Mrs. Hawley loved Brookings for its closeness to the Pacific Ocean, the beaches and the redwoods. She spent many Saturdays playing bridge with her weekly bridge foursome.
Survivors include daughter Carol C. Johnstone of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; son Frank E. Johnstone IV of Brookings; grandson Stanley Schroeder of Crestline, Calif.; grandson Zebediah Stahl and granddaughter Alexandra Bouret both of Halifax; great-granddaughter Sarah Schroeder of Crestline.
Cremation under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel and Crematory, Brookings.
Byron Edwin Loomis
Obit dated: February 18, 2006
Byron Edwin Loomis, 88, of Brookings, died Feb. 10, 2006, at a local hospital of complications of Alzheimer's disease.
He was born Nov. 1, 1917, in Portland, to Lewis Edwin and Lena L. Holliday Loomis. He was raised and educated in Portland, and graduated from Benson High School.
Mr. Loomis worked as a chauffer for a Portland family before joining the U.S. Coast Guard in 1940. He served for five years during World War II, and was a Pearl Harbor survivor.
On Oct. 16, 1943, he married
Ruth S. Nelson in Portland.
After his honorable discharge from the Coast Guard, the couple lived in Ocean Park, Wash., where Mr. Loomis joined his father in the insurance business.
In 1947, they moved to Ceres, Calif., and started a used car business. In 1953, they moved to Turlock, Calif., where Mr. Loomis was employed for the next ten years with the Chevrolet dealership as sales manager.
He later opened an antique store in Turlock.
In 1973, the Loomises moved to Brookings, and Mr. Loomis worked on a part-time basis for Coast Auto Center, Loring's Lighthouse Sporting Goods and Northcrest Motors in Crescent City.
He liked to garden, fish and play tennis. He was a past member of the local tennis club, and the Elks Club, B.P.O.E. No 1934. He also attended Emmanuel Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife Ruth Loomis of Harbor; daughter and son-in-law Annette and Daniel Mantor of Roseburg.; sister and brother-in-law Ellen and Bryce McMurray of Long Beach, Wash; grandchildren Cory and Darcy, and four great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by brothers Roland and Lewis Alfred Loomis.
No public services are planned. His ashes will be buried at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Memorials may be made to Emmanuel Baptist Church, PO Box 6128, Brookings, OR 97415.
Cremation is under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel.
Donald Lawrence Briggs
Obit dated: February 18, 2006
Donald Lawrence Briggs, 76, of Harbor, died Feb. 15, 2006, in Crescent City, Calif., following a brief illness.
He was born May 22, 1929, in Eugene, to Lawrence E. Briggs and Gertrude Kamph Briggs.
Mr. Briggs served aboard the USS Boxer during World War II, as a member of the U.S. Navy from July 1946 to June of 1948. He also served during the Korean War, in the U.S. Air Force, as an airman first class, from August of 1950 to August of 1953.
He married
Carolita Diane Meyerhofer on Feb. 26, 1979, in Fullerton, Calif.
Mr. Briggs returned to Oregon and had a career logging until his retirement in 1985.
He was an avid fisherman before his retirement and he owned his own airplane and flew throughout Oregon.
Mr. Briggs was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1383 in Klamath Falls.
The couple moved to Brookings in 1991.
Mr. Briggs is survived by his wife Carolita of Harbor; and by the blended family of their children, including son Anthony Briggs and his wife Pam of Gladbrook, Iowa; daughter Cathy Ferebee and her husband Brian of Minden, Nev.; daughter Laurie Loughmiller and her husband David of Forest Grove; son David Briggs and his wife Holly of Tangent; daughter Cheryl Jones and her husband Steve of Salem; daughter Lisa Buntjer of Salem; daughter Deborah McAhren and her husband Rick of Parma, Idaho; son Erick Briggs of Boise, Idaho; daughter Brenda Ross and her husband Michael of Aumsville; twenty-one grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
A private memorial service will be held at a later date.
Cremation is under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel and Crematory.
William Ramsden Crooks
Obit dated: February 18, 2006
William Ramsden Crooks, 93, of Florence, died Feb. 1, 2006, of cancer.
He was born Sept. 3, 1912, in Modesto, Calif. to Priscilla Ramsden and William Henry Crooks.
He was a third-generation Californian and grew up at the family ranch in Ahwahnee, Calif., where his grandfather settled in the 1850s.
He graduated from Madera Union High School in Madera, Calif. in 1931. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology at University of California at Berkeley in 1937. Working as a research assistant, he earned a master's degree at Connecticut State College now the University of Connecticut in 1939.
After working two years in Boston and New York City, he moved to Washington D.C., in January 1942, to accept a position in the Personnel Branch of the War Production Board.
He married
Betty Lightsey July 1, 1942.
In Sept. 1942, Mr. Crooks entered the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant junior grade and served four years in officer procurement of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, going on inactive duty as a commander. A year as personnel consultant in private industry in Chicago was followed by a return to the West Coast and teaching psychology at Oregon State College, later to become Oregon State University (OSU).
In 1949, Mr. Crooks took a year's leave of absence to earn a Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota and then returned to become a full professor in the department of psychology at OSU. Dr. Crooks served as chairman of the Department of Psychology from 1956 until retirement in 1976.
During his tenure at OSU, Mr. Crooks served on many committees, including four years in the faculty senate and as chairman and spokesperson of the Humanities and Social Sciences Policy Committee. Dr. Crooks was listed in Who's Who in America and in American Men of Science. He especially enjoyed an extra curricular appointment as advisor to the Board of the Daley Scholarship Fund in Lake County.
Soon after returning from Minneapolis in 1949, Mr. and Mrs. Crooks bought acreage near Corvallis where they built a home and lived for 24 years.
After retirement, the couple moved to Brookings in 1978. They purchased land on the Winchuck River near Brookings. Mr. Crooks drew the plans for their dream house and supervised its basic construction.
Mr. Crooks served on the rural fire district board for nearly 20 years. He designed and helped build the Winchuck Fire House. He also barbecued chickens at the first barbecue to finance the project. Today the event is an annual fundraiser.
Despite having been an avid fisherman all of his life, he stopped fishing after he watched salmon spawning in the river below his home. He enjoyed woodworking and vegetable gardening.
In 2001, due to health concerns, the couple moved to a retirement apartment at The Shorewood in Florence. There, Mr. Crooks remained active until two weeks before his death.
Survivors include his wife Betty, of Florence; son William H. Crooks and his wife Julie of Thousand Oaks, Calif.; daughter Sara Lawrence of Junction City; son Jeffry G. Crooks of Trenton, Ill. Also surviving are eight grandchildren and one great-grandson.
A celebration of life was held Feb. 11, in Florence.
Remembrances may be made in his name to Talking Books and Braille Services, Oregon State Library, 250 Winter St. NE, Salem, OR 97301-3950.
Arrangements under the direction of Burns's Riverside Chapel Florence Funeral Home.
Vernon E. "Vern" Rush
Obit dated: March 4, 2006
Vernon E. "Vern" Rush, 84, of Phoenix died Dec. 8, 2005, at his home of cancer.
Mr. Rush was born Nov. 23, 1921, in Brownsville, to Virgil E. Rush and Mabel Atkin Rush.
Mr. Rush served six years in the U.S. Army, Coast Auxiliary during World War II.
He married
Thomasina Pritchard, Dec. 3, 1941, in Astoria while he was stationed at Fort Stevens.
After retirement, Mr. and Mrs. Rush lived in Brookings from 1981 to 2001.
Survivors include his wife Thomasina Rush of Phoenix; sons Chuck and his wife Margaret of Portland, Mike of Ontario; sister Loretta and husband Vern Lehman of Eagle Point; sisters-in-law LeLaine Graham Rush of White City, Carole Carter Rush of Brookings. Also surviving are five grandsons and their wives, a granddaughter and her husband, 13 great- grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; sister Opal Rush Carter; brothers Gale and Glen Rush.
A Celebration of Life will be at 11 a.m., Saturday March 11, at Bear Lake Estates, 300 Luman Road, in Phoenix. For out of town arrivals, exit 24 at Phoenix onto Fern Valley Road, pass MacDonalds to traffic light, turn left on Luman Road, which dead-ends in the mobile park. The ladies of the Bear Lake Social organization will serve a buffet luncheon in the clubhouse.
Stacey Lynn Fry Pico
Obit dated: March 4, 2006
Stacey Lynn Fry Pico, 36, formerly of Brookings, died Feb. 28, 2006, at home in Albany, of cancer.
She was born Feb 12, 1970, to Andrew and Vonda Fry of Crescent City.
She lived most of her life in Crescent City, attending local schools and working at various places. She worked for many years at the United Indian Health.
Stacey lived briefly in Brooking and moved a few years ago to Albany.
She is survived by her husband Kevin; children Justin, Jessica, and Natasha Pico of Albany; parents Andrew and Vonda Fry of Crescent City; grandparents Sherman and Barbara Shultz of Crescent City, Rod and Lilly Cowan of Dallas; sisters Haley Howie and family of Crescent City, Mandy Byington and family of Santa Cruz, Calif., Heidi Lile and family of Sweet Home, Kelsy and Katey Fry of Crescent City; brothers Andy Fry and family of Crescent City, Jory Fry and family of Hiouchi, Calif., Danny Fry and family of Chandler, Ariz., Brady Fry of Corvallis, Seth Fry of Crescent City. She is also survived by 11 nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. today, (Saturday March 4) at 11 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Crescent City.
Memorials may be made to the Stacey Fry Pico Memorial Fund, TriCounties Bank, 936 Third Street, Crescent City, CA 95531.
Galene Dee Tornay
Obit dated: March 4, 2006
Galene Dee Tornay, 54, of Smith River, Calif., died, Feb. 25, 2006, in Crescent City, Calif., of natural causes.
She was born Oct. 3, 1951, in Oregon to Galan W. Sonner and Irene R. Waxbom Sonner.
She was the owner and operator of Rowdy Creek Pet Motel in Smith River. The pet motel had many clients from Del Norte County and the Brookings area.
Survivors include her husband Stephen Tornay of Smith River; son Jason Tornay of Crescent City; sister Sandy Rackly of Carson City, Nev. Also surviving are two nieces and two nephews and numerous other relatives.
The family requests remembrances be made in her name to Del Norte County Animal Control, 2650 Washington Blvd., Crescent City, CA 95531.
A private service was held under the direction of Wier's Mortuary Chapel, Crescent City.
