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John William Gustafson
John William Gustafson, 89, of Brookings, died June 15, 2003, in Crescent City of natural causes.
He was born Oct. 18, 1913, in Homestead, Pa; the seventh son of immigrants Gustav and Lena (Luthur) Gustafson. He was raised in Homestead, and graduated from Homestead High school.
On Feb. 17, 1938, Mr. Gustafson and June L. McGonagle were married
in Detroit, Mich., where he was employed by Ford Motor Co. Their family eventually grew to include six children.
In 1950 they moved to Woodland Hills, Calif., where John built the family home. He then worked as a hydraulic research technician. In 1956 the family moved to Sacramento, Calif., where Mr. Gustafson worked for AeroJet General Corp., an aerospace contractor. He retired in 1976 as a propulsion systems engineer. In 1984 the Gustafsons moved to Grants Pass, where they established Mount Baldy Bed and Breakfast. Since 1990, Brookings has been their home.
Mr. Gustafson enjoyed fishing and hiking, but his real passion was running. He began running at 50 when his doctor told him to "take it a little easier." Soon he became a marathon runner and at 65, ran five marathons in one year. The annual Medford Pear Blossom Run was one of his favorites. John also enjoyed walking the Pistol River Beach with his friend, David Fourtier.
Mr. Gustafson is survived by his wife of Brookings; three daughters, June C. Shaw of Florida, Mary Jo Anderson of Brookings and Leona R. Haberstro of New York; two sons, Jonathan A. Gustafson and Douglas M. Gustafson, both of Brookings; 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren..
He was preceded in death by his parents, six brothers and his youngest daughter, Grace A. Liddy.
Arrangements under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel and Crematory.
Ervin Clarence Dear
Ervin "Erv" Clarence Dear, 81, of Brookings, died June 19, 2003, in Brookings following a long illness.
He was born Jan. 20, 1922, in Indianapolis, the only child of Ervin and Hilda (Pape) Dear. As an infant, he moved with his family to Southern California, and was raised in Los Angeles.
Ervin attended Lincoln High School, and while there met his future wife, Mary Louise Brundage. The couple was married
Nov. 9, 1940, in Las Vegas.
Mr. Dear's first job was as an upholsterer, a career that lasted a lifetime. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army infantry in the Philippines and then in Korea.
In later years, Mr. Dear was involved in the designing of restaurant seating and upholstery work, which he greatly enjoyed.
Mr. and Mrs. Dear made their home in the Los Angeles area until his retirement in 1982. They then moved to Brookings and Mr. Dear continued doing part-time upholstery work from his home, including work for local restaurants.
Mr. Dear enjoyed making wines. He was proud of the Champion Award given to him at the Curry County Fair for his exquisite wine made from wild blackberries picked in the area. His wife reports that he picked five gallons of berries at a time.
In his recreational time, Mr. Dear enjoyed making polished rock jewelry. The couple traveled extensively in their motor home, and spent several summers in Canada.
Survivors include daughters and sons-in-law Georgia and Bob Trautmann of Merlin; Debbie and Kevin Barr of Santa Paula, Calif.; grandsons Shawn, Shane and Scott Gillam. Also surviving are six great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a son, Ervin Jay Dear.
Mr. Dear's ashes will be scattered at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard at a later date.
Cremation is under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel.
Esteban Romero Arce
Esteban Romero Arce, 91, of Brookings died June 25, 2003, at a local foster care home of natural causes.
Mr. Romero Arce was born in Mexico City Dec. 26, 1911, to Gonzalo Romero Velez and Lina Arce.
A graduate of the Military College and Polytechnical College of Mexico, Esteban worked his entire life as a mechanical engineer, holding many jobs in Mexico as well as in Southern California. After retirement and moving to Brookings in 1997, he work part time at the Village Smithy Shop in Harbor.
He is survived by daughters Maria Eugenia Wever of Pleasanton, Calif. and Imelda Hills of Brookings; sons Esteban Romero of Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico, and Guillermo Romero of Las Vegas, Nev. Also surviving are six grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
Mr. Romero Arce was preceded in death by his wife Coco who passed away earlier this year.
The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to the Azalea Park Foundation, P. O. Box 6867, Brookings, OR 97415.
A private Memorial Mass will be held at a later date.
Cremation is under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel.
John E. Welch
John E. Welch, Sr., 78, of Gold Beach, died June 12, 2003, at his residence at Hunter Creek of natural causes.
He was born July 27, 1924, in Klamath Falls. He served in the Army during World War II. He and his wife Myrtle moved to Gold Beach in 1954. She passed away in November, 1999.
He worked for U.S. Plywood for 27 years. He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting and fishing. He also was very proud of his garden, his family said.
He is survived by sons John E. Welch, Jr., and Curtis Welch of Gold Beach, and Larry Welch of Brookings; daughters and sons-in-law Mary Louise and Rich Brown of Redding, Calif., Ineetta and Vernon Stone of Shasta Lake, Calif.; four sisters, several grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.
At his request, no services will be held. Memorial donations in his memory may be made to Curry County Home Health and Hospice, PO Box 746, Gold Beach, OR 97444.
Cremation was under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel and Crematory.
Marie Oar
Funeral Services for Marie E. Oar, 89, of Brookings will be held at 11 a.m. today (May 3) at Brookings Presbyterian Church, 540 Pacific Ave.
Edna M. Morey
Edna M. Morey, 90, formerly of Gold Beach, died Oct. 10, 2002.
A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. June 28, at the Gold Beach Presbyterian Church.
Wanda Wilsey Brian
Wanda Wilsey Brian, 94, of Brookings, died June 18, 2003 at Parkview Special Care in Brookings.
She was born Dec. 14, 1908 in New Harmony, Ind. to Ernest "Pete" and Bessie Conrad Wilsey.
She graduated second in her class from Woodlake High School in the San Joaquin Valley in California where she earned a block letter in basketball. She attended University of California, Los Angeles.
She and her first husband, John Simpson, moved to Powderhorn, Colo. where she became a crack shot and horseback rider, ran a trapline and survived the Great Depression raising cattle. They moved to Walker, Calif. near the Klamath River.
At the death of her husband she returned with her children, Claude, Elinor, James and Wanda, Jr. to the San Joaquin Valley where she met and married
Ray Evans. They farmed in Missouri, ran a restaurant outside Dallas where her fifth child Deborah was born. They settled in San Jose, Calif. in the 1950s. During World War II she worked as a cab driver and in the Richmond, Calif. shipyards.
In the 1950s she became a charter member and served as president of the Pharmaceutical Clerks of Santa Clara County, (SEIU). She was one of the founders of the Senior Citizens movement in Santa Clara County in the 1960s and 1970s, and helped develop the United Food Organization to feed the elderly and homeless in San Jose and later served as president of the County Food and Nutrition Services. In the 1980s she received the Senior Citizen Queen Award for hours of service and the 1990 Dorothy Tash Award from the Santa Clara County for Volunteer Work.
She married
Robert E. Brian June 1, 1986 in San Jose.
She and her husband moved to Brookings in 1992
She was an active member of the Brookings-Harbor Christian Church in Brookings.
She remained true to her sense of justice and belief in equal rights for women. Still walking and active up to the last months of her 94 years, she stood up for what she believed was right and was courageous to the end of her life.
Survivors include her husband, Robert E. Brian, of Brookings; sons Claude Simpson of Crescent Junction; Rev. James Dean Simpson of Hermiston; daughters, Wanda M. Simpson-Baczek of Oakland, Calif.; Deborah Keane of Chicago; cousin, Sandra Rasmussen of Visalia, Calif. Also surviving are eight grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, brother, sister, two husbands, and daughter, Elinor Ann Mills.
A memorial service will be held in conjunction with the Brian Family Reunion at 6 p.m., July 13, at the Brookings-Harbor Christian Church. Inurnment in Oak Hill Memorial Park, San Jose.
Arrangements under the direction of Hillcrest Memorial Park and Mortuary, Medford.
