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Harry "Don" Jewett
July 20, 1923 - May 19, 2007
Harry “Don” Jewett, 83, of Sweet Home, Oregon died on Saturday, May 19, 2007.
Don was born on July 20, 1923 in Everett, Washington, the son of Harry and Olive (Wixson) Jewett.
He is survived by his three children, David Jewett of Sweet Home, Leola Jewett of Eugene, and Dena Wixson of Foster; step-brothers, Vic Wentworth, Don Wentworth, and Harold Wentworth, all of Washington; nine grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren.
A graveside service will be held at 3:30 pm Tuesday at the American Legion Cemetery in Granite Falls, Washington. Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling services.
Gerda Marie Ritter
November 3, 1919 - May 20, 2007
Gerda Marie Ritter, 87, of Sweet Home died Sunday. She was born to Christ and Anine Nielsen in Tved, Denmark.
Gerda moved to Sweet Home in 1967 from The Dalles. Prior to that she had resided in Bridgeport, Washington; Bonneville and Westport. She grew up on Puget Island after immigrating to the US from Denmark. During WWII Gerda moved with her husband to several naval stations on the East Coast and the Great Lakes.
Gerda enjoyed needlework, sewing and gardening.
She is survived by her spouse, George R. Ritter, of Sweet Home; daughter, Susan M. Henriksson and husband Roger of Albany, NY; brothers, Robert and Eugene Nielsen of Poulsbo and Longview, WA; and sisters, Neta Sala and Mona Jenson of Portland and Clatskanie.
Gerda was preceded in death by brothers, Paul Nielson, Nels Nielsen, Gunnar Nielsen, Harry Nielsen, and Melvin Nielsen; and sisters, Marna Hovvie, Anna Dunmire, and Elsie Elssasser.
No services are scheduled at this time. Sweet Home Funeral Chapel will be handling the arrangements.
Jean L. Fitzgerald
February 5, 1922 - May 21, 2007
Jean Fitzgerald, 85 of Sweet Home died Monday. She was born to Harry and Isabel (Brown) Zierenberg in Fairbury, Nebraska.
Jean was a longtime resident of Eugene. She came to Sweet Home in 2005 to live at Wiley Creek Community. Her family really appreciated the kind and loving way the staff there took care of her. She was a loving grandmother and mother. She enjoyed reading and watching Animal Planet.
Jean is survived by daughters, Kay Krouskup and husband Jack of San Mateo, California, and Connie Fitzgerald-Sheflin of Lowell; son, John Michael Fitzgerald and wife Theresa of Salem; sister Ruth McWilliams of Spokane, Washington; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her husband and one son.
Private services will take place among family along the McKenzie River where they loved to fish. Sweet Home Funeral Chapel will be handling the arrangements.
Herbert Schacher
May 26, 1914 - May 27, 2007
Herbert Schacher, 92, of Sweet Home, died Sunday. He was born to Christ and Rose (Schmidt) Schacher in Baldwin, North Dakota.
Services will be Wednesday, May 30, at 11 am at Gilliland Cemetery. Sweet Home Funeral Chapel will be handling the arrangements.
Fredrick Oscar Santesson
July 30, 1909 - May 9, 2007
Frederick Oscar Santesson, 97, of Foster, died Wednesday. He was born in Garden Home to Benjamin and Sophia Santesson.
He went to school until he was 14, and then went to work on the family farm. He bought his first car, a 1925 Ford Roadster, for $199.00. He then made it into a pick-up to haul the strawberries to market before breakfast. In 1929, he went to work as a carpenter and joined the Carpenter’s Union. Three years later, he went to work at the Bonneville Dam and lived in a bunk house. While there, he built the platform for President Roosevelt’s dedication speech.
In 1938 he married Gladys Burkholder. He started painting state bridges in Coos Bay. In 1940, they moved to Vancouver, Washington where he worked in an Alcoa Aluminum plant during the war. In 1942, Fred went to Kodiak, Alaska to build naval bases. In the evenings, he sanded and refinished hardwood floors. In 1945, Fred bought a Ford Log Truck, and he and Gladys moved to Sweet Home where Fred started in the log truck business.
In his spare time, he loved to dig clams, crab, garden, hunt deer and elk, tinker, and invent. He especially liked spending time with his family. He retired at an early age and he and Gladys spent a lot of time traveling.
Fred is survived by his loving wife, Gladys, two children, Sheryl Santesson of Sweet Home and Darrel and his wife Norma Santesson of Vancouver, WA; five grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild. He is preceded by one sister and two brothers.
Services will be announced at a future date. Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling arrangements.
Herman Brown
December 18, 1910 - May 7, 2007
Herman Brown, 96, of Sweet Home, died on Monday May 7, 2007.
Herman was born on Dec. 18, 1910 in Arkansas to Alexander and Elizabeth (Benningfield) Brown. The family moved to Oklahoma.
On Dec. 25, 1929 he married Joanna Summerhill, and they had four sons. They moved to Tularosa, New Mexico, where he worked in a sawmill until the depression hit in 1930. They moved to Glover, Oklahoma, and he worked for a farmer for 50 cents a day, six days a week, plowing fields by hand with mules. In 1935, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted the WPA, he learned to run heavy equipment and worked for the Oklahoma Highway Department building roads.
He joined the Oklahoma National Guard, and then enlisted in the US Army in May 1944, and was stationed in Europe. During his tour there, he was an assistant tank driver and machine gunner for the 774th Tank Battalion under General George Patton's 5th Army. He was in the Battle of the Bulge and saw many atrocities during that time, including Nazi concentration camps and Hitler's "Hideout". He was honorably discharged Nov. 6, 1945.
There being no work available upon his return home, he went to Oregon with friends looking for jobs. Joanna became ill and passed away, and Herman brought his sons to Oregon where he met and eventually married Josephine Sewell on April 16, 1949. She brought two daughters to the union, and Herman and Josephine had four children together. He worked for Bauman's Sawmill in Foster, Oregon until it was displaced by Foster Reservoir, and then continued on in its new location near Lebanon.
He retired due to an injury in 1972. He and Josephine moved onto property owned by his son, Ted, and kept very busy cutting firewood, cutting brush, feeding and watering livestock, and mowing the five-acre lawn with a push lawnmower. He was finally convinced after about 15 years to use a riding lawnmower. He continued all these chores up until he was 90 and his health would not permit. He loved the outdoors and had much pleasure in watching the deer that would come to feed on the property. He loved to fish, hunt, and garden good food. He also had a love for new cars.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Josephine; sons, Herb, Hershel, and Herman Jr.; and daughter, Joan. He is survived by his sons, Ted Brown, Roy Brown, and William Brown, and daughters, Rubye Stone, Isla Wagner, and Frieda Gibson. He is also survived by numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A funeral service wil be held at 1:00 pm Thursday at the Sweet Home Assembly of God Church. Viewing wil start at noon at the church prior to services. Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling services.
Ralph A. Meiling
October 9, 1919 - May 5, 2007
Ralph A. Meiling was born in Vernal, Utah on October 9, 1919 to Curtis and Alice (Reasoner) Meiling. He moved to the Sweet Home area when he was nine with his parents and three sisters. He graduated from Sweet Home High School in 1938. He worked driving log trucks and other vehicles and doing mechanic repairs for a few years with his father, Curtis Meiling. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942 and served the duration of World War II. After he served in the military, he once again resided near Sweet Home.
In August of 1947 he married Louise Tyler, and they moved to Monmouth, where they could attend college in both Monmouth and Corvallis. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial arts from Oregon State College in 1950. He received his Masters in Education degree from Colorado State University in Greeley, Colorado shortly after that. He taught math, industrial arts, and other related subjects for many years at the junior high and high school levels in Sweet Home and Scio.
He had three children; Paul, Sally (Lewin), and Linda (VavRosky). After he retired in 1979, he loved living in his rural home and maintaining the small forest on his property. He enjoyed building things, working outside, working with animals, and reading.
He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Louise Tyler Meiling; his sister, Helen Bolman of Lebanon; his daughters, Sally Lewin of Keizer and Linda VavRosky of Juliaetta, Idaho; six grandchildren and one great-grandson. He is preceded in death by his parents and his son, Paul.
Donations may be made in his name to the Humane Society Safe Haven facility in Tangent.
His sense of humor, expertise, and love for his family will be deeply missed.
A memorial service will be at 10:30 am, Saturday, May 12th, at Waterloo Chapel. Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling the arrangements.
Elmer M. Branson
September 29, 1944 - April 27, 2007
Elmer M. Branson, 62, of Sweet Home died Friday. He was born September 29, 1944 in Amarillo, TX, the son of Elmer and Gladys (Carper) Branson.
Elmer came to Sweet Home in the early 1960s. He found work in logging and soon became one of the best timbercutters around. In 1987, he was injured while on the job, causing him to retire. He continued to enjoy the outdoors while camping and hunting with friends and family. Elmer was a bit of a philosopher and offered his helpful advise often to his family. He enjoyed his Trail 90’s and rode them often.
Elmer is survived by his wife, Christena Branson of Sweet Home; his children, Todd Branson of Sweet Home, Shawn Berry of Albany, Kari Collins of Salem, Stephanie Rucker of Sweet Home, Wendy Horner of Sweet Home, Eric Branson of Seattle, WA; three sisters and one brother;and 11 grandchildren.
A celebration of life will be at 3:00 pm Saturday, May 5, at The Waterhole Tavern in Sweet Home. Sweet Home Funeral Chapel will be handling the arrangements.
