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Robert Franklin Mercer
Robert Franklin Mercer, 81, of Brookings, died Jan. 31, 2005, of natural causes at home.
He was born Feb. 21, 1923, in Astoria, Ill., to Raymond Ellis Mercer and Violia Rose Mercer.
Mr. Mercer served in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific during World War II aboard the U.S.S. Craven.
While in the military, he married
Thelma Irene Miller on Dec. 6, 1942. Together they ran their own janitorial business in Crescent City for 18 years.
He married
Ella Jean "Jeannie" Gee in Pendleton in 1968. Together they ran their own business in Portland, dealing in property management and real estate.
Last December, Mr. Mercer moved to Brookings to be closer to his family.
He is survived by daughter and son-in-law Zenneta and John Yost of Brookings; daughter and son-in-law Dianna and Randy Morton of Brookings; son and daughter-in-law Rudy and Donna Mercer of Brush Prairie, Wash.; son Patrick Mercer of Battleground, Wash.; son and daughter-in-law Tom and Chris Gee of Portland; son Bobby Gee of Portland; son Donny Gee of Battleground; daughter Beverly Raffrele of Orchards, Wash.; brother Ray Lee Mercer of Brookings; sister Rosy Brown of Portland; and first wife Thelma Sarrett of Brookings.
Mr. Mercer was preceded in death by his second wife Jeannie, and his sister Betty King.
Private family services will be held at a later date with interment at Willamette National cemetery in Portland.
Memorial donations can be made to Curry County Hospice, P.O. Box 746, Gold Beach, OR 97444.
Cremation is under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel in Brookings.
Myrtle Francis Liddell
Myrtle Francis Liddell, 92, of Gold Beach, died Jan. 30, 2005, of natural causes at a local residential care facility.
She was born July 10, 1912, in Raymond, Calif., to Thomas Morton Nicholas and Lillian Amanda Andersen Nicholas.
In the 1950s, Mrs. Liddell was postmistress of the towns of Raymond and Knowles in Madera County, Calif.
Five years ago she and her sister moved to Crescent City where they lived together for two years. Mrs. Liddell then moved to Gold Beach where she has lived for the past three years.
Survivors include son Kenneth Wood of Brookings; grandson Richard Wood of Dallas; granddaughters Carol Sargent of Oxnard, Calif., Donna Patterson of Atascadero, Calif.; sister Emma Brown of Crescent City; nieces Darlene McBride of Escondido, Joyce Wendorff of Clovis, Calif. Also surviving are five great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Liddell was preceded in death by her two husbands.
Cremation is under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel and Crematory.
Donald Rae Shafer
Donald Rae Shafer, 73, of Brookings, died Jan. 29, 2005, at the home of his nephew, Chris Bodeker and Chris' wife Anita, in Crescent City, after a long bout with cancer.
He was born April 26, 1931, in Rio Dell, Calif., and was raised in Klamath, Calif.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1951 and was honorably discharged in 1954.
He made his home in Brookings and was a longtime member of Brookings Elks Lodge 1934 which he loved, his family said.
Irene L. Green
Irene L. Green, 80, of Pistol River, died June 27 at her home on Walker Lane, of heart failure.
She was born into the pioneer family of Elmer and Iva Murry Miller on April 6, 1925, at the family ranch on the Upper Pistol River, with her grandmother Ellen Doolittle attending as midwife.
After her father was killed in a bear hunting accident in 1930, her family moved to Gold Beach where she attended school.
She loved to ride horseback and visit with family and friends living in the remote areas of the Rogue, Chetco and Pistol rivers.
She worked as a telephone operator, dairy farmer, cattle rancher and typesetter. She also was the Pistol River news correspondent for the Curry County Reporter for a number of years.
Mrs. Green was well known for her vivid imagination and love for telling stories, saying, "A story should never lose anything in its telling."
She was an excellent cook and welcomed family, friends and strangers alike into her home over the years. Children in the family who knew her as "Memo" and "Gran" came from across the country to spend summers visiting. Another of her more notable quotes was, "If you wait long enough to feed everyone, the better the food will taste."
Mrs. Green is survived by her husband David of Pistol River; children Kathy Walker of Pistol River, Patty Stansell of New Mexico, Michele Green of Mississippi and David C. Green II of Pistol River; seven grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and one great, great-grandchild. Of her seven siblings, she is survived by Ira Miller, Ella Sponaugle, both of Pistol River, Frances "Gege" Rutledge of Las Vegas, and Allen Lawrence of Springfield. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
She is preceded in death by her parents, and brothers Leo Miller, Ray Miller, and Jack Miller.
A funeral service will be held at the Pistol River Friendship Hall on Sunday, July 3, at 2 p.m., with a graveside service to follow at the Pistol River cemetery. A reception will follow at the Pistol River Friendship Hall.
Arrangements are under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel.
Virginia Loucille Swanson
Virginia Loucille Swanson, 71, of Harbor, died July 1, 2005, at home of natural causes.
She was born Aug. 10, 1933, in Conway, S.C., to George Monroe and Effie May Moulton Heustess.
She married
William "Bill" Swanson Nov. 21, 1952, in Carson City, Nev.
After her husband served nine years in the U.S. Air Force and having lived from New Hampshire to Guam, the couple settled in California and lived in Sacramento for many years.
Mrs. Swanson raised her children while doing multiple things – owning her own tailor shop and later becoming president of the local tailors' union. For many years she was a pastor's wife while her husband was the pastor of Henderson Center Assembly of God Church in Eureka, Calif. She was also a radio personality at two different radio stations: KNCR Fortuna and KCNO Alturas – both in California.
Survivors include daughter and son-in-law Naoma M. and Dexter Fick of Harbor; sons William E. Swanson of Cleveland, Kenneth R. Swanson of Harbor; sister Lenore Haul of Montana; brother Charles Heustess of Alaska; sister Vivian Lane of Wisconsin; brother James Heustess of Oklahoma; grandchildren Candie and Jack Duggan, Sandy and Jeremy Raudebaugh, Shari and Matt Ferguson, Christian and Rachel Burkert, Joshua and Megan Turner, Anne Clark, Sean Swanson, and Tamara Swanson. Also surviving are 12 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, William; daughter Deborah M. Smith; granddaughter Cindie Joanne Fick; brothers Lloyd "Bud" Heustess and Roy Heustess.
A private family memorial service will be held.
Cremation arrangements under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel and Crematory of Brookings.
Martha Lucille ‘Lucy' Dixon
Martha Lucille "Lucy" Dixon, 79, of Brookings, died July 1, 2005, at Rogue Valley Medical Center of natural causes.
She was born May 20, 1926, in Carthage, Mo., to Johnie Fisher Seals and Lena Maude Pratt Seals.
Mrs. Dixon grew up in Fresno, Calif., graduating from Roosevelt High School in Fresno.
She married
Lavon William "Bill" Dixon in Reno, Nev., in 1950 and they moved to Stockton, Calif. where they lived most of her life.
Mrs. Dixon was a radio dispatcher for the California Division of Highways – which is now Caltrans – and later was a secretary for the Stockton Unified School District.
She enjoyed laughing, her family said, and visiting with people. She considered her only grandchild, Lena, the highlight of her life. Mrs. Dixon's son-in-law, Barron, remembers her as one of the wisest people he has ever known.
She had several hobbies; her favorites were gardening and needlework. She was talented at crocheting and knitting.
Survivors include her daughter and son-in-law, La Vonne and Barron Peterson; granddaughter Lena, all of Brookings.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Memorial donations may be made in lieu of flowers to the "Lucy Fund" at Macklyn House, 755 Elk Dr., Brookings, OR 97415. This fund is used to benefit the residents at Macklyn House.
Graveside services were held July 8, at W.J. Ward Memorial cemetery in Brookings.
Arrangements under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel.
