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Merle Robertson
Merle Robertson, 87, of Medford, died Monday (May 4, 1998) at Three Fountains Nursing Center. A private service is planned.
Memorial contributions may be made to West Main Church of Christ, 1701 W. Main St., Medford, OR 97501, or Randy Camp, Wilderness Trails, P.O. Box 4655, Medford, OR 97501.
She was born Merle Pharris on Aug. 29, 1910, in Roscoe, Texas.
On Nov. 12, 1933, in Cleburne, Texas, she married Robert Floyd Robertson, who died in 1979. Mr. Robertson was a Church of Christ minister and they lived in various Texas towns in connection with their ministry.
After retirement, they moved to Maude, Ala., then to Medford in 1977.
Mrs. Robertson was a seamstress for many years.
She volunteered with the Foster Grandparents Program and the Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center, and enjoyed fishing.
Survivors include a son, Bob, Medford; a daughter, Joyce Marie Goode, Beaverton; five grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and a great-great-grandchild. A son, James T., preceded her in death.
Arrangements: Rogue Valley Funeral Alternatives, Medford.
John Orland Rector
A memorial gathering for John Orland Rector will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Hillcrest Chapel, Medford. Pastor Edward Graham of Butte Creek Baptist Church, Eagle Point, will officiate. Interment will be in Hillcrest Memorial Park.
Mr. Rector, 72, of Medford, died Sunday (May 3, 1998) in Greensboro, N.C., while traveling.
Memorial contributions may be made to Mercy Flights, 914 W. Main St., Medford, OR 97501 or Butte Creek Baptist Church, 429 Royal, Eagle Point, OR 97524.
He was born Nov. 3, 1925, in Galeton, Colo., and moved to the Rogue Valley in 1939.
Mr. Rector graduated from Central Point High School in 1943.
During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy.
On Jan. 2, 1948, in Medford, he married Netta Rose Brown, who survives.
Mr. Rector was the powerhouse operator at Medford Corp. for 36 years, retiring in 1986.
He built his Medford home from the ground up.
Survivors, in addition to his wife, include a daughter, Patricia Hilton, Beaverton; two sisters, Leona Meyer, Central Point, and Carol Leonard, Carmichael, Calif.; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a son, Frank; and a sister, Joann.
Friends may pay their respects from 3 to 7:30 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Hillcrest Chapel, Medford.
Arrangements: Hillcrest Mortuary, Medford.
Robert James Russell
The graveside service for Robert James Russell will be at 3 p.m. Thursday in Eagle Point National Cemetery. Pastor Robert Gass of the Harvest Baptist Temple will officiate.
Mr. Russell, 76, of Eagle Point, died Sunday (May 3, 1998) at his home.
He was born July 13, 1921, in Centerville, Iowa. The family moved to the Rogue Valley in 1933 from Iowa.
On May 12, 1946, in Reno, Nev., he married Lena M. Jaeger, who survives.
Mr. Russell was a salesman for Medford Motors, retiring after 46 years.
During World War II, he was a first sergeant in the U.S. Army.
Mr. Russell was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and enjoyed hunting and fishing.
Survivors, in addition to his wife, include a son, Robert, Medford; three daughters, Barbara Goodrich, Medford, Pat Fields, White City, and Cathy Sawyer, Eagle Point; a sister, Ruth Alden, Puyallup, Wash.; eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by two brothers, John and George.
Arrangements: Rogue Valley Funeral Alternatives, Medford.
Richard Lee Nelson
The memorial service for Richard Lee Nelson will be at 2 p.m. Thursday in the First Christian Church, 1900 Crater Lake Ave., Medford. Pastor Bill Gallager of Cornerstone Christian Church, Medford, will officiate.
Mr. Nelson, 40, of Central Point, died Thursday (April 30, 1998) in an industrial accident near Talent.
He was born Aug. 1, 1957, in Portland.
On Oct. 20, 1984, in Grandview, Wash., he married Jenice Lynn Wilkinson, who survives.
Mr. Nelson was a mechanic for many years. At the time of his death he was employed by Weathers Crushing Inc. of Central Point.
He was a member of the National Rifle Association and enjoyed hunting, fishing, gold mining, and morel mushroom hunting.
Survivors, in addition to his wife, include two sons, Eric Miles Nelson and Richard Lee Nelson Jr., both Central Point; three daughters, Brandy Lee Nelson and Angela Jean Barnes, both Panguitch, Utah, and Elizabeth Ann Nelson, Norwood, Colo.; his mother, Deloris Nelson; a brother, Dennis Coy Nelson, Medford; a sister, Miki Jean Puterbaugh, Reno, Nev.; and six grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his father, Max Don Nelson.
Arrangements: Abbey Funeral, Medford.
Peter Lee Rothacher
The memorial service for Peter Lee Rothacher will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Eagle Point National Cemetery.
Mr. Rothacher, 75, of Phoenix, died Monday (May 4, 1998) at Three Fountains Nursing Center, Medford.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 698, Medford, OR 97501.
He was born Dec. 12, 1922, in Iditarod, Alaska.
On Nov. 8, 1944, in Vancouver, Wash., he married Dorothy Jean Zea, who survives.
Mr. Rothacher served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was a radarman aboard the USS Flarety when the ship captured the U505, the only German submarine captured in the war.
Before retirement, he was a foreman with Oregon Leather.
Mr. Rothacher enjoyed gardening and fishing.
Survivors include his wife, Dorothy Rothacher; a daughter, Jeannie Baker, Phoenix; a son, Brad, Portland; two grandsons; and three great-granddaughters. A son, Norman Donald, preceded him in death.
Arrangements: Abbey Funeral, Medford.
Darlene Jane Bessey
The memorial service for Darlene Jane Bessey will be at 2 p.m. Friday in the First Christian Church, 1900 Crater Lake Ave., Medford. Mrs. Bessey's brother, Pastor Donald Schmidt will officiate.
Mrs. Bessey, 68, of Medford, died Thursday (April 30, 1998) at Providence Medford Medical Center.
She was born Darlene Schmidt on Aug. 11, 1929, in Alpina, S.D.
On May 29, 1963, in Junction City, she married Tom Bessey, who survives.
Mrs. Bessey enjoyed gardening, animals, bingo, antique hunting, yard sales and auctions.
Survivors, in addition to her husband, include three daughters, Patricia McSwan, Medford, Shelley Bessey, Ashland, and Tamara Springer, Condon, Mont.; a son, Brett, Ogden, Utah; two brothers, Ernest Schmidt, Medford, and Donald Schmidt, Bend. She was preceded in death by a brother, Oris Schmidt, who died during World War II.
Arrangements: Abbey Funeral, Medford.
Ben Day
A memorial celebration for civic activist Earl Benjamin "Ben" Day will be held at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Mr. Day's home in Gold Rey Estates, Sams Valley.
Mr. Day, 86, died April 28, 1998 at Providence Medford Medical Center.
Memorial contributions may be made to a favorite charity.
He was born March 27, 1912, in Albany. The family settled in Sams Valley in 1914, where he and his father, Earl Day, developed a sizable farm and cattle ranch. His father was later a Jackson County judge and state tax commissioner.
In 1933, he married Louise Ann Conner, and they lived in Sams Valley at Valley's End Ranch, which he took over from his father, and later at Gold Rey. Mrs. Day died in 1983, three days before their 50th wedding anniversary.
During his ranching years, Mr. Day served in the Oregon House and Senate. He was active in the Rogue Basin Project and establishing the Jackson County Cattlemen's Association.
He collaborated with the agriculture department at what is now Oregon State University on new farming practices and was instrumental in developing an agricultural experiment station in Jackson County.
After a severe back injury in 1954, he entered Willamette University Law School, graduating with a doctor of jurisprudence in 1957. He practiced law in Medford until his retirement.
Throughout his law career, he worked pro bono for those without resources, including the Northwest Seasonal Workers in its early years.
Mr. Day was founding president of the Rogue Art Association and Southern Oregon Land Conservancy. He was a community leader in the "war on poverty" program, traveling to Washington, D.C., to work with government officials. He also helped guide his brother John's holdings on Lower Table Rock to the status of a county park.
Mr. Day and his wife enjoyed traveling in Africa, Europe, Central America and Mexico. He also took several trips to Asia.
Survivors include a son, Christopher Conner Day, Medford; two daughters, Susan Robin Hudson, Sams Valley, and Verity Dierauf, San Francisco; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a sister, Nancy Durkin; and a brother, John Day.
Arrangements: Perl Funeral Services-Siskiyou, Medford.
Betty Melvin
The committal service for Beatrice "Betty" Melvin will be at 11 a.m. Friday in the Eagle Point National Cemetery.
Mrs. Melvin, 76, of Prospect, died April 25, 1998 at her home.
Memorial contributions may be made to Providence Community Health Foundation, Hospice, 1111 Crater Lake Ave., Medford, OR 97504.
She was born Oct. 30, 1921, in Selma, a daughter of Sheridan B. and Nancy Olson Wheeler.
On June 11, 1949, in Nevada, she married Clyde "Red" Melvin Jr., who preceded her in death.
Mrs. Melvin moved to Prospect in 1958 from Selma.
She enjoyed gardening, flowers, hunting and commercial fishing in Brookings.
Survivors include a daughter, Marlene Spliethof, Prospect; a son, Vernon Wilder, Gold Hill; a sister, Laverne Little, Prospect; a brother, Donald Wheeler, Beasley, Texas; and 16 grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a son, Clyde Wilder; four brothers, Wilmer, Jack, Arthur and Sidney Wheeler; and two sisters, Florence Wheeler and Caroline Wilder.
Arrangements: Perl Funeral Services-Siskiyou, Medford.
