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John X. Golich
The memorial service for John Xavier Golich will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 27, 2004 at the Litwiller-Simonsen Funeral Home, Ashland. Interment will be in Worth, Ill.
Mr. Golich, 57, of Ashland, died Friday, (June 18, 2004) at his home. He was born October 8, 1946 at Chicago, IL., a son of Elinor and John Golich.
He served in the United States Marine Corp., where he earned the rank of Major. He flew as a commercial pilot from 1976 to 1995 when he retired due to ill health. He moved to Ashland in 1999.
Survivors include; two sons, Nate Golich of Westminister, CO, and Scott Golich of Corpus Christy, TX; his sister Mary Ellen Golich of Palos Heights, IL; and his partner Biatris Mulder of Fallbrook, CA.
Arrangements: Litwiller-Simonsen Funeral Home, Ashland.
John Haddaway McClendon
1921 – 2004
John McClendon, 83, husband, father, teacher, and scientist, passed away Tuesday (June 22, 2004) after a short illness. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 17, 1921, to Jesse Francis and Margaret (Stewart) McClendon.
John graduated from the University of Minnesota before training as an officer in the U.S. Army. During World War II he studied the Japanese language and served in Japan from 1945 to 1947. There he met Betty Virginia Morgan, of Fort Worth, Texas. They both worked in Tokyo in General MacArthur's headquarters.
After their marriage in 1947, they returned to the United States. In 1952, John earned a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. He taught at the University of Delaware in Plant Physiology from 1954 to 1965 and the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, until his retirement in 1989. He and Betty retired to Ashland that year.
Throughout his career and into retirement, John was the author of many scientific and lay articles on population, recycling, evolution, and plant physiology. He was a man of many interests, including world population, democracy, wine-making, remodeling, genealogy, gardening, birding, and Japanese art. (His father, as a visiting professor, took the family, including an older brother, Stewart, to Japan for a year in 1932.)
After retirement, John continued his interests in the Native Plant Society, Ashland Tree Commission, and Alternatives to Growth Oregon. His inquiring mind and passion for the earth remains an inspiration to all who knew him.
John is survived by his wife, Betty, their three daughters, Susan McClendon of Atlanta, GA, Lise Webb (Kipp) of Billings, MT, and Natalie McClendon (Mark Turner), of Bellingham, WA; and four grandsons, Evan and Nick Webb of Seattle, WA, and Zachary and Ian Turner of Bellingham, WA. Also, surviving is his brother, J. Stewart McClendon, of New York, NY, and family, and his cousin, Janet Stevenson, of Warrenton, OR, and family.
A celebration of his life will be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 6, at the Unitarian Fellowship, 87 Fourth Street, Ashland. Scottish attire welcomed.
Memorials may be sent to the Unitarian Fellowship, or to the Environmental Defense Fund, at Environmental Defense, 1875 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20009, or www.environmentaldefense.org.
Odessia Harris
A memorial gathering to celebrate the life of Odessia Harris will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 2, at Odessia's home. Odessia, 63, of Ashland, died Monday (June 28, 2004) at Linda Vista Care Center, Ashland. Memorial contributions may be made to: The Odessia Harris memorial fund, at any branch of Bank of America.
Odessia loved life. She will be remembered for her caring free spirit. To know her was to love her.
Survivors include; her two loving daughters, Beverly Harris, and Alanda Harris King, both of Marietta, GA; her two grandchildren, Mark Joye and Christina Ahrens; four sisters; three brothers; nieces; nephews; and many loving friends.
Family and friends may pay their respects from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, July, 2, at Rogue Valley Funeral Alternatives, Medford.
Barbara O. Wight
(1920-2004)
Barbara Wight died in her home from cancer on June 30, 2004.
She was born October 25, 1920 in Van Nuys, California, the third of six children born to Otto Oltmann and his wife Ettie Longfellow. Barbara played piano and loved music from her earliest years, serving as accompanist in church and for the Van Nuys chapter of Job's Daughters.
She graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1938, and after America entered World War II she moved to San Diego - working the swing shift for Consolidated Aircraft and its B-24s. Barbara worked there two years and was present in January 1942 when the camouflage netting went up, still fearing a West Coast invasion. In 1944 she settled in San Jose, again holding a series of jobs and volunteering in the local USO Club.
After the war she attended San Jose State starting in 1946 and met her future husband during a holiday party around Christmas 1947. They married in March 1948 and settled in the Bay area for the next decade. David became a public school music teacher, and she again held a series of jobs outside the home. Barbara and Dave enjoyed season tickets to the San Francisco Symphony, attended many chamber music and jazz concerts, as Dave also played many jobs as a jazz musician.
In 1961 the Wights moved to the Rogue Valley. Barbara worked for Emerald Music in Medford, then as Secretary at both Ashland Junior High (1963-64) and the English Department as Ashland High School (1965-79). During these years she also served as on-call piano accompanist for Junior and Senior High students in the regional music competitions.
After retiring from Ashland High in 1979, she worked for the Medford Public Schools 1980-86, and then did office work for psychologist Mike Knapp 1987-2003. She was still hoping to return to that position later in 2004, after several illnesses.
Barbara became a major supporter of local concerts- jazz, pop, classical, band and choral, throughout her forty years in the Rogue Valley. She attended City Band concerts every year, and served as both music librarian and payroll officer when her husband was City Band conductor from 1968-76.
She was on the original board for the Traditional Jazz Concerts which started in 1980, and she served that organization in various other capacities until 1989. Barbara and Dave were among the earliest subscribers to the Chamber Music concert series which began at SOU in 1985, seats which they held until their deaths. She also loved choral music, and attended many concerts of the Southern Oregon Repertory Singers.
She volunteered on local election boards many years. Barbara studied biology at San Jose State, and enjoyed a lifelong fascination for nature. She loved to camp and travel to scenic natural wonders, planted gardens throughout her life, and always had plants and flowers in the home. Her other hobbies included a love of all card games, especially Bridge. And she loved all the fine arts, not just music- traveling twice to Europe (in 1980 and 2000) for the art, architecture and sculpture.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband David (1999), and all her siblings (sisters Dora Place and Mary Ellen Carter, brothers Bud, Bill and John Oltmann).
She is survived by her son Ed.
In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to the American Cancer Society.
Funeral details handled by Litwiller-Simonsen and memorial service arrangements will be announced.
Charlotte Lee Knowles
Friends and family are invited to a memorial gathering for Charlotte Knowles at her home Saturday evening beginning at 4:00 p.m.
Mrs. Knowles, 54, of Ashland died Wednesday, June 30, 2004 at home.
Charlotte is now at peace, not in pain, and if there is a heaven, I am sure she is telling the angels how the gardens should be run.
She was born August 11, 1949 in Texas, the daughter of Milton and Joyce Suther. She attended Willamette University, Clark College, and Washington State University.
On October 16, 1982 in Massachusetts she married Denis Knowles who survives. They moved to Ashland in 1985 where she was a homemaker and avid gardener.
Also surviving are: her son Ethan, her daughter Phoebe; brothers, David Suther of Vancouver, WA and Marshal Suther; sisters Vickie Evalt of Gig Harbor, WA and Janice Harvey of Portland, OR; her father Milton Suther of Vancouver, WA and her mother Joyce Finrud of Bothel, WA.
Erwin William Carls
Services for Erwin William Carls will be Wed. Jan. 7 at 2 p.m. at Litwiller-Simonsen Funeral Home, Ashland. Pastor Dick Hamilton of Gold Hill Christian Church will officiate. Mr. Carls passed away Friday, (Jan 2, 2004) at Providence Medical Center at age 96.
Erwin was born June 10, 1907 in Racine, WI to Louis and Meta Lensert Carls, the eldest of five children. On June 20, 1928 in Pomona, CA he married Della Coppersmith. She preceded him in death on Aug. 8, 2001, after 73 years of marriage.
Erwin moved from Racine to Yuma, CO and later to Pomona, CA where he lived until 1970 when he moved to Medford, OR. Over the years Erwin held various jobs in the carpentry and tile setting trades. He worked for a number of years as an instructor in tile setting at the Calif. Institution for Men in Chino, CA. During this time he authored a book on the subject, "The Art of Tile Setting." He and Della owned and operated three natural history museums, the most recent one, "Nature's Treasure Chest" in Gold Hill, OR.
His lifetime interest was in the study of natural science and God's creation. He corresponded and exchanged specimens with other collectors all over the world. His vast collection was donated to the Institute for Creation Research in Santee, CA a few years ago. He was considered by many an expert in the field of lepidaptera, mineralogy, and woods of the world. His name was mentioned in "Who Knows - and What Among Authorities - Experts and the Specially Informed." He was a charter member of the International Wood Collectors Society and an honorary lifetime member.
In addition to his collecting, research and study, Erwin enjoyed his daily Bible reading, his family and friends, attending church and, of course, God's awesome creation. He was a member of Gold Hill Christian Church and Ashland Christian Church.
In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by two sisters, Margaret McKendrick and Isabel Pitts and his brother, Marvin Carls. One sister, Caroline Woodward of Eagle Point remains.
Other survivors include his son and daughter-in-law, David and Mary Lou Carls of Pomona, CA, his daughter and son-in-law, Sharon and Wayne Christian of Ashland, OR, seven grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to: East Africa Christian Mission, P.O. Box 1612, Medford, OR 97501.
Arrangements: Litwiller-Simonsen Funeral Home and Cremation Center, Ashland.
