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Maria del Socorro
Obit dated: March 15, 2003
Maria del Socorro (Coco) Romero, 87, of Brookings, died March 9, 2003, at Providence Hospital in Medford.
She was born in Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico, April 30, 1915, to Ramona and Jesus Macias. She married
Esteban Romero Arce on May 22, 1936. They lived in Mexico City until 1950, when they came to the U.S., making their home in Whittier, Calif. In 1988 they moved to Medford to be close to their family, then made the move to Brookings in 1997.
Mrs. Romero is survived by her husband, four children, Esteban Romero II of Tepic, Mexico, Maria Eugena Wever of Pleasanton, Calif., Imelda Hills of Brookings and Bill Romero of Las Vegas, as well as by six grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
Because of her love of nature, plants and flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Azalea Park Foundation, P.O. Box 6876, Brookings, OR 97415.
Private services will be conducted at a later date. Conger-Morse Mortuary of Medford handled the arrangements.
Melba I. Smith
Obit dated: March 15, 2003
Melba I. Smith, 69, of Harbor, died March 12, 2003, in Crescent City.
Smith, born in Oklahoma on Feb. 17, 1934, was a 13-year resident of Curry County.
She is survived by her husband, Norman E. Smith of Harbor, and a son Gary M. Terry.
Private services have been held, with arrangements under the direction of Wier's Mortuary Chapel of Crescent City.
Virginia Love Mueller
Obit dated: March 15, 2003
Virginia Love Mueller, 86, of Brookings, died March 12, 2003, in Crescent City of natural causes.
She was born July 1, 1916, in Newcastle, Pa., the daughter of Harry Washington and Della Minerva (Whittington) Love. As a child, she moved with her family to Southern California and graduated from high school in Pasadena.
She was married
to Carl J. Mueller on Sept. 5, 1954, in Garden Grove, Calif.; they made their home in Victorville. She worked in a variety of jobs before becoming the bookkeeper for the San Bernardino County Fair in Victorville, a position she held until her retirement in the mid-'70s.
Following retirement, the couple lived briefly in Ventura, Calif., before moving to Brookings in the late '70s. Mr. Mueller died in 1982.
Throughout her life, Mrs. Mueller was involved in volunteer work and community service. During her working career, she was an active member of the Business and Professional Women (BPW) of California, and devoted many hours to fundraising for the Red Cross and various charitable organizations. After moving to Brookings, she served as a volunteer at the chamber of commerce in Harbor.
She was an outgoing and sociable person and enjoyed traveling. She and her husband had traveled extensively in retirement and, following his death, she traveled with friends on several trips. She also enjoyed lake, river and stream fishing.
Mrs. Mueller was a member of the Presbyterian Church and belonged to the Brookings-Harbor Doll Club. She was also a keen collector of teddy bears.
She is survived by her daughter, Diane Mueller, of London, England.
Memorial donations may be made in Mrs. Mueller's name to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 1175, Coos Bay, OR 97420.
A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 20, at Brookings Presbyterian Church, 540 Pacific Ave. Rev. Warren Muller will officiate.
Private inurnment will follow at Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, Calif. Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel and Crematory.
Maria del Sorro Romero
Obit dated: March 12, 2003
Maria del Sorro (Coco) Romero, 87, of Brookings, died March 9, 2003, at Providence Hospital in Medford.
She was born in Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico, April 30, 1915, to Ramona and Jesus Macias. She married
Esteban Romero Arce on May 22, 1936. They lived in Mexico City until 1950, when they came to the U.S., making their home in Whittier, Calif. In 1988 they moved to Medford to be close to their family, then made the move to Brookings in 1997.
Mrs. Romero is survived by her husband; children, Esteban Romero II of Tepec, Mexico, Maria Eugena Wever of Pleasanton, Calif., Imelda Hills of Brookings and Bill Romero of Las Vegas, as well as by six grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Because of her love of nature, plants and flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Azalea Park Foundation, P.O. Box 6876, Brookings, OR 97444.
Private services will be conducted at a later date. Conger-Morse Mortuary of Medford handled the arrangements.
Charlene Freeland
Obit dated: March 8, 2003
Charlene Freeland, 58, of Brookings, died this week at her home.
She was born March 6, 1944, in Nebraska, and was adopted as a newborn by Rev. Harold Pegg and his wife, Lucille.
As a teenager, she moved with her family to Lakewood, Calif., where she completed her education. Following high school, Ms. Freeland worked as an AT&T; operator in Southern California. She later worked for the Monterrey County school district as a teacher of disabled children and veterans. A severe injury at work forced her retirement in 1989. Ms. Freeland loved the Oregon Coast, and had made her home in Brookings since 1990.
While living in California, she was a part owner of a dragster driven by her partner, drag racer Don "The Snake" Prudhome and was a member of the National Hotrod Racing Association.
She was a generous and big-hearted person who loved to shop and give to others, family members said. Many friends have been the recipient of her shopping "finds." She was outgoing, and had been the "neighborhood mom" while raising her family.
Ms. Freeland owned a teacup Chihuahua named Jewell that was her constant companion.
She is survived by a daughter, Anna Irizarry and her fiance, Sean Fitzpatrick, of Simi Valley, Calif.; and grandchildren, Ashley, Laura, Jason, Jessica, Alexis and Megan.
Donations in Ms. Freeland's memory are suggested to Oasis Shelter Home, P.O. Box 932, Gold Beach, OR 97444.
Arrangements are under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel.
Henry Gideon Lustig
Obit dated: March 8, 2003
Henry Gideon Lustig, 65, died March 3, 2003, in Gold Beach of natural causes.
Mr. Lustig was born July 25, 1937, in Vienna, Austria, the son of Oscar and Pepi (Weitzner) Lustig.
At the age of 14 months, Henry immigrated with his parents to Haifa, Israel, where he was raised and educated. He served two years in the Israel army, then entered the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Mr. Lustig graduated in 1962 with a bachelor's degree in physics.
After graduation, he immigrated to the United States and began working in research at Massachusetts General Hospital. He concurrently attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He became a naturalized citizen in 1967. On Sept. 2 of the same year, he and Carole Ann Bernard were married
. In 1971, Mr. Lustig completed a master's degree in electrical engineering from University of Vermont.
The couple made their home in Holliston, Mass. Henry took employment with IBM in their research department and was transferred to New York, then Virginia and later Vermont. The family resided in Vermont for 18 years.
Mr. Lustig retired at the age of 55. The Lustigs moved to Ophir in December 1993.
Mr. Lustig was a strict disciplinarian, and believed strongly in the importance of education and lifelong learning. He followed advances in computers and enjoyed the Internet. He read technical literature for pleasure and was passionate about the game of chess. Henry enjoyed the Port Orford and Brookings Chess Club competitions.
He enjoyed listening to classical music in his leisure time, and was a member of MENSA.
Mr. Lustig was interested in politics and local government. He followed the commissioners' meetings, and was a vocal advocate of fiscal and government conservation and responsibility. He stood up for his personal convictions and was unconcerned about others agreeing or disagreeing with him.
Survivors include his wife, of Ophir; a son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Judy Ann of Quincy, Mass.; a daughter, Sonja Lustig of Connecticut; a brother, Shmulik "Sam" Lustig of Israel; two nephews and one niece. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Memorial donations may he made to the Gold Beach Animal Shelter, P.O. Box 746, Gold Beach, OR 97444, or the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 2680, North Canton, OH 44720.
Memorial services are pending. Cremation is under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel and Crematory, Brookings.
Vanna Arline Beatty
Obit dated: April 16, 2003
Vanna Arline Beatty, 85, a retired artist, died April 11, 2003, of natural causes in Brookings. She requested no services. Cremation was under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel and Crematory.
Harry Custer Vetterlein
Obit dated: April 16, 2003
Harry Custer Vetterlein, 93, of Brookings, died April 9, 2003, of natural causes at his home.
Vetterlein was born April 12, 1909, in Philadelphia, Pa., to Harry Custer and Edith (Eisenlohr-Landenberger) Vetterlein. Following high school, he attended a military boarding school in Pennsylvania, where he was trained in riding horses. This led to work at a dude ranch and breaking wild horses near Silver City, N.M.
He worked on Wall Street in New York, and joined the Manhattan Chess Club. In the late 1920s, he worked at Packard Motor Company, purchased a 1930 Model A Ford for $500 and drove his mother from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, Calif., with her two chow dogs in the rumble seat. He told of driving on roads so muddy that it was necessary to stop and scrape mud off the tires so they could turn.
He attended the Los Angeles Junior College and National Electrical School which led to his main vocation as a instrumentation technician in electronics at Aerojet General Corp. in Azusa, California.
Vetterlein held various jobs, even through the depression, including as a Fuller Brush salesman and gold miner, and drying apricots in California and selling them in New York where they could get five times the price. He was employed by North American during WWII where he worked on the P-51 Mustang and later for the Dept. of Navy and then Aerojet General where he worked on the Polaris Missile.
He met his future wife, Iretta Hansen, on a Greyhound bus as they were both traveling from Salt Lake City to California. They were married
December 25, 1940 in Pasadena, Calif.
They lived in Salt Lake City, Utah and in Manhattan Beach, Santa Cruz, Pasadena and Claremont, Calif. and, on retirement in 1976, moved to Grants Pass. The couple has made their home in Brookings since 1988.
Vetterlein was a devoted family man, his family said. He enjoyed fishing, camping, walking, photography, woodworking and sailing. He enjoyed all things about Brookings, including the rain.
He is survived by his wife, Iretta, of Brookings; sons David Hansen Vetterlein of Brookings; Robert Thomas and wife Gina Vetterlein of Upland, Calif.; sister Josephine Borden of Key West, Fla., half-brother Fred and wife Jeanette Vetterlein of Norristown, Pa.; and grandson Brian Robert Vetterlein.
He was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Gloria Sherlene.
Memorial contributions may be made to Curry County Hospice, 800 Chetco Ave., Brookings, Ore., 97415.
Memorial services were held April 12, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brookings, with Bishop J. L. Marks officiating.
Private interment was at W.J. Ward Memorial cemetery in Brookings under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel.
Bradford Brad' Allen
Obit dated: April 16, 2003
Bradford "Brad" Freeman Allen, 57, of Brookings died April 12, 2003, in Gold Beach at a care facility.
Mr. Allen was born in San Francisco on May 6, 1945, to Roy and Jessie Eleanor (Low) Allen.
After his graduation from high school in Wenatchee, Wash., he traveled extensively and did odd jobs in many locations. Brad learned to carve artistic wooden objects and traveled to flea markets and other venues selling his wares.
He was an avid reader and enjoyed locating old books at a bargain. He was a trivia buff, and had a great memory for detailed information. One of his favorite activities in life was to be in the outdoors camping.
He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law Kathleen J. and Jason Wyles, and grandchildren Nikole and Trever Wyles, all of Klamath Falls; brother Robert Allen of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; aunt Harriet Hepler of Wenatchee, Wash.; and uncle Wayne Low of Olympia, Wash.
Cremation was under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel and Crematory.
John E. Welch
Obit dated: July 2, 2003
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.
