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Margaret Phillips
Obit dated: July 9, 2005
Margaret Phillips, 82, of Bend, died July 2, 2005, in Bend, of natural causes.
She was born Sept. 11, 1922, in Longview, Wash., to Clyde and Gertrude Hunsinger.
Mrs. Phillips grew up in Astoria where she married
Alvin "Al" Phillips Aug. 11, 1942.
In 1952, after Mr. Phillips' service in World War II and Korea, the couple moved to Brookings. They owned the Phillips Clothing store until they retired and moved to Mesa, Ariz., in the early 1980s.
She moved to Bend in 2004 to be near her son.
Mrs. Phillips was active in Beta Iota and many other community activities. She was an excellent wife and mother, her family said.
Survivors include sons Terry Phillips of Bend, Michael Phillips of Gold Beach. Also surviving are five granddaughters and five great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband Al in 1994.
She will be interred with her husband at Veterans cemetery in Eagle Point. No services will be held.
Arrangements under the direction of Deschutes Memorial Gardens of Bend.
Martha Lucille 'Lucy' Dixon
Obit dated: July 9, 2005
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.
Virginia Loucille Swanson
Obit dated: July 9, 2005
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.
Irene L. Green
Obit dated: July 2, 2005
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.
Elizabeth "Beth" Cowan Strahan
Obit dated: July 16, 2005
Elizabeth "Beth" Cowan Strahan, 80, of Brookings, died July 13, 2005, in a local hospital of cancer.
She was born Oct. 21, 1924, in Weston, W.Va., to Norris Clark Hyre and Laura Greathouse Hyre.
She was raised and educated in Weston, and graduated from high school at age 17 with honors and a scholarship.
She then moved to Baltimore, Md., where she attended a welding trade school and went to work for an aircraft manufacturer welding aluminum for the war effort.
In 1945, she enlisted in the U.S. Navy and had just completed her hospital corps training in New York when she met her future husband, George Victor Strahan. The couple married
on Nov. 10, 1945, in New York City. She then was transferred to Farragut, Idaho, for her military service.
Following her honorable discharge, she moved to Oregon City with her in-laws to await her husband, who was also in the military. Following his discharge, the couple moved to Los Angeles, Calif., where their two children were born. They continued to make Southern California their home for 35 years.
Mrs. Strahan returned to school to become a dental assistant, and earned an associate's degree at a Santa Ana college. She continued her education in bookkeeping, and took employment at an insurance company for a number of years. She later went to work for Westminster Memorial Park, where she was employed for 25 years, and worked in several areas of the office. She kept 14 sets of books for the extended operation, and was the second woman in California to earn licensure as a cemetery broker.
Following retirement in 1977, the couple moved to Los Osos where they lived for 13 years before moving to Brookings in 1990.
Mrs. Strahan was shy by nature, but worked to overcome this, her family said. She was industrious and talented in many areas and had outstanding administrative skills. Her family will remember her as a warm, generous and intelligent woman.
She loved to quilt and sew, and made her own and her family's clothing for many years.
In Brookings, she was a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, the Pelican Bay Arts Association, and the Azalea Quilters Guild, where she was an aggressive fundraiser for the organization.
Survivors include her husband George, of Brookings; daughter and son-in-law Ren' and George Ver Berkmoes of El Cajon, Calif.; son and daughter-in-law Bruce L. Strahan and Diane Voison of Phoenix, Ariz.; sister and brother-in-law Katherine and Richard Neff of Ohio; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren and one expected great-grandchild.
Memorial donations are suggested to the Seventh Day Adventist Building Fund, P.O. Box 777, Brookings, OR 97415, or to Curry County Hospice, P.O. Box 746, Gold Beach, OR 97415.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Sunday, July 17 at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, 102 Park Ave., Brookings, with Pastor Charles Schultz officiating.
Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel and Crematory.
David C. Green
Obit dated: July 16, 2005
David C. Green, 72, of Pistol River, died July 12, 2005, at Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford of heart failure.
He was born in Louise, Mississippi, on Jan. 2, 1933, to Thomas "Leo" and Louella Sanders Green.
He attended Louise High School where he enjoyed playing baseball and football. While growing up, he entertained his family with his sense of humor, his singing and by playing the guitar and mouth harp. His Model A Ford was always filled with community kids on their way to the local swimming hole.
After serving in the U.S. Air Force as a flight mechanic in Michigan and California during the Korean Conflict, he worked for the U.S. Forest Service planting trees in Washington and Oregon.
Mr. Green resided in Oregon for more than 50 years, settling in Gold Beach before making his home in Pistol River. Mr. Green worked for longer than 20 years at the Champion International Plywood Mill at Jerry's Flat as a lathe operator and foreman. He also worked for both South Coast Lumber Co. and Tamco in Ophir. He was skilled as a builder and a mechanic and was known for his ingenuity.
He attended church at the Trinity Reformed Chapel in Pistol River.
Mr. Green faced life with humor and fortitude, his family said. He was an extremely hard and dedicated worker. Having grown up on a farm in the Mississippi Delta, he was used to hard work and improvisation to solve problems, using few resources to engineer solutions. He never lost his love for farming and ranching. He owned a ranch up the north bank of the Pistol River where he raised cattle. His heifers were sought after by other ranchers building their herds. He was well known throughout central Curry County for his expertise with the bush hog and for rototilling gardens. Until recently, he still spent 10 to 12 hours a day on projects up the Rogue River.
He loved to hunt with his grandsons and to teach them about shooting and hunting.
He was also a father to the fatherless. Throughout his life he was generous with his time and resources to those who crossed his path. He will be remembered as a reliable and strong servant to his family, friends and community. The last years of his life were dedicated to caring for his wife, Irene, who died in June.
At the end of his life, his physical heart failed him, but he will always be remembered for the generous and compassionate heart that characterized his life and never failed others, his family said.
Survivors include daughter Michele Green of Jackson, Miss.; son and daughter-in-law David C. II and Tina Green of Pistol River; grandchildren Joshua and Jacob Green of Pistol River; brother Hansel D. Green of Louise, Miss.; sisters Evelyn Dodd of Greenville, Miss., Cathryn Jones of Winona, Miss., Nina Redditt of Greenwood, Miss., Merita Koll of Ruleville, Miss., June Constanzi of Yazoo City, Miss, Susie Pitalo of Ocean Springs, Miss., and Debbie Render of Charlotte, NC; and numerous nieces, nephews and step-relatives living throughout the country.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife.
A funeral service will be held at the Pistol River Friendship Hall on Sunday, July 17, at 2 p.m. with a graveside service to follow at the Pistol River cemetery. A potluck reception will follow at the Pistol River Friendship Hall.
Arrangements are under the direction of Redwood Memorial Chapel.
Doris S. Thompson
Obit dated: August 3, 2005
Doris S. Thompson, 83, of Harbor, died July 18, 2005, at her home of natural causes.
She was born Doris Jamie Theresa "Camilla" Moorhead in the Township of Arthill, N.D., to Jack and Betsy Gunlikson Moorhead.
In 1937, after graduating from high school, she married
George W. Stewart in Montana. They raised three children together in Montana and California.
The couple, who were very involved in their grandchildren's lives and family affairs, were married
until his death in 1981.
She married
Eugene Louis Thompson in February of 1984 in Las Vegas. The couple enjoyed traveling together, playing cards, and spending time with their combined family.
Doris was a homemaker for 68 years. Her family said she was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, confidant, friend, and was the cornerstone of her family.
Mrs. Thompson was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She was an avid card player and bingo enthusiast.
Survivors include her husband Eugene Thompson of Harbor; daughter and son-in-law Joy and Glenn Bailey of Blackfoot, Idaho; son and partner Donald and David Rodriguez of Orange, Calif.; sons Gary Thompson of Eagle Point, Shane Thompson of Quincy, Calif.; son-in-law George Clarke of Brookings; daughter Nona Meyers of Eagle Point. Also surviving are 19 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.
In addition to her first husband, Mrs. Thompson was preceded in death by all her siblings; daughter Jeannie Clarke; grandchildren Delisa Bailey, Randy Bailey, Renee Clarke, Danielle Bailey; and great-granddaughter Pamela Clarke.
A memorial service was July 19, at the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Remembrances may be made in her name to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, P.O. Box 777, Brookings OR 97415.
Cremation service \in care of Redwood Memorial Chapel of Brookings.
