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Carole Ann Gish, 64, died on Nov. 3, 2006, from breast cancer.
In 1961, Carole married
Ed Gish, and together they had three children. They lived in the Olympia area for 30 years before moving to the Methow Valley in 1995. Ed preceded her in death in 2004.
Carole worked for the State of Washington for 23 years, and in 2005 she retired from the Okanogan County Public Utility District, where she was known as "the smile behind the counter" due to her friendly disposition.
Carole’s love of creation began her search for a creator and started her life-long study of the Bible. This led her to be baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1977. She spent many hours each month volunteering her time sharing her love of the Bible with others. She shared the belief that those asleep in death will be resurrected to life on a paradise earth.
She is survived by her brother, Alan Cherniske of Lacey, Wash.; three children, Tom and Kathy Cleeves of Tenino, Karen Gish of Shelton, and Kristopher and Ellen Gish of Rochester; and seven grandchildren, Cierro, Elizabeth, Cody, Jeremy, Cyndie, Aaron and Amelia.
Carole was a wonderful wife, mom, grandma and friend to all who knew her. She could make even the most mundane activity fun and any trip an adventure. She was gracious, loving, kind and an inspiration to many. She will be missed very much.
A memorial will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 10) at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 19 Airport Way, in Twisp.
On Nov. 14, 2006, Richard (Jim) Rodgers left this earth for a much better place.
Richard was born in Wheeler, Mont., to James and Mabel Rodgers. He joined the Navy and later settled in Washington, where he married
, worked, and raised a family.
For many years he worked as a machinist. He restored his sailboat and enjoyed sharing his excitement of boating with family and friends. He loved the ocean and the mountains. He had a love of collecting "treasures" for his garage. He looked forward to traveling to Mexico each winter, where he and his wife made friends and enjoyed the warm weather.
He is survived by his wife Helon (Kay); sons Jim, Richard, Bob and Ryan; and his sister, Nina Rodgers Clevidence. He will also be missed by grandsons Kyle and Riley and granddaughter Bonnie.
He remained close to all of his family members, and had stayed friends with a schoolmate, Marvin Lybbert, for over 53 years.
He has several aunts and uncles, numerous cousins, nieces and nephews, and many friends who will greatly miss him.
Gereline (Gerry) Hunt, 78, formerly of Minnesota and Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully on Nov. 15, 2006, while her daughter, Barbara, and many caring staff members of Asbury Heights were at her bedside. She was born April 23, 1928.
Gereline was a bookkeeper and cashier for Mr. Magic car wash in Castle Shannon, Pa., for 12 years after raising three children.
She is survived by her daughter, Barbara Wright of Carnegie, Pa.; son, Terry (Pam) Hunt of Twisp; two grandchildren, Galen and Mollie Hunt of Twisp; and sisters, Clara Koshinska, Jennie (Robert) Hobson, Millie Moore, Lillian Bryette, Eleanor Grundeen and Borhgild Porchaska. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gerald Hunt; sons, Bradley and Paul Hunt; and sister, Doris Keyes.
Her good humor, smile and laughter will be missed by all that knew and loved her.
A memorial service will be held at a later time.
The family suggests contributions to Alzheimers Alliance of Western Pennsylvania, 5180 Campbells Run Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15205.
Weddings / Engagements / Anniversaries
Jason Eliassen and Jennifer Stennett were married
on July 22, 2006, in Crested Butte, Colo. The outdoor ceremony took place at the Wedding Garden in the village.
Jennifer is the daughter of Kitty Stennett of Memphis, Tenn. Jason is the son of Chris Eliassen of Twisp and the late Robin Eliassen.
Attending the couple were the bride’s sister, Catherine Miller of Tuscumbia, Ala.; Rachel Smith of Memphis; Heidie Trombley of Potlatch, Idaho; Shannon Sprott of Gunnison, Colo.; Lucretia Kinnear of Portland, Ore.; Andy Rundstrom of Copperopolis, Calif.; Chad Hixon of Salida, Colo.; Andy Hermel of Mankata, Minn.; Kyle Workman of Laguna Niguel, Calif.; and Joel Scott of Gunnison, Colo.
Flower girls were Allison Collier, the bride’s niece, and Marissa Carter, the groom’s niece. A reception followed at The Club at Crested Butte. The couple honeymooned in Jamaica, and now reside in Thornton, Colo.
Jennifer graduated from Ridgeway High School in Memphis in 1995. She graduated from Western Colorado State College in 2002, with a degree in marketing.-She is a branch manager for HSBC.
Jason graduated from Liberty Bell High School in 1996, and from Western Colorado State College in 2003, with a degree in geology. He is a petroleum geologist with Antero Resources in Denver.
Wayne E. Tufte Sr., 82, of Twisp passed away on Dec. 1, 2006, at Mid-Valley Hospital in Omak after a long battle with cancer. He was born July 1, 1924.
He is survived by his sons and daughters, David Tufte of Winthrop, Wayne Jr. of Twisp, Randal J. Tufte of Twisp, Lance Tufte of Arizona, Yvonne Lowthian of Montana and Lorreta Britton of Arizona.
He will be missed by all. There will be a private family service.
D. Ray Skaggs, 84, passed away on Dec. 8, 2006, in Bothell, Wash. He was born Sept. 9, 1922, in Portsmouth, Ohio.
Ray was a resident of Washington state for 75 years. He was raised in Wenatchee and moved to the Seattle area in the late 1940s.
Ray was in the U.S. Navy in World War II, assigned to a gun ship until his discharge. His careers spanned many years, both as an insurance adjuster and an auto mechanic in the Wenatchee, Yakima, King and Snohomish County areas.
In 1966, he married
the love of his life, Marian Knie. They loved boating, fishing, clamming and camping together and with their grandchildren, and they traveled the United States after retirement, enjoying countless adventures.
He is survived by his loving wife; daughter and son-in-law Janis (Skaggs) and Jim Whipple; daughter Lynn (Knie) Johnson; son and daughter-in-law Wayne and Karlene Knie; seven grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; brothers "Bud" and Greg; sister Sherrie and beloved companion "Duchess."
He was preceded in death by his parents and his sisters, Mable Skaggs and E. Doris Wilson.
A memorial service will be held at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Snohomish on Thursday (Dec. 14).
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Purebred Dog Rescue or PAWS "Seniors for Seniors" program.
Steve Dale Larson, 46, of Winthrop, passed away on Jan. 5, 2007. He was born at the Enumclaw Memorial Hospital on Jan. 17, 1960, in Enumclaw, Wash.
Steve graduated from Enumclaw High School in 1978. He was also a graduate of the Washington State Criminal Justice training program in 1998. He worked as a welder and a deputy police officer for the City of Winthrop and was an avid hunter and fisherman.
Steve is survived by his parents Floyd and Rosalie Larson of Twisp; his sister and brother-in-law Debbie and Kevin Krause of Port Orchard; and his nephew Logan Moody of Port Orchard.
No services planned at this time.
Carl Preuss passed away at his home in Twisp on Jan. 2, 2007. He was born Carl Heinz Preuss on May 18, 1935, in Detroit, Mich., to Herman and Gertrude Preuss.
After high school, Carl went to work for Holley Carburator of Warren, Mich. During this time he attended night school at the Lawrence Institute of Technology, where, in 1961, he received his bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering.
Carl worked at Continental Aviation until 1961, when he moved west and took and engineering job Boeing in Seattle. When lay-offs came in 1971, Carl migrated back to Michigan and worked for seven years at L.T.V. Aerospace in Sterling Heights. Carl returned to Washington and Boeing in 1979. He retired in 1994 and moved to Twisp with his dog, Odie.
The two of them became a familiar sight, walking around town or hiking the trails.
The mountains of the Pacific Northwest called out to Carl. He was an avid backpacker, and his hikes included a trip up Mt. Rainier He loved to ski, sail and swim and was an accomplished photographer.
Carl was a kind and compassionate person. He really cared about his fellow man and the environment. After retirement, he worked for a while as a volunteer for Methow Recycles. For the past 28 years Carl was a beloved member of Alcoholics Anonymous, where he had touched countless lives and gave all of himself selflessly.
Carl is survived by his sister and brother-in-law Margie and Leo Yohn; his son Aaron; nephews Robert and Joseph; nieces Joanna, Lillian, Carolyn, Kathryn and Debra and many friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters, Analisa and Grace.
A small memorial will be planned for July on Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic Mountains.
Irene L. Sierer, 96, passed away Jan. 13, 2007, at Parkside Care Center in Wenatchee. She was a long time resident of the Methow Valley.
Irene was born July 11, 1910, to Jerome and Beatrice Pringle at Everett, Wash. She loved fishing, hunting and gardening. She attended to her own garden until the last year of her life. Her later years were also spent doting on her family.
She is survived by her daughter Joan Keeffe of Wenatchee, five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, John D. Sierer.
Private family services will be held on Jan. 27.
Lee Franklin Wilson, 71, of Carlton, passed away Jan. 12, 2007, at the Okanogan-Douglas District Hospital in Brewster. He was born Feb. 15, 1935, to Don F. and Elma Laura (Roberts) Wilson of East Omak.
Lee was raised in Omak and attended school there. He graduated from Omak High School in 1954. After high school, he served in the U.S. Army from Jan. 1955 to Dec. 1956 and was stationed at Fort Collins in Colorado and at Fort Lewis. Lee was married
to Linda Luanne Hooper of Okanogan Sept. 27, 1957. He had a passion for the outdoors and was able to enjoy much of the Washington and Oregon country through his 28-year career with the Forest Service. He retired from the Forest Service in Corvallis, Ore., in 1992 and came back to the Methow Valley to be with his family.
Lee was preceded in death by his parents Don and Laura. He is survived by his wife Linda Wilson of Carlton; his children Jubal Wilson (Stacy) of LaConner, Wash., and Julie Burgher (Roger) of Brewster; his loving sisters Donna (Richard) Picard of Spokane and Abbie (Swede) Tugaw of Okanogan; his grandchildren Evan, Andy, Alex, Nathan and Tanner; great grandson Hayden and numerous uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews and nieces.
Lee will be greatly missed by his family, who loved him very much. A remembrance gathering will be held for his family and friends later this year to honor his life. Memorials may be sent to Aero Methow Rescue Service, P.O. Box 66, Twisp WA 98856.
Henry R. Mason of Twisp, 66, passed away Dec. 22, 2006, at the Brewster hospital due to complications from pneumonia.
He was born Jan. 28, 1940, to Homer and Ethel Mason (Pederson) in Pender, Neb. He lived most of his life in the Methow Valley.
He is survived by his daughter, Heather Mink, and two granddaughters, Madison and Elissa, of Whitehouse, Texas; a sister, Connie Austin of Twisp; and a brother, Bill Mason of Delta Junction, Alaska. He was preceded in death by his parents and a grandson, Hunter L. Mink.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Thomas W. Brown Hunt, 68, formerly of Twisp and Wenatchee, died at Longview, Wash., on Jan. 23, 2007.
He was born to Dorothy Morse and Duward Brown on Oct. 21, 1938. His parents later divorced and he was adopted by his stepfather, Victor Hunt.
Tom attended schools in Twisp and Woodland, Wash. He retired as a chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy after more than 20 years in service. He enjoyed sports and participated in track and field events at the senior games throughout the western states. He liked helping young people improve their talents in track and field and basketball. He was an avid Seahawk fan.
Tom was a member of the St. Genevieve’s parish in Twisp, and a very active past member of St. Joseph’s parish in Wenatchee, where he helped at the St. Joseph’s School.
Thomas is survived by his aunts Frankie Waller of Winthrop, Donna Barrie of Olympia and Mary Jane Morse of Wenatchee; numerous cousins; and special friend Marlene Smith of Woodland. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Tom, God bless you and may you rest in peace!
Services were held on Jan. 29 at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Wenatchee. Interment with military honors was a Beaver Creek cemetery in Twisp.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cancer Association or a charity of your choice.
Edward Douglas "Punk" Lochrie of Buckley, 50, left us Jan. 22, 2007, to go to his cabin in the sky. He was born Jan. 21, 1957. He was a wonderful son, a good husband and a great dad to his two daughters. He left us with a hole in our hearts that can never be replaced, but we know he is watching over us.
He grew up to be a logger in and around Buckley, Wash., and in the Methow Valley. He heli-logged all around the country. His pleasure on every job was to coax ravens down to eat out of his hands. Most of his lunches went to feed his birds. He loved the woods, even when he was working in the snow up to his armpits. He loved to go camping and fishing, especially in the Methow. He was happiest when he was with his family.
He leaves behind Leslie, his wife of 29 years; his mother June Lochrie (Fred Vaughn); his daughters Shanna Faith and Sunny June; sisters Linda Lou Lochrie and Faith Imes; brothers Lelsie Lee Lochrie and Shawn McGregor Lochrie; his father-in-law Lloyd Bjerge; sisters-in-law Lynn Bjerge and Karen (Don) Johnson; and many nieces and nephews.
So long for now. Love, from your family.
