Thanks to Brenton Dodge Modoc County Record - May 7 1998 CLAYTON MYERS Clayton Craig Myers, 76, a native Modoc'er, and a long time Modoc County Road Department employee before he re tired, died April 30, 1998 in Alturas, Calif. after a long illness. Mr. Myers, who loved to drive and found his calling as an equipment operator for 27 years with the Modoc County Road Department, was born in Adin, Calif. on March 5, 1922. He made Modoc County his home for his entire life, with the exception of time he spent in the U.S. Navy during World War II until his honorable discharge in 1946. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Pete Christensen Post 3327 in Alturas. He and Nora Belle Hoyt were married on July 17, 1949 in Reno, Nev. and had been married 43 years, when she passed away in 1992. After Mr. Myers retired from the Road Department, he was out fishing as often as possible. He enjoyed and appreciated what Modoc County had to offer. He is survived by his daughter Marie English of Alturas; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; sisters Anita Randolph of McArthur and Mavis Wright of Manton, Calif. No service will be held. Memorial contributions may be directed to the American Cancer Society or the charity of choice. Jerry Ford Jerry Ford, 61 of Adin, California, died at the home of his daughter and son-in-law, Janette and Mark Turk of Libby, Mont, on Friday, May 1, 1998, from advanced prostate cancer. Jerry was an avid outdoorsman, expert marksman, and a skilled gunsmith. He was also a true gentleman. He is survived by his wife Connie Ford of Adin, Calif., son Brian Ford of Juneau, Alaska, daughter Janette Turk of Libby, Mont., daughter Suzy Ford of Fremont; four grand sons, Brandon and Brady Turk of Libby, Mont., and Christopher and Erick of Monterey; two brothers, Lew and Bob Ford of California. Mr. Ford had many friends and will be missed by all. A memorial was held in Libby, Mont., on his 62nd birthday, Tuesday, May 5. Friends wishing may send memorials to: WINGS, a regional cancer support center that was good to Jerry and helped him during his stay in Montana, at 310 Sunnyview Lane, Kalispell, MT 59901, or the American Cancer Society. Jerry was cremated and his ashes spread in the mountains of Montana. Arrangements were made by Nelson and Vial Funeral Home in Libby, Mont. Pearl Chambers Memorial services were conducted for Pearl Chambers at the Memorial Building in Bieber, Wednesday, April 29, 1998 at 3:00 p.m. Pastor Walt Fisher officiated the services. The Native Daughters of the Golden West performed a ceremony and presented a 50-year pin to Pearl's daughter for her years served. An earlier private grave side service was held for the immediate family at Hillside Cemetery. Pearl Eyssel Claussen Chambers was born August 29, 1909 in Alturas, Modoc County to Edwin Detlef and Elsie Pearl Claussen. She attended school at Cloverswale, Alturas and Auburn, California. June 20, 1929 she married Victor B. Chambers and then worked along side him in many endeavors. Seventeen years with "Vic's Market" in Bieber, Service Station in Canby in the late 30's, ranching and cooking for huge haying crews in the 30's and 40's. Some of the organizations she was active in were Native Daughters, Life Member of the Historical Society, Ladys Country Club, Bieber Chamber of Commerce and she enjoyed the Bible study the Christian Women's Group had for several years. She loved fishing, hunting, cooking and gardening. She is survived by six great-grand children, Waylon Jennifer, Victor, Matthew, Karli and Evan Dowell; grandchildren Kurt and Kerry Dowell; a daughter Ethel Dowell and a brother Forrest A. Claussen. A brother, Otto Claussen and her husband Victor Chambers preceded her in death. Services for Julia Joy Pataye Memorial Services for Julia Joy Pataye will be held at the Adin Cemetery on Saturday, May 9 at 11:00 a.m. Memorial donations may be directed to any volunteer organizations at Mayers Memorial Hospital Long Term Care or the charity of the donor's choice. A complete obituary to follow. Modoc County Record - May 14, 1998 Rollin A.Smith Rollin Allayne Smith returned to Surprise Valley after many years absence and died in Cedarville on May 7, 1998, just three days after his 88th birthday. Mr. Smith was born to Earl and Etta Smith on May 4, 1910 in Westfall, Ore. where his parents were homesteading in Eastern Oregon. In 1919 they moved to Fresno County and Rollin received his high school education at Burrell, near Fresno. He married Susie McClenaghan on February 19, 1934 in Fresno and they left that area the same year. Mr. Smith did farming and carpentry work in Palo Cedro, Whitmore and Red ding. In 1942, he studied Mortuary Science for a year in San Francisco. He took a position in a Greenville mortuary for a year, but found he preferred working outdoors and soon left for Susanville where he had lived for some time and eventually made his way to Alturas, then Lake City. He made many cherished friends and learned to laugh and have fun in Lake City. While on a mission trip to Mexico in 1969, Susie and Rollin fell in love with a young boy whose mother begged them to take her son to the U.S. to give him a better chance at life. When it came time to go, the little boy refused and his five-year-old brother wanted to go in stead and did. At the border, the authorities would not let the Smiths take the child into the U.S. without permission from the birth parents. The mother gave permission, but his father was deceased, so they would not let him continue his journey. The authorities did allow the family to take the child over the border each Sabbath to church and finally the family decided to just keep on going, never to return to Mexico. The Smiths immediately went to the authorities and explained their plight and soon they were able to adopt the boy, naming him Samuel Rollin Smith. Mr. Smith loved the out-of-doors and living in the high country. He took his father on nostalgic trips to Oregon and he spent hours typing his dad's books and helping build rentals for his parents. His greatest joys were the many trips he took around the United States. He worked with Mission church builders on Maranantha trips to Mexico, Ireland, Singapore, Borneo, Thai land, India and Nova Scotia. He funded his own trips and loved using his building ability to help others. His wife preceded him in death on March 17, 1993 in Lake City. A few months later, while on a mission to Washington, he met a woman the family had known while living in Susanville, years before. She was a widow and they were married later that year and lived in her home in Farmington, Wash. for five years, until Mr. Smith's health began to break and it was necessary for him to have medical attention. He returned to Cedarville where he died. He is survived by his daughter Rowena of Phoenix, Ariz.; sons Duane, Redding; Sam, of Hayden, Idaho; five grand children and one great-granddaughter; brothers Kenneth of Angwin and Lauren of Red ding; sisters Virginia and Shirley and numerous nieces and nephews. Pastor Craig Klatt con ducted services at graveside at the Lake City, Calif. cemetery at 4 p.m. on May 9. Walter Kober Fort Bidwell native Walter Wilhelm Kober, owner of the former Cedarville businesses Highway Grocery and Kober's Cash Store, died in Redding, Calif. on May 10, 1998 at the age of 86. He was born July 31, 1911 in Fort Bidwell, Calif. and graduated from Surprise Valley High School in Cedarville. He continued his education at Polytechnic School of Engineering in Oakland where he earned his Aeronautical Engineering degree. On June 4, 1938, he married Dorothy Wilson in Reno, Nev. and the couple enjoyed 60 years of marriage before his passing. Mr. Kober took after his parents who had owned Kober's Store in Fort Bid well, and he opened his first grocery store on Townsend Street in Cedarville. He called the business Highway Grocery where it was located for its first two years. He then purchased the old Surprise Valley Bank Building on the corner of Main and Townsend Streets in Cedarville, and he operated Kober's Cash Store in that location for 38 years until his retirement some 26 years ago. After he retired, Mr. Kober especially enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren. He loved watching baseball games on T.V. and in town. He was a fan of the Lawrence Welk T.V. Show and any polka would bring a smile to his face and a tap to his toes. He loved music. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge and was honored by the Surprise Val ley Lodge F&AM No. 235, with his 50-year membership pin on July 5, 1995. He is survived by his wife Dorothy Kober of Redding; daughters Sharon Haskins of Bonanza, Ore; Caroline Bowne of Cottonwood; brother George Kober of Berkeley; four grandchil dren, Renee Bowne, Cotton wood, Cristal Arnold of Elk Grove, Craig Haskins of Kent, Wash. and Jeff Hask ins, Hillsboro, Ore.; and three great-grandchildren. Services were conducted by the Rev. Ben Zandstra on May 14 at 2 p.m. graveside at the Cedarville, Calif. Cemetery. Contributions in Mr. Kober's memory may be made to the charity of the donor's choice. Erlyn Wallace Former Fort Bidwell resident Erlyn Eugene Wallace died May 6, 1998 at the Veterans Medical Center in Reno, Nev. at the age of 72. Mr. Wallace was born to James and Ada Baltazor Wallace on April 17, 1926 in Winnemucca, Nev. He was reared in Fort Bidwell and graduated from Surprise Valley High School with the class of 1944. Shortly after graduation, he en listed in the U.S. Navy. He served in the Pacific during World War II on an LST as a Machinist Mate 3rd Class. In 1946, he was listed as "killed in action" and received an honorable discharge after recovering from injuries received at that time. Mr. Wallace was married to the former Elrene Sweeney in Reno, Nev. on April 3, 1954. He followed construction as a heavy equipment operator for a number of years before settling permanently in Lakeview in 1976. He was a charter member of the Surprise Valley Veterans of Foreign Wars 7888 and a life member of the Alturas Disabled American Veterans No. 113. He was an avid hunter and fisherman and also enjoyed dancing. His greatest source of plea sure was his family. He is survived by his wife, Elrene of Lakeview, Ore.; daughters and sons-in-law, Sue and Buck Cartwright of Lakeview and Kim and Sandy Blake of Alturas; daughter Debbie Wallace of Pendleton, Ore.; son Jim Wallace and daughter Lisa Wallace of Alturas; 11 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. Services were held Saturday, May 9 at 2:00 p.m. at the People's Church of Fort Bid well with the Rev. Dan St. Clair as officiant. Interment followed at the Fort Bidwell Cemetery, Fort Bidwell, Calif. Contributions in the memory of Mr. Wallace may be made to the charity of the donor's choice. Desert Rose Funeral Chapel of Lakeview was in charge of arrangements. Dorothy Jean Adams The Record received word this week that former Modoc resident Dorothy Jean Adams died of lung cancer on April 24, 1998 in Mountain View, Calif. Mrs. Adams, wife of Don Adams, had been a long-time resident in Modoc, before moving to Billings, Montana. She was born February 17, 1923 in Detroit, Mich. A memorial service was held May 17 at the family residence in Sunnyvale, Calif. Modoc County Record - May 21, 1998 Col. Edward Manning Vaughn Alturas resident Col. Edward Manning Vaughn, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, died May 14, 1998 at Merle West Medical Center, Klamath Falls, Ore. Col. Vaughn had moved from Sacramento to Alturas in 1994. "He liked Alturas very much because it reminded him of the small town in which he grew up," shared his wife Dolores. He was born January 21, 1918 in Oklahoma City and grew up in Kingfisher, Okla. He served with the U.S. Air Force for 27-1/2 years, as a pilot and as commander of a Strategic Air Command communications squadron. He retired to Sacramento in 1963. He later was a Chartered Life Underwriter for Banker's Life of DesMoines for several years. Col. Vaughn then served as a disaster control officer for the California Office of Emergency Services. He was also the owner and operator of Orangevale Orbit Gas and Mini Mart at one time and was a member of a Veterans of Foreign Wars Post in Sacramento. After he relocated to Alturas, he and Dolores Myers, formerly of Sacramento, were married on July 22, 1994 in Alturas. Col Vaughn loved to travel and did much traveling during his lifetime. "He would say, 'where are we going next,'" recalls his wife. He had recently taken up interest in the hobby of rock polishing and was a sponsor for the local Stock Car Racing Association. He is survived by his wife Dolores of Alturas; a brother Norman E. Vaughn of Oklahoma City; a daughter Karla Vaughn Golbahar of Sacramento; four sons, Edward of Huntsville, Ala., Brian of Pleasant Valley, Calif.; Geoffrey of Sacramento, Chris of Houston, Tex.; four stepdaughters, Catherine Stevens of Sacramento, Deborah Struder and Sandra Alexander of Orangevale, and Peggy Alexander of Alturas; 15 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Preceding him in death were two wives, Nettie Alice Harris and Betty Lou Tauber, and a daughter, Mary. A memorial mass was held May 19 at the Church of the Divine Savior in Orangevale. Contributions in Col. Vaughn's memory may be made to the Modoc Medical Center, Alturas or Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Alturas. Dale Eugene Gerig Dale Eugene Gerig, a native Modocer, died in Adin, Calif. on May 15, 1998. Mr. Gerig was the owner and operating engineer for his heavy duty equipment operating business for over 30 years. He was born in Alturas, Calif. on July 27, 1939. He graduated from Richmond High School in Richmond, Calif. and attended Shasta College in Redding. He made a career with his operating engineering expertise and was called on for work throughout the state and to New Mexico, as a union member with Local 3. He also enjoyed hunting, fishing and gold mining as time allowed. He and wife Loretta were married December 4, 1994 in Redding and returned to Modoc County shortly after their marriage. He was 58 at the time of his passing. His son Steve Gerig preceded him in death in 1994. Mr. Gerig is survived by his wife Loretta of Bieber; sons Kevin Gerig, McKinleyville; Greg and wife Christa Gerig, Redding, daughter Angelia and husband Steve Boero, San Carlos; mother Mary Hillhouse, Redding and 11 grandchildren. Pastor Craig Klatt conducted services in Bieber on Wednesday, May 20 at 1:00 p.m. Interment was at Hillside Cemetery in Nubieber, Calif. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Dale Gerig's memory, may be made through Tri Counties Bank in Bieber toward the Big Valley Alumni Association Scholarship Fund or the Big Valley Swimming Pool Fund. Thelma Ward Coffin Thelma Ward Coffin, 91, passed away at Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa, Calif. on Sunday, May 17, 1998. She leaves several family members in Alturas. She is survived by two sons, Don Coffin of Mesa, Ariz. and Joe Coffin of Alturas; a daughter Colleen Wenham of San Diego; nine grandchildren, including Cheryl Ford of Alturas, CPO Jim Coffin of Oak Harbor, Wash. and Modoc High School graduates Kimberlee Coffin Aldana of Marina and Stephanie Coffin of Tustin, as well as 16 great-grand children. Thelma Ward was born on December 20, 1906 in York, Nebraska, to Hiram Owen Ward and Etta Rosalia [Baines] Ward. She spent most of her childhood in various communities in Northwest Iowa where her father served as a Methodist minister. She graduated from Plover High School in 1924, and from Iowa State Teacher's College in 1926. During her first teaching assignment, she met and fell in love with the coach. She and Owen Coffin were married on Au gust 14, 1928. She returned to teaching in 1952, and retired in 1972. They moved from Sioux City, Iowa to El Cajon in 1977, where they spent the remainder of their lives. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1986, by one daughter in infancy, by a grandson and her only sister. A memorial service will be held at the Safari Mobile Home Park Community Center in La Mesa on May 22, 11 a.m. ~~~~~~ Billie C. & Anita 'Jean' Reynolds Family Researcher of "The Last Frontier" Modoc County, California --- Our outgoing mail is checked by ZoneAlarm AntiVirus.