Modoc County Record – April 5, 2007 Erma Hickerson Erma Hickerson died unexpectedly Saturday, March 31, 2007, in Reno, Nevada, after a fall in her Alturas home. Erma McTimmonds was born April 27, 1922, in Susanville, CA. She and her family lived on the Smoke Creek Desert in Nevada, where her father was a government trapper. When they were children, Erma, her sister Myrnie, and brother, Guy, attended a one-room school house in Flanigan, Nevada. Erma spoke fondly of living in the desert where they made pets of the orphaned animals her father brought home including a pet raccoon. The family relocated to Alturas when Erma was in the eighth grade. Erma told great stories about the desert kids who were faced with attending school in "town" and of the boys in the eighth grade class who dipped her red-haired braid in the ink well on the first day of school. Erma graduated from Modoc Union High School in the first graduating class in the present high school building and continued her education by attending Chico Normal School, which today is called California State University, Chico. Erma returned home to marry Charles, "Chuck" Hickerson on July 8, 1944. Two children were born to them, Barry Hickerson, now a retired surveyor, of Fernley, Nevada, and Bonnie Slinkard, who is a teacher in Alturas. During their early- married years, Erma enjoyed traveling with her husband, Chuck, where his dance band performed at dance halls around the north state. Erma was employed with the United States Postal Service for 36 years. She was a "fixture" at the postal window where she enjoyed greeting her Alturas customers, until she retired in 1979. She also helped Chuck establish his business, Hickerson's Town and Country variety store on Main Street in Alturas (the location of Phillip's Appliance today). Erma was very active in community organizations especially as a lifetime member of The Native Daughters of the Golden West and Order of Eastern Star. She enjoyed dressing in her formal and was especially good at memorizing long passages of material to present at installations of officers. Erma was an excellent public speaker who often spoke at memorial services for friends and family. For several years Erma volunteered as a kitchen helper at the Modoc Senior Citizens facility. After she was no longer able to do the volunteer work there, she enjoyed having lunch and visiting with her many friends. To her family Erma was known as a card shark! She played hours of Cribbage and Pinochle with family and friends. Erma and her little dog Oddie would often be seen on Saturday mornings at garage sales. She collected glass baskets from her travels and Fostoria glassware. After Erma retired, she enjoyed traveling throughout the United States on the Senior Citizen bus trips and with the Shriners Club to Europe, North Africa, Canada, Alaska, and Hawaii. The Federated Church held a special place in Erma's heart. Even as her health declined in recent years she made the Sunday services a priority. She enjoyed the fellowship after church visiting with friends and with Pastor, Dr. Ben Zandstra. Erma is survived by her son Barry and his wife Valerie Hickerson of Fernley, Nevada, her daughter Bonnie and her husband Don Slinkard of Alturas; granddaughters Tera Hickerson of Portland, OR, Kerry Aude and her husband Chuck also of Portland, and her grandson Bryan Slinkard and his wife, Jenny, of Chico. Other surviving relatives include her sister-in-law Pat McTimmonds of Whitmore, CA; nieces Michelle Anderson and her family of Alturas and Jackie Turpin and family of Alturas; nephews Mickey Baldwin and his family of Alturas, Dan McTimmonds of Redding, Tim McTimmonds and his family of Portland, OR, and Kip Lybarger and his family of Alturas. She was predeceased by her husband Chuck Hickerson, mother Dorothy McTimmonds, her sister Myrnie Baldwin of Alturas and her brother Guy McTimmonds of Whitmore, California and her nephew Gary Lybarger of Alturas. Family services were held graveside at the Alturas Cemetery on Wednesday morning, April 4 and a memorial service was held on that afternoon at the Federated Church. The family requests that donations be made to The Federated Church or The Modoc County Senior Citizens. C.M. 'Snooks' Bishop Charles Milton Bishop, better known as "Snooks"by his many friends and family, and a life-long resident of Modoc County, passed away unexpectedly at his Alturas, CA home, early Friday morning, March 23, 2007 at the age of 86. Snooks, remembered for his wonderful sense of humor and his incredible ability to tell his favorite stories, will be remembered for his impressive contribution to cowboy history in Modoc County. He was so proud of his "honorable" cowboy profession and influenced numerous lives throughout the course of his life. As he would say, "I was a Cowboy and a good one." Snooks was born in the home of his grandparents, Frank and Vida Wilson in Lakeview, OR on October 2, 1920. The home is listed as a historical landmark in Lake County, OR and still stands today. He was the youngest of three sons born to William and Lydia (Wilson) Bishop of Willow Ranch, CA. He attended Willow Ranch Elementary and New Pine Creek High School where he established friendships that he maintained until the time of his death. He graduated valedictorian of his class and went on to complete one year of college at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA, when he made the decision to return to Willow Ranch to assist his father on the family ranch. At age 19, with the assistance of his father William, he and his brother Ray purchased the first of two ranches, the "Reese Place" near Willow Ranch, CA. Snooks managed the cattle and Ray managed the farming. It was the beginning of a ranching career that would span nearly 60 years. That career was interrupted when Snooks felt compelled to join the U.S. Navy for service in WWII. He was an Aviation Cadet, V-5, U.S. Naval Reserve in Seattle, WA until he was medically discharged in December 1942 due to visual problems. He entered into active duty January 21, 1944. In June of 1944 he successfully completed Naval Training School (Gunner's Mate) in Farragut, ID. He served on a South Pacific transport, the U.S.S. Dickens APA-151 as Gunner's Mate Third Class. He was several years older than most of the young men on his ship and they looked to "Clem" for direction. He served at the battle of Iwo Jima and witnessed the raising of the flag on Mt. Suribachi. He met several of the individuals who raised that flag. He was discharged from military service March 12, 1946 after serving 3 1/2 years. After his military service, he returned to ranching near Davis Creek, CA. On February 23, 1947 he married Kathleen Ann (Kay) Welch (Anklin) in Reno, NV and moved to their Davis Creek ranch. They raised two sons, William and Frank and a daughter, Dixie, from Kay's first marriage to Warren Welch, killed in Iwo Jima in March of 1945. They purchased several other parcels of land and loved ranch life and the home they built in 1955 near Davis Creek. Snooks was best known for the years he managed several large Northern California cattle ranches. At the age of 40 he was hired by Roger Jessup to be the cow boss on the Lakeshore Ranch near Davis Creek, CA. Over the course of nearly 20 years he managed that ranch for several other owners, including Bill Grace of the Helen Grace Candy Company. At its peak, the 28,000 acre ranch ran up to 4,000 cattle and farmed 3,000 acres. Snooks loved the Lakeshore Ranch, its challenges and was very proud of his accomplishments there. In 1967 Snooks and Kay sold their ranch property near Davis Creek and purchased two motels in Sacramento, CA. Together they owned and operated the Continental Motel and Dude Motel for nearly 10 years, selling both properties in 1977. During those years Snooks continued to work on the Lakeshore ranch, while Kay managed the motels. Also during those years Snooks and his close friend Eugene "Dusty" Dustman owned the Hard Rock Construction Co., building reservoirs throughout Modoc County. In the 1980's Snooks was hired by Frank Freitas to run the Ash Valley Ranch near Adin, CA. He managed that ranch a total of 14 years, first for Frank Freitas and finally for Jack Sparrowk. His years at Ash Valley held a special place in his heart. He was a very sentimental man and he was proud to be a part of the restoration of the large wooden frame barn on that ranch. Before his retirement at the age of 79, he did day work for several area ranchers and lovingly cared for Kay, his wife of 54 years. Kay passed away October 3, 2002 at Modoc Medical Center in Alturas, CA. Her death left a huge void in his life. That void was filled when he met Debra (Houtsma) Mouw, a young woman from the Midwest who he married on October 18, 2003 in Alturas, CA. Over the course of the next 3 _ years they enjoyed horseback riding, caring for their flower garden, cutting firewood on the Devil's Garden, reminiscing and of course having coffee with their friends at the Wagon Wheel. Snooks often said that if he had his life to live over, he "wouldn't change a thing, 'cause if you change one thing you might change everything." Snooks was extremely proud of the fact that he owned two horses that were inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, CO. He sold Miss Klamath and her offspring, Miss Red Bluff to Christiansen Brothers in the mid 1950's. Snooks was also active in several organizations, including the Davis Creek Volunteer Fire Department, Davis Creek 4-H, Modoc County Farm Bureau and Modoc County Soil Conservation Commission. He is survived by his wife Debra Bishop of Alturas; brother Ray Bishop of Alturas; son Bill and wife Robin Bishop of Bakersfield, CA; Father and mother-in-law Andrew and Nelvina Mouw of Sibley, IA; son Frank and wife Lee Bishop of Minden, NV; stepdaughter Dixie (Welch) and husband Duane McGarva, Likely, CA; stepson Jeremy and wife Sarah of Sibley, IA; stepdaughter Martie and husband John DeKam of Sioux Falls, SD; grandchildren Mary Amaral, Tracey, CA; Abby Bishop, Berkeley, CA; Billy Bishop of Tehachapi, CA;Alisa and husband Travis Chase of Bakersfield, CA; Brandon and wife Stephanie Bishop of Eureka, CA; Lynne and husband Russell Hereford, Bozeman, MT; Aimee and husband Gary Hendrickson, Chandler, AZ; Scott McGarva, Paradise, CA; step-grandchildren, triplets Caden, Addalai and Dawson DeKam of Sioux Falls, SD; also eight great-grandchildren: Katie and Joey Amaral; Zoey and Sable Bishop; Matt and Anna Heryford, Pete Heryford; Brad and Joshua Hendrickson; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins who live out of the area. He is preceded in death by his parents, a brother Warren, infant sister and a grandson, Nick Schultz. Memorial Contributions may be directed to Hospitalized American Veterans, Paralyzed American Veterans, or Outpost I, dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of the American Cowboy, P.O. Box 505, Hines, OR. Snooks was recently interviewed for their next publication entitled "The California Cowboy". Kerr Mortuary in Alturas is handling the arrangements. Graveside services will be held Saturday; April 14 at 11:00 a.m. at the Davis Creek Cemetery. A memorial service will follow at his home at 802 Park Street at 1:00 p.m. with a tri-tip barbecue fellowship following the service. Anyone wishing to contribute food for the fellowship is asked to contact either Lynn Schluter at 233-3566 or Terri Haralson at 233-5216. Charles 'Chuck' Taylor, Jr. Charles Arthur Taylor, Jr., better known as "Chuck" passed away unexpectedly in his sleep on March 31, 2007, at his Alturas home. Mr. Taylor was 66 and had very much enjoyed his retirement years living in Modoc County over the past 16 years with his wife Bunny. Mr. Taylor was born in Petaluma, CA on August 3, 1940 and was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. To comply with his wishes, no services will be held. Donations may be made to any charity of the donor's choice. He is survived by his wife Bunny Taylor of Alturas; his son Charles E. Taylor and wife Sharon of Guerneville, CA and their two children Siera and Eddy; daughter Melinda Parmeter and husband Mike of Cazadero, CA and their three children Jenna, Taryn and Coleman; son Daniel A. Taylor of Beckworth, CA and wife Heather, and their children Cody and Chris; brother-in-law William Mackey of Alturas. He was preceded in death by his sister Jean Mackey. The Record will publish Mr. Taylor's obituary in a future issue. Henry Donald Silva Alturas resident Henry Donald Silva passed away March 24, 2007 at the age of 68, at Surprise Valley Hospital in Cedarville, CA. Mr. Silva was diagnosed with lung cancer. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 25, 1939. Mr. Silva had retired from work as a long haul truck driver and in construction as a sandblaster. He loved to build things and he loved working on cars, until he was unable to, due to his declining health. He enjoyed videotaping and had created a collection of over 1,000 videos, mostly movies from which he removed the commercial breaks. He and wife Anita were married in old Mexico on October 31, 1972 and have shared 35 years together with their coming anniversary. He is survived by his wife Anita Silva of Alturas; daughter Shannon and her husband Raymundo Coronado of Newell, CA. Among his many dear and close friends are Greg Jones, Greg and Nancy Atkins and Doris and John Chinn of Alturas and Edith Christen of Winneconne, WI. His parents and other family members predeceased him. Services were private and under the direction of Kerr Mortuary. Memorial donations may be directed to the American Cancer Society. "Death leaves a heartache that no one can heal; Love leaves a memory no one can steal. We love and miss you." ~~~~~~ Billie C. & Anita 'Jean' Reynolds Family Researcher of "The Last Frontier" Modoc County, California --- Our outgoing mail is checked by ZoneAlarm AntiVirus.