Modoc County Record - February 1, 2001 Debbie Rae Moniz Debbie Rae Moniz, 47, of Reno, Nevada, passed away on January 23, 2001 at Regent Care Center in Reno, Nev., due to a long illness. Debbie was born in Sacramento, Calif. on April 8, 1953 to Althea and Albert Moniz. She moved to Alturas in 1975 and worked for the Citizens Telephone Company as an operator. She also worked at Modoc Medical Center, Alturas. She worked at the Peppermill Hotel Casino in Reno, as a PBX operator before her passing. She loved spending time with her friends and family and will be missed by all who loved her, both friends and family. She also loved fishing and going camping. Debbie was preceded in death by her mother and father. She is survived by her two brothers Gary Moniz and wife Donna and their daughters, nieces Shannon Moniz of Grass Valley, Calif. and Kimberly Moniz of Reno, Nev.; Bruce Moniz and wife Billi of Grass Valley; nephew Brian Moniz and his wife of Sheridan, Calif.; nieces Amy Moniz and Chrisy Moniz of Grass Valley; sister Nancy Warren; nieces and nephew Monica Warren of Alturas; Melanie and Justin Warren of Reno, Nev. Services were held at Walton’s Funeral Home in Reno on January 27. She will be laid to rest with her mother and father in Alturas. Donations may be made in memory of Debbie, to the American Lung Association. Florence L. Fenwick Former Alturas resident Florence L. Fenwick, 71, a Centralia, Washington resident since 1978, died Saturday, January 20, 2001 at Providence Centralia Hospital. Born February 22, 1929, at North Platte, Nebraska to Leo and Florence (Jerry) Hoffman, she was reared and attended schools in Nebraska. She later moved to California, where she graduated from high school in San Francisco. On July 5, 1947, she married Edward Melvin Fenwick in Grass Valley, Calif. She worked as a cook for most of her working career. Her husband preceded her in death on March 12, 1974. The family had made Alturas their home while their son Kevin was young. Mrs. Fenwick enjoyed sewing and crocheting. Survivors include four sons, Kevin of Bellingham, Wash; Jerry of Lakewood, Wash; Paul of Sacramento, Calif.; and Randy of California; four daughters, Linda Lewis of Fayetteville, N.C.; Diane McAuley of Centralia, Wash; Judy of Plains, Montana; and Karen Walston of Richland, Mo.; a brother, Leo Hoffman of Voluntown, Conn.; two sisters, Charlotte Dockery of Isleton, Calif. and Joyce Jack of Missouri; nine grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. A graveside service for Mrs. Fenwick was held Thursday, Jan. 25, at the Alturas Cemetery, where she was laid to rest next to her husband. Arrangement were under the care of Sticklin Funeral Chapel of Centralia, Wash. February 8, 2001 Duffy John Burrell Elliott Services for Duffy John Burrell Elliott, will be held Friday, February 9 at 11:00 a.m. at the Alturas Cemetery, Alturas, Calif. Pastor Larry James will conduct the service at graveside for his cousin. Mr. Elliott's death on February 5, 2001 came as a shock to his family and friends. He had an apparent massive heart attack while traveling through Bakersfield, Calif., for his work. He was 43. Born in Lakeview, Ore. on March 6, 1957 to Bill and Francis Elliott, he spent every summer in Modoc County, since 1960. After graduating from Oroville High School, he entered the U.S. Air Force. He earned his four year degree in Languages and his skills were used as a Russian and Arabic Linguist, until he retired on October 1, 1995 as a TSGT after 20 years with the Air Force. He and wife Deborah were married in Marquette, Michigan on October 10, 1980 and have two sons and a daughter: Brandon, age 14; Sean, 16, both of Red Bluff and Nicole, 19, in Oklahoma. After Mr. Elliott retired from the USAF, he went to work as a truck driver for Scheckla Trucking of Burney, Calif. The Elliott family resides in Red Bluff. Mr. Elliott enjoyed camping, fishing and hiking. "He really loved Modoc," shared his aunt Rose Ash of Alturas. He is survived by his wife Deborah Elliott of Red Bluff, Calif.; sons Brandon and Sean Elliott of Red Bluff; daughter Nicole Elliott of Oklahoma; mother and father Bill and Francis Elliott of Alturas, Calif.; brothers Mike of Virginia Beach, VA and Will Elliott of Salt Lake City, Utah; grandmother Arletta Burrell of Davis Creek, Calif.; many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his grandfather Chet Burrell, grandparents Anna and James James and granddaughter Britney. February 15, 2001 Julia June Walsey DeGarmo Julia June Walsey DeGarmo of Ft. Bidwell, Calif. passed away of natural causes at her Ft. Bidwell home on February 12, 2001, at the age of 70. She was born Julia June Walsey in Ft. Bidwell, Calif. on June 10, 1930. During her high school years, she attended Sherman Indian School in Riverside, Calif. and remained away from Modoc County for 25 years. Julia and Clarence R. DeGarmo had grown up together in Ft. Bidwell and turned their long-time friendship into a marriage on October 16, 1948 in Carson City, Nev. When they returned to Modoc County, they made their home in Ft. Bidwell. Their's was a marriage shared for almost 52 years, until he passed away on April 6, 2000. Mrs. DeGarmo was a loving mother and homemaker to the couple's seven children. In later years she was also involved with the Ft. Bidwell Civic Club and the Modoc Indian Health Senior Center. Mrs. DeGarmo was well known for her skilled and exquisitely beautiful beadwork, hand made gloves and moccasins, which she created and sold and which were pieces treasured by their owners. Minister Marty Barlese will hold services in the Ft. Bidwell Tribal Gym at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 16. Interment will be at the Ft. Bidwell Cemetery. Visitation/viewing will be tonight, Feb. 15 from 7:00 p.m. in the Ft. Bidwell Tribal Gym. Mrs. DeGarmo is survived by her daughters JoAnn Arnold, Hayward, Calif.; Pat Want, Fremont, Calif.; Loretta DeGarmo, Ft. Bidwell, Calif.; Regina DeGarmo, Reno, Nev.; Julie Doerner, Smith River, Calif.; sons Jerome DeGarmo of Brewster, Wash.; Darrell DeGarmo, Reno, Nev.; sisters Caroline Torres, Geraldine Jim, Delia Walsey, Venus Strong, all of Warm Springs, Ore.; brothers Richard Walsey, Wapato, Wash.; Donald Barr, McDermitt, Nev. She was also blessed with 17 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Kenneth Anthony Torri Kenneth Anthony Torri made the move from his Sierraville home of 73 years, to Alturas three years ago. He was enjoying his new-found life and spending as much quality time as he could, being a grandfather to his young grandson in Alturas. Mr. Torri passed away on February 10, 2001 of a sudden heart attack, while on his way to Modoc Medical Center, for care. He was 76. He was a self-employed rancher for 70 years on the family ranch in Sierraville, Calif., where he was born to Pasquale A. and Irene Agnes (Logue) Torri on July 15, 1924. He graduated from Loyalton High School in 1941. Among his many contributions to the Sierraville community over the years, Mr. Torri was a founding member of Sierra Valley Roping Club, member of CalPine Elks Lodge no. 2432, served on the Board of Directors of Plumas-Sierra Cattlemen's Association and Sierra Valley Water Board. He was a member of the National Public Lands Council and formed the Sierra Ground Water Management and served on the Board of Directors for the Sierra Valley Water Board. He was also instrumental in helping to pass the Williamson Act and served as a member for eight years on the Sierra County Board of Supervisors. He was preceded in death by his father and brother Francis Torri. He was divorced. Mr. Torri is survived by son Casey Torri of Loyalton, Calif.; daughter Susan Stokke and son Chance of Alturas, Calif.; mother Irene Agnes (Logue) Torri of Loyalton, Calif.; sister Lucille Fox, Sparks, Nev.; seven grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. A mass of Christian Burial will be said Friday, Feb. 16 at 10:00 a.m. at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Loyalton. Private family interment will follow at Sierraville Cemetery. Memorials may be sent to the Shriners' Hospitals for Children, Northern California Unit, Post Office Box 21-4477, Sacramento, Calif. 95821-0477. Manni Funeral Home of Portola will be handling arrangements. Helen Clare Thrasher Former Cedarville resident Helen Clare Thrasher passed away February 13, 2001 in Portola, Calif. She was 102, having been born June 16, 1898. Services will be held at 1:00 p.m. today, February 15 at the Eagleville Church, Eagleville, Calif., with interment at the Eagleville Cemetery. Mrs. Thrasher had been away from Modoc for the past 10 years. Bernice "Bunny" Taylor Canby, Calif. resident Bernice "Bunny" Evelyn Taylor passed away on the evening of February 13, 2001 at Redding Medical Center, Redding, Calif. where she was being cared for, following a stroke. Services will be held at graveside on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at the Alturas Cemetery at 10:00 a.m. Mrs. Taylor was born July 18, 1922 in Cleveland, Oklahoma. She was 78 and was very active in her community. A complete obituary will be published next week. Tina Marie Greene California Pines resident Tina Marie Greene passed away at her home on February 7, 2001, after a long battle with cancer. She was 39 . Born Tina Marie Mercer in Alhambra, California on November 14, 1961, she attended Alhambra High School. She married Charles Greene in Ontario, Calif. on July 8, 1983 and Mrs. Greene devoted her time to her children, a daughter Pamela, age nine and son Kodi, age five. She was a homemaker, a loving wife and mother. She was talented and enjoyed doing needlepoint. Many of her needlepoint works grace the walls of the family home. Mrs. Greene had made Modoc County her home for the past nine years. No services will be held. She will be cremated. She is survived by her husband Charles Greene; daughter Pamela and son Kodi, all of California Pines, Modoc County, Calif. Evelyn M. Coppedge Longtime Alturas resident Sarah Evelyn Myers Coppedge, 84, of Woodland, Calif. died February 11, 2001 in Woodland. Born January 12, 1917 Sarah Evelyn Myers at Fall River Mills, Calif., the daughter of James R. Myers and Edith Dunbar Myers, she was reared in Lassen County, graduating from Adin High School in 1934. She married Omar J. Coppedge on November 18, 1936 in Reno, Nevada. They settled in Alturas in 1949. Mrs. Coppedge was employed by the California Department of Employment from 1954 until her retirement in 1972. She was a 50-year member of the Federated Community Church of Alturas and a member of both the Rebekah Lodge and Native Daughters of the Golden West. Her interests included traveling, rockhounding, sewing, reading, stamp and coin collecting and her family, especially her grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Omar in 1983 and one brother Norris R. Myers in 1986, as well as her parents and an infant sister, Dolores. She is survived by her daughter Beth Coppedge Walls, of Rio Linda, Calif. and her son, James Coppedge, of Forest Grove, Oregon, as well as brothers Melvin Myers and James D. Myers of Adin and Ben Myers of Pensacola, Florida. Also surviving are four grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. Services will be at the Big Valley Missionary Baptist Church, Bieber, Calif. at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 16, 2001, with graveside services at the Adin Cemetery, weather permitting. February 22, 2001 Bernice 'Bunny' E. Taylor Long-time Canby resident Bernice "Bunny" Evelyn (Howard) Taylor passed away at Redding Medical Center, Redding, Calif. on February 13, 2001. She had been hospitalized one week, following a stroke. Born in Cleveland, Oklahoma on July 18, 1922, Bunny was the daughter of Jess Edward Howard and Leona Sarah (Millen) Howard. She was the step-daughter of Donald Monroe Echard. In 1936, Bunny's mother and stepfather moved to California. They purchased a ranch and their family lived in the ranch house which had been the Davis Creek Hotel, a stage coach stop on the route between Reno, Nevada and Pendleton, Oregon. Bunny graduated with the class of 1940 from Modoc Union High School. She married Eldon "Al" Taylor on September 28, 1941. They moved to Canby, Calif. in 1942, where they purchased land, enlarged their small cabin and farmed the land, in addition to full time work away from home. In addition to rearing her family, Bunny worked for a number of years clerking at the grocery store in Canby. She worked for the Serights and later for Bob and Nancy Sherer. She also worked a few years at Bowman's Grocery in Alturas and as a relief fire lookout at Happy Canyon and Blue Mountain lookout towers for a few months. She cooked at the Canby Hotel for two different owners. For many years, Bunny cooked for the students at Arlington Elementary School in Canby. She retired in 1983. The children gave her an apron, signed by all of them. She was very proud and appreciative of their caring. Mrs. Taylor was a member and officer of the Arlington School Parent Teacher Association before the schools unified. She was also an officer of the old Canby Hall Board. The community could depend on Mrs. Taylor to help with barbecues and other activities. She was a long-time and faithful member of the Canby Mother's Club and a hard worker on their many projects. On Mother's Day, 1985, Mrs. Taylor was honored as "Mother of the Year," based on her community involvement over the years. As a teenager, she sang in the choir at the Davis Creek Community Church. She wrote poetry in later years. For a number of years, she was the Canby correspondent to the Modoc Record, writing a weekly column. Over the years, she met many people through her work and had an excellent memory for names and faces. During Canby's "Hey Days," she and Al went to all the dances. She loved to dance and loved country music. Her favorite artist was Patsy Cline. Vigorous arrowhead hunting in California, Nevada and Oregon was a favorite activity of her's for years. She was also a member of the Canby 4-Wheelers with a CB handle of "Cookie." In recent years, she attended the monthly "Teapot Fellowship" luncheons in Alturas and the monthly luncheon and Bunco games at California Pines Lodge. For many years, friends have called Bunny for up-to- the-minute information on fires, accidents and other regional emergencies because she made such efficient use of her scanner. A baby bobcat; Stevie, the pet pigeon, and beloved cats and dogs brought her joy throughout the years. She loved watching the deer, antelope, coyotes, cranes and other wildlife that visited outside her windows. Her spontaneous laugh, even regarding the battle with the skunks, made her fun to be near, shared friends and family. Bunny's family was the center of her universe, throughout her busy life. She was always there for them. She was preceded in death by her half-brother Ronald Echard; her husband Al Taylor who died in 1991; grandson John Philpott and son-in-law Charles Philpott. Mrs. Taylor is survived by her son Elwood Taylor of Cal Pines, Calif.; daughter Gayla Philpott of Canby, Calif.; brother Everett Howard of Lakewood, Colorado; sister Enid Foote of Redding, Calif.; four grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Brock Elliott conducted services at graveside at the Alturas Cemetery on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 10 a.m. Everett Howard gave the Eulogy for his sister's service and the I'SOT Choir sang. A time of fellowship followed at the Canby Fire Hall. Dorothy C. Kelley Dorothy C. Kelley of Alturas passed away of natural causes at her home in Alturas, Calif. on February 16, 2001, at the age of 90. Mrs. Kelley was born Dorothy Catherine Hartlerode on October 10, 1910 in Davis Creek, Calif. She married Arthur Bernard Kelley on Dec. 21, 1932 and for most of their married life they lived in Modoc County. Mr. Kelley preceded his wife in death in 1965. Mrs. Kelley was a very active person and became associated with the Alturas Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, being baptized in October 1963. She loved the earth, seeing things grow and learning about Jehovah's creation of the earth made her appreciate it even more. She is survived by two children, Fleurette DeForest and Kelly L. Kelley, nine grandchildren, numerous great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews and a host of friends that will miss her. A memorial service for Mrs. Kelley will be held Saturday, Feb. 24 at 2:00 p.m. at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 1400 West Fourth St., Alturas. All are invited. ~~~~~~ Billie C. & Anita 'Jean' Reynolds Family Researcher of "The Last Frontier" Modoc County, California --- Our outgoing mail is checked by ZoneAlarm AntiVirus.