Modoc County Record - February 7, 2002 Melvin 'Mutt' Ellis Cedarville resident Melvin Theodore 'Mutt' Ellis passed away January 26, 2002 at the Surprise Valley Hospital in Cedarville, Calif. Services will be held in his hometown of Riverside, Calif. on February 15, 2002. Mr. Ellis is survived by his daughter and son-in-law Donna and Mike Small of Cedarville; grandson and wife Kevin and Lorin Small of Cedarville; grandson John Small, Cedarville; granddaughter and husband Kirstin and Dan Pedersen of Moreno Valley, Calif.; granddaughter and husband Katie and Ken Brandt of Norco, Calif.; great-grandchildren Tammy and Clinton Romesha of Cedarville and Germany; Mitchell and Cassie Small of Cedarville; Elena and Jacqueline Gradillas of Norco; Morgan and Lauren Pederson of Moreno Valley; step grandsons, Burton, Travis and Alex Brandt of Norco; great-great granddaughter Dessirae Romesha of Cedarville and Germany Mr. Ellis led a colorful life which the Record will outline in a complete obituary next week. Memorial contributions may be directed to the American Cancer Society Pansy 'Pat' Ligon Former Ft. Bidwell Postmaster Pansy 'Pat' Ligon passed away on Feb. 2, 2002 at the Sunrise Health Care Center in Roseville, Calif., where she had been a resident for the past year. She was 81 Pansy 'Pat' Langley was one of 13 children born to Robert and Lillie Langley on Sept. 29, 1920 in Loganville, Georgia Rarely ever going by her name Pansy, she was known as Pat. She attended business college and was working as a secretary in Washington, D.C. when she met Roy Ligon who was serving in the U.S. Navy. On June 21, 1942, she and Roy were married in Washington, DC. After he completed his service to his country, the couple settled in Surprise Valley in 1957, where Roy's mother and stepfather lived. Pat worked for 21 years as the Ft. Bidwell Postmaster and retired in 1985 from the U.S. Postal Service. She was active in the Ft. Bidwell Civic Club, served on the Ft. Bidwell Church Committee and was an active member of the Surprise Valley Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary. She enjoyed gardening and bird watching. She is survived by her daughter Mary Lynn Palmquist of Napa; son Robert Ligon, of Carson City, Nev.; daughter Paula Schlager of Citrus Heights; daughter Jeannie Leighton and husband Brock of Redding; 4 grandsons, Wesley and Timothy Ligon of Colo.; Stephen of Napa and Mark Palmquist of San Jose; two granddaughters Teri Ligon of Carson City; Erica Schlager of Citrus Heights; great-granddaughters, Courtney Palmquist of Temecula and Hailee Ligon of Colo. and sister-in-law Mary Anne Ligon, Colo., in addition to numerous relatives Mrs. Ligon was preceded in death by her husband Roy in 1992 and their son Gene Ligon in 1991. Memorial services will be held in May at the Ft.Bidwell Cemetery. Lambert Funeral Home of Roseville is in charge of arrangements Memorial contributions may be directed to Sutter VNA and Hospice, 1836 Sierra Gardens Suite 130, Roseville, CA 95661. Carl Harold Jacob Carl Harold Jacob will be remembered as a good and kind person who was independent and enjoyed life. He expressed his happiness through his upbeat manner and helpfulness to many friends and neighbors during his 21 years of living in Modoc County and being of service to his community. Mr. Jacob passed away suddenly at his Alturas, Calif. home on February 4, 2002 at the age of 68. There will be no services per his wishes Carl was born April 4, 1933 in San Leandro, Calif., to Mildred and Harold Jacob. He spent the longest portion of his life growing up there and then rearing his own two sons in San Leandro, with his loving wife Ruby. He was stationed in Alameda with the U.S. Navy during his four-years of service He married Ruby Mostert of San Francisco in March of 1956. The two were to celebrate 46 years of a loving and close marriage next month While their sons were growing up in the Bay area, Carl worked for TRW Business Machines. He could repair anything and was good with people. When a promotion to Supervisor was offered to him after his sons had graduated from high school, Carl opted to retire and leave the security of the company he'd been with for years, for a less stressful, happier life away from the bustle of the city. He and Ruby were attracted to Modoc County by an advertisement for land available for sale. They checked it out and decided to make the move. The announcement of this lifestyle change surprised his family, but his sons have always respected their father's decision to make the change. "It was so out of character for Dad to do something like that," said both sons in retrospect. "But, if he'd stayed in the Bay Area, he probably wouldn't have lived another year or been as happy and healthy as he was here in Alturas. He valued his independence and made a decision to leave, even without a job, and he was always happy, because he was doing what he wanted to do." Upon their move to Modoc, Carl was a jack-of-all trades. At first, he cut and sold fire wood, then he and wife Ruby worked as a team securing cleaning and maintenance contracts for many agencies and businesses, including a long-term contract with the U.S. Forest Service Supervisor's Office in Alturas. They worked at the former building site on Main Street, then continued at the new site when the offices were relocated. Carl worked on the lava rock base for the large new USDA/Forest Service highway sign. Carl and Ruby often volunteered their time and skills and enjoyed volunteering at the D.A.R.T. Center in Alturas. The center provides services to developmentally challenged adults. Carl was always busy doing for others and Ruby was always by his side. He loved fishing and kayaking at Blue Lake. He enjoyed hiking in the back country. He adored his family and pets and his community. He was a helpful and caring neighbor and friend to all. He never failed to offer a cheery greeting and a big smile He is survived by his wife Ruby of Alturas; two sons Kurt and wife Rosanna of Roseville, and Glen and wife Margarita of Hayward; three grandchildren, Christopher, Traci and Kenny and two great-grandchildren Frances and Nicolas. He also leaves his sister Martha Watkins of Livermore and her family; sister-in-law Linda Martinez of Alturas and his adopted family Blair, Sue, Kyle and Amanda Levy of Hayward. In addition to his family, he will be missed by his many friends Contributions in Mr. Jacob's memory may be directed to D.A.R.T., 310 West "C" St., Alturas, CA 96101. David Lee Wright Long-time Canby area resident, rancher and former logger David Lee Wright passed away in Alturas, Calif. on January 31, 2002. He was born December 27, 1911 in Missouri and came out west to Merrill, Ore. in the late 1940s. During the 1950s he arrived in Canby, Calif. to work as a logger at Hilton Spike Camp and Big Lakes Camp, for a few years. When the opportunity to buy the former Dot L Ranch came up in the 50s, he and three partners bought the ranch. Known later as Sage Creek Ranch, it was located west of the SX Ranch. He sold that ranch in 1954, and moved across the valley to the south end, where he bought a smaller ranch near Canby. His wife Mabel (Gilbraith), was from Saskatchewan and later Minnesota. She passed away at a young age, of an aneurysm in January of 1958. Mr. Wright continued to work on his cattle ranch and farm in the Canby area, while rearing his son and daughter. He lived in the Canby area, with the exception of a ten year period in the 1970s to 1980s, when he went to live in Los Angeles, after his children were grown and on their own. During the summers, he returned to Modoc County to do custom haying on the Diamond C Ranch. An avid bowler, he enjoyed belonging to a bowling league in Alturas for many years. He also enjoyed hunting Late in the 1980s, he returned to Canby, where he lived until his death. After a fall curbed his independence in August 2001, he received care at Modoc Medical Center's Skilled Nursing Facility. He celebrated his 90th birthday in December with a visit from his son Charles Mr.Wright was preceded in death by his wife Mabel and stillborn daughter Marsha Lee in the 1950s He is survived by his son Charles Wright of Eureka, Calif.; daughter June Ebbe and her husband Bruce of Placerville, long-time friend Delisa Cormier of Canby, Calif.; and relatives Maxine and Charlie Simms of Joplin, Mo. There will be no formal service. His ashes were inurned at the Alturas Cemetery. Kerr Mortuary was in charge of arrangements Contributions in Mr. Wright's memory may be made to the American Heart Foundation or to Diabetes Research. Alice Vindedal Canby resident Alice Vindedal passed away January 8, 2002 in Canby, Calif. Born Alice Gippe in Seattle, Wash. on Sept. 29, 1925, she was one of ten children born to May Martha (Brown) and Frank Adolph Gippe. Mrs. Vindedal was a 60-year resident of Burien, Wash. She had a 25-year career with Great Northern Railroad, with many travels. Mrs. Vindedal loved being outdoors and loved her yard and flowers. She lived a quiet life and enjoyed going for drives. She loved her dogs, the last being Princey. In 1981, she married Per Vindedal who was from Norway. Her husband passed away in 1989 and she moved to Tulelake, Calif. to be near her sister Donna Puliz. In 1994 she moved to the Alturas area. Besides her sister Donna, she leaves many nieces and nephews and Alturas and Canby area friends Shirley and David Van Meter, Louise Hilton, Martha Brown and Chandler Ward. Graveside services will be private at Riverton Crest Cemetery in Seattle, Wash. on Saturday, Feb. 9. Memorials may be directed to the Salvation Army. February 14, 2002 Melvin 'Mutt' Ellis Services for Cedarville resident Melvin Theodore 'Mutt' Ellis will be held Friday, Feb. 15 in his hometown of Riverside Calif. Pastor Bruce Edwards will conduct the graveside service at Olivewood Cemetery. Mr. Ellis passed away January 26, 2002 at the Surprise Valley Hospital in Cedarville, Calif. Born December 4, 1915 in Riverside, CA, Mr. Ellis' family say he lived "a very colorful life." He began working at age 12 in his father's butcher shop, and meat cutting was his true occupation his entire life. He graduated from Poly High in Riverside and attended University of California at Davis. In the 1930s, he worked as a movie stuntman and double for John Wayne. He also competed in rodeos. He and Ida Belle Mitchell were married on March 19, 1939 in Las Vegas, Nev. In the early 1940s, he managed actor Robert Young's stable and accompanied him when he registered for the draft. He worked as a brakeman for the Santa Fe Railroad, managed Huntley Gordon's ranch in Chino Hills; and competed in rodeos. In the 1950s, he worked as a saddle maker for Schaff's Saddlery in San Bernardino. He reduced his rodeo events to roping only and won the California State team roping championship in 1953, with partner Manuel Moreno. Mr. Ellis began to compete in horseshows and coached young equestrians. He established the Santa Ana River Jr. Horsemen's 4-H Club and served as its leader for several years. In the 1960s, he was forced to retire from meat cutting and for a few years managed Rasmussen's Western Wear store in Palm Springs. He began to judge horse shows and continued to coach young equestrians. He continued to judge shows and coach young equestrians throughout the 70s, 80s and early 1990s. He always kept horses. He was widely respected for his handling of horses and his knowledge. However, he was most popular for his very entertaining true stories, and the tall tales he told. Mr. Ellis was a member of the San Gorgonio Lodge #668 of Free and Accepted Masons in Banning, Calif. He was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years, Ida Belle on Sept. 19, 1998 in Cedarville. Mr. Ellis had been a resident of Cedarville for the past four years. Mr. Ellis is survived by his daughter and son-in-law Donna and Mike Small of Cedarville; grandson and wife Kevin and Lorin Small of Cedarville; grandson John Small, Cedarville; granddaughter and husband Kirstin and Dan Pedersen of Moreno Valley, Calif.; granddaughter and husband Katie and Ken Brandt of Norco, Calif.; great-grandchildren Tammy and Clinton Romesha of Cedarville and Germany; Mitchell and Cassie Small of Cedarville; Elena and Jacqueline Gradillas of Norco; Morgan and Lauren Pederson of Moreno Valley; step-grandsons, Burton, Travis and Alex Brandt of Norco; great-great granddaughter Dessirae Romesha of Cedarville and Germany. Memorial contributions may be directed to the American Cancer Society. Clarence 'Dodge' Gorzell Former Lake City rancher and businessman, Clarence "Dodge" Robert Gorzell passed away Sunday, Feb. 10, 2002 at his home in Cottonwood, Calif. Born on Feb. 4, 1908 in Ojai, Calif. he attended elementary school and graduated from high school in Lompoc, Calif. He married Olive Canada in 1942. Mr. Gorzell worked as a mechanic and shop leadsman for the County of Santa Barbara and in road construction, plus farmed with his parents in Santa Maria, Calif. He moved to Lake City, Calif. in 1947 to farm and ranch as partners with his father and brother. In 1964, he began an irrigation and pump business, installing most of the early sprinkler systems in Surprise Valley and Modoc County. He was active in bringing the Soil Conservation Service to Surprise Valley and was also active in the Lake City Fire Department. He retired to Cottonwood, Calif. in 1991. He is remembered as a loving husband, a fine brother and a wonderful uncle who enjoyed hunting, fishing, building machinery, developing farmland from sagebrush to irrigated crops, and for traveling during his later years. Mr. Gorzell was preceded in death by his infant son, brother Ernie, infant nephew, father Henry Gorzell and mother Amie Gorzell. He is survived by his wife Olive of Cottonwood; nephew Richard "Dick" Gorzell of Santa Maria; brother Wilson, and wife Jean of Lake City, CA and their three sons, Keith Gorzell and wife Margie of Belmont, CA; Ray Gorzell of Cedarville, CA; Lee Gorzell and wife Edna of Lake City, CA; son Steve and family and daughter Laura; and numerous nieces, nephews and their children from the Canada family. Graveside services will be conducted at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Antioch, CA at 2:00 p.m. February 15. ~~~~~~ Billie C. & Anita 'Jean' Reynolds Family Researcher of "The Last Frontier" Modoc County, California --- Our outgoing mail is checked by ZoneAlarm AntiVirus.