James "Pete" Kimbrough Funeral services for James "Pete" Kimbrough were held February 11, at Allen and Dahl Funeral Chapel in Redding. Mr. Kimbrough died February 8, at Mercy Medical Center in Redding. He was born February 28, 1920, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas and moved to Shasta County in 1987 from Eagleville. He was a timber faller, a U.S. Army Veteran of World War II and a life member of the Disabled American Veterans. Survivors include his wife Dorothy, of Redding; son James, of Scott, Ark. and Kenneth of Cottonwood; stepson Michael Kuhnel of Eureka; stepdaughters Paul Van Loan of Yreka and Carol Kuhnel of Anderson; sisters Betty Brockman of Trinity, Texas and Sybil Wilson of Castonia, NC, 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions can be made to any charity of choice. February 21, 2002 Darwin 'Presty' Prestesater A memorial service for former Alturas business owner, Darwin "Presty" Prestesater, 70, of Chico will be held at 1:00 p.m. Friday, February 22 at Bidwell Memorial Presbyterian Church. Mr. Prestesater died Friday, February 15, 2002 in a Petaluma hospital. He was born on February 23, 1931 in Lanesboro, Minnesota, to Otto and Benita Lyngen Prestesater. He moved to Southern California and graduated from Citrus High School in Glendora in 1949. He married Marion Gilmore Compton. He served with the United States Air Force as a radar technician. Mr. Prestesater married Shirley Tehan in Carson City, NV, January 1, 1979. He owned and operated Presty's Barber Shop in Chico, Presty's Market in Alturas and Sister's Motor Lodge in Sister's OR. He was Past President and Charter Member of Sons of Norway, Viking 89, Chico Lodge. He enjoyed bowling, jogging, travel, gardening and his 1934 Ford hot-rod. Survivors include his wife, Shirley, of Chico; two sons, Duane of Santa Rosa and Derek of Chico; two stepdaughters, Norma Pieper of Artois and Kate Holmes of Chico; a stepson, David Tehan of Cohasset; a sister, Sherryl Cahill of Escondido; a brother Gary of Claremont; and nine grandchildren. Visitation will be held from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Private burial will take place at Glen Oaks Memorial Park. Memorial contributions may be made to the Sons of Norway, Viking 89, or Mountain Caregivers Resource Center in care of Newton-Bracewell Chico Funeral Home. William Jay 'Pop' Lynch William Jay "Pop" Lynch, 90, of Boise, passed ways Wednesday, February 13, 2002. Memorial services were held on Tuesday, February 19 at 1:00 p.m. at Cloverdale Funeral Home with Karen McConaughey officiating. Inurnment followed in Terrace Lawn Memorial Gardens. William was born on a homestead ranch south of Cedaridge, Colorado on the South Slope of the Colorado Rockies on September 16, 1911, to William J. and Elizabeth Lynch. William attended Cedaridge High School until he left school to work on a ranch to help support his family. He worked on a reservation in Arizona for the Bureau of Indian Affairs until 1941. In May of 1941 William joined the Army Air Force; he was discharged after World War II. He received the Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal and the Meritorious Conduct Medal. After the war, he worked as an automotive mechanic through the fall of 1945. William opened his own body shop after he moved to Alturas, CA. He married Fern English in 1966. He owned a black angus cattle ranch in Modoc County, California, and also was the Union Oil distributor for the Northeastern California area. Fern and William moved to Boise in 1990 to be near their children and grandchildren. Mr. Lynch was a solid individual, with strong values and morals. He was the type of individual who, seeing a job that needed done, would not ask who's responsibility it was, but rather, would just do what was needed. He married into a "ready-made" family, including grandchildren, and became the patriarch of the family. He was a loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He instilled a sense of ability and a good work ethic in his family and was deeply loved and respected by all. He is survived by his son, Barry, and daughter in law, Alice; grandchildren Bill and Barbara English and their son, Jack; Donn and Amy English and their daughter, Emma Paige; Kelly Hatch and her daughter Anna Grace and sons, Kevin and Brandyn and Tract English, all of Boise; and Stacy Urroz and sons Devin and Tanner and daughter Corinne, of Alturas, CA. He was preceded in death by his wife Fern. Walter Joseph Gysin The long-time, well-known owner of Walt's Market in Alturas passed away February 16, 2002 at his home in Alturas, CA. He was 78. The Rev. Patrick Henry will conduct A Mass of Christian Burial today, February 21 at 11:00 a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Alturas. The committal will follow at the Alturas Cemetery. The rosary was recited at Sacred Heart on Wednesday. Walter Joseph Gysin was born on April 7, 1923 to Jake and Catherine Gysin of Alturas, CA. He was the youngest of four children. One of his earliest memories was standing on a box and cutting up lard with one of his father's knives. He attended school in Alturas along with his brothers, Emil and Leo and sister Loretta, and graduated from Modoc Union High in 1942. He served in World War II on a troop transport ship with the Coast Guard, on the General A.W. Brewester. He was discharged in 1945 as an electricians mate, second class. He returned to Alturas and worked with his father and brothers Emil and Leo. In 1947 they expanded the family business to include a slaughter house located near Dorris Reservoir. While Leo and his father worked the butcher shop, Walt took over learning the new operation from Herb Wood and Art Rochford. During the 16 years he operated the slaughter house, he always bought local livestock. He had been known to say that, in order to be a butcher you have to be wide between the shoulders and narrow between the ears. In 1953 Jake Gysin died, leaving his sons in partnership. Three years later, the business in town grew from a butcher shop to a full grocery, and so it went until 1962, when Walt and Leo ended their partnership. At that time, Walt renamed the business that's now located on the corner of Main and Carlos to "Walt's Market". He married Virginia Conlan on October 4, 1953. Of that union there were four children; Warner, Hydie, Jacob and Adele. His wife Virginia preceded him in death in 1968. On January 6, 1971 he married Della Pace of Alturas. Added to that union was daughter, Artie Stripe and her two daughters Ronda and Janet. His wife Della preceded him in death on October 20, 1993. In 1981, Walt's youngest son Jake got involved in the family business, with Walt running the butcher department and Jake the grocery. That partnership lasted 20 years. He loved history, books, getting wood, watching television and a cold beer. He was not quick to judge, but was a good judge of character. He is survived by his sister Loretta Kolpakoff of San Francisco, CA; children from his first marriage, sons Warner Gysin and wife Jenny of Walnut Creek, CA, Jake Gysin and wife Ronda of Alturas, daughters Hydie Varner and husband Marcus of Texas, Adele Mitchell and husband Paul of Alturas, daughter Artie Stripe from his second marriage; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Donations may be made to the leukemia foundation or the cancer society. Kerr Mortuary will be handling the arrangements. Roberta Pauline Gilliland Roberta Pauline Gilliland of Alturas passed away February 9, 2002 of natural causes at Modoc Medical Center in Alturas, Calif. Born Roberta Kistmiller on June 17, 1918, in Fletcher, Oklahoma, she graduated from Lawton High School and Lawton College in Oklahoma. She married Roy Lloyd Gilliland in Caruthersville, Missouri on June 3, 1941. Mrs. Gilliland worked as a bookkeeper at the shipyards during the war and then as a bookkeeper at B.F. Goodrich, before going into the sewing machine business with her brother in North Hollywood, Calif. The business was known as Crescent and Miller Sewing Machines. The company worked closely with MGM studios with sales and repair of machines and offered sewing classes. Mrs. Gilliland's specialty was teaching lingerie sewing classes to such notables as "SuperWoman" actress Lindsay Wagner and other stars. She taught sewing until she retired 10 years ago at the age of 72, when she moved to Alturas, to join her many family members already living in Alturas. Mrs. Gilliland was very devoted to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Roy on March 22, 1977, and her mother and father. She is survived by her daughter Judy Breiner and son-in-law Ray Breiner of Alturas; brother Budge Kistmiller of Bakersfield; nieces Sharon Cervants of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Debbie Barth of Oregon; three grandchildren, Lonnie Breiner and wife Karolyn; Gregg Breiner and Jack Breiner, all of Alturas; three great-grandchildren Monique, Brad and Tiffany, all of Alturas and numerous cousins. Memorial services were conducted by Pastor Rod Bodmer at Faith Baptist Church in Alturas on Tuesday, Feb. 12 Catherine C. Rachford Catherine Cecila Rachford died of natural causes in Klamath Falls, Ore. on February 19, 2002. She was a long-time resident of Alturas and the wife of Donald Rachford, who preceded her in death. Funeral services are pending with arrangements being made through Kerr Mortuary in Alturas. Mrs. Rachford was born February 28, 1921. A complete obituary will be published at a later date. February 28, 2002 Bertha Rose Busch Long-time Alturas resident Bertha Rose Busch, 88, passed away February 25, 2002 in Klamath Falls, Ore. She was born Bertha Rose Morgan on December 8, 1913 in Trochu, Alberta, Canada. She was the fifth of seven children born to Mabel (George) James Carl Morgan. At the age of 16, Bertha moved with her family to Modoc County. She graduated with the class of 1931 from Modoc Union High School, Alturas. On April 19, 1931, at the age of 17, she eloped to Lakeview, Ore. to marry Gilbert William Busch, son of William E. Busch and Elizabeth S. Shields. They had six children. Mrs. Busch became a naturalized citizen of the United States on March 20, 1945. Her daughter Beverly and her eighth grade class were able to witness the event. Mrs. Busch won many ribbons at the county fair for her canning, vegetables and Gladiolas. She regularly attended the Federated Community Church in Alturas, and in later years enjoyed going to the Alturas Senior Center for lunch. Almost everyone who met her had only good things to say about her because of her sweetness. She worked along side her husband Gilbert on the Blue Mountain Forest Service Fire Lookout station, then spent a couple of years at the Happy Camp Ranger Station before moving to Alturas. After several years of living in a home on Fourth Street, Alturas, they purchased a ranch with Gilbert's brother Don Busch, about five miles out of town and lived there for about four years. In 1954, Bertha and Gilbert bought a house on West Third Street, where Bertha lived until entering Modoc Medical Center's Skilled Nursing Facility in February 2001. During her time in Alturas, she spent many years as a waitress at the Niles Hotel Restaurant. She also was a volunteer at the Federated Church Thrift Store for many years. Mrs. Busch always took pride in her beautiful garden. A neighbor once commented that Bertha had "a green thumb, clear up to her armpit." She would knit sweaters, and slippers for friends and family. She was also a skilled seamstress and sewed all her own clothes, as well as the clothes for her children. She was also a wonderful cook. She loved to play Pinochle and Scrabble, and did quite well at it , as anyone who ever played against her can attest. She was also an accomplished violinist, before arthritis in her hands made it impossible for her to play. And like many of her generation, who lived through the Great Depression, she was a very thrifty and frugal person. Mrs. Busch was a great listener, and full of fun and life. She will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved her. She is survived by her brother Joseph Alfred Morgan; daughters Beverly Hammes of Klamath Falls, Ore. and Billie Moore of Klamath Falls, Ore.; sons John Busch of Gridley, CA and Bill Busch of Alturas, CA. She had 22 grandchildren and approximately 38 great-grandchildren, several great-great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Gilbert on January 24, 1985, after nearly 54 years of marriage. Brothers Clifford Morgan, John W. Morgan, Vivin I. Morgan, James C. Morgan and sister Flora F. Baker and two of her six children, Nancy Newman of California and Virginia "Ginger" Nay of Washington, also preceded her in death. In lieu of flowers, donations may be directed to the Federated Church in Alturas or to the Modoc Senior Citizens Center in Alturas. Services are pending with Kerr Mortuary in charge of arrangements. Chester Edward Babcock Former Big Valley resident Chester Edward Babcock, 69, passed away February 22, 2002 in Stayton, Ore. where he had been living since 1976. Memorial services will be held at Grace Bible Church in his hometown of Bieber, CA. on Friday, March 1 at 1:00 p.m. Services were also held on Feb. 26 at Stayton First Baptist Church in Oregon. Mr. Babcock was born in Bieber, Calif. on February 4, 1933, the tenth of 15 children. After graduating from Bieber High School, he married Colleen Crouch on May 28, 1951. In addition to rearing his family of three children on his Big Valley ranch, he was a member of the Big Valley School District Board for many years, coached Little League, served as a 4-H leader and was v very active with youth and activities in the Bieber Community Church. Mr. Babcock moved to the Stayton, Ore. area with his wife Colleen in 1976, and began working construction, operating heavy equipment, building and selling houses and pursuing his love of hunting. He remained active and was a competitive sportsman no matter if he was on a softball field or a golf course or pinochle table. Mr. Babcock is survived by his wife Colleen of Stayton, Ore.; his daughter Martha Wilson and her husband Gordon of Stayton, Ore.; his son Daryl and his wife Della of Salem, Ore., and son Stephen and his wife Betty of Albany, Ore. Additional survivors include three brothers and eight sisters, Russell of Redding, CA; Otie of Emmett, Idaho; Charles of Bieber; Lula Carpenter of Weaverville; Dora Schneider of Burney; Ruth Bouse of Adin; Ona Landers of McCloud; Ruby Finch of New Carlisle, Ohio; Fern White of Belgrade, Montana; Lilly Thompson of Salem, Ore. and Gloria Brewer of Cottonwood, Ariz. Grandchildren include Sarah Richardson of Stayton, Ore.; Jeremy Babcock of Pendleton, Ore.; Brad Babcock of Albany, Ore.; Ben Wilson of Salem, Ore.; Julie Swift of Salem, Ore.; Nick Babcock of Albany, Ore.; Levi Wilson of Salem, Ore.; Jennifer Babcock of Salem, Ore.; Danny Wilson of Stayton, Ore. and Lori Babcock of Salem, Ore.; one great grandchildren. Interment will be at Hillside Cemetery in Big Valley, Calif. Contributions can be made to the college scholarship fund or the summer youth camp program of Stayton First Baptist Church. Nicholas Jeffrey Chavez Nicholas Jeffrey Chavez entered this world stillborn at Mayers Memorial Hospital in Fall River Mills, CA. on February 19, 2002 at 7:30 a.m. Nicholas was in his seventh month of gestation and is the son of Theresa and Rafael Chavez of Alturas. A private family service will be held at graveside at Alturas, CA. Cemetery. He is survived by his mother and father; brother Jesse Silva, III of Alturas; maternal grandparents Jeff and AnnMarie Phillips of Alturas; paternal grandparents Pablo Chavez and Ramona Chavez Sanchez of Michoacan, Mexico and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. ~~~~~~ Billie C. & Anita 'Jean' Reynolds Family Researcher of "The Last Frontier" Modoc County, California --- Our outgoing mail is checked by ZoneAlarm AntiVirus.