Obituaries - March 26

A memorial service will be held March 28 at 10 a.m. at Anderson’s Tribute Center with private graveside services to follow later at the Parkdale Cemetery.

Erna was born April 25, 1911, in Coleda, Mo., to John and Mary Victoria (Wallace) Clinton. She was raised and educated in Pettis County, Mo.

On Sept. 15, 1928, Erna married Norvel Anton Embree in Sedalia, Mo. Together they moved their family to the Mt. Hood-Parkdale area in 1953 to be closer to family.

Erna worked for Paris Fair, a fine clothing store, and for the Diamond fruit company.

Following the death of her husband, Norvel, she remarried on Aug. 10, 1972, to Elijah Elliott.

Mrs. Elliott enjoyed gardening and quilting, but most of all loved spending time with her family. Erna was a longtime member of the Odell Baptist Church. Her family remembers her for being a very creative person who was always up for a challenge.

Mrs. Elliott is survived by her daughters Elvera Embree of Odell, and Mary Jo Reynolds of Clinton, Mo., sons Ronald Embree of Odell, and Donald and his wife, Marsha Embree, of Vancouver, Wash., grandchildren Jackie and Vance Reynolds of Clinton, Mo., and Alan and Kathrena Embree of Vancouver, three great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, numerous nieces and nephews and several step children, grandchildren and great grandchildren also survive.

She was preceded in death by her husbands Norvel Anton Embree and Elijah Elliott.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Odell Baptist Church c/o Anderson’s Tribute Center, 1401 Belmont, Hood River, OR 97031.

Anne May Bigler

Anne May Lawrence Bigler died at home in Corvallis, Ore., on March 16, 2003. She was 87 years of age.

May (as she was generally known) was born in Portland, Ore., to Sydney Lawrence and Emma Kline. Her father was an area contractor from Exeter in England.

May grew up in the Ross Island area of Portland, graduating from Washington High School in 1933. She then went to work for Lipman’s department store and was being encouraged to develop a career with that firm.

May was an avid skier and was beginning to climb mountains. She joined the Mazama Club and met an attractive young guide while on a Mazama Club climb of Mount Hood. She married Jesse Frank Bigler on June 19, 1938.

With the aid of her father, the couple built a fine house on Viewpoint Terrace in southwest Portland. They lived there through Frank’s time in the service. In 1948, they sold the house and began the operation of a family orchard in the Hood River Valley. Frank did most of the outside work and May managed the operation of the orchard until it was sold in 1973. At the same time, she worked in the fruit packing operation of Duckwall Brothers. She continued this latter occupation until May of 2002.

May was active in Home Extension programs and was a 4-H leader for many years. She was an avid gardener who enjoyed travel, canoeing and outdoor life in general.

May was preceded in death by her brother Charles Lawrence, a casualty of the attack on Pearl Harbor, for whom a destroyer escort was named; her parents in 1945 and 1947; and her husband J. Frank in 1993. She is survived by her daughters Bernie McCarthy of Corvallis and L. Wendy Dunder of Tualatin; grandchildren Brian McCarthy of Alpharetta, Ga., Sean McCarthy of Las Vegas, Nev., Nils Dunder and Eric Dunder of Tualatin; great-grandchildren Claire Erin McCarthy and Duncan Liam McCarthy of Alpharetta, Ga.; and cousin Catherine “Kitty” Lawrence Smaldon of Exeter, England.

A memorial service was planned in Corvallis at the Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan on March 24, 2003. A memorial celebration is also being planned for Hood River at a later date.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial donations be made to Benton Hospice Service or Grace Center for Adult Day, c/o McHenry Funeral Home, 206 N.W. 5th St., Corvallis, OR 97330

Winston Hillyard

Winston Hillyard, was born May 29, 1929, at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Portland, Ore. to James O. and Leta L (Dee) Hillyard.

Winston graduated from Franklin High School in Portland. He attended and graduated with a business degree from Oregon State University in 1952, and entered the Air Force on Sept. 20, 1952, and served with the 3520th Flying Training Wing in Wichita, Kans. He was discharged 1954 and later from inactive duty in 1959 as a First Lieutenant.

He married shortly after his discharge and was employed by Shell Oil for approximately 20 years as a district office manager. During that time, he, his wife and four children were moved around several times by Shell in Oregon and Washington.

In 1975 he retired from the Shell district office in Portland, purchased a petroleum plant in Hood River, Ore., in 1975. He owned the business, I.D. Johnson & Co. until his retirement in November 1992.

He married Carol D. (VanRas) on March 7, 1979. They worked together at the plant from August 1979 until their retirement in 1992.

During his Hood River years, he joined the Hood River Valley Christian Church. He served the church in a number of capacities. He loved the choir and being in it. In fact Carol and Win were married in the church one night after choir practice. Win would say, however, he did not serve the church, his church, Hood River Valley Christian, served him and well.

Besides serving in church, Win served for a time as a city councilman for Hood River in 1979 after serving on the Planning Commission.

Upon retirement, Win and Carol sold their business and home in Hood River and traveled briefly in their motorhome. They purchased a home in Casa Grande, Ariz., and eventually property and a home in LaPine, Ore., spending six months at each location for the next 10 years. Most recently, June 2002, they made their only home in Albany, Ore.

Win was diagnosed with lung cancer in July of 2002 and started to receive Hospice care in November 2002. He passed away on Friday, March 21, 2003, at 12:50 a.m.

Win is survived by his wife, Carol, four sons, Mark, Jeffery, Craig and Todd; three stepsons, Scot, Vic and Joe VanRas; his brother, Jim, in Tempe, Ariz., and his best friend, Rudy. He had four grandchildren and three step-grandchildren.

Win was indeed a gentleman at all times. He treated everyone with respect. He was a Christian, a man of integrity and was always punctual. And he was the best husband anyone could ever hope for.

He loved golf, woodworking, a Mr. Fix-it, hiking, and choir.

No flowers please. Contributions can be made to Evergreen Hospice, 1046 6th Ave. SW, Albany, OR 97321-1999 or Hood River Valley Christian Church, 975 Indian Creek Rd., Hood River, OR 97031 or to the charity of your choice.

His memorial service will be held at Hood River Valley Christian Church on Sunday, March 30, at 3 p.m.

Duane Simonds

Duane Simonds died Tuesday, March 25, 2003, at Evergreen The Dalles Care Center. Arrangements are pending at Anderson’s Tribute Center 541-386-1000.

Leroy Pattee

Mosier resident Leroy Edgar Pattee died Friday, March 21, 2003, at Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital. He was 84 years of age.

Private family services will be held at a later date.

Arrangements are by Anderson’s Tribute Center, 1401 Belmont, Hood River, OR 97031.

March 22

Teresa Garcia de Rueda

Hood River resident Teresa Garcia de Rueda died Wednesday, March 19, 2003, at her home. She was 62 years of age.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held March 24 at 1 p.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery with vault interment to follow at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery.

A visitation will be held on March 23 from 1 p.m. until the time of the Rosary which will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church at 5 p.m.

Teresa was born Oct. 3, 1940, in Jalisco, Mexico to Guadalupe Garcia and Josefa De Rueda. She was raised and educated in Mexico. Mrs. Garcia moved to Hood River in 1973.

She has been a faithful employee to Juanita’s Fine Foods, where she worked until two weeks before her death. Mrs. Garcia was a pillar in the Hispanic community and will be missed by many.

Teresa enjoyed collecting porcelain dolls, being with family and friends and gardening.

Mrs. Garcia is survived by her husband, Agustin Garcia of Hood River, sons Juan and Guadalupe Garcia, sisters Secundina, Maria, Ester, Carmen and Clementina Garcia, brothers Antonio, Hugenio, Miguel, Jesus and Jose Garcia, half-brother Guadalupe Garcia and half-sister Isabel Garcia and one granddaughter, Kathrina Garcia.

Arrangements by Anderson’s Tribute Center, 1401 Belmont, Hood River, OR 97031.

Kenneth Brown

Sgt. Major Kenneth Raymond Brown passed away March 19, 2003, at Providence Hospital in Portland due to complications with leukemia.

He was born Sept. 20, 1953, at Hood River Memorial Hospital. He was raised in Parkdale and graduated high school in Fossil, Ore. After graduation, he served four years in the Navy. He did two tours of duty at sea during the Vietnam War.

While stationed in California he met his wife, Sherri. They were married on Feb. 8, 1975.

Mr. Brown joined the Army National Guard in 1987 and retired as a Sergeant Major in 2003.

Survivors include his wife, Sherri, their son, Jason, and daughter, Jessica. Mr. Brown is also survived by his father, Charles R. Brown, his mother, Faye Dye and step-father, Lloyd, and his brother, Keith Brown, his sister, Kathy Van Wyhe and grandmother, Lona Brown.

He was also preceded in death by his sister, Karen Brown in 1963, and grandfather, Charles D. Brown, who passed away in 1991. He is also survived by numerous nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Services for Mr. Brown will be held at the Hood River Armory on March 25 at 11 a.m. Preceding this will be a full military burial to be held at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Ore., at 3 p.m.

Glenn Pratt

Glenn L. Pratt, a Hood River, Ore., resident, died March 20, 2003, at the Hood River Care Center. He was 71 years of age.

Services will be held Saturday, March 29 at 1 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.

Glenn was born Aug. 24, 1931, in Hood River County to Totns and Velda Jane (Wood) Pratt. He lived in The Dalles, Ore., before coming to Hood River in 1974. Glenn had worked with the Columbia Gorge Center and was a devoted member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Glenn loved life and visiting with people. He enjoyed fishing, sewing, and lunch at the Hood River Adult Center.

Three brothers, Harvey, Lester, and Tom Pratt preceded him in death.

Surviving are a sister, May Hill of Lansing, N.C. and two brothers, Chester Pratt of Dufur, Ore. and James Pratt of Oak Harbor, Wash.

Arrangements by Anderson’s Tribute Center.

Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy of Hood River died March 9, 2003, at Providence Memorial Hospital in Portland, Ore. He was 57. Michael was born Aug. 12, 1947.

A luncheon for family and friends in memory of Mike will be from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, March 23 at 668 Rene Place, Hood River. Call 806-6615 for directions.

He is survived by his wife, Peggy Murphy, daughter Heather Murphy, two grandchildren, brothers Frank Murphy and Bruce Murphy and sister Jennifer Everhart.