Feb. 28, 2004
Desiree E. M. Akins
   Desiree Estella Marie Akins died Feb. 21, 2004, at a Tualatin hospital. She was 19.
   She was born Feb. 14, 1985, to Bryon and Linda (Gross) Akins in Portland. She attended Tualatin High School until 2002 and served on several special committees fostering positive attitudes and building character. Family members said she was able to reach troubled youth, serving as a role model for many young people. After high school she worked in food service at Subway and resided in Sherwood.
   She was a member of the Tigard Friends Community Church. She enjoyed riding dirt bikes, boating, camping and keeping up with her brothers. She also enjoyed going to Disneyland with her family.
   Survivors include: mother Linda of Sherwood; father Bryon of Aloha; grandparents, Ed and Doris Gross of Tigard, Mary and Niel Schlegelmilch of Beaverton, and Ray and Evelyn Akins of Eugene; great-grandmother Winnie Love of Newberg; step-grandmother Nancy Chaput of Tigard; brothers, Craig and Conrad of Tigard; sisters, Tamara Howell of Bremerton, Wash., and Dezarae and Alicia Sweeney of Aloha; aunts and uncles, Rick Gross of Lake Oswego, Kim and Gary Glahn, Kevin and Judy Akins of Phoenix, Ariz., and Sharon Akins of Lincoln City;  and numerous other aunts, uncles and cousins.
   A funeral service was held Thursday at Tigard Community     Friends Church with pastors Paul Thornburg and Cleta Crisman officiating.

Fermin A. Martinez
   Fermin A. Martinez of St. Paul died Feb. 24, 2004. He was 74.
   He was born July 7, 1929, in Mackay, Texas. He married Olivia Barrera on Dec. 27, 1958, in Asherton, Texas. They made their home in St. Paul. He worked as a farm labor foreman for Horseshoe Lake Farm in St. Paul until he retired in 1997. He also worked for Columbia hardwood and molding in Tigard for eight years.
   A member of the Catholic Church, he enjoyed gardening and spending time with his family.
   Survivors include: wife Olivia of St. Paul; sons, Hector, Oscar and Robert of St. Paul; daughters, Selma Mendoza and Cynthia Morrow of St. Paul; sisters, Anastacia Alvarado and Rosa Castillo of San Antonio; and nine grandchildren.
   A funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. today (Saturday) at St. Paul Catholic Church. A vault internment will follow at the St. Paul Catholic Cemetery.
   Memorials may be made to the Legacy Hospice in McMinnville.


Feb. 25, 2004
Aretha M. DeHart
   Aretha May DeHart died Feb. 20, 2004, at her Eagle Creek home. She was 87.
   She was born Dec. 16, 1916, to Andrew and Beatrice (Holston) Johnson in Hampton, Va., where she grew up and received her early education. She married Jimmy Ward and moved to Puerto Rico, where he served in the U.S. military. He preceded her in death and she returned to Bryson City, N.C. She worked as a taxi dispatcher and met her future husband, Cass DeHart, one of the drivers.
   They married and moved to Needmore, N.C. Ten years later they moved to Hood River, where they stayed for another 10 years. They made Portland their home in 1963. She cared for her husband, who had been rendered homebound from an auto accident. He preceded her in death Nov. 27, 1969. She then worked for the state of Oregon Adult Foster Care Program.
   She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She enjoyed gardening, birds, reading and her puppy.
   Survivors include: son, Emmett of Eagle Creek; daughters, Julia Wilson of Tillamook, Catherine Chausse of Nehalem, Teresa Leard of Newberg, Nancey Harkness of Portland and Emily McIntosh of Newberg; brother El Roy Johnson of Fox Hill, Va.; sisters, Barbara Wallace of Hampton, Va., Phyllis Delanzie of Ohio and Hilda Berry of Hampton; 14 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; 16 great-great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
   She was preceded in death by son Charles, 11 brothers and one sister.
   Chapel viewing and visitation hours will be 8 a.m. today (Wednesday) at Attrell’s Newberg Chapel, until the funeral service at 1 p.m., with Bishop Ray Skinner officiating. A concluding service will follow at Valley View Memorial Park in Newberg.

Feb. 21, 2004
Lloyd R. Vestal
   Newberg native Lloyd Raymond Vestal died Feb. 13, 2004, at his home in Castro Valley, Calif. He was 84.
   He was born Oct. 25, 1919, to Clifford and Ruby (Ryan) Vestal in Newberg. He received his early education in Dundee, graduated from high school and attended college. He served in the Army during World War II in the Pacific arena and was honorably discharged. In 1949 he married Bernice Miller. They made their home in Portland, where he worked for Montgomery Ward Company. Later they moved to McMinnville. In 1959, the couple moved to Castro Valley. He worked as a warehouseman with the Monaham Paper Company until his retirement. His wife preceded him in death on April 16, 1999.
   Survivors include nieces Janet Dewith of Yamhill and Susan Aker of Oregon and nephew Frank Vestal of Idaho.
   A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at Attrell’s Newberg Chapel with Pastor Margaret Golden officiating. A committal service will follow at Dundee Pioneer Cemetery.

Nan Lapp
   Nan Lapp died Feb. 14, 2004, at her Newberg home. She was 92.
   She was born Annie Menzies Shanks Thomson, the daughter of Robert and Jane Thomson, in Edinburgh, Scotland, on July 13, 1911. She attended the Royal High Commercial Institute and graduated from Nelson’s Business College with a Royal Society of Arts certificate. From 1932 to 1960 she held various editorial and administrative positions at the British Broadcasting Corporation. Before retiring from broadcast journalism to come to the United States, she was executive assistant to the program director for Scotland. She married James Robertson of Carlton and made the city her first home in the United States. Her husband preceded her in death in 1973. In 1980 she moved to Newberg, where she lived with her second husband, John Lapp, until his death in 1984. In March 1990 she became a resident of Friendsview Retirement Community.
   She enjoyed reading, writing, music and historical/genealogical research relating to her family and region of birth. Her accounts of her travels across America have appeared in several Scottish newspapers. In the 1970s she taught Sunday school at the First Presbyterian Church in Newberg and until recent times she was active in church activities.
   Survivors include: nephew Stuart Dodds of Berkeley, Calif.; niece Moyra Duncombe of Crawley, England; stepsons, Alan Robertson of Florence, Philip Lapp of Sherwood and Robert Lapp of Mountain Home, Ark.; and stepdaughter Martha Jean Grear of Las Vegas, N.M.
   She was preceded in death by stepchildren, J. Kenneth Lapp,  James and Gordon Robertson.
   A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. today (Saturday) at First Presbyterian Church in Newberg with the Rev. Peter Blank officiating. Vault interment will follow at Evergreen Memorial Park in McMinnville.
   Memorial contributions may be made to the Friendsview Retirement Community in care of Attrell’s Newberg Chapel, 207 N. Villa Road, Newberg, OR 97132.

Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Pataky
   Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Regina Pataky died died Feb. 14, 2004, at a Newberg care facility. She was 90.
   She was born March 11, 1913, in Mansfield, Ohio, to Michael and Christina Hallabrin, emigrants from Austria-Hungary. She graduated from Mansfield High School and married Adam Wagenhals on June 29, 1934. She was a homemaker and handled the bookkeeping for her husband’s business. She worked in the book department of Rhodes Department Store in Sacramento. Her husband preceded her in death in 1971. She returned to Mansfield and married Christian Pataky Jr. in March 1974. They moved to Newberg in 1999. He preceded her in death in 2003.
   She enjoyed singing, sewing, bowling and square dancing.
   Survivors include: daughter Marcia Fay Cobb of Newberg; son Michael Wagenhals of Granite Bay, Calif.; five grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; sister Mary Bare of Mansfield; brother John Hallabrin of Mansfield, Ohio; and many nieces and nephews.
   A memorial service was held Friday at Attrell’s Newberg Chapel with Pastor Leo Schlegel officiating.
   Memorial contributions may be made to Madison Township Fire Protection of Mansfield.

Esther L. Eriksen
   Esther Louise Eriksen died Feb. 17, 2004, of natural causes in Klamath Falls. She was 97.
   She was born Aug. 19, 1906, to Immanuel and Emma Zuehl in Mason City, Iowa. She moved to a farm in Newberg as a child and, as the oldest child, helped raise her brothers and sisters. She graduated from high school and Behnke Walker Business College. She worked in Portland as a secretary, a position through which she would meet her husband, Leo Eriksen. She cared for her parents in Newberg until their deaths, at which time she moved to Klamath Falls.
   She was a member of the Methodist Church since 1975, active in the Senior Citizens Council and worked on elections boards for many years. She enjoyed people, crocheting, knitting, gardening and playing pinochle.
   Survivors include: sister Nelda Lockwood of Encino, Calif.; brother Siegfried Harle of Dallas, Texas; daughter Louise Miller of Klamath Falls; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
   She was preceded in death by: husband Leo, son Jim, three brothers and one sister.
   A celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m. today (Saturday) at Davenport’s Chapel of the Good Shepard in Klamath Falls with the Rev. Thomas Myers officiating.
   Memorial contributions may be made to youth camps in care of the First United Methodist Church, 230 North 10th St., Klamath Falls, OR 97601.

Feb. 18, 2004
Alvena A. Peck
   Former Newberg resident Alvena Annetta Peck died Feb. 13, 2004, of brain cancer. She was 77.
   She was born Feb. 6, 1927, in Dunlap, Iowa. She moved to Newberg in 1931 and stayed until 1961 when she moved to Coos Bay. She married Lee Peck in 1963. She moved to McMinnville in 1999. She was a homemaker.
   Survivors include: husband Lee of Hubbard; sons, John and Ronald Smith; daughter Barbara Oakes; brothers Richard, Lauren and Floyd Bonar; nine grandchildren; 19   great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.
   A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Friday at the Coos Bay Elks Lodge.
   Memorial contributions may be made to Legacy VNA Hospice.

Feb. 11, 2004
Edward H.R. Green
   Edward H.R. Green died Jan. 31, 2004. He was 75.
   He was born in Texas in 1928.
   Survivors include: wife Shirley, two sisters and several nieces.
   There will be a private inurnment.

Mitch A. Lebert
   Mitch A. Lebert died Feb. 4, 2004, in Newberg. He was 46.
   He was born March 12, 1957, to Robert and Darlene (Piercy) Lebert in Menlo Park, Calif. He moved to Oregon at an early age and graduated from Nehalem High School. He moved to Portland and worked as a marine machinist in the Swan Island shipyards for 23 years. He earned a degree in computer technology. He moved to Newberg in 2003.
He enjoyed his dog, Boomer.
   Survivors include: father Robert of Newberg; mother Darlene Crawford of Newberg; daughter Megan Lebert of Portland; brother John of Portland and sister Lori Summers of Carlton.
   A graveside service was held Monday in Portland.
   Memorial contributions may be made to Epilepsy Association of Oregon in care of Attrell’s Newberg Chapel, 207 Villa Road, Newberg, OR 97132.

Doris I. Ledbetter
   Doris Ione Ledbetter died Feb. 6, 2004, at her home in Newberg. She was 76.
   She was born March 5, 1927, to John and Bertha (Olson) Johnson in Sioux Falls, S.D. She moved as a 6-year-old to Washington and later to Southern California. There she met and married Burnett Ledbetter on Feb. 24, 1968. They raised five children. She drove a school bus for 27 years. They moved to Oregon in 1974 and settled in the Myrtle Point area, where she drove school buses for another six years. After their retirement they traveled all over the United States and finally moved to Newberg in 1992.
   She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother, her family said. She was a member of the VFW and American Legion Auxiliary, as well as the Disabled American Veterans Association.
   Survivors include: husband Burnett of Newberg; sons, Thomas Nixon of Wilsonville, Michael Nixon of Lakewood, Wash., Johnny Nixon of Salem, and Gary Ledbetter of Tacoma; daughter Diane Najero of Newberg; brother Ray Provost of Denver; 50 grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
   She was preceded in death by one brother and two sisters.
   A graveside service was held Tuesday at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland.
   Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association in care of Attrell’s Newberg Chapel, 207 Villa Road, Newberg, OR 97132.

Feb. 7, 2004
William B. Altimus
   William B. Altimus of Newberg died Feb. 1, 2004. He was 65.
   He was born Sept. 13, 1938. He graduated from Montana State University and was a member of the National Guard. He was married to Jacqueline Dowie Altimus for 24 years. He worked in marketing and sales, primarily for himself at Addco Greenhouse Manufacturing.
   Survivors include: wife, Jacqueline of Newberg; sons, Preston and Eric; and stepchildren, Nathan, Timothy and Natalie Hedman-Altimus.
   A private service will be held in Newberg.

Mary Braun
   Mary Braun died Feb. 2, 2004, in Newberg. She was 90.
   She was born in Gamshurst, Germany. She emigrated from Spain to the United States in 1937. She married Karl Braun on Sept. 27, 1937, in New York and they made their home in New York City. They managed an apartment for many years. They moved to Long Island, N.Y., in 1950. She moved in January to Newberg to be with her daughter.
   She was a member of St. Anthony Catholic Church. She enjoyed gardening.
   Survivors include: daughter Frances Luciano of Newberg; son Charles Braun of San Luis, Calif.; half-brother Karl Brunner of Gamshurst, Germany; seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
   A wake will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at St. Peter Catholic Church. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the church. Committal is private.
   Memorial contributions may be made to the St. Peter Church building fund or the American Heart Association in care of Howell-Edwards-Doerksen Mortuary, 1350 Commercial St. SE, Salem, OR 97302.

Albert G. Proctor
   Former Newberg resident Albert Glenn Proctor died Feb. 1, 2004, in Moses Lake, Wash. He was 93.
   He was born Sept. 5, 1910, on a homestead on Bald Peak. He farmed and logged with horses for many years. He owned a Model T and progressed to modern machinery. He worked at Willamette Iron & Steel for many years. He married Maxine Robinson in 1940.
   He retired from the Yamhill County Road Department in 1975. He continued to farm until the early 1980s and lived on the homestead until 1999. He moved to Springbrook and due to poor health he moved again, this time to Moses Lake, Wash., to live with his daughter.
   He attended an annual convention related to his faith each year in Boring.
   Survivors include: son Frank of Clatskanie; daughters, Corlene Ferger of Brush Prairie, Wash., Bonnie Heinzman of Svenson and Janice Buell of Moses Lake; seven grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; sister-in-law Edith Proctor of Portland; and Steve and Doris Davison of Amity.
   He was preceded in death by his wife and nine brothers and sisters.
   A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. today (Saturday) at Mountain View Middle School in Newberg. Burial will follow at Valleyview Memorial Park.

Feb. 4, 2004
John Cereghino
   John Cereghino of Sherwood died Jan. 28, 2004, at a King City care facility. He was 100.
   He was born Aug. 8, 1903, to Angelo and Vittoria (Velleda) Cereghino in Sherwood, where he grew up and attended Cipole Grade School. He worked on the family farm as well as at the Port of Portland. He married Gladys Snyder on June 8, 1927. He returned to farming, purchasing and operating his own farm on Tualatin-Sherwood Road, where he stayed for 50 years. He continued growing fruits and vegetables even after he sold the farm. His wife preceded him in death in July 1995.
   He played for the Sherwood Baseball Team and was an avid hunter and fisherman.
   Survivors include: son Ron of Yamhill; daughter Lorene Tindall of Salem; sister Mary Young of Sherwood; seven grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
   He was preceded in death by two daughters, four brothers and two sisters.
   A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. today (Wednesday) at Attrell’s Sherwood Chapel with pastors Ken vanden Hoek and Paul Baker officiating. Committal is private at Riverview Abbey in Portland.
   Memorial contributions may be made to Sherwood Friends Church or the Needy Kids Fund at KEX Radio in care of Attrell’s Sherwood Chapel, 280 N.W. First Street, Sherwood, OR 97140.

Grace T. Krohn
   Grace T. Krohn died Jan. 31, 2004, at Providence Newberg Hospital. She was 91.
   She was born Sept. 19, 1912, to Walter and Martha (Quigley) Tozer in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. As a child her family moved to Elk Horn, Neb., where they made their home for 16 years. They moved in 1925 to McMinnville, where she graduated from high school. She attended business college in Portland, worked for Oregon Mutual and later First Federal Savings and Loan as a bookkeeper in McMinnville.
   She married Richard Krohn on Dec. 20, 1936, in Newberg, where they made their home and have since resided. She worked for 10 years at Redding Insurance. She later worked with her husband at Krohn’s Appliance. He preceded her in death in September 1969.
   She was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Newberg and Tzaddi Tau. She enjoyed her grandchildren, sewing and collecting postcards and bookmarks.
   Survivors include: son Richard of Yamhill; daughters, Martha Brown of Newberg, and Leslie Krohn of Yamhill; and grandchildren, Matthew Brown, Leta Tabish and Noah Krohn.
   A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at Attrell’s Newberg Chapel with Pastor Jane Shaffer officiating. A committal service will follow at Newberg Friends Cemetery.
   Memorial contributions may be made to the First United Methodist Church in care of Attrell’s Newberg Chapel, 207 N. Villa Road, Newberg, OR 97132.