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| Obituaries |
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| Death notices for Ralph Keith, Edward Clarke and Yoshiko Tahara |
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RALPH KEITH
Ralph Keith was born on Feb. 20, 1916, to John Shepard and Ada Belle Keith in Muskoegee, Okla. He was one of seven children. He died at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 25, 2009, at Cherry Street Manor in White Salmon.
At age 16, Mr. Keith left his home in Arkansas and rode the rails for a period of time. he worked for a carnival and a circus, was a deck hand on a river boat, harvested wheat in Minnesota and grapes in California. He hopped a freighter out of New Orleans and sailed around the Cape of Good Hope to South Africa.
He was 26 when he married Berniece Flinn on Oct. 26, 1942, in Mammoth Springs, Ark. They raised a family of seven children: Kathy Laughery, Hoquiam, Barbara Parrish, Lyle, Bonnie Henderson, Trout Lake, Mike Keith, Dallesport, John Keith (deceased), Kelly Keith (deceased), and Henry Keith, Lyle.
The couple moved to Dallesport in 1953 where they remained because Mr. Keith was injured while working on The Dalles Dam. His working years took him to Idaho, California, Wyoming and Washington as a construction worker building dams.
He enjoyed steelhead fishing, target shooting, reloading ammunition, collecting guns and gardening. He was a great story teller and could entertain for hours with his stories. He loved his 13 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren and would tell them story after story of his childhood.
His lifelong dream was to travel to Scotland, the place of his ancestry. This never happened for him but his daughter Bonnie and granddaughter Sharron, were there in 1986 and visited the Keith (Dunn Otter) Castle in Stonehaven, Scotland. His great-granddaughter Mackenzie will help fulfill his and her dream when she travels there after graduating from college.
Berniece, his wife of 42 years, died on Jan. 1, 1992, in The Dalles Hospital. He will be buried beside her at Balch Cemetery in Lyle.
Graveside services will be held on Friday, July 3, 2009, at 2 p.m. at Balch Cemetery in Lyle. Pastor Greg Howell of Grace Brethren Church in Goldendale will officiate.
Memorials may be given to Hospice of the Gorge.
EDWARD CLARKE
Edward Hugh Clarke was born on Nov. 16, 1919, and was raised on a farm in Clinton County, Iowa, and attended school in Elwood, Iowa.
He was one of four children -- John, Marion, Ed and Lois. He worked his way through college while attending Iowa State College in Ames, Iowa, where he received a bachelor's of science degree in forestry in 1942. From 1942 to 1945, he was a naval aviator in the US Navy during World War II, and specifically was an instrumentation instructor.
He met Theola Mortvedt in 1941 in Ames, Iowa, and they were married on April 1, 1944, and celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in 2009.
He continued his graduate studies at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and graduated with a master's degree in 1948 from Syracuse University in New York.
He taught forestry at Tennessee University in Knoxville prior to joining the U.S. Forest Service in Madison, Wis., in 1950. From there, he served over five years in Portland, Ore., followed by 10 years in Washington, D.C. Before accepting other work transfers, he held out for another position in the Pacific Northwest and moved back to Portland in 1971. He retired in 1980, but enjoyed meeting his work associates for coffee and attending events with the 30-Year forestry group.
He and his wife served as escorts in the Odyssey Travel Club and were able to travel extensively around the world and throughout America. Besides travel, he enjoyed camping, fishing, reading, golf, his small woodworking shop, and was an avid TV sports fan and news junkie. He had a strong religious faith and was a member of Calvin Presbyterian Church in Tigard, Ore.
He is survived by his wife, Tee; daughters Pamela C. Simpson, Annandale, Va., and Margaret C. Jacobson, Trout Lake; three grandchildren Danielle Bourdo, Fenton, Mich., Dane Jacobson, Trout Lake, and Darrin Jacobson, Acton, Calif., and eight great-grandchildren Calvin, Dane and Aidan Bourdo; Ty and KayLeigh Jacobson; and Chase, Andrew, and Nathan Jacobson.
His favorite expression was "wood is good" and plastic toothpicks were verboten. His favorite color was orange. It was hard to separate him from his little dog, Molly, who was constantly at his side.
He died of natural causes on June 20, 2009, at his home in Hood River, Ore.
Two celebrations of life services are arranged. The first was scheduled for Wednesday, June 24, 2009, at 1:30 p.m. at Calvin Presbyterian Church in Tigard, Ore., which will include the military presence; and the second on Friday, June 26, 2009, at 10:30 a.m. at Hawk's Ridge Assisted Living in Hood River, Ore., where he resided.
Memorials may be made to the Calvin Presbyterian Church, 10445 S.W. Canterbury Lane, Tigard, Ore. 97224
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center.
YOSHIKO TAHARA
Yoshiko Tahara died at Brookside Manor in Hood River on June 30, 2009, she was 88 years of age.
A memorial service will be held at St. Mark's Episcopal Church (400 11th Street, Hood River) at a later date.
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center, Hood River.
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