Carl E Benson, age 70, resident of Rufus, Oregon passed away April 13, 2020. Services will be held in Coos Bay, Oregon at a later date, information will be on Spencer, Libby & Powell website once finalized.
Holly Elizabeth Riggs, age 49, resident of The Dalles, Oregon passed away at home with her family April 6, 2020. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date, information will be posted on Spencer, Libby & Powell website once scheduled.
Lagi Mataiga Amituana'i-Levu, age 78, resident of The Dalles, Oregon passed away April 5, 2020 at home with her family.
Viewing will be available by invitation of the family
9:00 am - 7:00 pm Thursday April 9, 2020
Spencer, Libby & Powell Funeral Home
We regret that visits must be limited to one person at a time.
Lagi will be laid to rest in a private committal with her beloved husband Sitae . A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date, that information will be on the Spencer, Libby & Powell website, once scheduled.
Ernestine Hill, age 88, resident of The Dalles, Oregon previously long time resident of Grant County, passed away April 2, 2020.
Dad, I loved you!! To all my dear friends, who I also love, I have to share the news that Dad passed in his sleep, THANKFULLY, of a massive stroke last night. He was 89. All his family members had wonderful conversations with him individually this week, and I had an hour long fantastic upbeat conversation with him several days ago. He went to bed last night at the VA Home, joking with his favorite male nurse (who adored him), and apparently passed very quickly in the night. I am sharing some of my favorite photos of him from the last few years so we all can enjoy his smile one more time. He had a great smile!!! So many people in the VA home have lost their smiles and carry permanently sad faces, that I am forever grateful dad was able to share his with so many people right up to the end. He loved Hawaii and wanted to come one more time, so I will scatter some of his ashes here.
He was living in a VA Home in The Dalles, Oregon, for the last several years after having heart bypass surgery, and the home is on lockdown due to Coronavirus, so I am grateful he never got the Virus. He was feeling pretty good, cheery, teasing the people he liked (felt a bit poor last night, but still joked) , then went to bed for the last time. A good ending for a great man. I am sad that none of his family or friends were able to visit, but we called, and he was quite perky this whole last week - for which I am very grateful. I am relieved it was in his sleep, very fast, and I bet he never felt a thing.
Thank you to everyone who showed their love to him over the years. He had some extremely rough things happen to him in his life but preferred to keep smiling whenever he could. For that, I am beyond grateful. He believed in being fair and absolutely hated to see anything alive being treated unjustly, which is why he became a policeman, dog catcher, and later a 15 bed nursing home operator- so he could make things better in the best ways he knew how. He quit the police force when just too many people became corrupt. In his mid 20's in Fullerton, California, he was on a Police motorcycle team that did fancy trick shows like the jet teams do, and he worked ambulance, and was a Sheriff working for Disneyland during its early years. He hated hot foods but working in California could have its hazards that way. One day he and another man were on ambulance duty and stopped for lunch. His partner said "here, try this pepper" so dad did- not knowing it was really hot. The partner ended up using the ambulance ventilator on dad!!
Jack of All Trades was a label appropriate for dad. He did everything : policeman , medic, dog catcher, nurse , Sheriff at Disneyland after it first opened, nursing home owner, snow plow operator, sold some of the first mobile phones ( briefcase size !) , bought and fixed up old homes ( with the family helping. So glad I learned those skills!), ski lodge owner/manager/cook/pool player-guest entertainer/and bouncer (Skiers Haven in Intervale, NH in the 60's), ski instructor in Jackson and Mt Cranmore, dance instructor, hunter, fisherman. He even goaded the family into hiking, and one time took us all up Tuckerman's Ravine, NH, to ski. My brother and I were young, so carrying our own skis did not last long and dad added them to his already heavy load that had all the ski boots, food, and his own skis ( and they were HEAVY back then ! ). Mom pooped out with before we reached the top of Mt Washington, so her skis added to his load- poor dad!! Luckily, he was young and strong! When we finally staggered into the weighing room at the top, his load was 150 lbs!!!!!
He met mom while he was a Corpsman in the Navy. They were both all suited up with just their eyes showing, delivering a baby, when they both looked up and their eyes met: love at first sight for him. He asked around until he was able to get her name, then took buses and the subway from where he was stationed in Chelsea, Mass, to her home in Boston. He found roses on the way and stuffed them in his suit jacket for safe keeping. At her home, she greeted him and he pulled out the roses, ta daaaa ! He was so nervous that he had just baked inside the suit jacket, and the roses were all wilted! What a beginning...
He liked to "do his duty' , so volunteered while still in the Navy to be a family that would experiment on birth control pills- new to the market. All was going well until the Navy Chaplain decided my parents were probably ready for a family and talked the head doctor into switching to placebo pills. - all without telling my parents. SURPRISE! Dad delivered me at Chelsea Naval Memorial, and 3 years later delivered my (planned) brother at home in Anaheim, CA, where they lived for a few years until deciding to head East to NH.
He and Mom moved to North Conway, NH in 1958, and looked for a home. The 1905 Victorian across from No. Conway Hospital was the one they fell in love with but was priced higher than dad could afford and already had an interested party, so dad talked to the owner. She was selling because she needed to move into a care home, which is just what he wanted to start since both he and mom were nurses. He promised Flossie, the owner, that he would remodel the home and she would have her pick of rooms and the best care, there, until she died, so she took his lower offer. Dad and mom remodeled the home into a 15-bed nursing home and created sleeping rooms and a living room in the basement for us. We lived under the nursing home for the next 12 years. Flossie spent her last days receiving great care in her own home and loved it.
I bought a condo as a 2nd home in Hilo, Hawaii 6 years ago, and brought dad here for a visit. He had never been to Hawaii, and fell totally in love with the ocean, the condo, the people. Fishing was free, so he did as much as he could, and we explored the whole island by car, camping the whole way. What fun! He was a great person to drive, explore, camp with (he slept in the van, I had a hammock)! We both just loved driving, exploring, visiting new places and people. He made many friends in Hawaii.
I love you Dad!! Thanks for all the great memories, and always being supportive, no matter how far from your dreams mine were. You always remained a flexible thinker and lent an open ear to what people had to say- especially us kids. You were usually gentle when you disagreed. Supporting our dreams almost always benefited all of us, so I really appreciate your open mindedness and help, even when you were initially skeptical. You always gave people the benefit of the doubt- a rare and very admirable quality.
To all my friends who knew Dad: please send me a story about him, and a picture (or more) if you have one. It would mean A LOT!!!
THANK YOU !!!! XOXOXOXOXOXOX Julie
Charles Atchley, age 60, resident of Klickitat, Washington, passed away March 27, 2020.
Alleck "Ole" Turnbow, age 95, resident of The Dalles, passed away March 29, 2020
Linda Marie Chaney, age 56, resident of Maupin, Oregon passed away March 29, 2020.
Wendy Lauren Martin, age 43, resident of The Dalles, passed away March 28, 2020.
Ofisa Va'a, age 64, resident of The Dalles, passed away March 27, 2020.
Marie Gualco, age 81, a resident of The Dalles, Or. passed away at her home March 26, 2020.
Phyllis M. Baker, age 95, a resident of The Dalles, Or., passed away at a local care facility March 25, 2020.
Dorothy Lyn Gould, age 59, a resident of The Dalles, Or. passed away at a local hospital March 13, 2020. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
David Oliver Lloyd, age 71, resident of Dufur, Oregon passed away March 24, 2020.
Martha L Williams, age 96, resident of The Dalles, passed away March 23, 2020. Spencer, Libby & Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Gloria Rivas Madrigal, age 64, resident of The Dalles, Oregon, passed away March 18, 2020. Private services were held Monday, March 23, 2020 at Spencer, Libby & Powell Gathering Hall. Private burial and Christian Committal followed at St. Peter Cemetery, The Dalles, Oregon.
Donna J Hansen age 79, resident of The Dalles, Oregon, passed away March 18, 2020
Kathie Rebecca "Becky" Roberts age 71, resident of Maupin, Oregon, passed away March 18, 2020. A Celebration of life will be planned at a later date to be determined by the family.
As of March 20, 2020 Memorial Services for Kaye Prouty have been changed to a private family only service. A public celebration will be held at a later date to be decided by family. Please check our website for updates.
Kaye Christine Whipple was born on December 31, 1946 in Portland, Oregon to Geraldine and Thomas L. Whipple. She passed away on March 13, 2020 at the age of 73, surrounded by her family. She was preceded in death by her father when she was only 4 years old, and eventually her mother remarried Harold Engberg, who she loved and called “dad”. Kaye grew up an only child in Wasco, Oregon, and graduated from Sherman High School in 1964. She received her Associate’s Degree from Eastern Oregon State College, and married Joseph Burgett in 1967. They raised a family, which includes Steven, Marcy, and Jodie in Arlington, Oregon and then later, Dufur, Oregon where the lived for many years.
Her children have been blessed with so many amazing memories of time spent with grandparents, family vacations in the motorhome, holiday traditions, and dinnertime around the table. Kaye spent many years watching her kids’ sporting events and supporting their many activities, while working at Oregon Bank, and then, Mid-Columbia Vision Center where she was the Office Manager for over 20 years.
She truly enjoyed spending time with her friends and family, playing pinochle with her club, shopping with her girls, and sipping Coors Light and sharing conversations. In 1996, she married Harvey Prouty and they’ve resided in The Dalles for over 25 years. They enjoyed going to Palm Desert for the winters, gardening, traveling, and spending time with their friends and “Kitty Cat”.
Kaye spent the last two years battling cancer and handled it like a “champ”. Her fun, positive attitude and sense of humor shined through, like her beautiful smile. When asked by her kids how she wanted to spend her final weeks, she requested “lots of parties”. And that is exactly what we did.
Kaye was preceded in death by her mother and father, Geraldine & Harold Engberg, her biological father, Thomas L. Whipple; and her best friend, Penny Gronquist.
She is survived by her husband, Harvey Prouty; her children, Steven Burgett and wife Monica, Marcy Bales and husband Justin, and Jodie Clapham and husband Jason; step-children, Stan Prouty, Stephanie Ryan and husband Chris; her grandchildren, Kolbe and Cooper Bales, Hayden and Kennedy Clapham, Marshall Thompson, Caitlyn Rivas, and Jessica Canady; and five great grandchildren, Bayli, Jersey, Cruz, Adeline, and Lincoln.
Kaye Christine Prouty, age 73, resident of The Dalles, Oregon, passed away March 13, 2020.
Memorial Service
11:00 AM, Saturday March 21, 2020
at Spencer, Libby & Powell Gathering Hall.
Raul John Soria passed away peacefully of natural causes at his home where he was surrounded by his family.
Raul was a kind and loving man who gathered friends everywhere he went. He excelled in everything he did and was highly respected by his family, friends, peers and colleagues.
He had such a verve for life that not only could be seen by his many, many interests, but was also felt by all the lives and hearts he touched.
Raul's experiences throughout life often seemed like a well written adventure novel. His stories enlightened us by way of his humor and wisdom. He did his first Tour of Duty in the Navy where he was an Aviation Loadmaster, followed by a Tour of Duty in the Army as an Intelligence Analyst.
Raul's career as a Barber spanned over 44 years and his Barber shop was a place of groom and friendship. His dedication to the Knights of Columbus earned him a 4th degree Knight status. And, his love of the waters led him to the Power Squadrons where he achieved the title of Commander.
Raul loved boating and skiing, whether it be on the water or on the slopes. He loved camping with his family as well as, enjoying hunting and deep-sea fishing which were all either weekend jaunts or lengthy family vacations.
Raul is survived by his wife Loretta, his four children, Gene Soria, Randy Soria, Leslie Cazamira and Denise Soria, six grandchildren and ten great grandchildren.
We loved him, and he loved us, and we are forever grateful.
Mass will be said 1:30 PM, March 20, 2020 at Sacred Heart Church, 3910 SE 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon where Raul attended Grade School.