Life Tributes for the week of 3/13/19
Clifford Roy Brewster
Clifford Roy Brewster (Pops) passed away peacefully on Feb. 21, 2019, at the age of 74, surrounded by folks who loved him very much. He was a long time resident of Greenville, known as “the crazy ol’ guy who will shoot you” if you trespassed on his hill and he didn’t know you.
He was born April 23, 1944, in Glendive, Montana, to Clifford Allen Brewster and Irene Delores Zinda. He was one of 10 siblings, five have passed and five survive. He graduated from Oroville High School and married Sally Claessens; they had two children, Kenneth Wayne and Christina Marie. They divorced a few years later.
In the meantime he was hired on at PG&E where he was a lineman with GC for 10 years before transferring to Rogers Flat in the Feather River Canyon where he worked for 20 more years. He was known as “Barking Brewster” to the Sweat Hog Crew at Rogers Flat. He could get the job done no matter what it was. He expected his folks to put in eight-hour days for eight hours of pay. His family came first and he would give the shirt off his back to those when needed. He retired from PG&E in 1994.
While he was working for PG&E he met Mary Frankoleen Harvey, who had two sons of her own from a previous marriage, Frederick William and Steven Morris. They were married in Reno at The Sweetheart Chapel in 1975 and had 25 years of happiness before Mary passed away in 2000 from cancer.
He loved to hunt and fish and do anything outdoors and he passed this love to his four children. Pop was an excellent mechanic and heavy equipment operator and could fix just about anything. He was a true “Jack-of-all-trades.”
His legacy is carried on by his four children, 14 grandkids and 12 great-grandkids.
His ashes will be spread on his hill sometime in the spring, when Mary’s flowers are coming up.
To the remaining Sweat Hog crew “Quit sniveling and get back to work!”
Robert “Bob” Ervin Cobb
Robert “Bob” Ervin Cobb, 89, of Quincy, after a long battle with kidney disease, exited this life on Feb. 1, 2019, with his beloved wife, Betty Moura, by his side. Bob was born on Dec. 23, 1929, to George and Audrey Cobb in Natchez, Mississippi.
Most of his childhood was spent playing along the mighty Mississippi River. He enlisted in the Army where he served for 11 years in Army Intelligence and fought in the Korean War.
He settled in Oakland, with his first wife Peggy where they had two children. Bob was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Oakland for more than two decades. It was here in the mid-80s that he met Betty Moura and her two daughters Jennifer and Adrienne.
In their 20 years of living in Quincy, Bob, in retirement, was quite active especially with the Feather River Land Trust and the High Sierra Animal Rescue where he and Betty adopted their beloved dog Toby.
Robert was preceded in death by father, George Cobb; mother, Audrey Cobb; first wife, Peggy; and son, Stephen Cobb.
He is survived and loved by wife, Betty Moura, daughter, Laura (Randall) Riley, stepdaughters, Jennifer (Dan) Gamba, Adrienne Ferron and their five children.
Robert is in the care of the Cremation Society of Placer County where he will be cremated. As of now there are no plans for a memorial service. In lieu of flowers being sent to the family, we ask people to make donations in Robert’s name to any of the following charities: Feather River Land Trust: frlt.org; High Sierra Animal Rescue: highsierraanimalrescue.net; or a charity of the donor’s choice.
John Lee Hackett
John Lee Hackett was born Feb. 1, 1927, in Kansas City, Missouri, to Dewey Lee Hackett and Mary Pabst Hackett. He passed into the arms of our creator on Feb. 7, 2019.
Graduating from Santa Monica High School in 1944, he then served in the Navy assigned to the naval Air Station in Miami, Florida, and flew as a gunner in the Avenger. He was honorably discharged in 1946.
He graduated from Santa Monica College in 1948 and then graduated the following two years from Santa Barbara College. In school he was active in sports, baseball being his specialty and after retiring excelled in golf.
John started teaching in Nevada City later moving to Anaheim, first as a teacher and coach and later as counselor at John F. Kennedy High School mentoring students and receiving many awards. He was a true professional educator — helping thousands of students to reach their goals.
He retired to Lake Almanor in 1984. He loved to take his boat out on the lake and fish, catching two trophy fish along the way.
John was a kind, generous, supportive person and always had a keen sense of humor, very well-liked and loved by all who knew him.
John lost one son, Steven, to cancer and is survived by son JD Hackett, daughter, Jane Paurazari and husband Saeed, daughter-in-law, April Hackett, grandsons Bejan Paurazari, Jordan Paurazari, Morgan Hackett, Mike Hackett, numerous nieces, nephews and long time devoted companion Jolene Sherman.
Sarah E. “Betty” Jacobson
Sarah E. “Betty” Jacobson, died in Portland, Oregon, on Feb. 27, 2019. She and her husband, “Jake” Jacobson, were long-time Chester residents where she taught first grade for 30 years.
They moved to Portland in 1994. Jake died in 1999. In 2003 she married Robert “Bob” Fries, of Portland.
She is survived by her husband, Bob, her three children, Sig-Linda Jacobson and Henry Jacobson, of Portland and Christine Powell (Charles), of Dolores, Colorado, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Marjorie Benedict Karge
Quincy resident Marjorie Benedict Karge, 100, passed away peacefully on Jan. 31, 2019, in Reno, Nevada, surrounded by loving family, after a short illness.
Marjorie was born May 4, 1918, in Salt Lake City, Utah. She moved with her family to San Francisco a few years later and grew up in the Bay Area. During World War II, she worked at Fort Ord in Monterey, as well as briefly in Washington DC. After the war, she rejoined her family in Portola, where her father Linley Ray Benedict and her brothers Bill and Wayne worked for Western Pacific.
Marjorie wasn’t planning on getting married until she met John Karge in Quincy in 1947. She liked him so well that she surprised herself by proposing to him and they were married in 1948.
John worked for the Plumas National Forest, and one of Marjorie’s fondest memories was living with him onsite in the forest when they were newlyweds. They moved from Portola to Quincy in 1951. Marjorie began working as a cook’s helper at Pioneer Elementary when their children were in school and retired as the cook manager for Quincy Elementary and Pioneer Elementary in 1988, after 24 years of service.
Marjorie and John very much enjoyed living in Quincy and the mountains. They traveled in retirement and were active in the local Good Sam Club for years. After John passed away in 1996, Marjorie continued to travel and loved spending time with her family. She enjoyed crocheting, sewing and drawing, was a very good dancer, and was known for her quiet determination, independence and storytelling skills.
Marjorie was predeceased by her brother, Bill, and husband, John.
She is survived by her brother, Wayne Benedict and sister-in-law, Shirley Benedict, daughter, Lynn Eaton and son-in-law, Ernest Eaton, son Kent Karge and Carol Snow, granddaughters, Amber Wessels-Yen and husband Clifton and Amy Sagraves and husband Matt, and great-grandson Noah Sagraves. She is dearly missed.
Private graveside services will be held at a later date in the Old Quincy Cemetery.
Susan Mary Kelsch (Butler)
Susan Mary Kelsch (Butler), age 62, of Quincy, peacefully entered the gates of heaven on March 2, 2019.
Susan was born to Paul and Christine Butler on Feb. 6, 1957, in Lakewood, Ohio. She moved to California at 16 years old, where she created a life full of love, family and service. She married her soul mate and forever love, Randy Lee Kelsch on Oct. 31, 1987. They enjoyed 31 years of fierce, beautiful and joyful love together.
Susan is the treasured mother of Mary Nicole Watenpaugh and Samantha Lynn Abbott; and the beloved grandmother of Jaxson Matthew, Avery Christine, HaiLee Lou, Emerson James, Lola Mary, Emily Susan, Paul Jonathan, Blake Paul, Loyal Henry and Piper Jo. Susan is the precious sister of Julie Christine and Timothy Paul. She loved her family well, and with a fierce devotion.
Susan will be remembered for her contagious laugh, stunning smile, quiet acts of service, love for family and her art. She touched people around her with her honesty, adventurous spirit and love for her Lord. She will be greatly missed by those who loved her and had the honor of being a part of her beautiful and well-lived life.
A celebration of life will be held at Mt. Lassen Community Church on March 30 at 11 a.m., with a reception to follow.
If you would like to donate to a cause and place dear to her heart, please give to Mt. Lassen Community Church, in honor of her memory.
Ronald D. McNay
Ron McNay, beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend, died peacefully at Stanford Medical Center, loved ones at his side, on Feb. 20, 2019. He was 83 years old and a native Californian.
Born to Donald and Edith Brumley McNay on June 27, 1935, he resided with his parents in Sonoma, attending local schools, excelling in academics and sports, and graduating from Sonoma High School, Class of 1953. While attending Santa Rosa Junior College he volunteered for the U.S. Army, completed basic training at Ft. Ord and taught computer-aided weaponry at Ft. Bliss in Texas.
During this time he married Sally Farrar of San Anselmo and they resided in El Paso, Texas, during his active duty. Moving to South San Francisco with his young family, Ron worked at California State Automobile Assoc. while pursuing degrees at San Francisco State, Golden Gate University and Santa Clara on the G.I. Bill.
His business career paralleled the development of the data process industry, as he wired computers and “wrote code” for CSAA, Philco Corp. and General Brewing in San Francisco. He designed and operated data processing centers for California Financial, Alaska State Bank, and The Anchorage Borough before managing financial applications programming at Intel.
In 1978, he and Marylou McComber began their lives together, moving to Felton and establishing MC2 Computer Co. to sell and support hardware and software of his design for the Bowling Industry. They became immersed in the cultural life of the Santa Cruz area and Ron did pro-bono data processing work for the Art Museum and the Cultural Council. After 20 years in Felton they moved to Graeagle, continuing to operate MC2 until 2010, relishing life on the Feather River in the Plumas National Forest. In 2014 they relocated to the Monterey Peninsula.
He is survived by his wife, Marylou, his daughter Jennifer Donovan, his sons and their wives, Michael and Gail, Brian and Monica, and Ron and Mosette McNay, his stepchildren, Sally Boyd and husband Maurice, Jeff McComber, Jack McComber and wife Sylvia, his “adopted” daughter Wendy Morrow and husband Dave, his life-long friend Sally Farrar Heffron, 15 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
He was predeceased by his parents and his beloved son-in-law, James Donovan.
Ron loved nature in all its forms and was happiest in the mountains hiking, camping, fishing and skiing. His diary of motorcycle trips on the Alcan Hwy and through the National Parks speaks of this joy. He bore the illnesses of later years with quiet strength, filling his days with reading, contacting family and friends, and watching the Golden State Warriors. He loved his grandchildren deeply and worried about the state of the world and their futures in it. He is remembered by all as a quiet, smiling man with a big laugh.
The family wishes to express deep appreciation to Montage Medical Group, Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, the ICU and Stroke Center Staff of Stanford Medical Center, and to Hector Penaloza, stalwart caregiver and friend. Gifts in Ron’s memory may be made to the Feather River Land Trust, www.FRLT or POB 1826, Quincy, CA 95971.
Cynthia M. Payne
Cynthia M. Payne, 65, of Quincy, passed away March 5, 2019, in Chico. She was born July 1, 1953, in Orange County, to Douglas and Ruth Boyd. Survivors include daughters, Angela M. Martin, of Oroville, Erica L. Dobson, of Quincy, and Alanna R. Payne, also of Quincy; sister, Claudia Morales, of Galt; brother, Sean A. Boyd, of Quincy; 10 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Memorial Service will be held at Scheer Memorial Chapel, 2410 Foothill Blvd. in Oroville, on Sunday, March 17, at 11 a.m.
Naomi Elizabeth Smith
Longtime Chester resident Naomi Elizabeth Smith passed away peacefully Feb. 12, 2019, in Boise, Idaho. She was 98 years old.
She was born in Beaver, Iowa, Nov. 3 1920, to Milton and Myrtle Rinker. She attended nursing school at the University of Iowa and worked as a nurse in California when the family moved to Santa Monica in 1957.
She had two sons: Michael Blackburn, who died in 1961, and Douglas Blackburn, who lives in Boise, Idaho, with his wife, Carolyn.
She and her husband Vernon Smith (now deceased) moved to Chester in the early 70s. Naomi was known for her kindness and generosity to everyone and her hearty laugh. She was an expert seamstress and many people have colorful book bags that she made them. Her delicious cookies were loved by many. She was in the habit of walking or riding her 3-wheel bike all over town for many years.
She stayed close to her loving family members, especially her niece, Lugene and husband, Bob Dalby (now both deceased), of Chester, her nephews, Daniel (Adele), and Deron (Maureen), and their children, Zoie, Caitlin and Zachary, of Chester; also her nephew, Bud (now deceased) and his wife, Annalies and their two children, Lorilee and Shelly, from Santa Barbara. She had two brothers, Henry and Eben and one sister, Aline (all deceased), from Iowa. There were other nieces and nephews she loved and kept in touch with all over the country.
She began associating with Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1957 in California. She continued her associating in Chester. She was baptized in 1990. She enjoyed very much sharing her hope from the Bible with everyone. She firmly believed in the hope of the resurrection to a life on a paradise earth, where pain and death will be no more. She made many friends in the congregation, young and old. The children and adults loved her very much and she will be greatly missed. They said they will miss her laugh.
In her later years she lived at Wildwood Apartments. She loved living there. She made many new friends and liked them very much. She especially liked the girls at her lunch table. You know who you are, girls.
A memorial service will be held at the Westwood Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses at a date to be announced later.
James Evans Talbott
James Evans Talbott (Jim) passed away peacefully on Sunday, Feb. 17. Jim was born in Klamath Falls, Oregon, on June 3, 1939. He was the youngest of three siblings. He moved to Napa, when he was four years old.
Jim attended grade school in Napa and then Napa High School where he excelled in sports, playing football, basketball, baseball and track and field. He also was involved in student government and played trumpet in the band. Jim was inducted into the Napa High School Hall of Fame in 2000. After graduating from high school, Jim enrolled in Napa Junior College where he continued his athletic career, playing football, basketball, baseball and golf.
After two years at Napa Junior College, Jim enrolled at Chico State University where he played basketball and golf and was a member of Delta Psi Delta Fraternity.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1961, he took a job with Fireman’s Fund Insurance in Sacramento and then married his high school sweetheart, Janice O’Donnell, in 1962. Jim and Jan moved to Reno when he was transferred in 1965. Jim was then convinced by “Red” Lucini to take a job as an insurance broker with Lucini and Associates. In 1984 Lucini and Associates merged with Parish Insurance forming Lucini/Parish Insurance. Jim retired as the President of Lucini/Parish in 1998. During his insurance career, he was very involved in the Independent Agents Association of Northern Nevada.
Jim was also very involved in youth sports, coaching Pop Warner, Little League and YBA. At the same time, he was participating in the Reno Fastpitch Softball league and making the almost daily coffee group at the Dairy Queen.
Jim had a number of interests: hunting, fishing and camping in northern Nevada, abalone diving in Mendocino, and spending time with friends and family on all of these adventures.
Jim’s major interest was golf. He worked hard to become an outstanding golfer. Jim qualified twice for the U.S. Senior Amateur, was the 1999 Club Champion of Wolf Run Golf Club and played many matches, both competitively and for fun, with his groups at Hidden Valley C.C., Plumas Pines GC, and Pebblecreek.
Jim and Jan also shared interest in travel, spending great times with their friends in Hawaii, Graeagle and Arizona and celebrated their 50th anniversary in Ireland. Along with that, they traveled to watch their children play high school and college sports as well as their grandchildren’s high school and college sports careers. Jim loved any sports activity, particularly where family was involved. Jim also recently had a very special trip back to Napa to have a reunion/roast with the Napa Jocks. It was very special to him to have the turnout of his childhood friends.
Jim was predeceased by his mother, Marguerite, and stepfather, Willard Talbott; father, Judd Anderson; sibling, Junior Lake; brother-in-law, Dennis O’Donnell; and niece, Christy O’Donnell.
He is survived by his wife, Janice, and their three sons Mike (KayLyn), Greg (LaDawn), and Scott (Darby); brother, Everett Lake; sisters-in-law, Bertha Lake and Barbara O’Donnell; nephews, Ken, Kevin, Gary and Gerald Lake; nephew, Kace O’Donnell; grandchildren, Connor (Chivon), Shane, Ventura, Celeste, Payton, Zane, Walter, Annabella, and Tallulah.
Pops will be dearly missed.
Jim was generous, caring, competitive, and liked to have a good time with friends and family. He was truly one of the great ones.
The family would like to thank Heather and Cecilia of A+ Hospice Care.
The family will have a private service. In lieu of flowers, the family wishes donations be made to the Joshua L. Anderson Memorial Foundation, P.O. Box 19298, Reno, NV 89511.