Keith Alton Wolfer, a resident of Tygh Valley, OR, passed away February 23, 2025. A Graveside Service will be held at the Lone Pine Cemetery, 27260 Smock Rd, Wamic, OR 97063, Saturday, March 8, 2025, 2 PM. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Jeremy Edward Price, age 43, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away February 28, 2025. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Robert Hart Barlow Sr, age 95, a resident of Wamic, OR, passed away at home on March 3, 2025. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Betty Lucille Bright, age 87, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away February 13, 2025. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Elizabeth Ann Taylor, age 74, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away at a local care facility on February 25, 2025. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Tamara Lynn Feriante, Tamee to those who knew and love her, was born February 28, 1966, in Hood River, Oregon. She was raised and resided in The Dalles, Oregon for the majority of her life. She died peacefully in her sleep early Tuesday morning, February 25, 2025.
She is survived by her husband and best friend of forty years, Gino Feriante; their three children Amanda, Justin, and Audry Feriante; her granddaughter Lennon Williams; parents Bob Barrett and Shirley Hafner; brother Jeff Barrett, sisters-in-law Michele Villanti and Debbie Barrett, nieces and nephews Nick, Tyler, Chad, Renada, and Rebekah. She was part of a large extended family who she shared much of her life with.
Tamee was an artist at heart her whole life but matured into an active member of the art community in the Gorge after finding her preferred medium of watercolor painting. She took great joy in both developing and sharing her art. She was a self-proclaimed 'Queen Homemaker' and anyone who saw her home would immediately agree. She was courageous, hilarious, vivacious, kind, and uniquely empathetic.
She was taken from us suddenly and far too soon, but we take solace in and have gratitude for what suffering she might have been spared by a peaceful and graceful departure. She is deeply missed but will always remain integral to our lives.
A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, March 8, 2025, 1:00 PM at Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Mary Ann Erickson, age 82, a resident of Maupin, OR, passed away at home on February 18, 2025. Viewings will be Friday, February 28, 2025, 2 to 6 PM and Saturday, March 1, 2025, 8 to 11 AM at Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home. Graveside Service is Saturday, March 1, 2025, 1 PM at the Lone Pine Cemetery in Wamic, OR, and the Celebration of Life will follow at the Community Center in Wamic at 2 PM. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Susan Carole Notter, age 77, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away at the hospital on February 19, 2025. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Vera Darlene Erlenbush, age 87, a resident of Dallesport, WA, passed away at home on February 15, 2025. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
George William Stephens, Jr., 83, of The Dalles, OR, passed away on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, after a long battle with cancer.
George was born in Butte, MT, on November 1, 1941, to George William and Helen Frances (Smith) Stephens. He was joined by two brothers: Walter John in 1944 and Daniel Edward in 1947. The family moved to Libby, MT, in 1948, where George grew up and attended school, graduating Libby High School in 1959. During his high school years, he was manager of the football team, a member of the Lettermen’s Club, intramural basketball and class plays, and he also worked at Sleizer’s Grocery Store. He attended Western Montana College in Dillon MT, graduating in 1963 with a Bachelor of Education with majors in math and history. In 1971, George graduated from Southern Oregon University with a master’s degree in mathematics.
On August 11, 1963, George married the love of his life Tanis Gatten at the Methodist Church in Libby, MT. To this union, their sons Lance and Lane completed their family. George started his 35-year teaching career in Browning, MT where he taught math and coached football, basketball and track for 1 year. They moved to Lake Bronson, MN and George took a teaching and coaching position there for the next 3 years. Wanting to move closer to family, George took a teaching position in The Dalles, OR, where he taught until his retirement in 1998. While teaching in The Dalles, George was honored to be selected as “Teacher of the Year” two separate times. George also taught courses at Columbia Gorge Community College, in The Dalles.
Throughout his life in The Dalles, George was an active member of FUMC. He also took pride in his later love of running by taking part in the “Hood to Coast” 195-mile relay run multiple times, the Cherry Festival run and the Seaside Marathon.
George is survived by his wife Tanis of 62 years, sons Lance (Juana) and Lane (Sue), both of The Dalles, grandsons Ethan, Payton and Noah and granddaughter Jordan (Kyle) McDonnell; brothers Walter (Linda) Buffalo, SD and Dan (Kathy Wheeler) Libby, MT, numerous nieces and nephews. He is proceeded in death by his parents, his father-in-law and mother-in-law, sister-in-law Dixie Smart, brother-in-law Mike Gatten, and sister-in-law Cynthia Stephens.
A Memorial Service will be held at The Dalles First United Methodist Church on Saturday, March 1, 2025, 1:00 PM. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements. Zoom link attached below for services.
https://greaternw.zoom.us/j/725114495 Zoom User ID: 725 114 495
Ariya Noelle Poasa, age 6, a resident of Vancouver, WA, passed away at Randall Children’s Hospital on February 12, 2025. A viewing will be held on February 26, 2025, from 2-6 pm, at Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home, a Funeral Service will be held on February 27, 2025, starting at 11 am at The Dalles Seventh-Day Adventist Church. A reception will follow the Funeral Service at The Dalles Civic Auditorium in the ballroom. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Ruth Elaine Sargeant, age 88, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away at a local care facility on February 3, 2025. A Celebration of Life will be held February 22, 2025, 11 am at the First Christian Church, 909 Court St., The Dalles, OR. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
John David Warkentin, age 53, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away at home on January 26, 2025. A Celebration of Life will be held on February 22, 2025, from 11 am to 2 pm at the Rivers of Grace Church, 1122 Oak Street, The Dalles, OR. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Steven Lee Smith, age 65, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away at home on February 4, 2025. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
June Lois Trimble showed remarkable faith and determination throughout her 99 years of life. She didn’t tell you what was important in life, but instead showed what is important, as she faced more challenges than most people with grace.
June Lois Trimble was the first child born into the North Dakota family of Clarence and Irma Lunde on November 4th of 1925. June’s grandparents had emigrated to North Dakota from the Stavanger region in Norway and began life in a sod house. By the time June was born the multiple Lunde families were living and working farms and stores around the area of Cooperstown, North Dakota. June’s early years were on the farm that was worked with horses. Schooling was a one room school house and winter’s were severe in North Dakota. Challenges began in the 1930’s when farming became difficult. Her family moved off the farm and went to work in a “mercantile” run by another family member. Before she completed high school, June was sent by herself out to the Seattle area, where she lived and worked with two aunts doing child care. Eventually June’s parents and younger brother, Bud, moved to Oregon City and the family was reunited. The war had begun and after finishing her last year of high school in Oregon City she went to work in the shipyards in Portland. She wanted to be a nurse and was admitted to the Emanuel Hospital nursing program. The program was very strict and at one point she got in trouble for going to see her parents in Oregon City without permission. She did well in the program and was one of just four students sent to Palo Alto Veterans Hospital to work during the last portion of her training. She said this time was both great fun and very difficult. The fun was four young girls in an apartment away from the school administrators and a beach nearby. The difficult part was working in the Psychiatric ward where the treatment for soldiers was “Insulin Shock.” She recalled watching the men go through seizures induced by the Insulin as being a hardship.
After graduation from the Nursing program, she went to work in the “Premie Nursery.” In time she had a blind date with Robert Trimble who was living in the area and had been a pilot in the service. Bob and June were married and soon had a child (Pam) on the way. Bob went to Indonesia for months to build up hours flying helicopters. After returning, Bob began flying helicopters with contracts in many places around the west. Bob and June would pack up their belongings onto a trailer with the helicopter and off they drove to the next job. These jobs were most often with the Forest Service fighting fire or doing surveys, but sometimes there was work with Hollywood making motion pictures. In time Bob and June began a helicopter company located in Etna, California. The company grew to seven helicopters and allowed Bob to teach June’s younger brother Bud how to fly. Bob and June had a second child, Jerry, in Etna. Jerry was born early but June managed him in an incubator at home.
One of the biggest challenges was the accident in 1961 that took Bob’s life. June became a single mom overnight. With help from community members, June was raising Pam and Jerry, and began nursing work again by first commuting to Yreka. In time the family moved to Medford for a better job as a Public Health Nurse. After several years there, even a better job as an office nurse, became available in Eugene and the family moved again. June’s last nursing job was in the Student Health Center at the University of Oregon. June said that the jobs were the Lord providing for her. Eugene was really a place that June loved. She had many friends in her church and friends in her neighborhoods on Strathmore street and then in Songbrook. June loved her grandkids and often had time for them in Eugene. She enjoyed going to concerts at the Hult Center and meeting the performers on the afternoons before the evening concerts.
In time health changes necessitated moving to The Springs Assisted Living in The Dalles to be closer to family. June accepted the move from her Eugene community with grace and again made many friends in The Springs. She would host “happy hours” in her room for the other residents. She took her walker and walked around the building twice daily. June’s favorite bible quote was: I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Psalms 121:1&2 ESV
Maureen “George” Francis Lappen, age 84, a resident of Maupin, OR, passed away at a care facility on February 9, 2024. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Leonie Adelheid “Loni” Robbins, aged 85, passed away to Heaven on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in Bend, Oregon, after a brief illness. A resident of The Dalles, Oregon, for more than 50 years, Leonie moved to Bend in 2020 to be near family. They were present when she ended her long and full life’s journey in peace, at Partners In Care Hospice House.
Leonie was born on March 3, 1939, in Erbach-im-Odenwald, Germany, to Johann Walther and Gretel (Dengler) Walther. It was only months before the Second World War, and a difficult time under Hitler’s dictatorship. Her father, a Social Democrat, had earlier spent time in one of the first Nazi concentration camps. While Leonie shared typical pleasant childhood memories, she also remembered the family’s underlying anxiety about their future, and other unique wartime experiences like riding in a blacked-out train, or seeing the glow in the night sky from a nearby city being bombed. In 1945, relief and liberation came with the American Army’s arrival. Kind, friendly GIs who befriended little Leonie made a huge impression on her. From that time onward, she always expected she would marry an American.
In her youth, Leonie developed passions for languages, folk music, travel and fun. She attended Gymnasium secondary school and was in the stenographer’s club. She showed her adventurous, independent streak with trips to Holland and Yugoslavia. She graduated from the Jugenheim teachers’ training college in Darmstadt, becoming an elementary school teacher in Mumling-Grumbach, near her hometown. This was when she met her lifelong partner, Grant Robbins, who was stationed in Babenhausen with the U.S. Seventh Army. They were married twice in Germany, first on July 16, 1963, by the Burgermeister of Erbach, and again in a July 27 Protestant church wedding. This was followed by her first visit to Oregon, with a car tour around the state and deer hunting in Southeast Oregon. She enjoyed telling how her first view of the expansive Steens Mountain country literally took her breath away.
Leonie and Grant were together for the next 57 years, sharing a deep love through thick and thin. They shared the same values and world views. They moved from Germany to posts in Virginia, where son Mike was born in 1965, followed by John in 1968. In 1966, Leonie returned to Germany with Mike, while Grant served in Vietnam. On a trip to meet Grant for his R & R leave, she visited Iran, India and Thailand.
Upon leaving the Army in 1969, they purchased a ranch on Seven Mile Hill, initially roughing it without a phone or running water. Leonie worked at Chenowith Primary School from 1975 to 2001 as a reading aide, impacting the lives of many kids until she retired. She maintained her passion for language by becoming adept in Spanish, enjoying local conversation groups until late in her life. She loved to read about mountaineering. She was a famous walker, either at the Wahtonka High track, or hiking on Seven Mile (surviving a cougar scare!) or elsewhere in the beautiful Gorge.
Over the years, Leonie enjoyed being a loving grandma. In 2012, she and Grant moved into Pomona Meadows. She visited Germany a final time 2017. To the very end, Leonie was ready with a sweet smile, making the best of any situation. We, and so many family members and friends remember her for being full of life, positive and friendly. Everyone appreciated her smiles and her friendship.
Leonie was preceded in death by her husband Grant, son Mike, her parents, sister Margit, Margit’s husband Horst Schmidt, and nephew Hans-Jurgen Schmidt. She is survived by son John and wife Lisa, grandson Joe; granddaughter Christina Robbins-Dahlin, great-grandson Micheal; and by relatives in Oregon and Germany. Leonie will be interred with Grant and Mike at the Odd Fellows Parklawn Cemetery (Three Mile Road) later this spring. A graveside service is planned.
Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Edward C Champagne, age 96, a resident of Estacada, OR, passed away at a local care facility on February 2, 2025. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Michael Gary LaCroix, age 39, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away at a local hospital on December 31, 2024. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Teri Shane Wiles, age 65, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away at a local care facility on February 2, 2025. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.