Edith J. VanVoorhis, 98

Edith J. VanVoorhis, 98, of Grangeville, passed away Aug. 28, 2008, at the Grangeville Health and Rehabilitation Center after a courageous battle with the infirmities of age.

She was born June 19, 1910 at Grangeville, Idaho to George W. and Lila Rapp Wilkins.

She graduated in 1928 from Grangeville High School. After graduation she lived in Lewiston briefly, then moved to Seattle and attended Success Business College. She was employed at Seattle Trust and Savings Bank for several years.

In 1936 she moved to San Francisco and worked for the Home Owner Loan Corp. and Bank of America. She returned to Seattle and married LeRoy VanVoorhis. They moved to Hawaii for a year, then to Atherton, California. He passed away in 1961. She eventually retired from banking.

In 1987 she and her sister, Lorine, moved back to Grangeville to be around family.

Edith is survived by one sister, Marcele Higgins; one niece, Gail Stowers, and two nephews; Gerry Wilkins of Lewiston and John Willener of Utah. She is also survived by several great and great-great nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by three sisters; Lila Green, Lorine Wilkins and Eva Willener, and two 2 brothers, George and Worth Wilkins.

Cremation will take place and at her request there will be no service. Burial will take place at Prairie View Cemetery in Grangeville.

She was especially fond of her three little dogs and they will be lovingly cared for by her special friend, Melinda Fisher. Donations in Edith's name may be given to Animal Ark.

Condolences to Edith’s family may be sent to www.blackmerfuneralhome.com.

Walter "Walt" M. Webber, 76

Walter M. (Walt) Webber died August 23, 2008, at his home with family by his side.

Walt was born November 30, 1931, in Bessemer, Michigan to Walter H. Webber and Evelyn M. Merrill Webber. The family moved to Smelterville, Idaho, in 1941, Lewiston in 1943, and Winchester in 1945. He graduated from Winchester High School in 1951. He was active in high school football, basketball, and baseball.

He served in the US Air Force from 7-6-1951 to 7-5-1955. Following his military discharge, he worked for Halleck and Howard Lumber Co. (later Boise Cascade Co) until its closure in 1965. He worked for various other lumber mills until gaining employment in 1966 with the Idaho Transportation Department based in Craigmont and retired from the department in 1990.

He married Edna Graham, also of Winchester, on April 6, 1956 in Lewiston. They lived and raised their family in the Winchester-Craigmont area until moving to Lewiston in 2001.

He enjoyed fishing and watching Pro Football and Baseball on TV and attending County Fairs. He especially enjoyed watching his grandchildren show their animals at the Idaho County and Nez Perce County Fairs. He was a past member of the Winchester American Legion and the Craig Mountain Arena Association and was very instrumental in starting the Winchester Rodeo. The Rodeo was dedicated to him in 2005.

He is survived by his wife, Edna, at their Lewiston home; sons Gary and Debra Webber of Pitt Meadows, BC, and Jeff and Laura Webber of Culdesac; daughters, Cheryll, Valdosta, Georgia, Audrey and Scott Wasem of Grangeville, and Joyce and Eric Forsmann of Grangeville; brothers Lyle (Gib) and Marilyn Webber of Spokane, Ted and Vaunda Webber of Lewiston; sisters June Peterson of Lewiston, and Ann and Norman (Dick) Lenz of Clarkston. He is also survived by grandsons Hunter and Burton Webber, Joel and Brian Wasem, Jacob, Caleb, Joshua, Gabriel, Zacharia and Aaron Forsmann; granddaughters Ann (Wasem) and Don Stanley, Leslie Webber and fiancé Jared Zenner, Leann Webber and Elizabeth and Mary Kathryn Forsmann. A cousin Janet and Buck Randall also survives.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law, Clifford (Brick) Peterson.

Memorials may be made to the Craig Mountain Arena Association c/o of Janell Willson,
Reubens, the Highland High School Boys and Girls Basketball Programs, Craigmont or the Winchester QRU.

A graveside service will be held on Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 11:00 a.m., at the Denver, Idaho Cemetery. Watch for signs posted approximately 1/2 mile south of Fenn on Highway 95. Call (208)983-8250 or (208)507-1923 for further directions to Denver Cemetery.

Services are under the direction of the Blackmer Funeral Home in Grangeville.

A covered dish dinner will be held after the service at the Cottonwood Community Hall on King Street following the services. Meat, rolls, cake, and table service will be provided.

Send condolences to the family at www.blackmerfuneralhome.com.

Earl Vopat, 94

Earl Vopat, 94, of Grangeville, passed away Tuesday, August 19, 2008, at the Grangeville Health and Rehab. Center in Grangeville of causes related to age.

Earl was born October 27, 1913 in Bulah, Wyoming, a son of Edward and Beulah Torrence Vopat. The family moved to Spearfish, South Dakota where he attended school and graduated from Spearfish High School. He attended Black Hills Teachers College in Spearfish where he served as student body president. He married Peal Gilmore in 1931 in Spearfish. They lived in Spearfish until 1944 when they moved to Grangeville. He taught school until going to work for Union Warehouse for two years. He returned to teaching and later became principle at Grangeville High School and in 1959 he became superintendent of schools for Grangeville District 241 retiring in 1977. Mrs. Vopat passed away in 2005.

He was a member of Mount Idaho Lodge #9 AF & AM, Shriners, a charter member of the Grangeville Lions Club, Grangeville Country Club, past president of the Idaho Superintendent’s Association and a former partner in Camas Lanes in Grangeville.

He enjoyed gardening, fishing and wood working.

Earl is survived by his two sons and their wives, Tom and Gayle Vopat of Hayden, Idaho and Jim and Kathleen Vopat of Grangeville. He is also survived by eight grandchildren and eighteen great grandchildren, his brother Buster and his sister Edna, both of Spearfish, South Dakota.

In addition to his wife, his parents and a daughter Elizabeth and a sister died earlier.

The family suggests memorial contributions may be made to the Shriner’s Hospital, c/o Blackmer Funeral Home, 305 No. Mill Street, Grangeville, ID 83530

At his request cremation will take place. Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Blackmer Funeral Home in Grangeville. Send condolences to the family at www.blackmerfuneralhome.com.

Carol Page, 59

Carol Page was born in Richmond, California on June 25, 1949, the daughter of Harvey and Bonnie Russell. She grew up in San Pablo, CA where she graduated from De Anza High School in 1967. She then met and married Lonnie Paul Page and had two children, Amber and Lance. She moved to Hayfork, CA in 1978 where she worked at Ernie’s Department Store for 20 years.

Carol helped start the Trinity County Chapter of Women in Timber where she actively lobbied for the timber industry. She loved to get together with her many friends. Carol especially loved Halloween.

Carol moved to Elk City in 1999 where she and a business partner, Val Patton, successfully ran Carol and Val’s Convenient Store for 8 years. Carol and Val participated and supported all community events and made donations for many different causes. Carol and Val helped start the Elk City Chapter of Women in Timber. She met and fell in love with Cliff Greenhaw.

She is survived by her many, many friends; her sister, Jeannie of Grass Valley, CA; her brothers, Rick of Redding, CA, and John of Grass Valley; her loving daughter, Amber and husband Victor of Florida; and her loving son, Lance and wife Laura of Eureka, CA. She had seven grandchildren: John Bradly, Alyssa Carol, Kevin, Colton, Emily, Josh, and Haley; as well as many nieces, nephews, and her beloved Cliff Greenhaw.

Carol went home to Jesus on August 2, 2008, from cancer.

A celebration of Carol’s life and potluck dinner will be held on Sunday, August 24, 2008, at 2:00 p.m., at the Elk City VFW.

Condolences to Carol’s family may be sent to www.blackmerfuneralhome.com.

Clarence E. Keller, 73

Clarence was born to V. Ellen and Clarence R. Keller on March 21, 1935 in Kim, Colorado. Clarence went to school there until moving to the Nyssa, Oregon/ Payette, Idaho area in 1946. “Clancy” to his school buddies graduated from Payette High School in 1954. Clarence was born into an era and into a place that most of us could never fathom. He got his first pair of shoes when he started school.

Following graduation, Clarence moved with his mom to Grangeville where he worked for various local farms and later Stegner Grain and Tackett’s Saw Shop.

Clarence married Aneta Edwards February 15, 1964 and they moved in September to the family home where they lived for the next 44 years until he peacefully went to meet his Savior, Jesus Christ, Tuesday, August 12, 2008.

In 1973 Clarence and Aneta opened Keller’s Saw Shop across the street from their home and repaired chainsaws, lawnmowers and snowmobiles in the Grangeville area. Health reasons caused Clarence to retire in 1987 and close the business; however, he continued to repair whatever small engine powered item any in the local community wanted to bring him. He truly enjoyed every minute of his work.

He loved the outdoors hunting, fishing, 4-wheeling and snowmobiling. There are hundreds of fewer ground squirrels on the mountain thanks to Clarence. He was a member of the Evergreen Assembly of God Church in Grangeville for the last several years and loved his church family as much as they loved him. He had a heart for the less fortunate and was always more than willing to help anyone that was in need.

Clarence cherished all the time he had with his grandchildren, Stacy, Ethan and most recently Darian. You could see the sparkle in his eye and the love in his heart for this newest addition to the family.

Clarence is survived by his wife of 44 years, Aneta; children, Jamie (Tom) of Dryden, Michigan, Kelly (Cory) of Grangeville, and Jody (Karly) of Lewiston, Idaho; a sister, June, of Scott’s Bluff, Nebraska; nieces Debbie, Sally and Jerelynn, and nephews Nicki and Paul.

Clarence was preceded in death by his parents; his sisters, Marrieta, Veda and Erma, and nephews Randy, Don and Kenneth.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, August 16, 2008, at 10:00 a.m., at the Evergreen Assembly of God Church in Grangeville. Burial will follow at Mount Idaho Cemetery. Services are under the direction of the Blackmer Funeral Home.

Send condolences to the family at www.blackmerfuneralhome.com.