Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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Brenda Bates was born on April 25, 1962, to parents James and Evelyn Hunter, in Roseburg, Oregon. She passed away on June 4, 2026, at her home in Waitsburg, Washington. She married Glen Bates on May 13, 1989, and together they raised five children. The couple lived in Dayton, Washington, and worked in food services at Dayton Hospital. After relocating to Waitsburg 17 years ago, Brenda became a caregiver in Waitsburg and Walla Walla. She was very kind and dedicated to those she cared for. She attended Waitsburg Christian Church and participated...
Patrick E. Mohney, 72, passed away peacefully at his home in Waitsburg, Washington, on June 25, 2026, just after sunrise. Born on October 9, 1953, Pat lived a life defined by strength, grit, and an enduring love for the outdoors. He believed in hard work, valued honesty, loyalty, and family, and found his greatest joy beneath the open skies and in the mountains he called home. A gifted athlete, Pat was a standout football player whose talent and determination earned him the opportunity to play f...
Warren Talbott, life-long Dayton area farmer, passed away Friday, July 17, 2026 at the Rivers Walk Assisted Living in Dayton. He was 88. He was born Walter Warren Talbott in Dayton on October 27, 1937, to Paul and Amelia Warren Talbott. He grew up in Dayton along with his big sister Sally. Warren graduated from Dayton High School in 1956, attended Washington State University for one year before earning his bachelor's in animal husbandry from Cal-Poly, San Luis Obispo. He was very involved in...
Phillip Eugene Monfort passed away on July 3, 2026, after 102 years of full and fruitful living. Born on October 17, 1923, in Iola, Kansas, to Earl Monfort and Winnie Remsberg Monfort on his parents' birthdays, he was the youngest of 9 children. An inventor, adventurer, and entrepreneur, he moved to Waitsburg in 1947 before an administrative error recalled him to Korea. As a young man, Phillip worked in a war-defense plant before being drafted into the Army Air Corps. He eventually bought his...
Betty Branson October 11, 1937 – June 16, 2026 Betty passed away peacefully of natural causes on June 16, 2026. She loved her God and her family, her entire life. She cared for each of them in many different ways. Proceeded in death by her parents, Jay and Fern Weeks; brother, James Weeks; sister, Donna Jean Smith; and son, Brad Branson. Family, Kathy Payne, her sister; children, Lary and Nadine Branson; Greg and Kelly Zuger. Grandchildren: Shannon, Brittany, Jace, Justin, Zion, Cade, and eight Great Grandchildren. A graveside memorial will b...
Robin Wilson Hogan, 75, of Pomeroy, died June 13, 2026, at Dayton General Hospital following a brief illness. He was born on March 29, 1951, to Wilson D. and Lorraine A. (Rundhauge) Hogan, in Alton, Illinois. Robin spent his early years in Alton and numerous other locations around the United States as his parents, both majors in the Salvation Army organization, frequently moved to serve different communities. As a youngster, Robin remembered ringing the bell by the red kettle during Christmas...
Russell Dale Hays died Sunday, May 31, 2026, at his home in McCleary, Washington. Russell was born to Robert Mancel and Elsie Marie (Sieckman) Hays on December 9, 1937, in a two-story house on the corner of 2nd and Jay Streets in Waitsburg, Washington. He attended Waitsburg Public Schools from 1944 to 1956, excelling in all things academic and athletic. In 1956, he married Francis E. Donley and moved to Seattle, where he worked at Sears and completed his high school diploma at Edison Tech....
Gary Craig Lasater passed away in the early morning of January 5, 2026, at Providence Hospital in Walla Walla, Washington. He was born August 18, 1935, in Walla Walla to Redman Lasater and Claire Lycan Lasater Groth. Gary graduated from Walla Walla High School, Wa-Hi, in 1953 and served in the Air Reserve in the mid-1950s. Flying was an important part of Gary's life from an early age. His father and mother were both pilots, and Gary earned his private pilot's license when he was young. Over the...
Susan Ann Donegan, aged 73, died on 11 May 2026 in Central Oregon of complications from pancreatic cancer, surrounded by her family. She was born in Dayton, Ohio, on 27 August 1952, to Patricia Ann Freese and Donald Edgar Donegan. She grew up on Feldman Ave, in Dayton, the eldest of 11 cousins, all living and playing on that one street. Susan graduated from Fairmont East High School in Kettering, earned a B.S. in Foreign Language Education from Ohio State University, followed by an M.B.A. from P...
Eila Trudgeon Whelchel was born in Estacada, Oregon, on January 5, 1927, to Nelson Guy and Tiney Catherine (Carver) Trudgeon. Her early life was shaped by the Great Depression, which prompted the family's move to Jerome, Idaho, when Eila was four years old. During the 1930s, they lived in the Boise Valley, and the family grew to include sisters, Mary Viola and Joyce Ann. During this era, both her father and her grandfather worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The family later moved...
Virginia Rae Henze, 79, of Burbank, Washington, passed away on March 29, 2026, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. She was surrounded by loved ones. Virginia was an amazing woman – daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend – and she will be missed immensely. Virginia (Ginger) was born on July 29, 1946, to Robert and Margaret Segraves in Walla Walla, Washington. She grew up in Waitsburg with her parents, brothers John and Gary, and sisters Roberta and Lola. She rem...
Barbara Gale Abbey passed away peacefully on April 13, 2026, at the age of 79, just weeks shy of her 80th birthday. Barbara was born on May 1, 1946, in Dayton, Washington, to Michael and Joyce Saxon. She began her education in Dayton before moving with her family to Waitsburg in 1955. She attended local schools and graduated from Waitsburg High School with the Class of 1964. On January 23, 1965, she married Robert William Abbey, and they welcomed their son, Donald Michael Abbey, in November...
Mary Jameson Mathews, 85, of Waitsburg, Washington. Passed away on February 9, 2026, in College Place, Wash, after a brief illness. Mary was born on April 22, 1940, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to Charles Parker Eastman and Irene Bachman Eastman. When she was young, she moved with her family, including her older sister, to Fond Du Lac, Wis. Mary attended B.F. Goodrich High School and graduated in 1958. She then enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, joining Alpha Gamma Delta sorority and...
I am Somebody! I am Somebody! I may be poor, but I am Somebody! I may be young, but I am Somebody! I may be on welfare, but I am Somebody! I may be small, but I am Somebody! I may have made mistakes, but I am Somebody! My clothes are different, My face is different, My hair is different, But I am Somebody! I am Black, Brown, or White, I speak a different language, But I must be respected, protected, never rejected, I am God's child! I am Somebody! The version of "I Am Somebody" by Rev. William...
With great sadness, our family announces the passing of Betty Jean Johnson. Betty died at the age of 92 in the early morning hours of December 26, 2025, after having spent Christmas Day with her family at the home of Larry and Linda Conover in Waitsburg, Washington. It was a day filled with love and special moments. She loved her family and appreciated the time she spent with them. One of the last things she said on Christmas Day was that she wished her children were little again, and that she...
JoAnn Kay Gagnon, longtime Dayton and Waitsburg area resident, passed away Monday, January 19, 2026, of congestive heart failure at the Dayton General Hospital. She was 73. A graveside service will be held Monday, January 26th at 11:00 am at the Waitsburg Cemetery, followed by a memorial service at 1:00 pm at the Community Bible Church in Dayton. Pastor Dewayne Ramsey will officiate. JoAnn was the second of four children born to Donald and Barbara James Lenhard. She was born August 15, 1952, in...
David Leon Molesh passed away on January 10, 2026, after a long and courageous battle with ALS. He was born the first of four children on November 16, 1943, in Grand Rapids, Michigan to parents Dorothy and George Molesh. He and his sisters, Sherry and April, grew up in the nearby small town of Greenville, Michigan. He often spoke of an idyllic 40s and 50s childhood of neighborhood playmates and friends, Saturday matinees, sledding, snow forts, and snowball fights in winter, a paper route,...
Darlene Ann Norman, 86, of Esmond, North Dakota, passed away on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at The Heart of America Medical Center in Rugby, N.D. Darlene Ann Peck was born on July 22, 1939, in Bottineau, N.D., the daughter of Lyle and Louise (Lauckner) Peck. She graduated from Bottineau High School and obtained her teacher's certificate. On June 11, 1961, she was united in marriage to James Walter Norman in Bottineau, N.D. The couple resided in Walla Walla, Wash., for a year. In 1962, they moved...
Patricia Wilma Largent passed away at the age of 95 on January 12, 2026, at Eagle Springs Memory Care in College Place, Washington. A Memorial Service will be held on January 24, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., at the Waitsburg Christian Church. Arrangements are entrusted to Herring Funeral Home. www.herringgroseclose.com...
A memorial service for Mary Liebermann Phillips will be held on Friday, January 9, 2026. Family and friends are invited to St. Mark Catholic Church in Waitsburg at 10 a.m. for a memorial mass, followed by a graveside service at Dayton City Cemetery. After the services, all are invited to a luncheon at St. Mark Catholic, 405 W. Fifth Street, Waitsburg....
Robert Gary "Bob" Rickel, of Waitsburg, Washington, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, at Kadlec Regional Medical Center on December 12, 2025. He was 92 years old. Bob was born February 20, 1933, in Omak, Washington, to parents Wilfred and Ida Mae (Howe) Rickel. He spent the first years of his life in a log cabin on his parents' homestead near Synarep, Tunk Valley, Washington. Following Ida Mae's early death, the family moved frequently during Bob's childhood. Bob completed four...
Ruth Peterson passed away peacefully on December 11, 2025, after a short illness. She died as she lived, with a tenacious, loving, and determined spirit, surrounded by her family. Ruth Ann, as she was known in her early years, was born in Tyler, Minnesota, as the third. daughter of Albert and Edna Schaffer. She spent her formative years in Elkton, South Dakota, where her family ran the local John Deere dealership, and where Ruth Ann was often found helping her dad with the shop books. After...
Michael Allen White, 79, of Waitsburg, Washington, passed away on November 24, 2025, at his residence. Michael was born on March 25, 1946, in Ontario, Oregon, to Jasper Arthur White and Wilma (Hickey) White. He was raised in the Northwest and graduated from Waitsburg High School in 1964. Michael went on to pursue higher education, earning his Bachelor's degree in Education from Eastern Oregon University and a Master's degree from Washington State University. On January 4, 1969, Michael married...
Mary Liebermann Phillips, nee Mary Margaret Liebermann, was born on February 5, 1940, and passed away on December 3, 2025, at the age of 85. Mary was born in Santa Paula, California, to John and Elizabeth Liebermann and moved to the Waitsburg-Dayton area in the late 1940s when her parents purchased land. Mary attended a two-room schoolhouse in Huntsville, Washington, from grades 2– 4 and then attended Waitsburg schools, graduating from Waitsburg High School in 1957. She attended Eastern Washington State College (now known as Eastern W...
Jack M. McCaw, age 98, was welcomed into the Heavenly Choir on November 15, 2025, joining his beloved “redhead,” Laurette. He was born on March 31, 1927, in Walla Walla, Washington, to Jay M. and Katherine Holling McCaw. (He always joked that his mother didn’t want him to be an “April Fool,” so made sure he was a day early.) He grew up on the family farm near Prescott, along with his sister, Kathleen. He was valedictorian of the Prescott High School class of 1945, but his mother had to accept...
