With reality TV portrayals such as “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” and “Toddlers in Tiaras,” pageantry can get a bad rap.

But for Danielle Whitlock, a West Orient Middle School eighth-grader, the experience has always been positive and even garnered her a childhood pen pal.

“I did a pageant when I was 7 and really enjoyed it,” Danielle said. “ When I received a letter saying I’d been invited to a new pageant, I thought, ‘Why not try it again?’”

Danielle, 13, has been selected to participate in the 2013 Miss Jr. Teen Portland Pageant on Sunday, Feb. 24, at Glencoe High School, and will compete for her share of thousands of dollars in prizes and specialty gifts. The winner also will receive a six-day, five-night trip to Orlando, Fla., to represent Portland at the national competition.

“I really like that this pageant wants to bring out the best natural qualities the girls have within themselves — that they try to build fellowship among the girls,” said Sule Whitlock, Danielle’s mother.

A volunteer with her youth group at Good Shepherd Community Church, Danielle plays basketball and volleyball and is participating in a triathlon. She is also a voracious reader with a perpetual stack of books on her nightstand.

With aspirations of becoming a journalist or author, she says she’s not too nervous about the judges’ questions. “I love being interviewed and getting to ask questions in return,” Danielle said.

While personality and interviewing skills are the top aspects each contestant will be judged on during the pageant, Danielle also will compete in casual and formal wear modeling routines. Her dream dress for the formal segment is a royal blue number with sparkle fabric down the back from the 1997 animated musical “Anastasia.”

But the pageant is much more than glitter and glam to the eighth-grader.

Danielle realizes the misconceptions people can hold about pageantry — that it’s shallow, competitive and akin to “Honey Boo Boo” moments made infamous on reality TV — but for her, it’s all about the relationships and opportunities.

“Some people think you try to beat everyone and be mean, but you meet people, have connection and have experiences that are filled with emotions,” Danielle says.

Two weeks from the competition, Danielle is looking for sponsors to help cover her $495 entry fee. She is primarily looking for businesses, which will have their company names published in the pageant’s program.

Potential sponsors may email sulebearz@gmail.com.

A woman who died after her car crashed Tuesday, Feb. 5, had a cardiac event just before the accident.

Jan Wiles, 60, of Portland was driving south on Southeast 162nd Avenue approaching Division Street at 4:22 p.m. when she crossed oncoming traffic and struck a large sign pole, said Sgt. Pete Simpson, Portland Police spokesman. She died later that night at a Portland hospital.

"The Medical Examiner performed an autopsy and determined that she suffered a cardiac event prior to the crash," Simpson said.

The city of Gresham has secured funding for a children’s fountain downtown, but don’t go shopping for swimsuits just yet.

Although the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has approved the $1.5 million federal loan, City Hall has not received the loan documents and paperwork yet, said Steve Fancher, Gresham’s director of environmental services. Once it does, the city can move forward on the project at the Center for the Arts Plaza, situated between Northeast Second and Third streets and Hood and Kelly avenues.

“If it’s approved by the city council, we could start construction late this summer or in the spring of 2014,” Fancher said, adding it probably won’t be finished until next year.

The federal Section 108 loan will fund the design and construction of the 40-foot diameter fountain, which has long been planned as the plaza’s second phase. The loan allows Gresham to leverage part of its future Community Development Block Grant allocations from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the fountain, which is considered an economic revitalization project.

It’s the second time Gresham has relied on the Section 108 program to fund a city project. Gresham first used it to help fund the Rockwood Building, a social services building that opened in 2011 in cooperation with Human Solutions. Gresham officials also raised eyebrows in 2008 when it used a line of credit to pay for Phase I of the Center for the Arts Plaza and the Gradin Sports Park.

Such loans and credit lines are necessary for Gresham to build amenities, said Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis.

With one of the lowest tax bases in the state, the city’s general fund is spent almost entirely on police and fire service. This month, residents begin paying an extra $7.50 a month on utility bills to prevent further public safety and parks maintenance cuts. Next year, residents will vote on whether to replace the temporary fee with a levy.

But the city’s annual Community Development Block Grant allocation can’t be used for personnel or routine city services, such as fire and police, Bemis said.

“If it could be, that would be my unequivocal first choice,” he said. “Since it is tailored more to funding infrastructure and social service projects, I cannot think of a better opportunity than to build an amenity that will improve Gresham’s urban form, spark development and business activity, and give our kids a safe place to recreate and cool down on hot summer days.”

The fountain has always been planned as part of the Center for the Arts Plaza, which was completed in the summer of 2009.

Bemis and other city councilors hope it attracts children, families and business to the downtown core much like Portland’s Jamison Square, which overflows with children on hot summer days.

“Over the years HUD’s Section 108 program has proven an effective tool for attracting private investment to projects of the sort that Gresham envisions,” said Mary McBride, HUD’s Northwest regional administrator. “We are pleased to be able to support Gresham economic, cultural and housing development efforts.”

Gresham also has been granted another Section 108 loan for $1.46 million, allowing the city to create a loan pool to help finance commercial, retail and affordable housing, as well as other site improvements citywide, but with a focus on downtown, Rockwood and West Gresham.

Section 108 loan guarantees allow local governments to borrow money from private investors at reduced interest rates, creating a powerful investment tool that can drive economic development in underserved areas, said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “The program will be a boost to the city’s revitalization efforts and provide jobs for Gresham residents who need them most,” he said.

But they are not risk free. Governments must pledge a portion of their current and future Community Development Block Grant allocations to cover the loan amount as security on the loan. They also must repay the loan within 20 years.

MONDAY, FEB. 11

East Multnomah County Transportation Committee — 3 p.m., Gresham City Hall, 1333 N.W. Eastman Parkway.

Gresham Planning Commission — 6:30 p.m., City Hall, Springwater Trail Room, 1333 N.W. Eastman Parkway. For more information, call Tammy Richardson at 503-618-2401.

TUESDAY, FEB. 12

Gresham City Council Policy Development — 3 p.m., City Hall, Council Chambers, 1333 N.W. Eastman Parkway.

Wood Village City Council — 6 p.m., City Hall, 2055 N.E. 238th Drive. For more information, call 503-667-6211.

Gresham Natural Resources and Sustainability Committee — 6:30 p.m., City Hall, Oregon Trail Room, 1333 N.W. Eastman Parkway.

Fairview Planning Commission — 6:30 p.m., City Hall, 1300 N.E. Village St. For more information, call Devree Leymaster at 503-674-6206.

Gresham Coalition of Neighborhood Associations — 7 p.m., City Hall, Springwater Trail Room, 1333 N.W. Eastman Parkway. For more information, call Carol Rulla at 503-663-1466.

Troutdale City Council — 7 p.m., City Hall basement, 219 E. Historic Columbia River Highway. For information, call 503-674-7237 or visit troutdaleoregon.gov.

Boring Fire District Board — 7 p.m., Boring Fire Station Annex, 28655 S.E. Highway 212. Call 503-663-4638 or visit boringfire.com for information.

Boring Water District — 7 p.m., Water District Office, 28577 S.E. Wally Road.

A Gresham woman will spend more than five years in prison for heroin trafficking and food stamp fraud.

U.S. District Court Judge Marco A. Hernandez has sentenced Maria Gonzalez-Torres, 31, to 63 months in prison, said Sue Rutledge, with the Department of Justice.

Portland Police arrested Gonzalez-Torres at her apartment at East Burnside Road and 179th Avenue on Nov. 29, 2011, after investigating a tip about a husband-wife team selling large quantities of heroin.

The woman would field phoned-in heroin orders that she and her husband would then deliver throughout the Portland-metro area — often with their baby and two other children, ages 4 and 7.

Undercover police arranged to buy heroin from the couple. Gonzalez-Torres answered the phone, made the deal and indicated they would deliver the heroin soon. Surveillance officers saw the husband-wife team leave their apartment. She got into a car carrying a baby in a car seat and followed her husband who was driving another car along with the two older children.

Police pulled over the woman as she was en route to the agreed-upon delivery location. An officer found 5 ounces of heroin hidden in the woman’s bra and more than $300 in her diaper bag.

At her home, officers seized $84,000 stashed all over the home, nearly 1 pound of heroin hidden in a diaper trashcan and a loaded semi-automatic weapon in a hall closet.

Gonzalez-Torres told police she was part of her husband’s heroin business and hadn’t had a legitimate job in four years. She also said they saved the cash that police found to build a home in Mexico. Her husband is scheduled to be sentenced in April.

The drug proceeds were forfeited to the United States government, which provided funds that paid for the $1,100 a month in federal benefits, including food stamps, that the family was receiving, Rutledge said.

The couple’s four children also are in foster homes, said Gene Evans, communications director for the state’s Department of Human Services.

Barlow held a 20-point lead with two minutes to play Friday night — usually time to head to the parking lot early and beat traffic. But no one was leaving the gym early on this night. The crowd was on its feet and chants of “We got T.J.” filled the air. It was time to celebrate.

Barlow High boys basketball coach Tom Johnson picked up his 500th career victory, 12th all-time on the Oregon preps list, after watching his Bruins pull away in the fourth quarter to down rival Gresham 65-47.

Johnson enjoys the spotlight about as much as a cat likes a bucket of water.

He tried to keep to a regular post-game routine, but there was no denying that tonight was something special.

Barlow Athletic Director pulled him to the front of the scorer’s table and presented a plaque honoring the achievement. Johnson pointed to the crowd in appreciation and sent his players off to celebrate with the student section.

First to track down Johnson were his two sons Drew and Jared, each of who played for their dad in recent years. The embrace was one of many for Johnson to share on this night as parents, fans and former players made their way to the Barlow bench after the game.

After a month-long wait, city of Damascus legal representatives have responded to a political activist’s complaint that a proposed ballot title doesn’t do a good enough job explaining the effects of disincorporation.

Dan Phegley of Damascus on Dec. 31 challenged the wording of a proposed ballot title that, if approved by voters, would disincorporate the city. His attorney, Bruce McCain, filed the challenge in Clackamas County Circuit Court on the grounds that the ballot title caption — Vote to Determine Whether to Disincorporate the City of Damascus — is insufficient because it doesn’t explain that disincorporation also would surrender the city charter and result in all city property being transferred to Clackamas County.

Phegley objects to the ballot title question — “Shall the City of Damascus be Disincorporated?” — calling it unfair, in part because it is too concise. The title can have as many as 20 words and Phegley thinks if more words were added, the title would provide more information, allowing voters to make better informed decisions.

For example, disincorporation will result in the loss of services now provided by the city, such as law enforcement.

City Manager Greg Baker’s recently renegotiated contract, guaranteeing him one year of salary and health benefits if the city disincorporates, also could make the city ineligible for disincorporation because the city can only disincorporate if it is “not liable for any debt or other obligations,” according to the complaint.

The city had a month to respond to the complaint, and on Jan. 30 it drafted a reply to the Clackamas County Trial Court Administrator.

“This office believes that the existing ballot meets all the statutory requirements ...,” wrote Jordan Ramis, city attorney.

A judge will decide how the proposed ballot title should proceed, either by scheduling a hearing or issuing a written memorandum, McCain said.

In any case, it means the proponents of disincorporation will have to wait longer before they can begin collecting the signatures needed to place the ballot before voters in November.

Damascus residents in 2004 voted to create a city out of the area’s 18,000 acres in order to have more control over how it is developed. Metro had expanded the regional growth boundary to include Damascus, earmarking it as a potential suburb ripe for development. But residents and city leaders have been unable to agree on a comprehensive plan, and Metro officials have said they overestimated growth projections for the Damascus area.

Frustrated by the lack of progress, among other things, two Damascus residents on Dec. 6 filed the paperwork to start the process of disincorporating the city.

When Phegley filed his ballot title challenge, disincorporation supporters called it a stall tactic.

But Phegley said it shouldn’t take the city so long to draft a two-sentence, one-page response that says little more than we will see you in court.

Now it seems that the city is the one stalling the process, Phegley said. “It’s just political posturing,” he said.

The Cardinals win the season-finale 39-37 to finish third in league and secure a berth in the 3A playoff bracket

PORTLAND — The Corbett girls basketball team clinched a spot in the 3A playoffs Thursday night with a 39-37 road win at Oregon Episopal.

The Cardinals trailed briefly at the start of the second period, but Maddie Stevens hit a 3-pointer in front of the Aarvarks bench and Corbett never trailed again.

Corbett seemed to be in command late in the game after Christine Soulagnet stole the ball away from OES point guard Erica Massaro. Soulagnet had dropped to the court in the effort, but made a quick pass downcourt from her knees, setting up Stephens for a breakaway chance. She was fouled on her way to the rim, but sank both free throws for a 35-24 lead with 3:02 to play.

The Aardvarks rushed back in the closing minutes, shrinking the gap to three points on a free throw by Rachael Haugh after Corbett was issued a technical foul for calling a timeout it didn’t have.

OES took possession with 41.5 seconds left, but missed a chance to tie the score when it bobbled the ball out of bounds.

Corbett sealed the victory at the free throw line where it went 9 for 12 (.750) in the fourth quarter, including a stretch of six straight makes while the game was still in the balance.

Corbett (11-4) finishes as the No. 3 seed in the Lewis & Clark League and will play at No. 2 Rainier in an opening playoff game Tuesday. Regardless of the result, the Cardinals have clinched a spot in the 3A playoffs, although a win Tuesday night could boost their RPI number enough to give them a home game in the first round at state. Corbett is No. 9 in the rankings, needing to move up one spot to get that home date.

Look for extended game coverage in the Tuesday, Feb. 12, print edition.

View a photo gallery of the game at …

http://daveball.exposuremanager.com/g/feb7_corbett-oes_girls_hoops

To think what the Portland Winterhawks’ record would be, had the Western Hockey League’s No. 1 team not recently suffered four consecutive losses.

It’d be otherworldly, with the Winterhawks threatening the WHL record of 125 points by the 1978-79 Brandon Wheat Kings (58-5-9).

But, the four losses happened from Jan. 18 to 23, and Portland hadn’t lost since then, entering Wednesday’s home game against Calgary. At 43-7-1-2 (89 points), the Winterhawks mathematically could catch the Wheat Kings, but a more likely destination with 19 games remaining — entering the Calgary game and two weekend tilts at red-hot Kelowna — is top seven all-time in the WHL, which would take 115 points or more.

Nobody in the Winterhawks’ locker room envisioned such success, given the youth on the roster entering the season, and then with the major hurdle posed by the suspension of general manager/coach Mike

Johnston amid multiple penalties levied by the WHL for

player benefit violations in late November.

But Portland has chugged along, and seems likely to approach the team record of 113 points by the 1980-81 Hawks (56-15-1).

They might be cliches, but the Winterhawks work hard, possess wonderful chemistry and don’t get too high or too low — three keys to their success, coming off consecutive WHL Western Conference titles.

“To be honest, we were a pretty young team, and we didn’t know what direction we’d go in,” says Travis Green, Johnston’s assistant who transitioned into being the head man with Johnston’s suspension. “Give our group a lot of credit. They’ve played strong, our guys work hard, and it’s a close-knit group.

“For a young team, they’re mature, they’ve seen a lot and been through a lot. There are new faces on the team, and older guys let the young guys be themselves. They’ve bought into being a team. It feels a lot more like a team concept this year.”

Adds leading scorer Nic Petan: “All of us are pretty close. We’re a close team. No complaints.”

Still, it takes some talent, and some players have risen to the challenge in the wake of multiple high-level players graduating in the past couple years — Ryan Johansen, Nino Niederreiter, Sven Bartschi and Joe Morrow.

Mac Carruth returned for his 20-year-old season and has been steady and stellar — ranking second in the WHL in goals-against, 1.83, entering Wednesday — and Brendan Burke (2.55) has been just as good between the pipes. They had combined for 10 shutouts going into the Calgary game.

The defensemen have performed as well as expected, led by veterans Troy Rutkowski, Tyler Wotherspoon and Derrick Pouliot, and infused with the transcendent talent of Seth Jones, the potential No. 1 pick in this year’s NHL draft.

But the real impressive part of the Winterhawks has been the emergence of Petan and Brendan Leipsic, who joined veteran Ty Rattie on the No. 1 line and exploded on the scene. Petan was leading the league in scoring (36 goals, 57 assists, 93 points), with Leipsic ranked second (36-54-90) and Rattie fourth (29-44-73) entering the Calgary game.

Such production had been expected from the 19-year-old Rattie, the St. Louis Blues’ prospect who tallied 57 goals and 121 points last season.

Petan, 17 and NHL draft eligible, has been a pleasant surprise as the WHL’s leading scorer, although the Hawks knew all about his work ethic, maturity and skills.

“Just being stronger and more confident, playing bigger than I am,” Petan says. “I thought (scoring) would come a little bit, but I didn’t think it would be ... I’m happy with the season I’m having. Being comfortable out there is the biggest thing.”

Size has clearly not been a detriment to the trio. Together, Petan (5-9, 165 pounds), Leipsic (5-9, 170) and Rattie (6-0, 175) present some speed and skill challenges for an opponent’s top D-men.

“We don’t need an enforcer,” Petan says. “We just go out and play. The guys around the league have enough respect for us,” as to not try to intimidate them. “If we use our speed and skill, we’ll be fine.”

Says Green, of Petan, from Delta, British Columbia: “He’s a really gifted player. Did we think he’d be at this level this year? Probably not. Are we excited about it? Extremely. He has a real professional demeanor about him. He’s driven. A lot of that goes back to the leaders and culture that’s been brought in here and developed by Mike. No cockiness within Nic at all. He comes to work hard every day.”

Oliver Bjorkstrand, from Herning, Denmark, has continued the team’s recent success with European players, teaming with Taylor Leier and Chase De Leo on the second line. Veteran Taylor Peters anchors the third line with rookies Preston Kopec k and Adam De Champlain.

Bjorkstrand, 17, has a heck of a shot.

“Whenever he gets the puck, something good happens,” Petan says.

Portland’s D-corps has been bent on playing offensively in recent years, and made strides in last year’s playoffs on the defensive aspect. Rutkowski says the defensemen are concentrating more on defense — led by Wotherspoon — and the unit only got better with the addition of 6-4, 205 Jones, who came to the Hawks with much hype.

“He’s a big, athletic guy. He’s got it all,” Rutkowski says. “A great guy, too, on and off the ice. He’s really humble. Anytime you’re getting a good player, you’re wondering what kind of character they’re going to bring. We got really lucky with Seth. Great character, a real leader in the room at 18 years old.”

The Winterhawks are playing well, but much work remains, which leaders such as 20-year-old Rutkowski, Peters and Carruth, and Rattie and Wotherspoon emphasize. It appears Kelowna stands in the way of another Western Conference title. The Rockets (40-10-3-1) started slowly but entered the week riding a 17-0-2 streak. The teams split games in Portland earlier in the season; so, their match-ups Friday and Saturday in British Columbia should be interesting.

“They play a 200-foot game,” Green says. “We talked about them in September, ‘That’s going to be a hard team to play against.’ They’ve got a more active D than they’ve had in the past, and they’ve got four good lines.”

It’s not too early to talk about making the Memorial Cup tournament, set for Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The Hawks have knocked on the door to junior hockey’s ultimate tournament, losing in the WHL finals to Kootenay and Edmonton the previous two seasons.

But Kelowna and Kamloops in the Western Conference and defending WHL champ Edmonton, Prince Albert and Calgary in the Eastern Conference could be formidable. Edmonton returned several key players from last year’s team, including goalies.

Still, the Hawks are good, and the WHL penalties galvanized their approach.

“I’d like to think the guys rallied around it,” Green says. “But it’s never discussed within our room. You’re only as good as your last game. ... You don’t win the championship in September. It’s a process. You build toward the end of the year. They’re not satisfied.”

Petan says the Hawks are ready to take the next step to the Memorial Cup, but they’ll need a day-to-day approach.

“No nights off,” he says. “Do-or-die situation. Hopefully it’ll pay off in the playoffs.”

The 61st Oregon Sports Awards hits the stage Sunday night.

ESPN SportsCenter anchor Neil Everett and a cast of celebrity presenters will hand out more than 30 awards in the 90-minute show at Nike’s Tiger Woods Center.

The awards will go to the top performers in 2012 — athletes, coaches and other contributors, from the high school and amateur ranks to the professionals and Olympians with state-of-Oregon ties.

The annual event starts at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. for a preshow reception that includes hors d’oeuvres and beverages.

Coffee and desserts will be served after the production.

Tickets are $50 each. To order or for more information, contact Chelsea Corrado at ccorrado@gosportsone.com or 503-869-7289.

Everett, a 1984 University of Oregon graduate, has been part of the Oregon Sports Awards before, but this will be his first time as host. Born in Portland, Everett also attended Willamette University, is the son of parents from Astoria High, had a grandfather who played on the Ducks’ 1920 Rose Bowl team, and began his media career in Florence.

“I’m very excited to represent Oregon,” he says.

Scheduled presenters include Mouse Davis, Mariel Zagunis, Joey Harrington, Matthew Centrowitz, Matt Moore, Kenjon Barner and Jordan Poyer, with more to be determined.

The OSA motto, “Make History. Be History.”, promises another memorable evening.

This year’s Oregon Sports Awards show will launch 19 new prep categories, celebrating the state’s best in each sport sponsored by the Oregon School Activities Association. Athletes from all six classifications were eligible for these new awards, which are being added to the annual Johnny Carpenter Prep Athlete of the Year Awards that go to the overall top male and female high school competitors at both the Class 6A-5A and 4A-3A-2A-1A levels.

Most of the awards will be familiar to followers of the Oregon Sports Awards, which have grown greatly since the event kicked off in 1948 as the Hayward Banquet of Champions.

The headline categories include the Bill Hayward Amateur Athletes of the Year (male and female), the Harry Glickman Pro Athletes of the Year (male and female), the Slats Gill Sportsperson of the Year and the George Pasero Teams of the Year.

The Slats Gill finalists are Oregon Tech men’s basketball coach Danny Miles, whose team won the NAIA Division II national title; former Oregon Ducks football coach Chip Kelly; and Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, whose club won the NBA title. Kelly took home the trophy in 2009 and 2010, and Miles won in 2004. The only NBA coaches to earn the Slats Gill Award were Jack Ramsay in 1977 and Rick Adelman in 1990 and 1992.

The Glickman male finalists are Olympic decathlon champion Ashton Eaton, NBA standout Kevin Love and Oregon-bred distance runner Galen Rupp, a silver medalist in the 2012 London Games.

The female Glickman Award has come down to soccer’s Megan Rapinoe and Christine Sinclair and distance runner Shalane Flanagan.

The Hayward male finalists are UO running back Kenjon Barner, Colgate lacrosse All-American Peter Baum from Lincoln High and Oregon State defensive back Jordan Poyer. Six Duck football players have won the Hayward — quarterbacks George Shaw, Chris Miller, Bill Musgrave, Joey Harrington and Dennis Dixon and defensive back Chad Cota. OSU has had seven football players win the award, the most recent being Mike Hass in 2005. Baum is the first lacrosse player to make the final round.

The Hayward female finalists all are from the University of Oregon: volleyball national player of the year Alaina Bergsma, multi-sport star Liz Brenner and track multi-event champion Brianne Theisen, who won the award in 2010. Brenner was a three-time Carpenter Prep Athlete of the Year winner. Bergsma led the Ducks to the NCAA finals in 2012. Only one volleyball player has won the Hayward — Leanne Peters from Portland State in 1993.

Also to be announced Sunday: the Ad Rutschman Small-College Athletes of the Year (male and female), the Lou Burge Special Olympics Athlete of the Year; the DNA Award, which goes to an individual or organization for extraordinary passion and dedication to sports in Oregon; and the Game Changer Award, which recognizes people who have dedicated their lives to high school sports and made a compelling difference to their schools or communities.

A statewide panel of experts voted on most of the awards, along with fans from around the state who have logged on at oregonsportsawards.com to cast their ballots.

You can still vote — the Web balloting continues through Friday.

For those who cannot attend, the Oregon Sports Awards will be shown via webcast at both oregonsportsawards.com and oregonlive.com.

And 1080 AM the Fan will simulcast the show, with preshow coverage by Travis Demers and Jason Scukanec starting at 5:30 p.m.

Visit oregonsportsawards.com for more information on the show, its history and the awards and 2012 finalists.

Also, follow the event on Twitter (@ORSportsAwards) and Facebook (Oregon Sports Awards).

City to craft a bond plan drawing on E205 success

Eighteen months ago, the parks in East Portland were as bare as they get. Barren fields, hardly a water fountain or park bench to speak of. Play structures and picnic tables were unheard of. And trails? Not so much.

Enter the city’s E205 initiative, an ambitious effort by Portland Parks & Recreation to improve 12 of those existing park spaces on a small budget, relatively speaking.

With Commissioner Nick Fish at the helm, the City Council invested $500,000 to the effort, which they leveraged with $300,000 in private funds raised by the Portland Parks Foundation.

Last week, the council celebrated the completion of the project, under budget and on time. Less than $250,000 was spent at each of the sites.

“If this news were a Hollywood movie, it would be the feel-good story of the year,” Commissioner Steve Novick said at the Jan. 30 council meeting.

Fish says he’s proud of his parks employees, who took on the initiative on top of their existing projects, since most of the work was done in-house to cut costs.

He’s grateful for the partners who supported the project, and glad for the park users who now get to enjoy the beautified spaces, since 40 percent of families in the city live in East Portland, he says.

“Our big challenge is bringing justice to East Portland,” Fish says. “It’s not going to be an easy lift. ... For 160 years we’ve invested in our system, but our unfinished work is providing equity in East Portland.”

Fish will also use the success to boost public support for a new parks bond measure. “We have the mayor’s full support,” Fish says. “We are preparing for a November ballot.”

The preparation includes conducting private polling to gauge public support for a parks bond, and how large the ask might be. “Dollars are very scarce these days,” he says.

They’ll also reach out to private donations and stakeholders.

If they get a green light, Fish and his staff will assemble a package of potential capital projects to include in the bond, taking into consideration a balance between regionality, the size of projects, and a balance between types of facilities — nature, recreational and more traditional types of parks.

At the same time, the parks budget will be under scrutiny, along with every other bureau in the city’s budgeting process. Mayor Charlie Hales has asked each bureau director to identify 10 percent of their programs that could be cut, which Fish is preparing.

“After many years of cuts, we don’t have any fat left,” he says. “I’ll be making the argument that we should work with the county and others to bridge investments, gain as much support as we can get for our parks. But we’re prepared to take our share of cuts.”

Jim Blackwood, Fish’s policy director on parks, says the list of capital project needs is around $700 million. “We know where there are serious shortfalls in the system,” he says.

Once parks staff get feedback and council approval on a package, a campaign would begin in the summer.

Here’s a list of the completed E205 initiatives:

n Argay Park, Northeast 141st Avenue and Failing Street, has a new drinking fountain near the dog off-leash area, as well as three new park benches for two-legged visitors.

n Cherry Park, Southeast 110th Avenue and Stephens Street, has a new soft-surface path and two new park benches.

n East Portland Community Center and Pool, 740 S.E. 106th Ave., attracts the most visitors of any community center city-wide. There’s now a new playground on site, with features including a six-seat swing, synchro-spinners, a climbing wall and spring toys which are fully fenced in for safety. Many parts were built with recycled materials such as milk jugs and scrap steel.

n East Holladay Park, 12999 N.E. Holladay St., has a new, soft-surface playground at the neighborhood park, including a giant ladybug climbing shell, a slide, a six-seat swing, infant swings, climbing structures and a jungle gym.

n Ed Benedict Park, at Southeast 100th Avenue and Powell Boulevard, has a new 40-plot community garden (at Southeast 104th Avenue and Bush Street), plus a new drinking fountain near the skate park plaza. The parks bureau reached its goal of 1,000 garden plots by 2012.

n Glenfair Park, at Northeast 154th Avenue and Davis Street, has a new soft surface trail and two new park benches as well as picnic tables with concrete pads.

n Gilbert Primary Park, Southeast 134th Avenue and Foster Road, has new trail distance markers on a new half-mile soft surface trail. There are also new park signs, benches, reconstructed fences and a resurfaced playground.

n Lynchwood Park, Southeast 170th Avenue and Haig Street, has soft surface walking and jogging paths to help provide access and visibility into the park (addressing some neighborhood-identified concerns). A fenced dog off-leash area, bright new signage, new park benches and a drinking fountain are also in place.

n Midland Park, Southeast 122nd Avenue and Morrison Street, is the only project still under way, set for completion in the spring. It will have additional lighting and improved lighting on its west side, replaced park benches installed closer to brightly lit areas, and new plants known to attract birds and butterflies. The fencing will be cleaned and shored up and a new gate installed that can be secured by volunteers only when the park is closed.

n Parklane Park, Southeast 155th Avenue and Main Street, boasts new and refurbished picnic tables and benches, two new drinking fountains, a new playground, concrete pathway, and refurbished playground equipment in response to community and neighborhood input.

n Ventura Park, Southeast 115th Avenue and Stark Street, benefited from a partnership with Northwest Trail Alliance, with a newly installed pair of circular off-road bicycle tracks known as pump tracks. Gravel pathways, kiosk signage and additional plantings and landscaping are also in place.

n West Powellhurst Park, Southeast 115th Avenue and Division Street, has four new park benches and an improved surface to the all-season, handicap-accessible walking/jogging path.

Portland Lutheran

The following students were named to the honor roll at Portland Lutheran School for the first semester of the 2012-13 school year:

3.5 – 3.9: Ayde Alvarado, junior; Natalie Bergdolt, freshman; Evan Bonazzola, freshman; Sonica Gupta, freshman; Andrew Hinkel, junior; Joe Lin, junior; Nick Lommasson, senior; Kiana MacPherson, junior; Ian Murphy, junior; Andy Nguyen, sophomore; Nicole Nguyen, junior; Ryan Nguyen, senior;

Susie Nunez, sophomore; Matt Risser, senior; Erin Roan, sophomore; Amanda Schlimpert, junior; Hannah Solberg, sophomore; Emily Wintringham, senior; Jessica Wu, junior; Betiel Yohannes, freshman; and George Zhang, junior.

4.0: Daniel Barnes, sophomore; Samuel Brandt, senior; Louisa Gan, senior; Ian Lortz, sophomore; Olivia Nyberg, junior; Sydney Peck, freshman; and Danica Roady, sophomore.

A teenage boy borrowing his father's (attorneys have advised to not use the name) car for the prom. He speeds, drives recklessly, struts into the prom, kisses a girl, gets punched and drives recklessly, speeding away.

Then nerd dude shares a cringe-worthy kiss with swimsuit model Bar Rafaeli. We are told it is the merging of smart and sexy.

A teenage boy has an out-of-control party, and his parents blow it off because they like the (name deleted) soda. Everyone laughs.

Drink (name deleted) beer and you will be surrounded by women in black leather outfits.

Senior citizens engaging in rabble rousing, getting tattoos and other things that would make 18-year-olds jealous.

Buy a (name deleted) car and you get a topless woman.

A young man apparently drank too much, had a kinky night with a woman and handcuffs, and the woman now has his T-shirt on. And he is trying to get it before presumably darting for the door.

And at half-time I suggested to the room full of teenage boys at my house that the show was really about music and dancing (not sex). They all laughed with (at) me.

Lots of funny stuff for adults to laugh at and have the young adults and kids laugh right along with them. You know, snicker, snicker, wink, wink. Don’t be so uptight, it’s just fun. Lighten up. Take a joke. None of it is serious. Or is it?

In 2010 in Oregon, 117 children (17 and younger) were arrested for drunk driving.

Between November 2011 and October 2012, there were just under 1,400 pregnancies for girls between 10 and 17. Clackamas County was sixth in the state. Multnomah County was first. Each of these numbers is a person.

After a pretty boring first half, the game actually become quite interesting. While downing a weeks' worth of calories in the form of hot dogs, hamburgers, chips (yes we had a veggie plate too), we caught up with friends, shared some laughs and watched the commercials.

I couldn’t help but wonder if we also gave permission for lots of things that might come back to bite us later. Remember: Your kids are more likely to do as you do, not as you say.

Longtime Sandy resident Dr. Dave Wenzel is an imperfect parent, a professor of counseling and a licensed professional counselor. He works with children, individuals, families and couples. His office, River Ridge Counseling, is in Sandy. He may be reached at 503-803-0444 or at davidwenzel@riverridgecounseling.com.

Oh! What a disappointing week this has been for news in Gresham.

At one end of the spectrum, we have the owners of a Gresham bakery who callously demonstrated their insensitivity toward gays and lesbians by refusing to sell a same-sex couple a wedding cake, thereby anointing themselves as “morality police.”

At the other end of the spectrum, we have the owner — he’s really the most visible partner — of Gresham’s Best Burger, who spent the better part of January in jail for violating terms of his probation on sex offenses involving children. Certainly a person worthy of being policed.

We think it’s fair to point out that these isolated incidents do not reflect the beliefs or behavior of the overwhelming majority of Gresham businesses. To the contrary, Gresham’s merchants continue to serve people without regard to race, religion or sexual orientation; and provide safe environments for children.

As far as John Cartisser goes — the visible partner at Best Burger — we genuinely support people who pay the price for their crimes and who take the necessary steps to become healthy, happy and productive members of their communities. By all accounts, that’s what Cartisser was doing. But that changed the instant we learned Cartisser had violated terms of his probation.

Cartisser pleaded no-contest in 2010 to a charge of first-degree attempted sex abuse stemming from charges that involved a girl who was 5 and 6 years old at the time. He also had pleaded guilty in 2004 to a charge of third-degree sex abuse involving a 16-year-old girl.

His probation violations are disturbing: failure to notify his probation officer that his business had moved to a place where he was in routine contact with children; frequenting a bar or tavern; and consuming alcohol. His behavior demonstrates a disregard for the severity of his past actions.

We don’t know how this will influence the longevity of Best Burger, but what we do know is that Cartisser’s probation violations have put the jobs of Best Burger employees at risk. That’s an unfortunate consequence, especially for a business that has been one of the rising stars in West Gresham. Best Burger employees had nothing to do with this. We hope they come out of this unscathed. But sadly, this all could have been avoided had Cartisser simply communicated with his probation officer.

As for the now-infamous wedding cake denial at Sweet Cakes by Melissa, there isn’t much more to say, except to remind other business owners that opening a business does not relieve anyone of compliance with anti-discrimination laws. And even if this were an issue of personal freedom, we would strongly advocate on the side of kindness, sensitivity and inclusion.

For anyone wanting a concise, sane perspective on the Sweet Cakes foolishness, they should read the letter to the editor by Nancy Molina of Gresham (see the letter below). Like Molina says, perhaps we could all do with a little less judgment and a whole lot more patience for our differences.

Jesus taught love, not cruelty

Someone needs to make the owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa and their supporters in Gresham aware of Jesus’ teaching that the most important acts we do as Christians should reflect love of God and our fellow human beings.

He also warned about the error in arrogantly usurping God’s prerogative to judge, in light of our own imperfections.

If people feel homosexual acts are wrong, by all means they should refrain from doing them. But people with a robust faith don’t feel threatened by the acceptance of gays and lesbians, who as God’s creatures are equally worthy of love.

To invoke Jesus’ name to justify acting cruelly is contrary to scripture and, it seems to me, an especially perilous violation of the commandment to love. Possibly the bakery owners felt compelled to take a stand for their brand of moral purity, but really, it’s just a cake.

Nancy Molina, Gresham

Shame visits Gresham

Just when I think our fair city is becoming more enlightened, fair-minded and safe, I read with sadness about the disgusting actions perpetrated by the very people I wish to support, the small business owners. I try to support local businesses.

I have been to Sweet Cakes by Melissa and Best Burger one time each, on the recommendation of The Outlook. Now I wish my daughter and I hadn’t frequented either establishment.

Sweet Cakes owners are unabashedly homophobic, and the owner of Best Burger has several sex abuse convictions. The operators of these businesses bring shame to this city.

I grew up in and continue to live in Gresham. I just wish I wasn’t embarrassed to admit it.

Sue Cowan, Gresham

Jesus taught love, not cruelty

Someone needs to make the owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa and their supporters in Gresham aware of Jesus’ teaching that the most important acts we do as Christians should reflect love of God and our fellow human beings.

He also warned about the error in arrogantly usurping God’s prerogative to judge, in light of our own imperfections.

If people feel homosexual acts are wrong, by all means they should refrain from doing them. But people with a robust faith don’t feel threatened by the acceptance of gays and lesbians, who as God’s creatures are equally worthy of love.

To invoke Jesus’ name to justify acting cruelly is contrary to scripture and, it seems to me, an especially perilous violation of the commandment to love. Possibly the bakery owners felt compelled to take a stand for their brand of moral purity, but really, it’s just a cake.

Nancy Molina, Gresham

Embarrassed for Gresham

Concerning your story on Sweet Cakes by Melissa in downtown Gresham: Gays choose that lifestyle just like bigots choose to be bigots.

Wait, no, gays do not choose, but bigots choose to be bigots.

Imagine a Muslim bakery refusing to serve a Christian.

I am embarrassed for my city to have this bigotry going on. Perhaps it is best for my gay son to live in New York City after all.

Beverly Hanset-Burch, Gresham

Army

Army Pvt. Justin A. Seibel has returned to the United States after being deployed overseas at a forward operating base to serve in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Seibel is a small arms repairer assigned to the 98th Maintenance Company at Joint Base in Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. He has served in the military for four years. He is the son of Jennie Seibel of Damascus.

The wife of Damascus Mayor Steve Spinnett is suing the city and its city manager for an incident this fall in which she was accused of taking images of confidential code enforcement documents on a city staffer’s desk.

In Cindy Spinnett’s tort claim, which her attorney Bruce McCain sent to the city’s attorney on Thursday, Feb. 7, she alleges that City Manager Greg Baker defamed her, violated her civil rights and intentionally caused her emotional distress as part of a media smear campaign against her husband.

“Mrs. Spinnett intends to prove at trial that Baker’s actions were intentional and motivated by a desire to harm her husband by humiliating her with unwarranted allegations and suggestions to the media that Mrs. Spinnett’s visit to City Hall of September 4 was a potential or actual criminal act,” wrote her attorney in the claim.

It also claims that Baker’s actions were motivated by a desire to see that Mayor Spinnett lost his bid for re-election.

“There is no secret that Greg Baker has been at odds with Mayor Spinnett,” reads the tort claim, which goes on to say that Baker seized upon the allegations against Cindy Spinnett to “humiliate her in the public eye, while attempting to adversely affect the political standing and re-election of her husband.”

Baker could not be immediately reached for comment.

The tort claim also details the incident in which Spinnett visited City Hall to request public records.

When she left, two staffers told Baker that she’d been leaning over a counter and appeared to be taking pictures or video of documents that contained sensitive personal information, such as social security numbers.

Baker met with the mayor and asked that he or his wife surrender her cell phone, presumably for Baker to examine. The mayor refused and Baker reportedly told him that if he didn’t cooperate, he would “take it to another level.”

The next day, Baker reported the situation to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. It’s investigation found no evidence of photos or video being taken on the phone the day Spinnett visited City Hall.

Before the investigation was complete and publicly released on Sept. 27, Baker talked to a reporter for The Sunrise Times who the tort claim describes as a vocal critic of the Spinnetts.

The headline for the reporter’s front-page article read “Possible Identity Theft at City Hall.”

In the article, Baker is quoted as saying he had to report the case to police because sensitive information must be protected in today’s “era of identity theft.”

“Baker all but accused Mrs. Spinnett of the crime of identity theft, even though the CCSO investigation never mentioned identity theft or any crime,” the claim reads. “By the time CCSO released its report on September 27, 2012, exonerating Mrs. Spinnett from the allegations made by Baker and other city staff, the damage had been done.”

She asks for damages to be determined at trial.

Popular childrens author, dubbed as the new Dr. Seuss, visits Gresham schools

A tall man with long blond surfer hair bounces around an auditorium filled with 560 North Gresham Elementary School students, reading from his latest book, “An Awesome Book of Love!”

All eyes are fixated on the Los Angeles-based children’s author and illustrator wearing a rainbow-colored sweater and painted tennis shoes. Screams and cheers reverberate through the school during the 30-minute assembly Wednesday, Feb. 6 — one of the most high-spirited school events children can remember.

“If I were a dinosaur and you were a jet, there’s a chance, a good chance, that we would have never met,” Dallas Clayton says. “If I were a river and you were the sky; if I was down low and you were up high; If I were an apple and you were a sundae; if I were a Wednesday and you were a Monday; if I were spring season, and you were the fall, we might have never gotten together at all.

“But we are all of those things. You’re you, and I’m me. And we’re as together as together can be.”

Clayton’s third book in the Awesome Book! Series deals with the idea of love, being loved and “sharing his love of all the wonderful things that inspire him every day” — a fitting theme the week before Valentine’s Day.

“What do you love?” Clayton asks students after his reading.

“My mom!” one girl says.

“Drawing!” a boy says.

“You!” a boy says.

“Me! Ah, man. I love you, too!” Clayton says.

With the student responses, Clayton and a guitarist weave a song together. Students clap and cheer more with each verse. “Love is awesome, love is really fun. Love is wonderful, and I love everyone!” they sing.

After the song, Clayton races down the aisle of the auditorium with a student, losing the race as he wipes out onto the floor and declares how fast the student ran.

“It was a lot louder than most assemblies,” Ethan Field, 8, a second-grader, says with a smile. “It was cool!”

His classmate, Ekekela Napoleon, 7, agrees.

“I liked that he made up the song, told us to stand up and had us sing with him. I learned that love is awesome.”

To conclude the assembly, Clayton passes out two-sided book posters and asks students to take a group photo with him. Principal Tom Klansnic jokes that he’s glad it’s recess time next with all the energy built up during the past 30 minutes.

“My favorite part was getting the posters,” Gabriela Ventura, 8, says of Clayton’s message of love. “I learned that it doesn’t matter if you’re fat or skinny, we’re all equal.”

Clayton was invited to Hall Elementary and North Gresham Elementary schools by fan Annalee Nock, a Hall Elementary student and the daughter of teacher Laurie Nock. Along with the school assemblies, Clayton painted school murals with six lucky student artists from third, fourth and fifth grades.

Making his foray into children’s literature with a book he wrote for his son, Clayton says the experience changed his life. Now he “spends his days writing stories, drawing pictures, having big ideas and traveling the world sharing them with people of all ages.”

Clayton has been called “the new Dr. Seuss” and is on a Northwest tour promoting “The Awesome Book of Love!” that came out in December 2012.

Harper Collins also re-released his first book, “An Awesome Book!” in December.

In 2009, Clayton founded the Awesome World Foundation as a way to travel the world promoting children’s literacy.

For more information about Clayton’s work, visit dallasclayton.com.

Each year, the Elks National Foundation provides high school seniors more than $3.64 million in college scholarships.

Gresham Elks 1805 has named six local recipients of the 2013 Most Valuable Student Scholarship. Selected from an application pool of 80, the students will receive their awards at the Elks’ awards banquet March 9.

Reynolds High School senior Henry Sykes has been awarded a total of $9,500, including a $1,000 Gresham Elks award, the Sally Lamm Scholarship,

After winning second place at the state level, his application was forwarded to the Elks national office, making him eligible for awards up to $60,000.

Christina Brown

Gresham High School

$500 MVS Scholarship Award

A member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic for five years, Brown has received awards for her musical talents as an oboist. Brown intends to continue her musical studies at Oregon State University, where she will minor in music and double major in education and another study to become an elementary school teacher. Brown has a 3.95 grade-point average and has taken dual-credit coursework at Mt. Hood Community College.

Elirissa Hui

Centennial High School

$1,000 MVS Scholarship Award

Hui has a 4.14 GPA and plans to study biology in order to become a forensic scientist at the federal level. She competes in Wushu, both an exhibition and a full-contact sport derived from traditional Chinese martial arts, and enjoys playing the piano. Hui has been active with the Portland Art & Cultural Center and is a member of the National Honor Society.

Kevin Frank

Sandy High School

$1,000 MVS Scholarship Award

Frank will attend Azusa Pacific University, where he will study math with a goal of becoming a calculus teacher. He has been a member of the National Honor Society and acts as its treasurer. He enjoys baseball, leads the FC club as president, plays guitar for his church and writes for the school newspaper. He has a 4.15 GPA.

Sandra Dorning

Centennial High School

$1,500 MVS Scholarship Award

Dorning has a 4.14 GPA and is president of her school’s National Honor Society. She has maintained an excellent academic schedule while competing in swimming and volleyball, as well as writing for the school newspaper. She has volunteered with the Multnomah County Library, Oregon Food Bank and Children’s Cancer Association. She aspires to become a marine biologist to pursue her passion for environment conservation.

Spencer Gilbride

Corbett Charter High School

$500 MVS Scholarship Award

Gilbride’s career goal is to be an engineer — either electrical, chemical or both. He is treasurer of the National Honor Society, belongs to Corbett Chess Club and completed his second-degree black belt in taekwondo.

Henry Sykes

Reynolds High School

$1,500 MVS Scholarship Award

$7,000 MVS Scholarship Award (District, State & National)

$1,000 Sally Lamm Scholarship Award

Sykes is a community-minded student with interests in music, athletics and civic involvement. He is a member of the National Honor Society and was selected as a U.S. State Department Ambassador for the American Youth Leadership Program. The Japanese American Watershed Stewardship Program took him to Japan, where he learned about Japanese culture and watershed practices. Sykes also plays saxophone and bassoon for his school’s top music groups and wrestled four years at the varsity level. With a rigorous AP academic schedule, he has a 4.16 GPA and plans to major in civil engineering. His application is being considered at the national level for the Elks National Foundation.

Leo James Burgess

Aug. 15, 1918-Feb. 2, 2013

Longtime Sandy resident Leo James Burgess died Saturday, Feb. 2. He was 94.

A service will be held at Willamette National Cemetery on a later date for Leo, a World War II veteran. Sandy Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Murylene Mercedes Patitucci

April 8, 1923-Feb.2, 2013

Gresham resident Murylene Mercedes Patitucci died Saturday, Feb. 2. She was 89.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 8, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Gresham. Entombment will follow at Lincoln Memorial Mausoleum.

Murylene was born April 8, 1923, in Waubun, Minn., to Hans and Matilda Williamson. She graduated salutatorian from Waubun High School and worked at the Albina Shipyards as a welder during World War II. After the war, she clerked at Strohecker’s Grocery Store for 45 years.

Aug. 10, 1946, Murylene married Louis Patitucci in Portland. A full Norwegian who married into an Italian family, Murylene prepared authentic dishes from both sides of the family.

Her husband; son, Thomas; and seven brothers and sisters all preceded her in death. Murylene is survived by her daughter, Suzanne Murphy; four grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

Bateman Carroll Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Charles N. Wagoner

April 17, 1930-Feb. 4, 2013

Longtime East County resident Charles N. Wagoner died Monday, Feb. 4, in Gresham. He was 82.

Private interment will be at Douglass Cemetery in Troutdale.

Charles was born April 17, 1930, in Wilson, Wis., the son of Arron and Vernice Wagoner. In 1947, Chuck settled in East County, where he worked at Fairview Dairy Farms. On July 3, 1950, he married Janet Graham in Gresham.

Chuck went to work as a truck driver in 1956 and retired in 1989. He enjoyed camping, waterskiing, fishing at Garibaldi and hunting.

Janet preceded Chuck in death in 2010. He is survived by his two daughters, Charlene Gothard and Beverly Rock; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Gresham Memorial Chapel is in care of arrangements.

Eileen J. Troxel

Feb. 4, 2013

Eileen J. Troxel, 74, a former Gresham resident, died at a hospital in The Dalles on Monday, Feb. 4.

Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Marjorie Viola Howe

May 15, 1921-Feb. 2, 2013

Hood River resident Marjorie Viola Howe died Saturday, Feb. 2, in Hood River. She was 91.

A graveside service was held Thursday, Feb. 7, at Willamette National Cemetery.

Marjorie was born May 15, 1921, in Emmetsburg, Iowa, to Alphelis and Grace Butten. She attended Abraham Lincoln High School. On Oct. 29, 1938, she married Arthur E. Howe.

Marjorie cooked at numerous restaurants and nursing homes in the area. She also operated the hot dog stand at Costco in Portland until her retirement. She enjoyed word puzzles and quilting.

Marjorie’s husband and daughter, Susan, preceded her in death. She is survived by her children, Edith Killion, William “Butch” Howe, Alpheus “Pete” Howe, Arthur “Ed” Howe, Randy Howe, Marie Swanson and Dennis Howe; sisters, Mary Adams and Virginia Bund; 25 grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren.

Bateman Carroll Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Donald Lee Fagan Jr.

July 26, 1948-Feb. 5, 2013

Gresham resident Donald Lee Fagan Jr. died at home Tuesday, Feb. 5. He was 64.

Funeral Mass will be celebrated Mass at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12, at St. Henry Catholic Church in Gresham. A military committal service will be at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12, at Willamette National Cemetery.

Don was born July 26, 1948, in Portland to Donald Lee Fagan Sr. and Mary Lou Fagan. He graduated from Madison High School in 1967 and proudly served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps. Don married Sheryle Lee Gibson on June 14, 1969, in Portland. He was a fiercely loyal member of the NW Veterans Motorcycle Club.

Survivors include his wife; daughters, Debbie Braden and DeeDee Templeton; mother, Mary Fagan; sister, Linda Barnard; brother, John Fagan; five grandchildren; and two great-grandsons,

Bateman Carroll is handling arrangements.

Richard A. Ripley Jr.

Jan. 21, 1946-Jan. 25, 2013

East County resident Richard A. Ripley Jr. died Friday, Jan. 25, in Clackamas. He was 67.

A memorial service will take place at 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 11, at Gresham Memorial Chapel, 257 S.E. Roberts Ave.

Richard was born Jan. 21, 1946, in Spokane, Wash., to Dr. Richard and Marjorie Ann Ripley.

After graduating from Washington State University, Rick worked most of his career as director of store operations for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. He married Doris Spotts in 1997.

Richard was preceded in death by his father and wife.

He is survived by his mother, of Wilsonville; four sisters, Linda Recob of Redmond, Wash., Lorre Spelman of Tigard, Leisa Anderson of Fresno, Calif., and Letty Hiller of Lake Oswego; and several nephews and nieces.

Gresham Memorial is handling arrangements.

Donations in Richard’s name may be made to Alzheimer’s Association.

Darwin L. Ake

Nov. 10, 1954-Feb. 5, 2013

East County resident Darwin L. Ake died Tuesday, Feb. 5. in Portland. He was 58. No services are planned at this time.

Gresham Memorial Chapel is handling arrangements.

Paid obituaries

ROBERT JOHN BOESCH

B. 5-3-1925 – D. 1-21-2013

Robert “Bob” Boesch died peacefully at home Monday morning, January 21, 2013 under hospice care with loving family by his side.

Bob was born in Portland, Oregon May 3,1925 to Emil and Pauline Boesch. He joined older brother Emil and sisters Gertrude and Helen. He grew up in the Russellville area of, what was then, east Multnomah county and graduated from Gresham High School in 1943. Upon high school graduation, Bob joined the US Coast Guard as mechanic and flight engineer. This during WWII, he was stationed at the Port Angeles, Washington Air Station with the Air-Sea Rescue Unit. He attended post career Aircraft Mechanic School and remained in aviation until retirement.

After his Coast Guard years Bob graduated from Powellhurst Bible College and, in 1952, married Hope, the love of his life. Together they made their home in Gresham, raising two children: daughter, Carolyne and son, John. Nurturing his large garden and beautiful yard, hiking the Northwest and music were mainstays throughout Bob’s life. He had served as choir director for Powellhurst Baptist Church and Lynch Baptist Church and for many years was the baritone part of a Gospel quartet.

His love for Jesus Christ, The Lord was the foundation of everything Bob did. This was reflected by his commitment to serve his local church and his unwavering daily walk of Faith. Most importantly, to his family he was a strong man of Integrity, much Love and great Laughter. To his three grandsons and five great-grandchildren he will always be their beloved “Fafa”.

Bob is survived by his sweetheart of over sixty years; sister Helen of British Columbia; daughter Carolyne (Greg) of Jacksonville, Oregon; son John (Becky) of Washougal, Washington; grandsons Joel, Andrew and Gabriel; five great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Military honor burial was held January 29, 2013 at Willamette National Cemetery.

Services provided by:

Sunnyside Little Chapel of the Chimes

11667 SE Stevens Road

Happy Valley, Oregon. 97086

A Memorial Celebration of Life will be

Sunday, February 24, 2013

at 2:00PM

Good Shepherd Community Church

28986 SE Haley Road

Boring, Oregon 97009

In remembrance, donations may be given to the church or

Mt. Hood Hospice

39641 Scenic Street

Sandy, Oregon 97005

Amy E. (Betty) Dunn

December 31, 1915 - February 1, 2013

Our loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother passed away peacefully Friday morning, February 1 at the age of 97. She was born Amy Elizabeth in Cardiff , Wales, the daughter of William D. and Amy Amelia (Romero) Rees. After completing her secondary education, she attended business college and worked as a secretary and bookkeeper in Cardiff.

She met her husband Rex, an American Army sergeant, while he was stationed in Cardiff during WWII. Her daughters, Janetta and Patricia, were born in Cardiff. At the end of the war, Rex returned to the US to muster out of the Army. Near the end of January 1947, Betty said goodby to her country, family and friends and came to America to join her husband on his Nebraska farm. Their daughter Cheryl was born there a year later. In the fall of 1948 the family moved to Oregon, and in 1949 they welcomed their son Gary to the family.

Betty loved family gatherings. Gentle, kind-hearted and friendly, she made everyone welcome and filled them with her home-made treats. She devoted herself to her home and family, and her kind and caring nature drew everyone close. She loved music and was never without a song on the radio or her lips. She was an avid gardener and won awards for her yard floral displays. In later years she filled her front yard with every variety of dahlia. Growing up she enjoyed sports, playing tennis, handball, soccer and swimming, riding her bicycle everywhere. And she was a true Trailblazer fan. She and Rex enjoyed salmon fishing, and for over 20 years they spent many weeks each summer at the Oregon coast in their RV. They wintered in southern California and Arizona each year, where they made many friends among the “snowbirds.”

Survivors include her children, Janetta May, Patricia Shepherd, Cherie Rettig and Gary Dunn, as well as 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, all of whom she held very dear to her heart. Her husband Rex, brother Leslie Rees grandson Michael Davis, and great-grandson Noah Shepherd predeceased her. She will be buried in a graveside service at Willamette National Cemetery at 12:30 pm Friday, February 8.

Carol Ann (Olson) Gangstad

July 8, 1946 - January 16, 2013

Born in Portland Oregon July 8 1946 to Cora [ Stephenson] and Lloyd Olson. Passed away January 16, 2013, at home in Central Oregon after a short battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband of 39 years, Jerry Gangstad, her sister Diana and brother·in law Ross Bates, as well as many nieces, nephews and loving friends.

Carol was a respected senior escrow officer for over 30 years in the Portland and Gresham area. After she and Jerry retired they sold their ranch in Sandy and moved to central Oregon. They traveled to Arizona for the winters joining friends to go four wheeling through the desert. Carol also enjoyed craft and exercise classes at the local club house. They returned home in spring to fish, plant a huge garden, traveled to Portland to visit friends and relatives and the Oregon coast for crabbing. They also made trips to Sacramento to visit Diana, Ross and family.

Carol loved her flowers and garden and animals, plus her many craft projects. She was a beautiful person who made life beautiful for those around her.

Carol will be sorely missed but loved always in our hearts.

There are no services planned. Donations to the American

Cancer Society are suggested if you wish.

Sachi Onchi

Sachi Onchi of Gresham, Oregon passed away on Sunday, January 27, 2013 at the age of 91. Sachi was born in Vashon, Washington to Junzo and Iki Mishiro, the first of four children. She lived in the Troutdale and Gresham area most of her adult life. Sachi was preceded in death by her husband, George; and sister, Fumi Kitayama. She is survived by her brother, Terry Mishiro; sister, Amy Kanegae; six children, Maryann Ikata(Ronald), Raymond Onchi (Janis), Ronald Onchi (Suzanne), Georgene Lee (Richard), Noreen Onchi (Dean Dumont), and Vickie Onchi; eleven grandchildren; nineteen great-grandchildren; and one great-great grandchild.

At Sachi's request, no services were held.

The family would like to thank her beloved friends and caregivers at Powell Valley Assisted Living. A special thank you to Marci Donaldson her hospice nurse and her PCP, Dr. Kathrine Avison.

Remembrances may be sent to the Oregon Humane Society: PO Box 11364, Portland, OR 97211; Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center: 121 NW 2nd Ave., Portland, OR 97209; or Mt Hood Hospice: PO Box 1269 Sandy, OR 97055.

Arrangements were handled by Gresham Memorial Chapel.