Wanda Nadine Pratt
March 19, 1925-May 8, 2013
Gresham resident Wanda Nadine Pratt died peacefully at her home Wednesday, May 8. She was 88.
No services are planned at this time.
Wanda was born March 19, 1925, in Donald, Wash., to Mabel Bowen and Ira E. Aller.
She married Leonard Birkinbine in 1943, and they had one child, Lenda. She lived the first half of her life in Wapato, Wash.
Wanda divorced and married James Pratt in 1972, moving with him to Bozeman, Mont., where Jim worked for the railroad. After Jims retirement, the couple moved to Gresham to be closer to their family.
Wanda was known for her laughter and enjoyment of friends and family.
Survivors include her husband; daughter, Lenda Hedgpeth; three stepchildren; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Leila Clawson
May 2, 1944-May 12, 2013
Longtime East County resident Leila Clawson died Sunday, May 12. She was 69.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Gresham.
Leila was born May 2, 1944, in Burbank, Calif., to Russell F. and Esther S. Dickey. She had four siblings, Dorene, Neldon, Rita and Elizabeth. Leila and her family later moved to Gresham, where she graduated from Gresham High School in 1962.
On Nov. 15, 1986, she married Garry Clawson in Bellevue, Wash. She worked at Boise Cascade, Tebos, at the Monarch Hotel and as a housewife.
Leila was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and volunteered as a craft director for Girls Camp. She loved spending time with her grandchildren, sewing and crafting.
Survivors include her husband; children, Christine Williams, Joshua White, Jaclyn White and Michael Abrahamson; grandchildren, Ethan and Samuel Abrahamson; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren through marriage.
Family Memorial Mortuary is handling the arrangements.
Anita Pearl Dryden
May 7, 1922-May 12, 2013
Anita Pearl Dryden, a resident of West Linn and former Gresham resident, died Sunday, May 12. She was 91.
A celebration of Anitas life was held at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 16, at Bateman Carroll Funeral Home, with private interment at Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Anita was born on May 7, 1922, in Portland to Ulrich and Ivy Eggenberger. She grew up in the Damascus area, graduating from Gresham High School in 1940.
On June 20, 1941, she married William Scott Dryden in Vancouver, Wash. They operated a dairy farm in Boring, where they lived with their four children.
Anita later worked as a lunch lady for the North Clackamas School District, retiring in 1997. Anita enjoyed reading and gardening and the memories she shared with her family.
Anita was preceded in death by her husband. She is survived by her children, Diane Burghardt, Steven Dryden, David Dryden and Robin Dryden; nine grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
Julie Juanita Lemieux
July 27, 1946-May 12, 2013
Gresham resident Julie Juanita Lemieux died Sunday, May 12. She was 66.
A private service will be held.
Julie was born July 27, 1946, in McComb, Miss., to Wayne and Elmese Nichols. Raised in California, she worked as an owner, operator and cook until retiring in 2008.
She is survived by her husband, James Lemieux; sisters, Wayness, Debra and Carolyn; son, David Earley; and daughters, Tammy Brown and Kim Hatfield.
Crown Memorial Center is handling arrangements.
Paid obituaries
Clarence Erwin Mershon
April 23, 1931 - May 10, 2013
Clarence was born April 23, 1931 in Portland, OR to George W. and Laura A. Mershon. He died May 10, 2013 after a brief illness. He grew up working on a farm in the Corbett area where his great grandparents arrived in 1881. He graduated from Columbian High School (now Corbett) in 1949. While a student at Columbian High School, he enlisted in the Oregon National Guard and was later called to active service as a member of the 142nd Fighter Group during the Korean War, achieving the rank of sergeant.
Clarence graduated from Portland State University in 1959 and later earned his Masters of Education from the University of Oregon. Under a National Science Foundation Grant, he studied mathematics at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Clarence had a 30 year career with the Parkrose School District, working as a teacher and an administrator. His family often marveled that he remembered the names and faces of his students long afterward. He also worked many years at the Multnomah Kennel Club, first as a night office manager, then as a racing official. His was the voice reporting MKC racing results on local radio for many years.
As a member of the Mazamas, Clarence climbed several Northwest Peaks, including the Guardian Peaks of Hood, Adams and St Helens. He was an avid runner, completing three marathons and enjoyed ballroom dancing and karaoke singing. Clarence also had a passion for history. In retirement, he published several books recording stories and history of East Multnomah County and the Historic Columbia River Highway. His last book was completed shortly before his death.
Clarence married his high school sweetheart, Colleen, in 1950. In addition to his wife of 63 years, he is survived by four children, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren, as well as a brother and sister. He was preceded in death by a brother and sister and one grandchild.
A celebration of life will be held at Bateman Carroll Funeral Home in Gresham on Monday, May 20, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. Remembrances to: Troutdale Historical Society-Highway Exhibit, 219 E Historic Columbia River Hwy, Troutdale, OR 97060 or Corbett Education Foundation-Clarence and Colleen Mershon Scholarship Fund, 35800 E Historic Columbia River Hwy, Corbett, OR 97019.
Lillian Della Reed
Lillian Della Reed was born on February 15, 1944 to Marshall V. Blackwell and Lillian Kathleen Merwin in Palatka, FL. She had four siblings; Robert, Marshall, Marvin, and Karen. When Lillian got older, she attended St. Johns River Community College in Palatka, FL and Mt. Hood Community College here in Gresham. She worked as a bus driver for the Gresham-Barlow district, night auditor at Burns Brothers truck stop in Troutdale, and a certified assembler for the military. She loved to watch sci-fi movies, drink tea with her granddaughters, visit the beach, and attend church.
She is survived by her daughters Kathy Mafara of Sandy, OR and Holley Bircher of Oregon City, OR, her son-in-law Race Mafara and her grandchildren Joe Mafara, Kyla Mafara, Jaymie Reed, Madison Bircher, Talon Mafara, Sequoia Mafara, Dellareigh Reed, and Zaiden Reed, her sister Karen Sheffield of FL and her ex-husband Howard F. Reed. She is preceded in death by her children Howard Jr. and Deborah Lynn, her parents Lillian and Marshall Blackwell, and her brothers Robert, Marshall, and Marvin Blackwell.
A public memorial service will be held on Sunday, May 19th
at 2:00 at the Avamere at Sandy, 17727 SE Langensand Road, Sandy, OR 97055. Family Memorial Mortuary are handling the arrangements.