Obituaries for Nov. 11, 2009

By Calvin Hall

The Sandy Post, Nov 10, 2009

John Everett Barrows

March 5, 1920-Nov. 5, 2009

Former Sandy resident John Everett Barrows, 89, died Thursday, Nov. 5, at his home in Fairview.

A private graveside service with military honors will be held Friday, Nov. 13, at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland. A celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at Mt. Hood Christian Center, 2500 S.E. Palmblad Road, Gresham.

John was born March 5, 1920, in Braman, Okla., to John and Alberta Barrows. During the Depression, his family moved to Centralia, Wash., and John attended Centralia High School.

On May 30, 1940, he married Berniece Hutchins, whom he met in high school. John joined the Navy and served in World War II.

After the war, John returned to Washington and worked in construction as an explosives assistant on White Pass. John then worked with his father-in-law and brother-in-law at the family business, B&M Garage, as a body and fender mechanic and machinist. He later moved to Longview, Wash., and worked there awhile before moving to Portland. He held supervisory and management jobs for Doug Hood, Exley Produce, Ringsby Trucking, Interstate Freightliners and LASME.

In the early 1980s, John and Berniece moved to Sandy. John was employed at Evergreen Stages and McKenzie Airport. Before his retirement, John worked for Sandy Funeral Home, taking care of all the maintenance on the vehicles. He and Berniece moved to Fairview in 1996.

John loved the outdoors and was an accomplished equestrian, and his family called him the original horse whisperer. He was an animal lover and always had his dog by his side. He loved to fish and read Western novels. In his neighborhood, John was the go-to guy for fixing things. With his friend, Frank Tackett, John worked out of his shop at home doing automobile maintenance for family and friends. John was a patriot who loved his country and the American flag.

His son, Gregory William, preceded him in death.

Survivors include his wife; daughter, Ginger Pulicella of Monmouth; son, John R. Barrows of Gresham; brother, Raymond Barrows of Oklahoma; five grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Oregon Humane Society, P.O. Box 11364, Portland, 97211-0364.

Sandy Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

W.A. “Bill” Knapp

Dec. 23, 1935-Nov. 6, 2009

Welches resident W.A. “Bill” Knapp, 73, died of pancreatic cancer Friday, Nov. 6, at his home.

A memorial service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at Hoodland Lutheran Church, 50191 E. Highway 26, Brightwood.

Bill was born Dec. 23, 1935, in Trenton, N.J., to Karl Knapp and Phyllis Takach. Bill was raised in Toms River, N.J., and graduated from Toms River High School. He served in the Army from 1953 to 1956.

On Nov. 4, 1979, he married Renee Demorest in Welches.

Bill worked as a contractor until his retirement in 2000. He was a member of Hoodland Lutheran Church and the Mt. Hood Lions Club, and he had a commercial pilot license. His interests included spending time with family, volunteering with the Lions, traveling and following the stock market.

Bill moved to Brightwood in 1972 and lived in Rhododendron from 1976 to 1993. He lived in Welches since 1993.

He was preceded in death by his sons, Wilhelm “Bill” Knapp Jr. and Martin Knapp; and stepdaughter, Lisa Stratton.

Survivors include his wife; daughter, Karen Rogers of Rhododendron; stepdaughter, Debra Reeves Jensen of Troutdale; mother, Phyllis Takach of Welches; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Hoodland Lutheran Church Property Fund, P.O. Box 594, Brightwood, 97011; or to the Mt. Hood Lions Club, P.O. Box 74, Welches, 97067.

Harry Gilbert Chatelain

July 13, 1923-Nov. 10, 2009

Harry Gilbert Chatelain, a resident of Boring, died Tuesday, Nov. 10. He was 86.

Visitation hours will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at Bateman Carroll Funeral Home, 520 W. Powell Blvd., Gresham. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at Sandy Baptist Church, 34495 Jarl Road, Boring. Interment will be at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Gresham.

Harry was born July 13, 1923, in Waverly, Kan., to Albert and Anna (Denman) Chatelain. He attended schools in Missouri and Kansas and graduated from the eighth grade in Kansas. He was drafted into the Army in 1944 and served as an infantryman in World War II. He was honorably discharged in 1946 with the rank of private first class.

On April 18, 1943, he married Florence Brown at Powell Valley Church in Gresham. In 1949 they bought a berry farm in Boring, which later turned into Chatelain Nursery. Harry semi-retired in 1986 but continued to lend a helping hand with the business.

Harry loved farming and nursery work, and he had a great passion for making things grow. He was an avid garage saler and a collector of teacups. He belonged to Sandy Baptist Church for 60 years.

He was preceded in death by his grandson, Troy; and by eight brothers and sisters.

Survivors include his wife; sons, James Chatelain of Sandy and David Chatelain of Sandy; daughters, Judy Chatelain of Sandy and Elaine Kitchen of Friday Harbor, Wash.; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions can be made to Sandy Baptist Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 1359, Sandy, 97055.

Bateman Carroll Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Mary Katherine McDonald

June 8, 1930-Nov. 6, 2009

Sandy resident Mary Katherine McDonald, 79, died Friday, Nov. 6, at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center in Gresham.

A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at Sandy Funeral Home, 39551 Pleasant St. A private burial will follow at Sandy Ridge Cemetery.

Mary was born June 8, 1930, in Sacramento, Calif., to William and Lida (Shultz) Lindwall. She spent the first few years of her life in Tillamook before moving to Sandy, where she graduated from Sandy High School.

In 1948, she married Orville H. Bessant, and they had six children. Mary remarried in 1971 to James McDonald.

Mary learned to cook as a child when she lived with her mother and two brothers in a logging camp during the Depression. Mary helped her mother, the camp cook, with chores. Mary worked in local restaurants and ski resorts during the 1950s and 1960s. She took a break in the 1970s but returned to work for the Clackamas County Head Start program in 1978. She loved cooking for children, serving more than 100 meals twice a day. She retired from the program in 2002.

Mary was known for her quick wit and always having a joke or story to tell, as well as her kind and generous heart.

She was preceded in death by her husband, James, in 1988; and by her son, Tom Bessant, in 2007.

Survivors include her son, Stanley Bessant of Sandy; daughters, Lida McKinnis of Sandy, Brenda Wright of Alfalfa, Claudia Bessant of Phoenix, Ariz., and Amy Hudson of Spokane, Wash.; six grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

Sandy Funeral Home is handling arrangements.