Obituaries for June 11: Tom Wilson, Stell Jennings
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Tom Wilson
Thomas Bruce andquot;Hippie Tomandquot; Wilson, 53, died June 3, 2008, at Halfway.
His memorial service will be at 6 p.m. PDT at Old Carters Landing (Oregon side) on the Snake River.
Tom was born on Jan. 17, 1955, at San Diego to Darrell and Shirley Brown Wilson. He attended kindergarten through high school at Alpine and Lakeside, Calif.
After high school he went to work as a heavy equipment operator and worked construction. He was an excellent mechanic; if something broke, he could fix it.
While he was employed as a roofer he hurt his back and was no longer able to work. He purchased his memorable motor home, which had its own signature painting on the outside panels and traveled to California, Arizona and Oregon. Tom spent 20 years on the Shashone Reservation at Yuma, Ariz.
Tom could make an exciting day out of a boring day, his family said. He loved to fish and he especially enjoyed sharing his fishing talents and stories with anyone wanting to learn or know more.
Tom was easy to get along with and made friends with everyone he met. He was very special to his younger brother, Don, who said Tom was andquot;one of the greatest guys you could ever meet in the world.andquot;
Tom was well-known on the Snake River and folks would come in from all over the country and look for his motor home. Tom was deemed the unofficial camp host.
andquot;He will be missed much more than words will ever tell,andquot; his family members said.
He was preceded in death by a half-sister, Janet Cline Baker.
Survivors include his two daughters, Brandie McAbee and husband Justus andquot;Jugandquot; of Des Moines, Iowa, and Cheyene Wilson of Palmdale, Calif.; one granddaughter, Leslie Marie Pierce of Des Moines, Iowa; his father, Darrell Wilson, of El Cajon, Calif.; his mother, Shirley Wilson of Yuma Ariz.; brothers, Randall Cline and Don Wilson of Humbolt, Ariz., and Ron Wilson of Ramona Calif.; a sister, Connie Crawford, and her husband, Mike, of Grimes, Iowa; nieces, Tamika and Dusty Wilson of Humbolt, Ariz.; and many other nieces, nephews and cousins.
Those who would like to help the family defray the funeral expenses may do so through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543 Halfway, OR 97834.
Stella Jennings
Stella E. Treat Jennings, 80, of Woodburn, a former Huntington resident, died June 7, 2008.
There will be a private service.
She was born on Feb. 26, 1928, at Nature, Okla. She married Buddie Jennings in 1945. He died in 2007.
She was a homemaker and had lived in Oklahoma and California before moving to Oregon in 1969. She had lived at Portland, Scappoose and Corbett before moving to Canby in 1980. She had lived at Huntington for more than 15 years.
She was a member of the Assembly of God Church and was active in church activities. She enjoyed crocheting, shopping at garage sales and cooking.
Survivors include her children, Pamela Nelson of California, John Jennings of Huntington and Thereisa Cole and Tim Jennings, both of Stayton; brother, Howard Treat of Oklahoma; sisters, Pat of Arizona, and Polly of California; and eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Cornwell Colonial Chapel of Woodburn is in charge of arrangements.