Obituaries for Dec. 19, 2009

By Calvin Hall

The Gresham Outlook, Dec 19, 2009

Sept. 27, 1921-Dec. 12, 2009

David Bob Eisele, a retired Gresham fire marshal and farmer, died Saturday, Dec. 12, at the age of 88 in Gresham.

Services were held Friday, Dec. 18, at Willamette National Cemetery, 11800 S.E. Mount Scott Blvd., Portland.

Eisele retired in 1983 after serving 16 years as Gresham’s fire marshal. Once retired, he went to work helping his son, Hugh, manage berry farm properties in Sandy and Boring.

He was born Sept. 27, 1921, in Longmont, Colo., to Fred and Merle (Sanger) Eisele. He graduated from Longmont High School. He joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 1942 and took part in the land invasions of New Guinea, Leyte Island and Okinawa.

He returned to Oregon after the war, marrying Nadine D’Aurville in Portland on Jan. 21, 1950. She died Jan. 16, 2004.

The Eiseles moved to Gresham in 1960.

His parents, brother Monte Eisele, and daughter Janet Campbell, all preceded him in death.

He is survived by his sons, David Eisele of Sandy, Hugh Eisele of Boring; sister, Leann Ralph of Denver, Colo.; and seven grandchildren.

The family suggests donations to the Oregon Food Bank. P.O. Box 55370, Portland, 97238-5370.

Gresham Memorial Chapel is handling arrangements.

Lester M. Johnson

May 12, 1920-Dec. 14, 2009

Gresham resident Lester M. Johnson, 89, died Monday, Dec. 14.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 22, at Savage Memorial Presbyterian Church, 1740 S.E. 139th Ave., Portland. Private inurnment will be at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland.

Lester was born May 12, 1920, in Sandy to August and Clara (Johnson) Johnson. The family moved to Washington state to follow work in the lumber industry. They later moved to Gresham, and Lester attended Gresham Grade School and graduated from Gresham High School.

As a young man, Lester worked in the shipyards as a welder. He enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and served overseas. He was honorably discharged on Nov. 26, 1945, with the rank of boatswain’s mate 1st class. After his discharge, Lester returned home and worked for Signal Oil Co. in the warehouse for about two years.

On Feb. 10, 1948, he married Jean Gallant in Vancouver, Wash. They lived in Wood Village, and Lester worked for Reynolds Metals in the rectifier room for 10 years. After being laid off from the plant, Lester returned to the family farm in Gresham in 1953 and built a home. He began his career as a berry grower, nurseryman and Blue Lake green bean grower. He enlarged the farm from 5 acres to 50 acres, which are still being worked today.

Lester served as president of the Federal Land Bank and was a member of the Gresham Co-op. He also belonged to Savage Memorial Presbyterian Church, where he was a deacon and elder for many years. Lester and Jean also traveled the world.

Survivors include his wife; sons, James Johnson of Philomath and Robert Johnson of Gresham; and three grandchildren.

Memorial contributions can be made to Savage Memorial Presbyterian Church Endowment Fund, 1740 S.E. 139th Ave., Portland, 97233; or to the Oregon Humane Society, P.O. Box 11364, Portland, 97211-0364.

Gresham Memorial Chapel is handling arrangements.

James “Jim” Angus Rees

Jan. 23, 1913-Dec. 14, 2009

Damascus resident James “Jim” Angus Rees, 96, died Monday, Dec. 14, at Sunshine Valley Adult Care Home.

Viewing will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 22, at Sandy Funeral Home, 39551 Pleasant St., Sandy. Services will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23, at the Community Presbyterian Church, 39290 Scenic St., Sandy. Private burial will be at Skyline Memorial Gardens in Portland.

Jim, a fourth-generation Oregonian, was born Jan. 23, 1913, in Shaniko to William Arthur and Lillie May (McHargue) Rees. His great-grandparents, James and Sarah Jane McHargue, had traveled by covered wagon from Missouri to Oregon in October 1847. Jim attended Shaniko School for grade school and high school, and he was the only graduate of Shaniko School in 1930.

After high school, Jim worked for his father in the Moody warehouse in Shaniko, which was one of the biggest wool shipping centers in the world at the time. Jim moved in 1934 and studied accounting at Behnke-Walker Business College in downtown Portland. He was hired as a bookkeeper by a commission company at the Portland stockyards and later worked for the stockyards, where he did clerical work and helped the livestock.

Jim was drafted into the Army in April 1942 and trained in California. He left for Casablanca, Morocco, in February 1943 and served as a staff sergeant in the Quartermaster Corps, Graves Registration Service, for the remainder of the war. His unit traveled from Morocco through Algeria, Tunisia, Sicily and Rome into France and Germany before heading home in October 1945.

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