Wanda J. Skowronek Miles
Wanda J. Skowronek Miles, 92, of Ojai, died Saturday, June 9, 2001 due to natural causes. She was born Dec. 27, 1908 in Chicago, Ill., and lived in Ojai for 27 years, coming from Los Angeles. Mrs. Miles had been a statistician.
She is survived by her sisters Rose Tockstein of Hackettstown, N.J., and Adeline Rein of Ocala, Fla.; brothers Anthony J. Skowronek of Chicago, Ill., and Casimir Skowronek of Fort Meyers, Fla.; and many nieces and nephews.
A memorial Mass will be celebrated Saturday, June 16, at 8 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Ojai.
Arrangements are under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai.
Cecil Harold "Hal" Norcott
Cecil Harold "Hal" Norcott, 83, of Ojai, expired Sunday, June 10, 2001 of congestive heart failure. He was born Aug. 27, 1917 in San Antonio, Texas.
He graduated from Fullerton Union High School, in Fullerton, Calif., in 1936, where he received medals for his achievements in track and field in the 220 and long jump. He also ran in the Olympic Trials against Jessie Owens to try to qualify for the Olympics. After high school, he served in World War II.
He married Margaret "Marge" Wilhide on June 23, 1946 in Los Angeles, Calif. He was an electrician by trade. They moved several times, but in 1954, they settled in Ojai and raised four boys. Mr. and Mrs. Norcott were beneficial in getting lights at Nordhoff High School's football stadium.
Mr. Norcott was a retired electrician with the IBEW Local #952 of Ventura. He had been one of the youngest foremen to work on the original Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. He also helped with electrical work at Rocketdyne and the Diablo power plant. He received diamond tie tacks for his service for 50, 55 and 60 years as a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
His interests included alternative medicines and reading. After retirement he kept busy as a salesman of vitamins and health products.
Mr. Norcott is survived by his wife Marge Norcott of Ojai; sons and daughters-in-law Jeff and Melinda Norcott of Ventura, Tim and Joyce Norcott of Ojai, and David and Cathy Norcott of Auburn, Calif.; and three grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son Steve in 1983.
A memorial service and late lunch will be held in his honor Friday, June 15, at 2 p.m. at the Ojai Valley Wesleyan Church, located at the corner of Topa Topa and Ventura streets in Ojai.
Cremation arrangements were made with The Alpha Society in Burbank. His ashes will be laid to rest by family members in a private service.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Ojai Valley Wesleyan Church, P.O. Box 56, Ojai, CA 93024.
Family members wish to thank the staff at the Ojai Valley Community Hospital's Continuing Care Center and his physician, Dr. Fred Fauvre, for their care and assistance to the family.
Ferne Arline (Miller) Smith
Ferne Arline (Miller) Smith, 84, of Ojai, died Thursday, June 7, 2001. She was born March 3, 1917 to Clarence and Viola (Fischer) Miller on a farmstead one mile south of Rokeby, Neb.
She attended school at Rokeby, graduating as valedictorian in 1934, and was awarded a scholarship to Peru State Normal College, where she earned her teaching certificate in 1936. She taught for three years at a one-room rural school. Six of her eight great-grandparents were pioneers in the settlement of Nebraska.
On June 9, 1939 she married Ellis Gove Smith, a classmate. They moved to Indiana where they lived for 30 years and raised their two children. Mrs. Smith went back to college at Valparaiso, Ind., earning her bachelor of science degree in arts in elementary education in 1960. Then she taught for eight years in the Chesterton Indiana Unified School District.
In the spring of 1969, the family moved to Wyoming, where they had purchased the Uxu Lodge in the Wapiti Valley, 17 miles east of the east entrance to Yellowstone Park. It was a small family operation with Mrs. Smith being chief cook and baker. After 12 years, they retired to Ojai in 1982.
Mrs. Miller sang soprano in the chorus and women's quartet in high school and college and in church choirs, also doing solo work. She also played violin in the school orchestra and was on the volleyball team.
She is survived by her husband, Ellis Gove Smith of Ojai; daughter Carole Anne Waltz of Ojai; son Dean Ellis Smith and his wife Margaret Hill of Waterford, Mich.; two granddaughters; and four great-grandchildren.
Visitation was held Tuesday, June 12, from noon to 8 p.m. at Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai. Services will be held today at 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Ojai with internment following at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials be donated to the First Baptist Church of Ojai
Arrangements are under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai.
Elbert K. Claypool
Elbert K. Claypool, 86, of Ojai, died Sunday, June 10, 2001 at Ojai Valley Community Hospital Skilled Nursing Center after a long illness. He was born Dec. 10, 1914 in Oklahoma.
He lived in Ojai for 20 years, coming from Los Angeles County, where he worked in the Department of Public Works, Survey Division. From 1944 to 1958, he worked for the Southern California Railroad, and in Ojai, he was the custodian at the Ojai Presbyterian Church from 1981 to 1992.
Mr. Claypool received his bachelor of arts degree from the University of Missouri. He was a veteran of World War II, in the Engineering Corps.
He is survived by his wife, Pierrette De Lys, of Ojai; daughter Mimi Stephenson of Arcadia; and son Paul F. Claypool of San Gabriel.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, a sister and a son.
Memorial services will be held Thursday, June 14, at 2 p.m. at Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai.
Memorial contributions may be made to a favorite charity. Arrangements are under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home.
Mary Elizabeth Miller
Mary Elizabeth Miller, 82, a longtime resident of Ojai, died Friday, June 8, 2001 in Aloha, Ore. She was born Nov. 4, 1918 in Ord, Calif.
At an early age she moved to Santa Paula, graduating from Santa Paula High School in 1936. She married Charles F. Miller in 1937.
Mrs. Miller moved to Ojai in 1947, where she resided for 51 years. In 1998, due to poor health, she moved to Beaverton, Ore., to be near her eldest son.
Mrs. Miller was active in folk dancing at the Ojai Art Center, with the Alzheimer's Association, Help of Ojai and with volunteer and social groups in the Ojai Presbyterian Church.
She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law Charles F. and Ann Miller of Portland, Ore., and George C. and Janet Miller of Kent, Wash.; son Ron Miller of Ventura; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her husband and son Larry.
Inurnment arrangements are pending for Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura.
Arrangements are under the direction of Young's Funeral Home in Tigard, Ore.
Isabel McCollom
Isabel McCollom, 81, of Alta Loma, Calif., died of natural causes Tuesday, June 12, 2001 in Ontario, Calif. She was born Dec. 8, 1919 in Cleveland, Ohio, and lived in Ojai from 1972 through 1987.
Mrs. McCollom was a homemaker.
She is survived by her sons Paul and John Sengebusch of Nevada; daughter and son-in-law Carol and Frank Bingham of Cathedral City, Calif.; sister Alice Kraus of Cleveland; eight grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Francis B. McCollom, in 1984.
Private services were held at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura Monday at 2 p.m., with Pastor Scott Harrell officiating.
Arrangements were under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai.
J.K. "Ken" MacDonald
J.K. "Ken" MacDonald, 85, of Ojai, died Saturday, June 16, 2001 following a brief illness. He was born June 15, 1916 in Pasadena, Calif., and lived in Ojai for 47 years, coming from Los Angeles.
Mr. MacDonald was a businessman and worked for 10 years as a Ventura County supervisor and 10 years as a California state assemblyman. He was a member of American Legion Post #48, the Rotary Club, Veterans of Foreign Wars and various other civic organizations. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and Korea and retired as a lieutenant commander.
He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Leslie H. MacDonald of Ojai; sons Stuart MacDonald and Scott F. MacDonald; son and daughter-in-law Stephen and Deborah MacDonald; stepdaughters and their husbands, Ann and Peter Hall and Judi and Terry Sinnott; stepson and his wife, John and Rose Hodge; 10 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Louise MacDonald, in 1958.
Private family services will be held at a later date.
Memorials may be made to a charity of choice.
Arrangements are under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai.
Jeffie Jo Cook
Jeffie Jo Cook, 49, died Monday, June 18, 2001 at the Woodward Hospital and Health Center in Woodward, Okla. She was born Aug. 30, 1951 in Odessa, Texas, to Thomas D. "Lefty" and Barbara June (Croce) Roberson.
She attended high school in Ojai and went to Ventura Junior College. She moved to Woodward with her parents in 1977, where she met Michael Gene Cook and they married on Feb. 15, 1979.
The Cooks lived in Singapore for two years and then returned to Woodward in 1981.
Mrs. Cook was the executive secretary of the Woodward Board of Realtors. In September of 2000, she obtained her Realtor's license and began a real estate career. She was a member of the Ladies Boiling Springs Golf Association and an active member of the Alpha Gamma Sorority. Her interests included golf, tennis and gardening.
She is survived by her husband, Michael Gene Cook and children Alexis Cantik and Lucas Gene, all of Woodward; mother Barbara Roberson, sister and brother-in-law Linda and R.J. Hollon, sister Sammye Forrest, and father and mother-in-law Gene and Louise Cook, all of Woodward; sister-in-law and brother-in-law Janice and Keith Carson of Cleveland, Ohio; and many nieces and nephews.
Mrs. Cook was preceded in death by her father in 1989.
Funeral services were held Thursday at 10 a.m. in the Woodward First United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Tony Barros and the Rev. Gary Holdeman officiating. Burial followed at the Elmwood Cemetery under the direction of Billings Funeral Home of Woodward.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Hodgkins Lymphoma Society with the Billings Funeral Home, Box 245, Woodward, OK 73802 as custodian of the fund.
Denise Sue Roderick
Denise Sue Roderick, 37, of Oak View, died Thursday, June 14, 2001. She grew up in Ojai and graduated from Chaparral High School in 1982.
Denise fought a lifelong battle with epilepsy, not to mention the social problems that follow the disorder. Her sense of humor was her greatest defense against these challenges.
She is survived by her son, 8-year-old Weston Scot, mother and father Richard and Glenda, grandfather O.B. Roderick, brothers Russell and Brian, sister Janet, and aunt Judy Kenney, all of Oak View; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai. Her ashes will be buried in Nordhoff Cemetery, Ojai, Calif.
