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Peggy Ann Emmons
YAKIMA -- Peggy Ann Emmons, 53 of Yakima, passed away Sunday, April 6, 2008 at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital.
Peggy was born in San Jose, CA. She worked for Web Hill Motor Sports in crowd management and lived in Yakima for 15 years.
She is survived by her husband, Jeff Boche of Yakima; two sons, George Wasley of Wenatchee and Marc Wasley of Texas; three brothers, Harold Emmons of Selah, Rick Emmons of Tennessee and Robby Emmons of Pennsylvania; a sister, Claudia Gamaza of Woodbridge, CA; and a grandchild.
At her request, there will be no services.
Geraldine Ann (Sisk) Mattson
Geraldine Ann (Sisk) Mattson, 86, of Yakima died Saturday,April 5 in Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital.
Mrs. Mattson owned and operated Mattson Camera with her husband for 25 years.
Survivors include three sons, George Mattson of Battle Ground, Wash., Thomas Mattson of Clarkston, Wash., and Daniel Mattson of Seattle; five daughters, Julie Sweitz of Yakima, Mary Turner of Anchorage, Alaska, Amy McGuire of Yakima, Christina Porden of Houston, Texas, and Patricia Judy of Selah; 24 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life will be at 11 a.m. May 10 at First Presbyterian Church in Yakima.
Valley Hills Funeral Home and Crematory in Yakima is in charge of arrangements.
Gerald David "Dave" Thorp
Dave died at home, Saturday, April 5, 2008. He was 68. He had not been well since surviving cancer surgery in 1997.
He was born in Centralia, IL to Gerald R. and Ruth Brink Thorp. They and his sister, Ruth Ann, predeceased him. He lived in Chicago, New York, California, Florida, Louisiana, Lynnwood and Moses Lake before moving to Yakima in 1981.
His first love was music - jazz. He played clarinet and sax with some of the best of the big names, and with the best in the Yakima Valley. He wrote countless tunes and arrangements that have been played from coast to coast.
Dave worked as a counselor at Sundown M Ranch from 1981 to 2004. He will be remembered for his lectures, his intuition, and his uncanny wit... and his hard-headedness. He leaves a legacy of devotion to his fellow travelers.
In his later years, he developed a deep compassion for all living things, even to the extent of giving up fishing, and 'saving' little creatures.
He is survived by his wife, "Marty;" his former wife, Sandy Smith; daughter Rebecca and her husband, Jason Creighton; son Dan and his wife, Dora; grandsons Daniel, Justin, Fletcher, Deacon - and another on the way.
Dave requested no services, but memorial donations may be made to BarksRUs Pet Rescue, 403 S. 45th St., Yakima WA 98901, or to Sundown M Ranch.
Lola Lee Gonzalez
YAKIMA -- Lola Lee Gonzalez, 62, of Yakima, passed away Saturday, April 5 at home.
Lola was born April 13, 1945 in Laramie, WY. She worked as a cook and enjoyed reading, cooking and traveling. Her greatest joy came from being with her grandchildren.
Lola is survived by two sons, Leon Martin of Iowa and Joey Ruiz of Yakima; five daughters, Teresa Eychaner of California, Sally Golden and Kristina Golden, both of Yakima, Sherri Pena of Texas and Trina Grimm; and numerous grandchildren.
Visitation will be held Thursday, April 10 from 1 until 7 p.m. at the Yakima Chapel of Valley Hills Funeral Home. Graveside Funeral Services will be held Friday, April 11 at 2 p.m. at Tahoma Cemetery.
Rodney Dean Dehnhoff
YAKIMA - This past Friday, April 4th, 2008, Yakima lost a wonderful man. Rodney passed away at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital after a brief illness due to complications of Sleep Apnea.
Rodney was born in Yakima on May 14th, 1957 to Arthur and Josephine (Arzt) Dehnhoff. He was educated in Yakima, and graduated from Davis High School in 1975. His parents were very proud of him and described him as being ambitious and quick to learn.
After graduating he married his high school sweetheart Vicki Hoover, and they had 2 children: Brandon and Carly. He later married his best friend and loving wife Jeanie McVeigh and they have 4 children: Jennifer, Amanda, Trevor, and Katie. Rodney was an amazing son, loyal husband, dedicated father, supporting brother, and true friend. He had a "heart of gold", and would do anything for anyone. (Thanks Jimmy.) He cherished family get-togethers and spending time with the people he loved. Being a strong, intelligent, creative man with great values and standards, many people were proud to know him. He was just a call away if anyone needed anything... as he had the uncanny ability and knowledge to fix just about anything! If he couldn't, he'd find the resources through his dad, brothers and friends. He set such a wonderful example for his children and taught them so many things. We are so proud to be his family.
Rod followed in his father's footsteps acquiring a love of automobiles. While in school, he went to work at a local body shop doing odd jobs on motors, body & fender, and paint. Known by some as a "Motor Head" he was happiest when involved with working on anything and everything that had a motor. Many people knew him by the 1951 Studebaker he drove for many years that he painted flames on while in high school. With this interest in cars and hot rods, at the age of 16, he was a Charter Member of the Vintique Car Club. Then later with his sister, brother-in-law, cousin and a few friends, started a new club called Yakima Rods and Customs.
Also at the age of 16, he started his career as a Service Tech. employed by American Office Products where he learned the trade of repairing office equipment. Shortly thereafter, and for many years, he worked for Commercial Office Equipment. Eventually he owned and operated the business, renaming it Commercial Office Outfitters. As technology progressed and computers replaced typewriters, he found success in cash register sales and service. He was well known in the community for being an honest, fair, hardworking man who ran his business with integrity and pride. Because of this, many friendships were made and remain to this day.
As a young boy, he loved going to the swimming pool with his family and spending hot summer days playing in the water. His family would load up the station wagon and head for the ocean where they enjoyed clam digging. In high school and after, he floated the river with his friends on the 'Car' raft they built. Although he never was able to learn to water ski, he loved playing in the water, and looked forward to trips to Lake Crescent or Kalaloc Beach with Bruce & Laurie and Mitch & Mary and all the family.
You could always find him along sidelines, baselines, and dugouts; his kids would say. "He came to every game; never missed one. He was not only there to support us with sportsmanship and enthusiasm, but also our teammates." He loved being there and lending a helping hand when it was needed. He dragged that canopy to many soccer games to give the girls shelter from the hot sun or rain. We had so much fun carpooling with the families of the girls and always looked forward to going out of town for games. Being a big part of Eli's life, "Uncle Ronny" would also watch the little three-year-old excel in his "Itty-Bitty" sports.
Our dad lived life with passion, finding fun and excitement in everything he did. He spent much of his time enjoying outdoor activities, and especially loved the Little Naches area. Winters snowmobiling; summers camping, dirt-bike riding, playing in the river, picking huckleberries, making homemade ice cream, and four-wheeling in his Samurai. We have many fond memories of him telling stories and reminiscing around the campfire; he was well known for his wild chimney-log fires! He had a quick wit, great sense of humor, and always had a smile on his face.
Being a very well rounded individual, Rod liked listening to music - from old rock-n-roll of the 70's and 80's to country old and new. He enjoyed playing the guitar and taught Katie her first songs, as well as teaching the girls songs Grandma Lottie taught him on the piano. He loved going for drives in the car and exploring new places. It was a ritual to watch Cash Cab and Jeopardy every night and he continued to surprise us by all the information he knew.
Rodney is preceded in death by his paternal grandparents; Gus Dehnhoff and Lottie (Cargo) Dehnhoff, and maternal grandparents Floyd and Isabell (McInroy) Arzt, and aunts, uncles, and cousins. He is survived by his parents; Art and Josephine Dehnhoff; sisters; Debbie Gonser (Darrell), Patty Baldt (Whitney & Dallas) and Laurie Carver (Bruce, Justin & Ben); brothers; Mitchell (Mary) and Wally Dehnhoff; his wife, Jeanie Dehnhoff and family; Brandon (Yasmyne and Chloe Dehnhoff), Carly (Peyton Johnson), Jennifer, Amanda, Trevor, and Katie Dehnhoff as well as cousins, nieces and nephews that were very fond of him.
The family wishes to thank the many friends, neighbors, and loved ones who called or visited Rodney in the hospital. The visits were clearly difficult for some and their thoughtfulness and courage will always be appreciated and remembered.
In honor of Rodney, a fund has been set up for his family in honor of his name at the Yakima Valley Credit Union. (Thank you Jayme Rainier.) The family would like to encourage anyone who has Sleep Apnea to go to the doctor and take immediate action, as we have learned serious health problems can arise from it.
Rod made his wishes quite clear: He did NOT want a formal funeral service. He said get everyone together and have a BBQ or potluck, wear blue jeans and a tee shirt, and have fun. Don't dwell on death, but use this time to have fun and remember the good times we had together. Please help us honor his request by joining us at the Selah Civic Center on April 23, 2008 at 4:00 PM. There will be pictures and plenty of food to celebrate the short, fulfilling life of Rodney Dehnhoff. There will be opportunity to say a few words about Rod if you choose to do so.
