Ray Perez Bustos, age 99, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away April 30, 2023. A Viewing will be held on May 11, 2023 from 4:00pm-8:00pm at Spencer, Libby & Powell Gathering Hall. Mass will take place at the St. Peter Catholic Church May, 12, 2023 at 11:00 am with an immediate Burial at the St. Peter Cemetery. A Luncheon will follow at the Parish Hall at St. Peter Catholic Church. Spencer, Libby & Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Martin David "Dave" Owens, age 44, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away suddenly on April 27, 2023. In accordance with his wishes, his ashes will lay at a favorite location in Nebraska.
Dave Owens, whose heart was even bigger than his smile, delighted in making people happy with his delicious food. But the performing arts were always his greatest love. Dave was an actor, on and off stage. He was also a writer, an enthusiast of bad dad jokes, a friend to all, and “Uncle Dave” to many children in his life.
His sudden death is mourned by his parents, Dan and Elizabeth; his brother, Bill; his sister, Katherine; his nieces and nephew, Madeleine, Abigail, and Gabriel; his cousins, aunts, and uncles; and his many friends.
Dave’s sister described him best when she said, “He loved his nieces and nephew so much. They could do no wrong in his eyes. ...I think he felt that way about all of us. No judgment, no criticism, just absolute love and understanding.”
Dave did not want a funeral. While he joked about a Viking Send Off, he seriously wished for nothing more than “a big barbecue and party.” He loved making good food and feeding people. To honor Dave’s wishes, there will be a celebration of his life at 4:00 p.m., June 11, 2023, at Smoke Wring BBQ, 801 E. 2nd Street, The Dalles, OR. Everyone is invited to bring a pot luck dish and some groan-worthy jokes. We’ll share good food, bad jokes, and best memories of David “Dave” Owens.
Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Robert O.D. Nickell, age 69, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away April 29, 2023. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
John M. Crippen, age 70, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away April 13, 2023. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Jennifer Beth Luttrell, age 41, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away on April 27, 2023. Spencer, Libby & Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Angelina “Angie” (Berardini) DesRochers passed away on April 16th, 2023, at the age of 92 at the Oregon Veterans Home in The Dalles Oregon.
Angie was a pillar of The Dalles’ downtown business community, owning Hampton Furniture for over 55 years. She was well known for her work ethic. When her husband Donald passed away in 1981 after a hard fought battle with lung cancer, she took over the business while simultaneously raising her children. She worked seven days a week at the business throughout most of her career helping customers ordering furniture, staging the showrooms and generally keeping everything operating smoothly. She eventually purchased the vacant Williams Building in 1992 at 306 E 2 nd Street, which is its current location. She subsequently renamed it the DesRochers Building. She was a humble and non-judgmental woman who did not need to be the center of attention or be recognized for all of the good deeds that she did for her family and the community of The Dalles, both of which she loved so much. In her limited spare time, she enjoyed gardening, landscaping and tending to her rose garden. One of her favorite pastimes was watching sporting events with her family.
She was born to Pasquale Berardini and Stella Gasparro on December 16th, 1930 in San Diego, California, the youngest of seven children. Her parents immigrated from Bari Italy and spoke minimal English. As a child, she used to stomp grapes barefoot when her father needed assistance in making bootlegged wine. She graduated from Hoover High School in 1948.
She married the love of her life, Donald Edward DesRochers, on November 12th, 1949 while he was serving in the US Navy. They moved to The Dalles in 1950 shortly after Donald finished his military service. The couple had five children Donna, Gary, Doug, Paul and David. The family later purchased Hampton Furniture in 1967 and the business continues to be run by her youngest son, David.
Retailing furniture was a big part of her life; she was an instrumental part of the founding members of the Pacific Furniture Dealers, a major furniture-buying group in the Northwest. She remained working in the business until the COVID pandemic in March of 2020 when she was 89. She was an amazing mother, grandmother, community member and friend and an all-around good person. In her passing, she left behind a family that hopes to make her proud by continuing the legacy she has built.
Angie is survived by her daughter Donna; two sons Gary (Cathy), David (Sheri) and Daughter in law Sharlene (Doug); 6 grandchildren - Moe DesRochers, Lily Pennington, Keith DesRochers, Kelli Ledeen, Lori Lopez, Katelyn DesRochers, Dylan DesRochers and Erica Tursich, 8 great grandchildren and loving nephew Bart Curiale. Angie was preceded in death by her husband Donald DesRochers, sons Doug and Paul DesRochers, great grandson Solomon DesRochers, brothers Sam Berardini, Tony Berardini, Joe Berardini; and sisters Tonella Curiale, Stella Gentillalli and Dominica Nesbitt.
As per Angie’s wishes, there will be a private family memorial.
Fredrick Anthony Reser, age 69, a resident of Rufus, OR, passed away November 28, 2022. A graveside service is being held at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Condon, OR, April 29, 2023 at 10:30 am. Following Celebration of Life and Potluck is being held at the Condon Parish Hall at 11:00 am. The family is asking in celebration and honor of Fred is that you wear either camo or tie dye. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home were in care of arrangements.
Raymond "Ray" F. Nannini, age 91, a resident of Tygh Valley, OR, passed away April 22, 2023. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Surrounded by loving family, Nancy Jean Rooper lost her battle with cancer on April 17, 2023, in The Dalles, Ore. She was born Sept. 16, 1954, in Riverside, Calif., one of five children born to Frank and Mary Evelyn (Miller) Benson.
Nancy met and fell deeply in love with Ryan Rooper, and they married on Halloween, Oct. 31, 2001. She was his partner through good times and tough times for the rest of her life. A celebration will be held on Wednesday, May 3 at a location special to both: The Dalles Art Center, 220 E. Fourth St., from 3–5 p.m.
In her youth, Nancy developed a love of art. Of her artistic journey, Nancy said, “For me, art began with my first box of crayons. I felt all the joy each small stick of color brought me. To this day, the smell of plain old crayons still reminds me of that joy.”
Nancy became interested in art watching her older brother paint. She remembers longing to be like him, if only when she was old enough. Little did Nancy know she was well on her way to becoming an artist already. When she was a teen, Nancy received her first set of oils and canvas. She vividly remembers the bliss of putting brush to canvas her first time. Now, Nancy finds happiness by sharing and seeking to learn with other artists. She concludes, “I can sum it all up by saying, art is not just a pastime for me, but a passion!”
Nancy loved being active and a member of groups … not being singled out. The 3 NANCY'S + CARMEN always kept her excited. They had several shows at The Dalles Art Center, where she won several awards. They enjoyed spending afternoons hanging art at setups in local wineries while enjoying the libations. At about 6 p.m., Ryan would get a call: “Can you come get me?”
She had numerous adventures and a lot of fun with art. She enjoyed plein air painting throughout the Gorge. Her finished pieces were displayed at many wineries, bakeries and at special gallery events. She painted because she saw the “colors in life … bright flashy fun colors in everything.” The only dark paintings were during her cancer treatments.
Nancy was preceded in death by her mother Mary Evelyn, father Frank and brother Theodore. She is survived by her beloved husband, Ryan; sons Miguel, Trevor and Nicholas Maldonado; grandchildren Raleigh, Jude, and Corbin Maldonado; Ryan’s daughters Stephanie Davis (Brandon) and children McKenzie, Elise, and Ezekiel, and Amy Tenson (Arron) and children Jocelyn and Bennett; her brothers Charles and Terry; sister Debora Susan (Johnson) Benson; half-brother Regi; stepbrothers Jerry and Ron; and nephew Ted Benson Jr. and nieces Amee Wen, Heidi and Laura Benson.
Debi and Nancy were sisters, in a family of boys. They made a pact to take care of each other for life … very forward-thinking!
Memorial donations to support the activities of The Dalles Art Center are always welcome.
Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
William W. Turner, age 96, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away April 16, 2023. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangement.
William (Bill) Jay Ihrig passed away March 14, 2023, at the age of 63 from heart failure in The Dalles, Oregon. He was first born child of Howard William (Bill) Ihrig and Donna Rae Hutchins on May 6, 1959, in Goldendale, Washington, followed by brother Ronald Scott Ihrig born in 1960, followed by another brother in 1965, Darren Charles Hoffman. After his father remarried, Bill gained three more siblings: Lon, Wendi and Mark Ihrig. His mother passed away in 1996 and his father passed away in 2020.
Bill started his working career while attending Goldendale High School where he graduated in 1978. He worked both at DeHart's Goldendale Market, Hill Top Market and Westgate Market in The Dalles, OR.
On January 22, 1984, Bill married Rebecca Ann Woodford in Goldendale, Washington. Coming into this union he was blessed with a daughter, Jessica Ann Woodford, whom he raised as his own. Later in 1987 Adam Willam Ihrig was born and joined his sister Jessica. Adam and Stacey’s son Asa was an absolute delight in Bill’s life. Asa was Bill’s only grandchild.
Bill was known as a dependable hard worker always providing for his family. He told silly jokes with an infectious smile that made everyone laugh. Bill’s light shined bright, and he was fun to be around. He enjoyed being with his friends and family (and extended family) fishing, swimming and many other outdoor activities. The loss of his life left a large void in many hearts; but warm memories of his loving spirit live on in those same hearts.
He is survived by his children: Adam (Stacey) and Jessica (Greg); grandson Asa; siblings: Ron (Liz) Ihrig, Darren (Angela) Hoffman, Lon Ihrig, Wendi Ihrig, and Mark (Izzy) Ihrig and stepmother, Sandra Ihrig. Bill had many cousins, aunts and uncles who survived him that he was very close to.
Graveside services will be held May 27, 2023, at Spring Creek Cemetery (Bobby Ihrig officiating) at 11:00 a.m. at Goldendale, followed by a luncheon at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church, 815 N Columbus, Goldendale, Washington. Then following lunch, a family gathering at Penny and Randy Dyche’s home at 458 Fish Hatchery Road.
Jeffery Holyk, age 57 a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away April 14, 2023. Spencer, Libby & Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Barbara Arlene Frame, age 95, a resident of Tygh Valley, OR, passed away April 11, 2023. A Private Family Burial has been held and a Celebration of Life will be held at the Wamic Grange Hall in Wamic, OR, in May. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Richard Neil Rife, age 90, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away April 11, 2023. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Mark Steven Ferrell, age 72, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away March 26, 2023. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Richard Dennis Field, age 73, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away April 10, 2023. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements,
Ruth Ilene Witzel, age 80, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away April 4, 2023. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Lawrence (Larry) James Angell, age 80, a resident of Heppner, OR, passed away April 09, 2023. A Memorial Service will be held at the Cutsforth Park in Heppner, OR June 03, 2023 at 11:00 am. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
John Edward Buck, age 90, a resident of Moro, OR, passed away April 6, 2023. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Doris Ruth Fowler, age 96, a resident Rufus, OR, passed away April 7, 2023. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.