OBITS: The Spectrum 14 Dec 2005; St. George, Washington co., Utah text-formatted by W. David Samuelsen for The USGenWeb Archives Project *********************************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ut/utfiles.htm *********************************************************************** Source: St. George The Spectrum http://www.thespectrum.com LaRae Raymer Mackelprang LaRae Raymer Mackelprang, beloved wife, mother, sister, and grandmother, passed away peacefully on Sunday, December 11, 2005 at Valley View Medical Center. She was born September 15, 1937 to Estel Ray and Ramona Hunter Raymer in Cedar City, UT. She was married to Dard B. Mackelprang on December 19, 1956. They celebrated 47 years of marriage before his death in October 2003. LaRae spent most of her life raising her family and working alongside Dard, first with the sheep in Hamblin Valley and then with cattle in Beryl, UT. She spent many summers on Cedar Mountain and loved the outdoors. She had a special way with animals and was happiest when she had a calf or colt or a kitten or puppy to nurture and love. Her boys remember her as someone who would work right along beside them whether they were baling hay, moving sprinkler pipe, or working on their car. She was the heart of her family and of their ranching business. She will be sorely missed by those who were privileged to spend time with her, to get to know her, and to love her. She is survived by her son, Ray (Becky) Mackelprang of Santa Clara, UT; brother Duane (Kathy) Raymer of Cedar City, UT; stepdaughter, Jean (Joe) Hileman of Las Vegas, NV; stepsons, Scott D. (Linda) Mackelprang of Diamond Valley, UT and Robert (Ilene) Mackelprang of Leeds, UT and 15 grandchildren. She is preceded in death by husband, Dard and sons, Dick and Wade. Funeral services will be held Thursday, December 15, 2005 at 12:00 p.m (noon) at the Southern Utah Mortuary Chapel. Friends may visit Wednesday, December 14 , 2005 from 6:00 p.m to 8:00 p.m. and prior to services on Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Interment will be in the Cedar City Cemetery under the direction of Southern Utah Mortuary. Online condolences may be sent through our website at www.sumfamily.com Originally published December 14, 2005 Richard Dee 'Rick' Malcomson ST. GEORGE - Richard Dee "Rick" Malcomson, 76, beloved husband and father, passed away peacefully on December 11, 2005. He was born December 9, 1929 in Duluth, Minnesota. At age 18 months, he was adopted by his loving parents, Arnold DeLloyd Malcomson and Lois Ada Lappin. At a young age he moved to California. In the fourth grade he met a young girl, Dorothy Lucile Byram, his future bride. On November 21, 1953, they were married in Carmel, California and have spent the last 52 years together. They have two children, Bonnie Templeton (Scott) of Manhattan, Kansas and Ronald Dee Malcomson of St. George, Utah. Richard had a desire for service. He served 23 years in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of Major. He saw action in Korea and Vietnam. He was a member of the Episcopalian faith. He was an ordained lay person, and gave last rites to soldiers in Vietnam. After retiring, he earned his Masters Degree in Archeology from the University of New Mexico. In 1977, he moved to St. George to be the BLM Archeologist for the Arizona Strip, retiring for the second time in 1992. He continued to serve by teaching classes at Dixie State College in ICL until suffering a stroke in 2002. He was also active in the Elks Lodge and Masonic Lodge. Richard is survived by his loving wife Dorothy; daughter Bonnie and son Ronald. Funeral services with military honors will be held on Friday, December 16, 2005, at 11:00 a.m. at Metcalf Mortuary, 288 W. St. George Blvd., St. George, UT. A visitation will be from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. prior to services at the mortuary. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Alzheimer's Unit at Kolob Care and Rehabilitation, 178 South 1200 East, St. George, UT 84790. Condolences may be sent to the family through our website: www.metcalfmortuary.com Originally published December 14, 2005 Jill Cheney Peterson ST. GEORGE - Jill Cheney Peterson, age 37, passed away on Tuesday, December 13, 2005, at her home in St. George. She was born on April 15, 1968, in Ogden, Utah, to Ellis Cheney and Marilyn Saunders Cheney. She married Jeffrey Corrigan Peterson on December 19, 1987, in the St. George Temple. Jill was raised in Mesquite, Nevada, where she attended Virgin Valley Elementary, Jr. High, and High School. While growing up, she spent a lot of time outdoors, swimming, hiking, and playing all kinds of sports. She spent much time with her family playing games, going on vacations, singing, and many other things. She has five sisters and three brothers: Paula Short, Joy Cheney, Daren Cheney, Glen Cheney, Donna Cheney, Mark Cheney, Lisa Cheney, Karen Walsh, who are all still living. Jill met the love of her life, Jeff Peterson, in Mesquite, and they were married five months later. They have three boys whom Jill adored, Stephen, Michael, and James. She loved to spend time with her family playing sports, singing and playing music, playing games, going on vacations, and attending church functions together. She actively served her Heavenly Father through various church callings, including Primary for eleven years, Scouting for three years, and Relief Society for the last three years. She loved to serve others and do whatever was asked of her. Funeral services will be held Thursday, December 15, 2005, at 11:00 a.m. at the Snow Canyon 9th Ward Chapel, 1285 N. Bluff St., St. George, with the first viewing Wednesday, December 14, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Spilsbury Mortuary, and the second viewing Thursday from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m., prior to services, at the Chapel. Interment will be at the Tonaquint Cemetery in St. George. Arrangements are made under the direction of Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S. Bluff St., St. George, UT (435) 673-2454. A Trust Fund has been set up for Jill Peterson's children at America 1st Credit Union, 1189 E. 700 S., St. George, UT 84790. Friends and family are invited to offer their condolences at www.spilsburymortuary.com. Click on the dove. Obituaries are also available at our website. Click on the rose. Originally published December 14, 2005 Joanne Lavonne Smith WASHINGTON - Joanne Lavonne Smith, 67, passed away after battling cancer Sunday, December 12, 2005, in Washington, Utah. She was born on April 29, 1938, to Charles and Hazel Burkholder. She married Ron Smith on February 12, 1961, in Alameda, California. She was raised on a small farm in Lanark, Illinois where she rode her horse King, to a small one room schoolhouse during her elementary school years. She graduated from Lanark High School in 1956. She moved to California in 1960 where she met Ron on a blind date. Ron and Joanne moved to Hughson, CA where they raised Doug and Mike on an almond ranch. She was a legal secretary for many years. In 1983, Ron and Joanne founded Valley Paper, a distributor of industrial packaging materials. Her hobbies included arts and crafts, crossword puzzles, gourmet cooking and she loved to travel. Also, Joanne was an avid Sacramento Kings and Oakland Raider fan. She is survived by her husband of 45 years, Ron of Washington, UT., her sons; Douglas Smith of Sonora, CA., and Michael Smith of Hughson, CA., grandchild, Skylar of Hughson, CA., daughter-in-law; Karen and her son Colton Rosenbaum, brother; Richard Burkholder and his wife Marian of St. Louis, MO.; sister, Francis Jacobs and her husband Del of Freeport, IL., Joanne is also survived by numerous friends in the states of Utah, Illinois, and California. A memorial service will be held Thursday, December 15, 2005, at 4:30 p.m., at the Trinity Lutheran Church, 2260 Red Cliffs Dr., St. George, UT. Arrangements under the direction of Metcalf Mortuary 435-673-4221. Condolences may be sent to the family through Metcalf's website at www.metcalfmortuary.com Originally published December 14, 2005 DEATH NOTICE Jess Don Weed SANTA CLARA - Jess Don Weed, 90, died Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2005, in St. George, Utah. He was born Feb. 12, 1915, in Spokane, Wash. Surviving family include his: son: Larry E. (Rena) Weed, of Fremont, Calif.; daughter, Janice Dee (Mike) Frisbey, of Santa Clara, Utah; 4 grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild. Memorial services will be held at a later date in Spokane, Wash. Originally published December 14, 2005 Walt Kerr KANAB Walter Eacrett Kerr, age 82, died Sunday, December 11, 2005 in St. George, Utah. Born July 16, 1923 in Santa Paula, Cali for nia to Alexander & Iva Eacrett Kerr. Married Jean Smith August 05, 1944 in Randolph, Massa chu setts. Walter served in the US Navy during World War II and was a Pearl Harbor Survivor. He served as a Reserve Officer for the Ven tura County Sheriff's Department was a member of the Masonic Lodge #291 in Santa Paula, Cali fornia and an Associate Grand Guardian of Job's Daughters in 1972. He retired from the Civil Engineering Department of Ven tura County. Walter enjoyed hunting and fishing. He loved animals. His life long hobbies were tractor repair and telling tall tales. A kind generous person who never met a stranger. His children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were the love of his life. He is survived by his wife Jean Kerr, of Kanab, Children; Norman (Sandy) Kerr of Kanab, Jane (Ed) Clayton of Kanab, Linda Felgar of Kanab, Mary (Alfredo) Hernandez of Oxnard,CA, Siblings; Robert Kerr of Pleasanton, CA, Paul Kerr of Tallassee, Alabama, Marjorie ("Bud") Reed of Avenal, CA, 10 grand children and 15 great grandchildren. Funeral Services will be held Saturday, December 17, 2005 1:30 PM at the New Hope Bible Church, 395 South 200 East, Kanab, Utah. Burial will be in the Kanab City Cemetery with Military and Masonic Rites under the direction of Mosdell Mortuary. Originally published December 14, 2005 Aubrey J. Keif, Jr. St. George Aubrey J. Keif, Jr., age 80, died Sunday, Decem ber 11, 2005, at his home in St. George. He was born on April 22, 1925, to Aubrey J. Keif and Natalie Keif in Pueblo, Colorado. Aubrey was married to Joan Conroy in 1946. They later divorced, and Aubrey married Janice Rae Major on March 30, 1962. He always claimed that date marked the actual date of his birth. Aubrey attended schools in Garden City, New York, Hebron Academy, Hebron, Maine, LIU, New York, and UCLA, California. He served in the RCAF during World War II. Among his employers in the aviation industry during his work life were EAL, Lockheed, and Boeing. His later years were spent with a national land title company and in commercial real estate. Jan and Aubrey made their final home in St. George. Aubrey is survived by his: wife, Janice; sons, Stephen Ray Hile man, and Philip Michael Campbell; daughter, Elisha Belmont; grandchildren, Sean, Samuda, Rocco, Angelica, and Callie; great-grandchild, Nellie; brother, Philip; and his beloved Janniejo. A final word from Aubrey: "I share with many, many others the universal curse of having done, and having left undone, acts which I regret, BUT the flip side of that coin is that from the 30th of March, 1962, to the day and hour of my death I reveled in blessings and enjoyed riches beyond my truly wildest dreams." No services are planned at this time. Arrangements are made under the direction of Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S. Bluff St., St. George, UT (435) 673-2454. Friends and family are invited to offer their condolences at www.spilsburymortuary.com. Click on the dove. Obituaries are also available at our website. Click on the rose. Originally published December 14, 2005