Obituaries

Olga Beatrice Ayers
February 1998

    Memorial services for Olga Beatirce Ayers, of Garner Valley, will be held at 2 p.m., Sautrday, Feb. 21, at Shepard of the Valley Lutheran Church in Anza. She was 88.
    Mrs. Ayers was born April 23, 1909, in Wakefield, Mich. to Antti and Katarina Lehtonen Kanninen. She was a self-employed Realtor for approximately 35 years. Prior to moving to Garner Valley four years ago, she was a 30-year-resident of Palm Springs.
    She was a member of the Hope Lutheran Church of Palm Desert for 30 years and a member of the Shepard of the Valley Lutheran Chruch in Anza. She is survived by a daughter, Karen Genet of Idyllwild; a son, Armis Ayers of Mountain Center; a sister, Catherine Jokinen of Dallas; and a son-in-law, Eric Barr of Idyllwild.
    In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Stroke Activities Center, 2800 E. Alejo Road, Palm Springs, CA 92262.

Victor Mark Besmertnuk
May 1998

    Respects and condolences for Victor Mark Besmertnuk, of Idyllwild, were given from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, May 11, at his residence on 52591 Sunset Dr. in Idyllwild. He was 38. 
    Mr. Besmertnuk was born Dec. 23, 1959, in Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from Valley Forge Jr. Military College in 1979, attaining an associate of arts degree and serving as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army from 1981 to 1984. He worked for 20 years as a mechanic for Deutsch in Hemet and moved to Idyllwild six years ago. 
    Mr. Besmertnuk enjoyed hiking and the outdoors, experiencing both the Pacific Crest and Appalachian trails. He was married on March 21, 1995, to Lisa Adams. He died of cardiac arrest at Hemet Valley Medical Center on Thursday, May 7. 
    Miller-Jones Mortuary of Hemet is handling cremation arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to his daughter, Sierra Besmertnuk, P.O. Box 2164, Idyllwild, CA 92549. 
    Besides his wife and daughter, he is also survived by a son, Ben Adams, of Idyllwild and a sister, Tanya Thompson, of Charlotte, N.C.

Mary Blackburn
April 15, 1998

    Memorial services are pending for Mary Blackburn of Placentia, who died April 15 in Fullerton from heart failure as a result of a stroke. Mrs. Blackburn was a resident of Fullerton at the time of her death. She was 91. 
    Born November 12, 1906 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Mrs. Blackburn was a long-time resident and business owner in Idyllwild. With Kathleen Thomas, she was co-owner of Alpine Pantry, Miss Pitty Pat's Antiques and Chef in the Forest. Mrs. Blackburn was an Idyllwild resident from 1963 to 1993. 
    A widow, Mrs. Blackburn was also preceded in death by her son, James Blackburn. 
    She is survived by a brother, Cyril Blackburn, 87, of Escondido; a sister, Geraldine Blackburn, 81, of Winsor, Canada; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Leland Ray Coman
February 17, 1998

    Leland Ray Coman, of Ganer Valley, passed away of a heart attack in Anza on Tuesday, Feb. 17. He was 69. 
    Mr. Coman was born July 6, 1928, in Boyle Heights. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on Oct. 16, 1946, serving in the 11th Airborne Division and serving in the U.S. Coast Guard. Mr. Co-man was discharged on March 24, 1948. He was married to his wife Doreen on Aug. 5, 1950. He was self-employed for 45 years and a member of the Idyllwild Fire Department. 
    No services have been scheduled and his inurnment will be private at Riverside National Cemetery. Miller-Jones Mortuary in Hemet is handling arrangements. Along with his wife, Mr. Coman is survived by his mother, Addie Coman of Riverside; two sons, Michael Coman of Desert Hot Springs and Dan Coman of Ashfork, Ariz.; a daughter, Sandie Wales of Temecula; a sister, Shirley Hansen of Riverside; and eight grandchildren.

Helen P. Devalon
February 1998

    Memorial services for Helen P. Devalon, of Red-lands, were held at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at Plymouth Village in Redlands. She was 96. Dr. Lloyd Howard conducted the services. 
    Mrs. Devalon was born July 17, 1901, in Salt Lake City. A graduate of Pomona College in Claremont, she was a homemaker. She lived in Idyllwild from 1968 to 1985 and was an active member of several local organizations, including PEO Chapter UE (Idyllwild), Associates of Idyllwild Arts Academy, 39ers Club, Izaak Walton League and Idyllwild Property Owners Association. She continued as a dues-paying member of several of the organizations up until the time of her death. 
    Mrs. Devalon died of natural causes on Feb. 8. Cremation arrangements were made. She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Corbin Devalon. 
    Mrs. Devalon is survived by her son, C.C. Devalon Jr. of Palm Desert; two daughters, Judy Sockman of Idyllwild and Joan Serrao of Redlands; a sister, Dorothy Taylor of Hemet; eight grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Carola Jean Diven
May 19, 1998

    Carola Jean Diven, 70, a retired legal secretary and active member of the community, died Tuesday, May 19, at Hemet Valley Medical Center from complications of pneumonia. Mrs. Diven was the wife of Otis "Friday" Diven. The couple retired to Idyllwild in 1982. 
    Mrs. Diven was a legal secretary in Vista for more than 20 years and owned a secretarial service there. Memorial services for Mrs. Diven were at 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 26, with more than 100 people attending. Mr. Diven was very appreciative of the support from the community. 
    Mrs. Diven was active in Rotary Anns, serving as its president at one time. She was also active in the 39ers Club and the Ladies of St. HughÕs Episcopal Church, where the memorial services were held on Tuesday. Father Kent Pineo officiated. Mrs. Diven was born July 18, 1927, in Pasadena. 
    A private internment will be at the Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside, with Allen Brothers Mortuary handling arrangements. 
    Mrs. Diven was preceded in death by a son, David Bianco, in 1969. She is survived by her husband; three sons, Paul Bianco of Graegle, a ceramic tile contractor, Steve Bianco of Escondido, a materials truck driver, and Thomas Bianco of Oceanside, an aeronautical engineer; and three stepsons, Dan Diven of Pacific Beach, Carey Diven of Boise and Rick Diven of Oceanside.

Arnita Bell Foster
April 1998

    Mrs. Foster was born April 6, 1906 in Ontario, Calif. She was a self-employed nurse for more than 50 years, For more than 30 years, she served as camp nurse at Orange County-YMCA Camp Osceola and at Camp TaTapochon. 
    Mrs. Foster was a 20-year member of Idyllwild Community Presbyterian Church and an active member of the Idyllwild prayer chain. She was a member of the Idyllwild Women's Guild and the 39ers Club. She was also an honorary member of the Idyllwild Garden Club. She enjoyed painting, cake decorating, playing piano and she sang.
    She was a resident of Orange for 45 years, a resident of Idyllwild for 20 years and, at the time of her death from cancer, she had been a resident of Valley Christian Home in Hemet for six years. She died April 12. 
    Private inurnment will be at Bellevue Memorial Park in Ontario. McWane Family Funeral Home in Hemet is handling funeral arrangements. Pastor Art Ihnen will officiate at the memorial services on May 2. 
    Memorial contributions can be made to Valley Christian Home, 175 N. Girard St., Hemet, CA 92544. 
    She is survived by two daughters, Sonja deBottari of Hemet and Mary Lee Harman of Idyllwild; a son, Don Foster of Reno; a brother, Wendall Moore of Oakland; a sister, Ruth Rose of Pioneer; nine grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

John Harmon
January 22, 1998

    Memorial services for John Caldwell Harmon, of Hemet and Idyllwild, will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, 308 E. Acacia in Hemet. The Rev. Julie D. Gray will officiate. 
    Mr. Harmon died in a vehicle accident near Stone Creek on Jan. 22. He was 47. 
    He was born Dec. 19, 1950, in Austin, Texas. After graduating from Cooper High School in Abilene, Texas, he attended North Texas State University. 
    He was a custom, finish carpenter in Idyllwild and Southern California beach communities. He was well-known as a drummer for his musical abilities and artistic talents. 
    McWayne Family Funeral Home in Hemet is handling cremation arrangements. Inurnment will be at Oakwood Cemetery in Austin, Texas. 
    Mr. Harmon is survived by two sons, Adam David Stuart of Denver and Kyle Caldwell Harmon of Yale, Conn.; his parents, John ÒBillÓ LaFayette Harmon of Granbury, Texas and Lucile Gracy Harmon of Austin, Texas; his former wife, Elizabeth Teresa Harmon of Hemet; two brothers, David Lee Harmon of Riverwoods, Ill. and Christopher LaFay-ette Harmon of Lubbock, Texas; and a grandson, Scott Anthony Stuart of Denver. 
    In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting memorial contributions be made to Friends of the Gamble House, USC School of Architecture, 4 West Moreland Place, Pasadena, CA 95421.
    Service to be held on Hill for John Harmon
A special service has been planned on the Hill for John Caldwell Harmon, 47, who died in a car accident Jan. 22. The gathering will be at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30, at Merry Einstein and Mr. Harmonos home, 52745 Azalea Trail Road in Stone Creek. 
    Music will be provided by Rachel Einstein, cellist; Christian Chalifour, harpist; Kelly Rothert, violist; Local Color vocal group directed by Anna Ancheta; and students of the Merry Note Music Studio. 
    The service will be led by Father Tom Johnson. 
    For more details and directions, call Marty Prevosto at 659-5980. 
    In lieu of flowers, friends are establishing a memorial educational fund for the Merry Note Music Studio, P.O. Box 2364, Idyllwild 92549.

Liza Shillabeer Hinton
May 16, 1998

    A private memorial service was held at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 21, for Lloyd and June Shillabeer's daughter, Liza Shillabeer Hinton. Mrs. Hinton was 48. 
    The services were held at the Shillabeer home in Idyllwild with family and friends present. Pastor Tim Westcott of Idyllwild Bible Church officiated. Her ashes were buried on the Shillabeer property. Mrs. Hinton was born Oct. 17, 1949, in Rochester, N.Y. and had worked at a Christian day care center in Tucson. She died, apparently, of lymphoma Saturday, May 16, following a short illness. 
    Her husband, Gary Allan Hinton, said she was his loving wife and friend. As well as her parents and husband, she is survived by a son, James Mathew Hinton, 10, also of Tucson; a brother, Segei Shillabeer; and a sister, Abbe Mulvena.

Richard George Kief
May 1998

    Memorial services for Richard George Kief, of Palm Springs and Pine Cove, will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 17, at the Joselyn Senior Center, 73750 Catalina Way, in Palm Desert. The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Desert (UUFOD) will conduct the services. He was 71. Mr. Kief was born April 9, 1927, in Bronx, N.Y., to George and Emilie Kief. He married Bell Yarnell of London on Dec. 6, 1981.
    Mr. Kief was an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister performing weddings and funeral services. Well-loved and respected, he will be remembered as a kind, generous and supportive friend by all who knew him. 
    He served in the U.S. Army Military Police, was an executive sales manager for IVECO and an active humanitarian. He died peacefully at home in Palm Springs on Thursday, May 7. He is survived by his lovely wife, Bell; a son, Richard Jr.; a daughter, Emilie; a twin sister, Helen; a brother, George; and four grandchildren, Megan, Ad-rienne, Brenda and Bridget. 
    In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Unitarian Fellowship Building Fund (UUFOD), Kief Memorial, P.O. Box 4325, Palm Springs, CA 92263, or to Living Free Animal Sanctuary, P.O. Box 5, Mountain Center, CA 92561.

James D. Malott
May 22, 1998

    James D. Malott, the beloved toymaker for Toys Wood 'N Dreams, died Friday, May 22, at Kaiser-Permanente Medical Center in Fontana. His wife, Rosemarie Malott, is owner of the toy store in the Fort. 
    Mr. Malott was born Feb. 23, 1921, in Marion, Ind. Prior to moving to Idyllwild in 1985, the couple owned an auto body shop in San Bernardino for 15 years. He retired when he moved to the Hill but made toys for his wife's business, which is in its ninth year on the Hill. 
    Memorial services were held at the Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Anza on Tuesday, May 26, with Pastor Richard Neilson officiating. 
    Burial was on May 29, 1998, at Montecito Memorial Park in Colton. 
    Along with his wife, he is survived by eight children Ñ Steve of San Diego, Brett of Texas, Darrell of San Bernardino, Timothy of Ohio, Nikki of Texas, Cherryl Ann of Missouri, Cynthia of Massachusetts and Janine of Riverside; a sister, Marguerite Hoover of Van Nuys; 17 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, one of which was born this past weekend.

Ken Meyer
April 20, 1998

    On April 20, Ken Meyer, known locally as "Munchken," died after a long illness. He was a long-time resident of Idyllwild, working for many residents, doing repairs, maintenance, computer programming and custom construction projects. 
    Ken spent several years working for the Idyllwild HELP Center repairing and maintaining the donations building and property. Last year, ÒMunchkenÓ moved from Idyllwild to stay with family as the cancer had reached disabling stages. He is survived by his parents and four siblings. 
    There will be a memorial event at Joshua Tree National Monument on Saturday, June 6. The following Sunday, June 7, the HELP Center is sponsoring a memorial tree planting on Highway 243 in Idyllwild. 
    For more specific information regarding the Saturday event, leave your name, address, phone number or e-mail address at (714) 995-3667 or 71450.1641@ compuserve.com or P.O. Box 1296, Cypress, CA 90630-1296. For specifics on the Sunday event, call the HELP Center at 659-2110.

    A longtime Idyllwild resident, Kirk Rahn, died June 10 at his home in Medford, Ore., at the age of 49. Mr. Rahn was a general building contractor whose brother, Dennis Rahn, lives in Pine Cove.
    The Rahn family moved to Hemet in 1945 where Kirk Rahn was born May 7, 1949. He lived in the San Jacinto Mountains until 1990 when he moved to Oregon. 
    A memorial service was planned at the Veterans Administration Cemetery in Eagle Point, Ore. The family will scatter his ashes at a private site on June 30. 
    Along with his brother, he is survived by his parents, Donna and Arnold Rahn of Hemet and Shadey Cove, Ore.; a son, Bryan, 14, of Medford; a daughter, Angie, 26, of Hawaii; a sister, Karen, of Shadey Cove; and one grandchild.

Anthony Tourdot
February 7, 1998

    Memorial services were held for Anthony Allan Schlant-Tourdot at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at Sierra Memorial Chapel in Riverside. They were followed by burial at Olivewood Cemetery in Riverside. Anthony, a 4th-grade student at Idyllwild School, died of a gunshot wound at his residence in Idyllwild on Feb. 7. He was 10. 
    Anthony was born Aug. 17, 1987 in San Luis Obispo. He was active in baseball, soccer, skateboarding and Cub Scouts. He was a member of Anza Baptist Church and Idyllwild Pines Church.
    Anthony is survived by his mother, Diana Schlant of Idyllwild; his father, James Tourdot of Riverside; two brothers, Jeremy and Christopher Tourdot of Idyllwild; and grandparents Gilbert and Dolores Schlant of Riverside and Pat Wolfe of Escondido. 
    In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Anthony Tourdot Memorial Trust Account, Hemet Federal Bank, Account No. 1100271107, 5242 Arlington Ave., Riverside, 92504.

Harry "Doug" Watts
February 1998

    A memorial service for Harry "Doug" Watts, 40, of Idyllwild, is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, March 8, at the Idyllwild HELP Center on Highway 243. Mr. Watts was born December 7, 1957, in Los Angeles and moved to Idyllwild in the early to mid-1980s, according to Kathy Gorzny.
    He passed away sometime in his tent camp off Saunders Meadow Road and was found Saturday, Feb. 21.

Ernestine Appy Wilder
June 12, 1998

    Ernestine Appy Wilder, a longtime resident of Idyllwild, died in Palm Desert on June 12. Friends and family will remember her warmth, graciousness and sense of fun. 
    Though born in New York in 1912, she grew up in Glendora and attended the University of Southern California. She married Harold Wilder in 1933 and raised two daughters, Patricia and Susan, in Eagle Rock. 
    "Ernie" and Harold retired to Idyllwild in 1972 to the summer home built on Strawberry Creek in 1932 by HaroldÕs parents, Ida Mae and Sylvester Wilder. The setting was so perfect for parties, picnics and weddings that over the years, Ida Wilder had added cottages for guests. When the Harold Wilders retired to the Hill, they continued the tradition of hospitality at what became known as Wilder Cabins. 
    In Idyllwild, Ernestine belonged to PEO, the Associates of Idyllwild Arts Academy, RotaryAnns and the Garden Club. She attended the Idyllwild Community Presbyterian Church. 
    She is survived by her daughters, Susan Giannelli of Granite Bay and Patricia Litfin of Idyllwild and San Mateo; five grandchildren, Katherine Litfin Kuhn of Mill Valley, Matthew Litfin of Santa Cruz, David Giannelli of San Jose, Robert Giannelli of Sacramento and Diane Giannelli Comer of Sacramento; three great-grandchildren; a sister, Constance Graham of Albuquerque; and a brother, Dean Appy of McKinley Villa. 
    The family wishes to thank all the loyal friends who helped her to maintain her life in the mountains after the death of her husband in 1991. Her heart was always in Idyllwild and she often voiced her appreciation of the townspeople and guests at Wilder Cabins. 
    Funeral arrangements are pending. The family asks that funeral donations be made in her memory to: American Lung Association of Inland Counties, 441 MacKay Dr., San Bernardino, CA 92408.

Kristi Lynn Yates
May 1998

    Memorial services for Kristi Lynn Yates, of Idyllwild, will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 14, at Idyllwild Pines Camp (formerly Camp Gilboa), entered from the end of Lower Pine Crest Avenue. She was 42. 
    Mrs. Yates was born May 6, 1956, in Hemet, and was a native of Idyllwild. She attended Idyllwild Elementary School and graduated from Hemet High School in 1974. 
    In her youth, she loved riding her horse. She was employed at the Chart House for 14 years and remained living and working in Idyllwild her entire life. Mrs. Yates married her husband, Kevin, in 1987. 
    She died at home in Idyllwild on Saturday, May 9, surrounded by family, after a long illness. 
    Along with her husband, she is survived by five children, Micah, Megan, Josh, Cassie and Alison; her parents, Bud and Barbara Hunt of Idyllwild; a brother, David R. Hunt of Hemet; and grandmothers Inie Wilson of Idyllwild and Juanita Hunt of Hemet. 
    In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in memory of Kristi Yates, for support of Kelly Sackett, a missionary with Youth With A Mission. Checks can be made out and sent to Chapel in the Pines, P.O. Box 1195, Idyllwild, CA 92549.

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