ZONA EARNEST


Zona May (Hanson) Earnest, 90, died March 30, 2008, in Vancouver.


Earnest was born May 1, 1917, in Stanley, ND, and lived in Battle Ground for 18 months.


Earnest was a master seamstress and good cook. She loved flower gardening and collecting seashells. She was very family-oriented.


Earnest was preceded in death by her husband, Donald Earnest, in 1995. Survivors include son John Earnest of Battle Ground, daughter Polly Earnest of Vancouver, sister Nancy Petersen of Seattle, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.


No services are planned, with Layne’s Funeral Home, Battle Ground, in charge of arrangements.

ALLEN ELLSWORTH
Allen E. Ellsworth, 79, died May 16, 2007, in Long Beach.
Ellsworth was born Feb. 6, 1928, in Hooper, CO, and moved with his family to Hope, Arkansas. He attended school in Hope. He joined the Navy in 1946 after high school and attained the rank of Seaman First Class. He worked as a construction laborer his whole life until retirement.
Ellsworth lived in Battle Ground from 1982 until moving to Ocean Park in 1999. He loved to play the harmonica. He played in a country and western band at one time. He enjoyed RVing, fishing and panning for gold. He was a member of the Ocean Park Eagles and Moose lodges.
Ellsworth was preceded in death by daughter Kathy Ellsworth and son Ralph Ellsworth. Survivors include widow Emily, at home, daughters Connie Shaffer of Vancouver, Gail York of Ocean Park, Sharon Eggleston of Ridgefield, Bette Laughlin of Yacolt and Debbie Stolk of Oregon, sons Cliffton Ellsworth of Vancouver and Tommy Meyers of Seattle, brothers Ralph Ellsworth of Iowa, Ward Ellsworth of Mt. Vernon and Robert Ellsworth of Sumner, twin sister Ellen Hague of Vancouver, 18 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Graveside inurnment will take place Sun., June 3, 2 p.m., at View Cemetery, in View, with Penttila’s Chapel by the Sea, Long Beach, in charge of arrangements.

TEDDY ENGLAND
Teddy Lyn England, 53, died June 30, 2007, at home in La Center.
England was born Aug. 8, 1953, in Visalia, CA. He worked as a long-haul truck driver for North American Van Lines for 23 years. He was known for his volunteerism and was active in each committee where he had lived.
In Spokane, England was active in 4-H, AQHA, Deer Park Fair, North Horse Camp, Pee-Wee Rodeo and high school rodeo. In Vancouver he was involved in 4-H, Fort Vancouver Rodeo, Clark County Fair and the Clark County Saddle Club.
England was past president of the La Center Lions Club and a recipient of the Melvin Jones Award.
Survivors include widow Jo England, at home in La Center, mother, 10 children, grandchildren, brother, sisters, nieces, nephews and many friends.
A celebration of life potluck will be held Sat., Aug. 11, 3 p.m., at the Clark County Saddle Club, 10505 NE 117th Ave., Vancouver.

HERB W. EHRSAM
Herb W. Ehrsam, 89, died Nov. 22, 2007, in Vancouver.
Ehrsam was born March 13, 1918, in Portland, attended Washington High School and then the University of Oregon. He was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.
Ehrsam worked in sales. He also worked at the Vancouver shipyards during World War II. After the war he spent 32 years in the life insurance business, becoming a general agent for the Equitable Life Insurance of Iowa. In retirement, Ehrsam enjoyed golfing, fishing and traveling. He invested in 130 acres on the North Fork of the Lewis River near Woodland which he developed into a retirement and recreation community known as Sandpiper Cove.
Survivors include widow Esther Ruth Ehrsam, children Claire Dune, John Ehrsam and Christine Nibley, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Services will be held Mon., Dec. 3, 2 p.m., at Moreland Presbyterian Church, 1814 SE Bybee, Portland, with the Woodland Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

EMILY ELLSWORTH
Emily Marie (Winders) Ellsworth, 86, died Jan. 29, 2008, in Portland.
Ellsworth was born Sept. 21, 1921, in Sioux City, Iowa, and lived in Clark County until moving to Ocean Park eight years ago.
Ellsworth graduated from Battle Ground High School. She liked fishing, crocheting, camping, sewing, reading, bingo, game shows and playing cards. She also enjoyed being a mother and grandmother, and spending time in Arizona.
Ellsworth worked in a cannery and retired from Del Monte Cannery.
Ellsworth was preceded in death by her husbands Milin Carter, Herb Meyers and Allen Ellsworth, sons Milin Carter and Arthur Carter, and brother Stanley Winders. Survivors includes sons Jim Meyers of Vancouver and Tommy Meyers of Seattle, daughters Gail York of Ocean Park, Sharon Eggleston of Ridgefield, Bette Sue Carter of Yacolt and Debbie Stolk of Oregon, brother Raymond Winders, 19 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
A memorial service and potluck will be held Sat., Feb. 9, 11 a.m., at the Fargher Lake Grange near Fargher Lake, Amboy, with Layne’s Funeral Home, Battle Ground, in charge of arrangements.

CHRIS ERIKSEN
Chris Leroy Eriksen, 57, died March 19, 2008, at home in Battle Ground.
Eriksen was born July 2, 1950, in Los Angeles, CA, and had lived in Sequim before moving to Battle Ground two months ago. He worked as an electrician before retirement. He was an avid golfer who once hit a hole in one on a golf course. He was a fan of the Los Angeles Rams. He enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren.
Survivors include son Jon Eriksen of Battle Ground, mother Virginia Eriksen of Lacey, sisters Teri Dugan and Karen Campbell, both of California, brothers Rod Eriksen of Florida and Randy Eriksen of Lacey, and five grandchildren.
Private services are being arranged by Brown’s Funeral Home, Camas. Service details are available by calling Brown’s, 834-3692.

ROBERT ERKENBECK
Robert Erkenbeck, 76, died Feb. 28, 2008 in Portland.
Born May 17, 1931 in Denver, CO, Erkenbeck moved with his parents to the Sellwood area of Portland in 1941. He and his wife lived in Milwaukee, OR for five years before moving to La Center in 1971.
Following U.S. Air Force service during the Korean War, Erkenbeck worked at a variety of construction jobs. He joined Local 701 of the Operating Engineers Union in 1976 and worked at various operating engineer positions through the union until retirement in 1993.
Erkenbeck was a 20-year member of Highland Lutheran Church in La Center. He loved to tinker with auto mechanics, and enjoyed gardening, travel and trips to Portland Buckaroo hockey games.
Erkenbeck was preceded in death by his brother, Harry Erkenbeck. Survivors include his wife, Clarice M. Erkenbeck of La Center, step-sons Zachary R. Ledbetter of Illinois and Carl J. Ledbetter of Mercer Island, brother Richard A. Arlan of Oregon City, OR, and two grandchildren.
A funeral service is planned at the Wilhelm Portland Memorial Funeral Home, 6705 SE 14th Ave., Portland, on Thurs., March 6, at 9 a.m., followed by a 1 p.m. memorial service at the Highland Lutheran Church, 38809 NE 41st Ave., La Center. Wilhelm Portland Memorial Funeral Home, Portland, is handling arrangements.

RICHARD ERVEN
Richard “Dick” Lorence Erven, 78, died March 13, 2007, in Vancouver.
Erven was born March 29, 1928, in Zanesville, Ohio. He served in the Marine Corps in north China at the end of World War II. He was a Life Member of the Mt. Hood Masonic Lodge and a member of Al Kader Shrine in Portland. He was also a member of the American Legion in Vancouver, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the First Marine Division Association and the China Marines.
Erven enjoyed elk hunting. He also enjoyed riding in parades with his Shrine ATV Drill Team. He worked on construction of the Battle Ground rose float for several years.
Survivors include widow Beverly Erven of Vancouver, son Rick Erven of California, daughters Valerie Wright of Virginia, Pamela Sukonic of Vancouver and Darcy Bell of Hockinson, and nine grandchildren.
Memorial services were held at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Vancouver, with Davies Cremation and Burial Services is in charge of arrangements.

Allen Estep
Allen “Al’’ Joe Estep, 87, died Feb. 25, 2008, in a Vancouver hospice home.
The retired Washington State Extension Agent was born April 18, 1920 in Iola, Kansas, the middle of seven children, to parents Harvey P. Estep and Mabel Mae Sheffield. He moved from the midwest in the 1930s in the middle of the Oklahoma Dust Bowl and headed for the Willamette Valley. The family ran out of money on its way to Oregon and settled in Ustick, Idaho.
Estep served in the Navy during World War II. He wanted to join the Air Force, but lesions from a boyhood appendix operation kept him out. Estep signed up as a “90-day wonder’’ lieutenant on board a Naval destroyer. He described himself as “a 23-year-old farm boy who had never seen the ocean.’’ He survived Kamikaze attacks and a typhoon that sunk other vessels during the war. He was the communications and morale officer for the USS Metcalf.
Later in life, Estep collected personal histories of shipmates and in 2002 self-published them in “Memories of the Metcalf.’’ His most-cherished memory was teaching an enlisted man named Lewis to read and write.
Farming was always in Estep’s blood, according to those close to him. He delayed graduating from Meridian High School in Idaho for a year because he was too busy harvesting hay. He completed his bachelor of science degree in dairy husbandry at the University of Idaho in 1943. Estep earned a master’s degree in adult education from the University of Wisconsin 1958.
Estep worked from 1946-49 in public relations for Washington Water Power, then joined the Washington State University Cooperative Extension Service in Eastern Washington before moving to Everett and finally to Vancouver in 1962. He retired in 1980.
Although much of his early work was with beef cattle and improving dryland wheat yields, Estep’s real love was dairy. He owned a dairy near Vancouver Lake and was especially proud that his herd met the standards of the Tillamook County Creamery Association. His personalized Washington license plate was MILK.
Estep won many honors, including the Certificate of Distinguished Service from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents in 1964 and induction into the Washington Purebred Cattle Association Hall of Fame in 1981.
In retirement, Estep began a second career as a real estate agent in Vancouver, retiring from that when he was in his mid-80s.
Estep married Blanche Gourley in 1947 and the couple had one son. They later divorced. In 1954, Estep married Kathleen Shoultes, a former Washington State Fair Commissioner who was a regular at the Dairy Women milkshake booth at the Clark County Fair. The two had four children and shared a ranch in Ridgefield.
After his wife’s death in 1993, Estep moved from Ridgefield to Vancouver. His retirement hobbies included rooting for the Portland Trail Blazers and Ridgefield High School sports’ teams, growing corn and tomatoes, and writing letters to political leaders suggesting imaginative projects. He had items published in national magazines, including Country Living and Guideposts.
Estep is survived by his sister Opal Coulson of Idaho, sons Jon Estep of Colville and Ron Estep of Florida, daughters Debbie Webb of Long Beach, and Jan Estep and Linda Wilson, both of Pullman, and three grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, three sisters and two brothers.
At his request, no service will be held. Estep donated his body to medical science and requested his ashes be buried at sea by the U.S. Navy. The Vancouver Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.