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Obituaries from the week of Sept. 7, 2011

Catharyn Pilaczynski, 91

Catharyn Louise Elizabeth Trout Pilaczynski went to be with our Lord on September 1st, 2011.      

Catharyn was born January 3, 1920 in Tracy, Minnesota to Benjamin Matthew Trout and Ilah Lavica Miller Trout.   She graduated from Tracy High School in 1938. She married Sylvester John Pilaczynski on 10-5-1938 and has eleven surviving children;  Doris (George) Hale of Rainier, Or, Rita (John) Solecki of Lawrence, MI, Robert (Patsy) Pilaczynski of Elmira, Or, Karen Herron of Salem, Or, Joan (Rick) Davis of Creswell, Or , Susan (Gary) Dutton of Canby, Or, Martin (Teri) Pilaczynski of Dexter, Or, Richard (Cindy) Pilaczynski of Yuba City, CA , Margaret “Peggy” (David) Vilarino of Eugene, Or, Teresa (Stephen) Blanton of Eugene, OR and Ilah Pilaczynski of Creswell, Or.  She has 34 grandchildren, 50 great-grandchildren and 6 great-great-grandchildren

She was the oldest of twelve children.  Surviving siblings are Dr. Lyle E. Trout (Bernice) of Hastings, Minnesota; Elsie Heacock of Minneapolis, MN; Henry Trout of Wilmar, MN; Roger Trout of Brooklyn, NY; Inez (Raymond) Siolkowski of Minneapolis, MN; and Gorden Trout of Wallkill, NY.

After the family move to Oregon in 1951 from Minnesota, they lived in Oakridge, Willamette City, Westfir, Goshen, and finally Creswell for 45 years.  She owned and operated a “Mom & Pop’ grocery store on So. 2nd St in Springfield, OR, for 7 years after her husband’s death in 1966, while raising her 5 youngest children alone.  During the years her younger children were in school she volunteered at the school library (as she would have liked to have been a librarian had she gone to college.)  She had a great love of books, and had a ‘library’ in her house.  She always had a large garden on which she planted a bounty of vegetables, many of them heirloom varieties from her own mother, which she passed on as seeds and starts to her offspring.  She always had fresh vegetables to spare for her large extended family. She was a child of the Depression years, lived by the adage “use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”. She knew how to make ends meet.

Catharyn had a great love for her family and the Bible, which she enjoyed daily.  From her home library, she enjoyed literature and learning from books, periodicals and keeping up on current events by watching the news and OPB programs.  She was a Lifetime Member of the Veterans of Foreign War.  She also expressed her love for others by donating to the Eugene Mission’s Homeless Shelter, Indian Heritage programs, the Paralyzed Veterans, American Association of State Troopers and The Hope School Foundation.  She attended the Creswell Presbyterian Church and loved her Church Family.

She spent her remaining years watching out for her many grandchildren until 2003 when she moved to Canby, Oregon where she continued to read her Bible and books, and listen to her Christian programs and music on the radio.  She attended family parties, barbeques, baseball games, dance recitals, the yearly Dahlia Festival and quilting with her eldest daughter Doris.  She always enjoyed having company and family overnight guests.

Preceding her in death were her husband, Sylvester, 1966, son, Michael, 1979, premature child, Joseph, 1955, 2 grandsons, Michael Kevin McFadden, and Evan Solecki, 1 granddaughter, Emily Solecki and great-grandchildren, Katie Beth Pierce, Megan Solecki, Sloan Blaze Lewis, Austin Tuff Tomlinson, Grace Tomlinson, Abigale Tomlinson, Chase Tomlinson, Sophie Tomlinson and Hunter Tomlinson,  her parents, two sisters, Myrtle Trout and Dorothy Mathison, three brothers, Kenneth, Dan “Barney” and Alfred Trout and son-in-law, George Hale.

Catharyn’s family wishes to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Providence in Home Health Care Professionals and Hospice caregivers, who assisted and supported our family these past months, with all of their skill, expressions of kindness and love for our mother. 

Catharyn will be missed by all whom had the privilege to know and love her.  It is an honor that she now stands before our creator, having completed her life of love.

Services will be held on September 7th at 11am at Musgrove Family Mortuary 1152 Olive Street Eugene, Oregon. A private family graveside burial will be held at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, 220 Crest Drive Eugene, OR. A Celebration of life will be held on September 17th at 11am at the Presbyterian Fellow ship Hall, 74 North 4th, Creswell OR.

 

Texas Swanjord, 79

Texas Swanjord age 79 of Balaton, MN died Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at the Lakeview Senior Housing in Balaton.  A memorial service was held Saturday, September 3, 2011 at Sillerud Lutheran Church, rural Balaton.    Interment was at Zion Lutheran Cemetery. The Almlie Funeral Home of Balaton handled the arrangements. Online condolences may be placed at www.almliefh.com

Texas Sabine Swanjord was born on March 31, 1932, in New Haven, Connecticut, to Robert and Vivian (Buckley) Sabine.  After high school in Guilford, Connecticut, Texas went to Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts.  She and Gordon Whiteman of Guilford were the parents of Mark, Leigh, Kevin, Jason and Bradford Whiteman, and lived in Guilford and Madison, CT, where Texas was active in civic, educational, religious and business life.

Texas and Don Swanjord were married on November 18, 1976, in New Haven.  She received the masters degree in Environmental Education in Connecticut,and the masters degree in Counseling and the Ph.D degree in Rural Sociology at South Dakota State University.  Texas and Don lived in Iran, Yemen, Kuwait, and Iraq where they taught and administered education programs at universities and for the U.S. State Department. 

Texas has lived permanently in the Balaton community since 1992; she taught counseling, sociology, and education at SDSU and SMSU.  Texas was one of the founders of Community Nursery School in Guilford, Yankton Country School in Balaton, and Worthington Area Language Academy (WALA), where she was also board chair for several years.  Since 2004, Texas and Don have been the proprietors of Balaton House Bed & Breakfast.  A creative person, Texas enjoyed the challenge of artwork, cooking, writing, and making a home.

Survivors include her husband, Don, of Balaton; son, Mark (Vicki) Whiteman of West Chester, PA; daughter, Leigh Whiteman (Jefri Ruchti) of Guilford, CT; son, Kevin (Karen) Whiteman of Madison, CT; son, Jason (Tracy) Whiteman of Oakland, CA; son, Bradford (Maria Sappe) Whiteman of Guilford, CT; friend Max (Stephanie) Peterson of Mankato, MN; friend Beth Hyams of Portland, OR; grandchildren Blake (Tim Roberts), Brittany, Nolan, Graham, Blayne, Brianna, Madison, Benjamin, Emery, Brin, and Bowen; great-grandchildren Kyla and Robin; nieces, nephews, other relatives and a host of friends.

 

William Vogel, 81

Funeral services for Willam (Bill) Vogel were held at First Reformed Church in Slayton, MN on Friday, September 2, 2011 with Rev. Mark Ellens officiating.  The organist was Pat Onken with special music by Janice Berger, Joseph Glerum and Andrew Glerum.  The pallbearers were his grandsons.  Interment was at Slayton Memorial Gardens, Slayton MN.  Military honors accorded by the Currie American Legion Post. 

Bill Vogel was born on May 12, 1927 on the family farm near Sanborn, Iowa to Peter and Minnie Kros Vogel.  He grew up on the farm and attended country school.  On February 26, 1946 Bill enlisted in the United States Army.  Bill was trained in the medical field at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and deployed to Italy.  Following his honorable discharge on October 12, 1947 he returned to the family farm in Iowa.  In 1948 Bill moved with his family to a farm near Iona, MN. 

On August 9, 1950 he and Evelyn Magnus were married at the Lime Lake Lutheran Church in Avoca, MN.  Following their marriage Bill worked for various farmers in the area until 1954 when he started farming on his own.  In 1963 they purchased a farm on the Des Moines River near Currie, MN.  Bill also worked for Cargill Elevator and Schmitz Grain in Currie for eight years all while farming, milking cows, raising cattle and hogs.  They retired from farming in 1993 but remained on the farm. 

Bill passed away on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at the Sanford Worthington Medical Center in Worthington, MN at the age of 84.  He was a charter member of the First Reformed Church in Slayton and helped build the first church.  Bill enjoyed spending time with family and friends, fishing, hunting, doing woodcrafts and just tinkering in his shed.

Survivors include his wife, Evelyn Vogel of Currie, MN, four children and their spouses, David and Amy Vogel of Burnsville, MN, Linda and Nick Domiano of Andover, MN, Bruce and Jeanne Vogel of Willmar, MN, and James and Kelli Vogel of Faribault, MN, one daughter-in-law, Jeannie Vogel of Nashville, TN, 14 grandchildren, Amy Jo (Larry) Glerum, Josh (Sarah) Vogel, Laura (Tony) Walker, Mitchell Domiano, Brian Domiano, Patrick Vogel, Chelsea Vogel, Trenton Vogel, Stephanie Vogel, Annie (Jake) Vickroy, Bobby Vogel, Stephen (Kaitlyn) Vogel, Matt Vogel and Mike Vogel,  19 great-grandchildren, one brother, John Vogel of Slayton, MN, and one sister, Minnie Schwartz and her husband, Roger of Gavin, MN. 

He is preceded in death by his parents, one son, Duane Vogel, three sisters, Pearl VanderNaald, Mina Kleinwolterink, and Margaret Hielkema, and one brother, Peter Vogel. 

To send condolences visit totzkefuneralhome.com.