Author Archives: David Stevens

Eric Chandler — Class of 1954

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Eric Chandler
Eric Chandler

June 24, 1936 ~ June 16, 2017


Eric was born Eric Robert Joseph Schumacher to Erie Hester Price Schumacher and Robert William Schumacher in Cincinnati, Ohio. Before the age of three, his father died in a work related accident. His mother subsequently married Bernard Leroy Chandler, who adopted him. His name was formally changed to Eric Edward Chandler August 5,1941

Eric graduated from Trona High School in southern California where he was raised, and went onto the University of Cincinnati. He graduated from Ohio State University with a major in education and a minor in mathematics.He married Pearl Josephine Galloway October 20, 1956, who gave him his daughter, Sherry Lynn Chandler. They were divorced January 20, 1967. Two subsequent marriages followed: Susan Trieschman, married Feb. 2, 1969, Clark County, NV, and Peggy Kay Schiffer, married August 25, 1979, Clark County, NV., before he married Tanya Marie Veater Sargent, a widow with three grown children, in Duchesne, Utah on July 16, 2004.

His love of flying was well known. He joined the U.S. Air Force and flew  reconnaissance missions daily for nearly a year in Viet Nam. He also trained pilots at Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas for three years. After his discharge, he flew 18 years for Western Airlines and United Airlines until he retired due to medical problems. That did not stop his flying; he got his own plane, and made it on the pages of the Deseret News when he had engine failure, and made a landing on a sand-bar on the Great Salt Lake. Eric was type rated in DC 10, Boeing 727, 737, and for the Air Force: F100 & F86 jet aircraft.Other employment included substitute teaching in the Los Angeles, California area high schools, and algebra to beginning college students. Later, when he made his home in Salt Lake, he taught airplane and powerplant mechanics at the Salt Lake City Community College.

Preceding him in death were his parents, and one infant grandson, Dallas Packer. Eric leaves behind his wife Tanya, daughter Sherry Packer, sister Penny Nielson (Dell Ray), and brother Jerome Chandler (Connie). Also surviving him is grandson, Sean Packer (Amanda), and one great-grandson Brady Packer; granddaughter Jamie Packer, and several nieces and nephews. He also leaves Tanya’s family, whom he has been very close to. Tanya’s daughter Staci Thornton, and her daughter Tiffany (Matt Watson), and her daughters, Brynn and Bailey Crocker: Shana Gardner (Jon); and Sheline Miller (Kurt), and more nieces and nephews from her side of the family.Eric requested cremation, and asked that his ashes be scattered with those of his parents in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Oahu. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.


Published by Deseret News on Jun. 25, 2017.

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James Dean Parsons — Class of 1967

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James died on August 17, 2021. His brother died two days earlier. Our hearts go out to his family.

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/lompocrecord/obituary.aspx?n=james-parsons&pid=199912687&fhid=24124

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Diana (Badders) Weaver — Class of 1961

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Diana (Dyna) loved so many things about life, but she loved taking road trips most of all, when on the hot afternoon of Saturday, June 17, 2017 she decided to take her final road trip home, without a doubt taking a detour thru Yellowstone on the way. When she arrived at the garden in the sky she was greeted by her husband Jimmy Weaver (2013) and son James Weaver(1986) who preceded her in death. Surviving her is her daughter Deborah Striplin, granddaughter Elizabeth Allen, grandson James Striplin Jr., sister Sue, brother Preston and extended family.

Diana was born in Reno, Nevada, moving to Southern California during her youth, with the family later returning to Nevada, where she spent the rest of her years. Battle Born she was, and loved living in Northern Nevada enjoying all its beauty. Diana retired from Bank of America and was very active with the Nevada State Fair volunteering many years in the exhibit halls.

Find a Grave

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Bronwyn (Hanney) Grissom — Class of 1968

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Bronwyn (Hanney) Grissom

On April 23, 2021 Bronwyn died as the result of a tragic accident when the truck she was a passenger in went off the road. I believe her husband was the driver and was also injured.

Bronwyn was born on Jun 23, 1950 to Cyerl and Nell Hanney. Cyrel was the Episcopal priest, in Trona in the 1960’s. Bronwyn graduated from Trona High School in 1968. After high school she attended the Los Angeles County Medical Center School of Nursing. In 1971 she married Paul Grisson.

Bronwyn had an older sister, Gwyn (Hanney) Wotring , who was in the class of 1966 and a younger brother, Derwyn, in the class 1971. Their Father died in 1981.

April 23, 2021

Authorities say 70-year-old Idaho resident Bronwyn Grissom was riding passenger in a Toyota Tundra heading northbound when the truck drifted off the right edge of the road for roughly 415 feet before hitting a steep earth embankment, bringing the truck to a complete stop.

The unnamed driver and Grissom were taken Converse County Memorial Hospital before Grissom was taken to Wyoming Medical Center in Casper. She died en route to Casper.

According to the report, driver fatigue and/or falling asleep are being investigated as contributing factors.

The extent of the driver’s injuries has not been specified. The road was dry and the weather was clear. Thursday’s crash marks Wyoming’s 27th highway fatality in 2021. At this point last year, there were 22.

Jeanne Murrin tried to leave me a message about this back in May. I’m sorry I missed it.

Read More: Person Killed In I-25 Crash Thursday Identified | https://k2radio.com/person-killed-in-i-25-crash-thursday-identified/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

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Trona Tornado

All Class Reunion 2022

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As many of you know the Trona High School alumni generally hold an all class reunion every five years. If it had not been for COVID-19 there would have been a reunion in 2020. The reunion committee decided it would be best to postpone it until 2021, however, since COVID-19 is still a concern the committee decided to postpone it one more year until the fall of 2022.

I am a member of the graduating class of 1961. There were about 19 or 20 graduating classes that came before us and 60 that came after us. That now seems pretty amazing to me. My sister, Patricia, graduated in 1953. I can remember some of her friends and the friends of my brother, Joel, who graduated in 1956. I can remember about 90% of the class of 1961 and just a handful of underclass-mates that were in school at the same time I was.

I guess my point is that there are a heck of a lot of alumni that I don’t know and I’m pretty sure the same is true of everyone else. It is seems almost unbelievable that there are people that are willing to put in the hard work of making all class reunions happen. With any luck in 2022 we will all be able to get together again with the people we know and maybe meet some of the ones we never knew.

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Kenneth Franklin Hall — Class of 1961

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Kenneth Franklin Hall (1943-2019)

Kenneth Hall

I recently learned that Ken, my classmate and friend, passed away and is buried in Trona. Ken and I spent a lot of time together when we were growing up. He died April 6, 2019 in Birmingham, Alabama.

Ken was born 10 January 1943. He was the son of Carl Tyre Hall (1901-1965) and Nora May Hall (1913-2002). Both of his parents are also buried in Trona. He had a sister, Virginia, and two brothers, Carl and Richard, who also attended Trona High School.

After graduating Ken attended Brigham Young University for two years and while there he decided to interrupt his education and become a missionary for the LDS church in Chile for two and half years. After he returned from Chile he planned on getting a college deferment so he could continue his education, however, the LDS church failed to forward the letters the draft board was sending him and they had him listed as a draft dodger. This made him ineligible for a deferment and moved him to the top of the list to be drafted.

His only other option was to enlist. I suggested that he try to get into the National Guard or reserves. The only reserves that will still taking enlistments at that time was the the Marine Corp Reserve. When he went to talk to the recruiter the recruiter convinced him that a 3 year enlistment would be better than 6 years in the reserve, I only heard from him once after he left for boot camp.

After being discharged from the Marines he returned to BYU to finish his education.He got married in1969 and settled down in Birmingham, Alabama.

Someone else will have to fill in the rest of his life story from there.

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Jennifer (Corrion) Smith — Class of 1974

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Jennifer Corrion Smith, 65, of Bozeman, MT passed away at home on July 22, 2021, due to natural causes. She was born on June 7, 1956, in Trona, CA where she grew up and graduated from Trona High School in 1974.

After college graduation at Loyola Marymount as an English major, she and Jim were married in 1979 and lived in Davis, CA where Jennifer obtained her teaching credential. In 1984, after several moves around the country including Texas, Wyoming, and Cut Bank, MT, Jennifer and Jim settled in Bozeman. Jennifer had a great interest in children and taught pre-school for many years at Learning Circle Montessori and later Highland Montessori schools. She also ran a computer services business from 2002 until about 2012.

Jennifer was an avid hiker and dog lover and could often be seen on the trails and at parks around Bozeman where she met and befriended many other hikers. She will be deeply missed by her family, fellow outdoor enthusiasts, her friends, and extended family across the country.

Jennifer is survived by her husband, Jim Smith, of Bozeman; her daughter, Kallie Smith, of Salt Lake City; her son, Drew Smith (Abbi Dayton); and by her granddaughter, Audrey Smith, of Louisville, CO. Jennifer is also survived by her brother, Gregory Corrion, of Trona, CA; and by Jim’s brothers and sisters in California and Utah.

Jennifer was preceded in death by her parents, Maury and Phyllis Corrion; and by her sister, Barbara Sherman.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, September 10, from 3:00 to 6:00 P.M. at the Lindley Center located at 1102 East Curtiss Street in Bozeman.

https://www.dokkennelson.com/obituaries/Jennifer-Corrion-Smith?obId=21913330

 

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Paul Edward Billingsley — Class of 1961

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I was contacted by Paul’s son who notified me of his passing.

Paul had an older brother David in the class of 1959 and a younger brother Robert in the class of 1962. Paul passed away in his sleep on June 23, 2021 in his home in Vacacville, CA. The cause of death was Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease and Pulmonary Emphysema. He had only one child and 2 grandchildern. He will be missed.

I’ve always had a great deal of respect for Paul and am deeply saddened by the news.  I express my sincere sympathy to his son and the rest of his family.

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Keith R. Schofield — Class of 1961

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We just received word of Keith’s death. We believe he died in May of 2021. He was living in California City at the time.  Keith went to school in Trona from the fourth grade to the tenth. He moved between his sophomore and junior year and later returned to Trona and worked in the plant for several years. Keith was the son of Raymond (1910-1999) and Theresa (Hicks) Schofield (1912-2008). Raymond worked as an engineer for AP&CC.

Keith had two older sisters who also went to Trona High school, Nadeen (1939-2006), who was in the class of 1957 and Donnarae who was in the class of 1959.

We are sorry to hear of Keith’s passing and wish to express our deepest sympathies to his friends and family.