Kim passed away October 9, 2014 at 8:10 am. he was 75 year old. He was in the Mesa View Hospital here in Mesquite, NV for two days, then transferred to the Dixie Regional Hospital in St. George, UT for a Ten day stay and then transferred to a Skilled Nursing Center also in St. George for nine days.
Jolene Ankers
November 14, 1938 – September 20, 2014
Jolene Ankers passed away peacefully in her sleep at home on Saturday, September 20th, 2014.
Born in Trona, California on November 14th, 1938, Jolene was the first born child to Neal and Coila Swearingen, and later a sister, Susan. Jolene attended the University of Nevada from 1956 through 1962, getting married and having two daughters during this time. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Education. She was a teacher in Washoe County for 28 years. During retirement, Jolene enjoyed traveling the country.
Jolene is survived by her husband, Richard Ankers, her daughters, Karyn and Krystin, her grandchildren, Jessyca, Kelcie, Kyle and Kenna, her great-grandchildren, Avery and Greyson, and her dogs, Yogi and Manley.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, October 11th, 2014, at The Coney Island Bar and Grill at 2:00pm. – See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/rgj/obituary.aspx?pid=172578431#sthash.zEfotJig.dpuf
I heard of Tony’s death on Facebook. I have no details except that the family needs money to help with the funeral expenses. For more information search for SPAGHETTI FUNDRAISER FOR DYE FAMILY on Facebook. There is also a message from his family on his Facebook page.
Freddie Carrasco, Class of ’58 passed away May 20, 2014. No details.
George Sherman adds:
Freddie was a great guy. His sister, Josephine (Carrasco) Sepulveda, was in my class (1956) and passed away a few years ago. He married Monica Wheeler of the Trona High School class of 1957. I believe they were living in Ridgecrest.
Bill Schuette adds:
I am so sorry to hear about Freddie.
He was in my Trona Class from the second grade on. He was the best speaker in Miss Delores M. Sandeen second grade class. I worked with Freddie at Van Dyke Motors during the last couple of years at Trona High School. He was a man of many desires and passions, and was always friendly and considerate of others.
This is a great loss for the class of ’58.
Update: Jess passed away March 29, 2023. The following was put together in 2014:
No, Jess didn’t die. Unfortunately that is how most of my fellow alumni make it to these pages. Maybe this will be a new trend for me, creating posts about living people.
I’ve been wanting to write something about Jess for a long time, ever since he sent me the short book he put together about living on Mojave Street. I put it off and then almost forgot but then yesterday Linda Monroe reminded me about what a great story Jess would make. I guess that is the problem. I’m not sure I can do his story justice. I’m going to do my best and come back and revise it when the mood strikes me.
Jess graduated from Trona High School in 1959. His accomplishments make me feel very humble about my own life.
The information attached to the video above and the video say it better than I ever could:
An instructor of life modeling and 3-D design at SDSU for more than 25 years, Jess Dominguez’s work can be seen all over campus.
The War Memorial at Aztec Green, the statue of President Black near the Old Quad and a relief at the Lipinsky Tower are all his creations. He is volunteering his time and talent for the Coryell bust project.
“I want to keep doing things for the university as long as I can contribute,” he said, “and this one is very special.”
Last year, Dominguez sculpted a bust of football coach Don Coryell. (http://universe.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscen…)
Dominguez said sculpture is intended to be more representational than literal. It should capture a subject’s essence more than a literal likeness that, for example, a figure in a wax museum might represent.
“It’s not supposed to look like a death mask, it’s supposed to look like a sculpture with tool marks and imperfections,” he said.
Before Dominguez casts a final version of a sculpture he tries to have family members or someone close to the subject approve the work.
Jess has come a long way from that house that was on the other side of the tracks on Mojave Street where his family once lived. When I talked to Jess he reminded me of the salted jelly candy that my dad would bring home from work. I didn’t know it but Jess told me that AP&CC would give the candy to the workers. He said that some of the men in the plant would throw their candy over the fence to the kids that were playing on Mojave Street. If I had known that I might have gotten to know Jess much sooner. I loved that salty candy.
Actually I was forbidden by my mother to visit Mojave Street. At that time racism still had a strong hold on the minds of many Americans, including my mother. It wasn’t so much racism as a lack of understanding.
Jess’s book about Trona tells about how his father would find remnants of grain in boxcars that they would sweep up and use as feed for their chickens and how his mother would pass food through a hole in the plant fence so her husband could have a warm lunch at work. Or maybe that was from when we talked?
He also gives credit to his art teacher Lois Pratt for encouraging him to continue with his art. Jess is making a bronze plaque now for the Centennial which will incorporate high points in Trona, like Austin Hall and Valley Wells.
I didn’t know Jess very well. The Dominguez that I knew and that I looked up to at the time was Jess’s older brother, Ernesto. Ernesto was one of my brother’s best friends and since I always looked up to my older brother he and and all his friends were heros in my eyes.
I reserve the right to come back and revise this as I feel the need and I can truly say I’m sorry for postponing writing this for so long.
For more about Jess read:
Barbara (Jessup) Hansen, died January 21, 2014. She was in the class of 1960. This news came my way in an email from Curtis Hansen. No services are planed. I will post further details if I become aware of them.
She’s gone. Lynn Walters, my best friend of over 60 years passed away about an hour ago. She taught me how to Live, she taught me to be Love, she taught me how to die, and this world has a great big hole in it right now.
Posted on Facebook this morning (Jan 14, 2014) by Andrea L. Leonardi
Marian (Steger) Micallef passed away in her residence on January 9, 2014. Marian is survived by her four children, Debbie Neumann, Kevin Micallef, Mark Micallef and Sharon Eaton. She also had five beautiful grandchildren and one great grandson. Marian was preceded in death by her husband Jack, who passed in 2007. Together they enjoyed 50 years of marriage, retirement, traveling and most of all golfing. She was a loving wife and mother. She will be missed. For service information please go to: www.murrietavalleyfuneralhome.com
Published in Press-Enterprise on Jan. 14, 2014
Marian was the homecoming queen in her senior year. Looking at her senior picture I can see why.
Gerald Birdwell (class of ’60) died Jan 13, 2014 after an illness of several months. No details are available at this point as to services. Bob Birdwell (THS ’64) called to notify friends.
[edited 16 Jan 2024]
Jerry was born on 10 Feb 1942 in Long Beach, CA to Dayton and Dorothy Birdwell.
Jerry spent some years in the full-time ministry and attended a special school for Jehovah’s Witnesses for those in full-time service. He was a Jehovah’s Witness for 51 years.
His hobbies were country music and computers. He loved to travel. I his later years, he took up barbecuing.
He was preceded in death by his parents Dayton and Dorothy Birdwell.
Jerry is survived by his wife Penny Birdwell of Ridgecrest, CA, stepson Jeff Teal of Grand Rapids, MI, sister Aleta Brown of Trona, CA, brothers Robert Birdwell of Ridgecrest and Michael Birdwell of Trona, brother-in-law Harold Brown of Trona, sister-in-law Melody Birdwelll of Ridgecrest and a host of nieces and nephews to the third generation.
Published The News Review, Ridgecrest, CA 22 Jan 2014
Shirley (Thurston) Griffin class of 1959 passed away on Jan 5, 2014. Shirley was called to Heaven after a long battle with lymphoma. She was born in Trona on Oct 23 1940 and attended school until she was in high school when her parents, Vernon (Ming or Salty) and Mickey sent her to a Christian boarding school. After she was married her family resided in Trona or Ridgecrest on and off through the years.
Shirley Irene Thurston was born on October 23, 1940 in Trona, California to Vernon Samuel and Mickey (Mescal) Eunice Thurston.
Shirley showed her leadership and faith in God at an early age. She was the first Christian in her family and began attending the Foursquare Church in Trona, by herself at age 12. Through her example, her parents and sister came to know Christ.
She attended elementary school in Trona, the Seventh Day Adventist Jr. High in Ridgecrest, then Trona High School through her sophomore high school year. Shirley then attended a Christian boarding school in Clovis, California; West Coast Bible School, where she graduated High School in 1958.
Shirley was active in the community and in her school. She enjoyed Swimming, Basketball, Choir, Track/field and was an accomplished pianist.
She met Jerry Leroy Griffin at their church and then married this man who was to be the love of her life on January 1, 1962 at age 20 in the Church of God in Ridgecrest.
Shirley and Jerry pastored several small Church of God congregations in Victorville, California; Oroville, California; Yreka, California, Metlakatla, Alaska; Mount Pleasant, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; Westwood, California; Yuma, Arizona; ending their pastorate positions at Woodburn, Oregon. In Westwood, she was only a few hours from receiving her solo pilot’s license to fly an airplane. What a shame she wasn’t able to finish that great adventure. During a visit to Alaska in 2010, one of the members of the small Metlakatla, Alaska church remembered her. They spent over an hour reminiscing over old times and the fact that Jerry and Shirley facilitated the purchase of the land where the current church still worships.
Shirley had an independent spirit all throughout her life. Starting as a child, she hiked all over the desert surrounding Trona. She made many trips with friends, family and on her own. She hiked the Sierra Mountains for two weeks by herself and traveled to China alone with a tour group and managed to ditch them along the way to see the sites she was interested in. She took thousands of pictures from all over the world, documenting her life of amazing adventures.
At the time of her death she was attending Capital Christian Center in Sacramento, CA. Shirley had an amazing capacity to love that was evident to all who met her. She immediately accepted and loved every inherited grandchild when her sons remarried. She was always careful to keep family close with her children’s respective spouses. Shirley’s pure demonstration of love touched the hearts of all who knew her. She finished the race of life with confidence and love for Jesus Christ, thankful for the saving grace of her Lord.
She is survived by her sister, Carol Dian (Dee) Burdine, daughter Janice, sons Vernon and Jerry, 11 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren, 5 nieces, 1 nephew, 17 great nieces and nephews and 2 great great nephews along with infinite extended family and friends.