Category Archives: Trona News

jan Ingram

Janice Ingram Wehrheim — Class of 1965

Janice Ingram Wehrheim passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 14th, 2021 in the early morning hours.

Janice was born September 27th, 1947 to Clifford and Helen Ingram in Bend, Oregon. Her family moved to Trona, California where she graduated from Trona High School in 1965. Janice retired in 2013 from the Searles Valley Mineral Plant.

Janice is survived by her husband Franklin Wehrheim, brother and sister-in-law Scott and Brenda Ingram, daughter and son-in-law Sara and Bill Lattimer, son and daughter-in-law Stevens and Amybeth Dustin, son and daughter-in-law Seth and CarolAnn Dustin, grandson and granddaughter-in-law Cris and Tami Fagan, grandson Joshua Fagan, grandson Miles Dustin, granddaughter Vivienne Dustin, and her dachshund, Diva. She will be dearly missed by family and friends.

No services to be held. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages a donation to your favorite local charity in remembrance of Janice.

https://www.ridgecrestca.com/obituaries/story-obituaries-2021-02-17-janice-ingram-wehrheim-6777174002

Ann (Pohan) Tankersley — Class of 1962

Ann passed away this morning, July 6, 2020 while living in San Diego. Early reports from local friends say she had a massive heart attack.

Alphretta Ann Pohan was born on January 21, 1945, in San Bernardino County, California, to Joseph and Georgia (Meader)  Pohan.  She married Joe Rodger Tankersley on June 21, 1996, in Fort Bend, Texas. She died on July 6, 2020, in San Diego, California, at the age of 75.

I will link to an actual obituary if and when one is posted.

 

2020 All Class Reunion Postponed to Fall of 2021

The Trona High School reunion originally scheduled for the end of October 2020 has been postponed until the fall of 2021.

The union committee decided to postpone the reunion until the fall of 2021. There were too many concerns about the pandemic and the school schedule not being finalized yet for us to continue planning to have it this year. Hopefully 2021 will bring a better, safer year.

John Young’s Band will still be playing at an alumni dance on 10/31/20.

We appreciate all the hard work the committee goes through every five years in order bring an occasion to reunite with old friends and classmates.

GEM-O-RAMA and Coronavirus

Yes, we still hope to have a Gem-O-Rama in 2020.  But right now it only looks 50/50 whether-or-not we will have a show. The only thing we know for certain is that we will be following orders from the CDC, State of California and San Bernardino County in making any decisions about allowing large gatherings of people, physical distancing, and doing frequent cleaning of venues.

In the absence of these goverment orders, we are uncertain how we may have to alter show activities. For example, we may have to limit attendance on certain activities to stay below maximum crowd size or ensure mandated physical distancing. There is also a possibility that we may have to cancel some activities for the same reasons.

More ….

Louann (Ford) Fouraker – Class of 1954

Louise (Louann) Ann Fouraker was born September 16, 1936 to Fred and Elsie Ford in Indianapolis, Indiana. She peacefully left the earth surrounded by many family members at her side on April 5, 2020.
Louise is survived by, Husband Don Fouraker, Brother Andy Ford (Amy), her children Rhonda Ewing (Ron), Russell Benson (Charlotte) and Ron Benson (Lisa). Grandchildren Blake Benson (Ashley), Kristen Benson, Bernadette Brown (Jaycob), Beatrice Benson, Amy Ewing, Chad Ewing, Tyler Mortimer and great grandchildren children, Tyler Ewing, Megan Ewing, Jaylin Benson, Raelyn Brown, Joelle Benson. She was proceeded by her granddaughter Jessica Benson.
Louise was very proud of her German heritage. This was evident in her immaculate housekeeping and organizational traits. She was able to make visits to Germany to see her Uncles, Aunts and cousins.
At a young age, Louise moved to Trona, California, with her family. There she enjoyed playing in her high school band. She recalled many stories about band trips and how the high school football field was sand, due to being in a desert. Home field advantage, she would say.
It was in the Trona area where she met her first husband, Ronald Benson. They married in 1955 and had their three children. Ron’s job had him transferring around many places, but in the mid 1960’s they ended up in Washington. This is where Louise called home.
In the 1970’s, she went to school to become a Licensed Practical Nurse. Her motivation was to earn extra money to be able to send her children to college. With her caring nature nursing was the perfect profession for her and she excelled at her job.
In 2003, Louise married Donald Fouraker. They enjoyed being part of many musical groups. This is evident when they would attend weekly jam sessions. Louise didn’t perform but loved listening as Don played and sang. Louise would help organize pot lucks and fund raisers for the groups.
Faith was extremely important to Louise and she embodied her Christian faith in the way she lived her life and treated others. She was very active at volunteering. This includes local food banks, St Vincent DePaul and many church functions through her parish, Holy Disciples Catholic Church. Louise enjoyed many hobbies and activities. She was always present for any of her children’s school or sporting events. She loved sewing, reading, hiking, gardening, and music to name a few.
Louise’s true passion was for her family and friends. She deeply loved her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. They all were her world. She never forgot a friend, even if it had been years. She remembered friends and would always reach out to them. She was the most non-judgmental person and this was shown by how she accepted everyone for who they were.
Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to, “Greater YMCA of Seattle Jessica Benson endowment fund” or “St Vincent DePaul.” Since Louise was a very giving person, you can also make a donation to an organization close to you with thoughts of Louise in your heart.

https://www.yahnandson.com/obituaries/Louise-Ann-Fouraker?obId=12614962#/obituaryInfo

David Cunningham — Class of 1974

There was a note on Facebook that David Cunningham, class of 1974. David was born February 21, 1955 and died March 30, 2019. According to his mother’s obituary David has two brothers; William and George; and one sister, Nancy. For some reason he was not among the list of members of the class of 1974 that I have. David is the son of William Cunningham and Fawn Eyre. The Eyre family were early (1940) residents of Randsberg and Borosalvay. Many  of the clan, which also include Petersons, Corbridges and Rollins still reside in the Trona-Ridgecrest area.