Obituaries for the week of 3/27/18

Trudy Gower

Born Edeltrud Ella Heck on Jan. 14, 1929 to Heinric and Katrina Heck in Heildberg, Germany. She passed away peacefully with her children by her side.

She spoke fluent English and German. In Germany, she met and later married, Richard Leon Gower. She was extremely proud of being married for 47 years until his death in 1995.

She raised four children while living in many different parts of the country, traveling with her husband in the U.S. Air Force for 24 years. They settled in the Bay Area, where she worked for 15 years as a nursing home assistant administrator.

After they retired they moved to Grass Valley and built a new home. They traveled to numerous classic car shows.

After her husband’s death, she remained in Grass Valley and became very active in the German-American Club. She enjoyed German dancing, music, German Singing Club, and her hiking group, hiking the Sierra Nevada’s.

She enjoyed picnicking and socializing with her fellow German-American friends. She continued to maintain her home, lawn, flowerbeds and especially her rose garden.

In April 2016, she moved to Susanville to be closer to her family members. She loved Lassen County skies and mountains, her new friends and staff at Eagle Lake Village.

She leaves behind her brother, Fritz (Anita) Heck and family, of Heildberg, Germany; her children, Rick Gower, of Concord, California; Robert Gower, of Susanville, California; Margaret Rose, of Pleasant Hill, California; Linda Julian, of Orange, Virginia; and ten grandchildren. She especially loved her 10 great-grandchildren.

Timothy Holabrid

Marshall Holabird Jr.

Timothy M. Holabird, age 77, of Doyle, succumbed after a long illness Tuesday, March 6, 2018. His parents, Tim and Mary Holabird, of Pasadena; his wife, Sharon and his brother Dennis, of Oregon preceded him in death.

He worked for Congressman Doug LaMalfa for the past three years as a Field Representative for Sierra, Plumas, Lassen and Modoc counties. He was responsible for the same counties the previous four years for Congressman Tom McClintock.

Tim was responsible for working with municipalities, county supervisors, the Forest Service, BLM, National Park Service and the Bureau of Reclamation. In addition, Tim helped constituents, businesses and ranchers with difficulties concerning the federal government. He traveled more than a quarter of a million miles during the past seven years representing these four counties. He was also an elected trustee of the Ft. Sage Unified School District for many years.

Prior to that, Tim was
involved in agriculture for 27 years in the midwest and the southwest ultimately moving to Doyle, California in 1997. There, he and his wife bought a ranch.

Tim, a Navy Veteran, has been active politically the majority of his adult life. He began as a Young Republican in Los Angeles County helping to consolidate precinct organizations, run candidate Town Hall meetings and other public events. He became a member of the Lassen County Republican Central Committee in the 1990’s and was chairman for several years.

In recent years, the committee has more than doubled in size bringing in many new members. The committee has become an active supporter of the state party and now participates in all state conventions.

A Celebration of Life will be held in Susanville on Thursday, March 29, 2018 at Walton’s Colonial Chapel at 2 p.m. followed by a reception with family and friends at the American Legion in Susanville. His internment will be in the family plot at the San Gabriel Cemetery.

Leah Faye Bendix

Leah Faye Bendix went to be with the Lord on Friday, March 16, 2018 in Round Rock, Texas, where she had resided for the last six years. She was born in La Verne, California on July 29, 1928. Leah Faye moved to Susanville in 1976 and together, with her former husband, Harold L. Anderson, built a lovely home in Lake Forest. Harold passed away in 1994. She married Richard (Dick) Bendix on May 22, 1998, in New Orleans, Louisiana, while on an Elder Hostel trip.

Leah Faye was a dedicated mother and grandmother and an amazing homemaker. Leah Faye loved spending time outdoors; camping, hunting and fishing with Dick. She loved gardening and always had beautiful flowers blooming in their yard in Lake Forest. Leah Faye enjoyed watching car races, both at the local county fair and attending NASCAR races in Las Vegas.

Leah Faye was a member of the Community Church of Susanville for many years. She was also a member of the Monticola Club for several years where she was the club historian assembling scrapbooks of the club activities. Dick and Leah Faye enjoyed their fifth wheel RV, traveling across the country and making several trips to Texas to visit her son Jason and family. They thoroughly enjoyed cruising and dancing aboard ship, as they sailed to many ports-of-call including; Mexico, Alaska, Panama Canal, Mediterranean, Europe, Tahiti, Hawaii and the Caribbean.

Leah Faye is survived by her husband, Dick Bendix, of Susanville, California; her brother John Huie, of Claremont, California; daughter, Cheryl Billings, of Prineville, Oregon; daughter, Kathy Emerson, of Prineville, Oregon; son and daughter-in-law, Jason and Beth Anderson, of Leander, Texas; daughter and son-in-law, Darlene and Frank Schobel, of Janesville, California; and son and daughter-in-law, John and Dee Longbow, of Hot Springs, Montana; grandchildren, Jamie Colleran, of Guerneville, California; Jesse Curtis, of Durant, Oklahoma; Michelle Anderson, of Gilroy, California; Jennifer Allen, of Culver, Oregon; Candace Wilson, of Janesville, California: Frankie Neil-Schobel, of Susanville, California; Ana and Elijah Anderson, of Leaner, Texas; and many more great-grandchildren.

A graveside service for the family will be held on April 26, 2018 at Rose Hills Memorial Park located in Whittier, California. Leah Faye will join other family members in the family plot.

Family and friends whose lives Leah Faye has touched are invited to the Community Church, located at 1400 Numa Road, April 29, 2018 at 3 p.m. for a celebration of her life, with a reception to follow.

The family has requested

in lieu of flowers to make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association using the following link: tinyurl.com/LFBendix.

Virgil Simon

Virgil Simon passed away at home with his loving wife Ann and his sister Linda at his side on March 21, 2018.

Virgil was born May 21, 1932 in Westmoreland, Kansas. The family moved to Westwood, California when he was five years old. He was a long time Lassen County resident, moving to Susanville in 1990.

Virgil was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1956, after shich time he completed an apprenticeship as a machinist. He was a machinist for 37 years. He retired from Sierra Army Depot at Herlong, California.

He was an avid outdoors man. He and his wife enjoyed many camping/hunting trips for big game in many of the western states.

Together, Virgil and Ann share a love of hunting for upland game with their beloved bird dogs, as well as bass fishing.

Virgil was a long time member of the NRA, a life member to B.A.S.S., and a life member of North American Hunting Club.

He was preceded in death by his father, Leo Frank Simon and his mother, Esther; brother, Bobby; sisters, Leota, Verla, Joy and Margie.

He is survived by his wife Ann of almost 40 years; his sister, Linda Walterschield; stepsons, Jeff and Adam Cantrell, of Chester and Brett Cantrell, of Janesville; three step grandsons and two step granddaughters; two step great-grandsons; also numerous nieces and nephews.

Memorial Services to include Military Honors will be held on April 8, 2018 at 1:00 PM at the Westwood Community Center, located at Third and Birch Street. Interment will take place in the Veterans Section of the Westwood Cemetery. An opportunity to express your condolences to the family along with signing the memorial guest register is available online at .fehrmanmortuary.com.