Mardene Weinrich Keveren
April 20, 1935 – Sept. 26, 2018
Mardene Weinrich Keveren was born April 20, 1935 in Conrad, Montana, to Harvey and Norma Weinrich. When she was just 8 years old, both of her parents passed away. Mardene, her older brother Tommy and younger sister, Lue Jeanne, were taken in and raised by her Aunt Leta and Uncle Edwin Crook, adding to the three children of their own, to make an extended group of six children.
In 1948 the family moved to Coburg, Oregon. Mardene graduated from Coburg High School in 1953 and then earned a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from Oregon College of Education in Monmouth.
Mardene taught school in Portland for one year before heading off on an adventure to Alaska to teach school at Ft. Greely Army base. It was there she met her future husband, Bob, who was in the dental corps on base. When Bob had fulfilled his military obligation, they returned to the lower 48 and were married Aug. 21, 1960. They settled in Vale, where he began his dental practice and she began a year of teaching.
Bob and Mardene were blessed with three sons; Phillip, David and John. David passed away in 1969. Mardene was a stay-at-home mom until the boys were both in school, although she continued to substitute teach over the next 20 years.
After Bob’s retirement in 1993, they spent 10 glorious summers traveling in Alaska in their Chevy Suburban, fishing and making many good memories along the way. Mardene was a member of the Willow Creek Community Church, Thalian and P.E.O.
Mardene is survived by her husband, Robert; sons, Phillip and Lisa (Franklin, Tennessee) and John and Jami, and grandsons Tommy and Josh (Franklin); granddaughter Lindsay and Nathan Rickard (Wilmore, Kentucky); grandson Sean and Mary, and great-grandson Charlie (Franklin); and sister and brother-in-law Jann and Lue Jeanne Carpenter, Wash.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Oct. 13 at the Willow Creek Community Church.
Deaths:
Anthony J. Petersen, 55, of Ontario, died Oct. 5 at his home. Haren-Wood Funeral Chapel, Ontario.
Melvin Johnson Cardon, 87, of Ontario, died Oct. 3 at his home. Lienkaemper Chapel, Ontario.
Dalton J. Surmeier, 89, of Fruitland, died Oct. 3 at a local care facility. Lienkaemper Chapel, Ontario.
Dennis Dwane Daugherty, 62, of Adrian, died Oct. 4 at his home. Lienkaemper Chapel, Nyssa.
Allyssa Jeannette Stark, 26, of Ontario, died Oct. 4 at her home. Lienkaemper Chapel, Ontario.
Donna Prough, 77, of Ontario, died Oct. 6 at her home. Lienkaemper Chapel, Ontario.
Dorothy L. Johnson, 92 of Ontario died October 6 at a local care facility. Lienkaemper Chapel, Ontario.
LEARN HOW TO PLACE AN OBITUARY: Contact Autumn Butler, Enterprise office manager, at [email protected] or call 514-473-3377.