Obituaries for April 13, 2001

Friday, April 13, 2001 | 9:01 a.m.

Barbara Jean 'BJ' Bilyeu

Barbara Jean "BJ" Bilyeu, 70, of Las Vegas died Wednesday in Las Vegas. She was born Sept. 2, 1930, in Pawhuska, Okla. A resident for 16 years, she was a retired banking operations officer, member of the Order of the Eastern Star and past president of Business Professional Women's Association.

She is survived by two sons, John Bilyeu of Anchorage, Alaska, and Rick Bilyeu of Las Vegas; one daughter, Jodie Brown of Salem, Ore.; her mother, Lucille Whitley of Silverton, Ore.; one sister, Caltha Lou Combs of Salem; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Visitation is scheduled 3-7 p.m. today in Palm Mortuary, 1600 S. Jones Blvd. and 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. services Saturday in Spring Valley Baptist Church, 3135 S. Rainbow Blvd. Palm Mortuary, 7400 W. Cheyenne Ave., is handling arrangements.

The family suggests donations to the Spring Valley Baptist Church, 3135 S. Rainbow Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89146.

Ray C. Blair

Ray C. Blair, 79, of Henderson died Wednesday in Henderson. He was born Nov. 4, 1921, in Brookfield, Ohio. A resident for four years, he was a retired group leader for a transformer manufacturing company and a World War II and Korean War Army veteran.

He is survived by his wife, Betty; two daughters, Linda Miller of Las Vegas and Karen Rudge of Hermitage, Pa.; five sisters, Wilda Bresnahan of Clark, Pa., Gloria Tomko of Sharon, Pa., and Lois Rowe, Phyllis Lynch and Barbara Douds, all of Hermitage, Pa.; one brother, James Blair of Greenfield, Pa.; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Visitation is scheduled 1:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. services Saturday in Palm Mortuary, 800 S. Boulder Highway, Henderson.

The family requests donations to the Bill Rudge Ministries, P.O. Box 108, Sharon, PA 16146-0108.

Michael Craig Brown

Michael Craig Brown, 33, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in Las Vegas. He was born Sept. 22, 1967, in Los Angeles. A longtime resident, he was a disc jockey/ promoter

He is survived by his wife, Tamara; and his parents, Charles and Marlene Brown, both of Denver.

No services are scheduled at this time. Burial will be in Denver. Hites Funeral Services, 438 W. Sunset Road, Henderson, is handling arrangements.

Doris Cordova

Doris Cordova, 65, of Las Vegas died Wednesday in a local care center. She was born June 6, 1935, in Missouri. A resident for 30 years, she was a homemaker.

She is survived by her husband, Augustin; three sons, Tom, John Augustin and Dennis; one daughter, Rose Marie; and four grandchildren.

Visitation is scheduled 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. services Saturday in Desert Memorial Cremation and Burial Society, 1111 Las Vegas Blvd. North. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery.

Marklyn Engelfried

Marklyn Engelfried, 71, of Las Vegas died March 29 in a local hospital. She was born April 13, 1929, in Detroit. A resident for 12 years, she worked in public relations for the Mirage Corp. and was a voice volunteer for Santa Claus for Opportunity Village.

She is survived by one daughter, Sandra Bristow; one brother, Richard Madalena of Polashish, Texas; and two grandchildren.

No services are scheduled. Neptune Society of Nevada, 1111 Las Vegas Blvd. North, Building 5, handled arrangements.

The family suggests donations to Opportunity Village, 10 Coolidge Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89101.

Harold Dwain Fraley

Harold Dwain Fraley, 56, of Las Vegas died Sunday in Las Vegas. He was born July 6, 1944, in Riverside, Calif. A resident for 30 years, he was a maintenance worker in the health care industry.

He is survived by his wife, Glenys; two sons, Brian Fraley of Marina Valley, Calif., and Brent Fraley of Las Vegas; his parents, Lawrence and Elise Fraley, both of Marina Valley, Calif.; one sister, Wanda Joslan of Marina Valley; and one grandchild.

Services are private. Bunkers Mortuary, 925 Las Vegas Blvd. North, handled arrangements.

William Richards Gibbs

William Richards Gibbs, 78, of Las Vegas died Sunday in Las Vegas. He was born April 15, 1922, in California. A resident for 28 years, he was a film and television stage carrier and a member of the Round Table, Dula Gym and the Senior Citizens Center.

He is survived by one daughter, Deborah Whitlock and Lydia Nanette Olchoff; and three grandchildren.

Desert Memorial Cremation and Burial Society, 1111 Las Vegas Blvd. North, handled arrangements.

Kenneth Earl Glover

Kenneth Earl Glover, 40, of Las Vegas died Thursday in Las Vegas. He was born Dec. 2, 1960, in Texas. A longtime resident, he was a CPR trainer.

He is survived by his parents, James W. Glover and Laverne Williams, both of Houston.

No local services scheduled. Burial will be in Houston. Hites Funeral Services, 438 W. Sunset Road, Henderson.

George B. Guggenheim

George B. Guggenheim, 71, of Las Vegas died April 2 in Las Vegas. He was born Nov. 15, 1929, in Rochester, N.Y. A resident for 11 1/2 years, he was a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service and a Marine Corps veteran.

He is survived by his wife, Lorene; one son, Giavonte Promise Guggenheim, and three daughters, Lorene O. Guggenheim, Destiny B. Guggenheim and Franchesca R. Guggenheim, all of Las Vegas; and one sister, Margie Sabbath of Rochester, N.Y.

Graveside services were scheduled 10 a.m. today in Eden Vale Cemetery. Bunkers Mortuary, 925 Las Vegas Blvd. North, handled arrangements.

Roslyn J. Green

Roslyn J. Green, 57, of Henderson died Wednesday in a local hospice. She was born Aug. 12, 1943, in Chicago. A resident for three years, she was a retired manicurist company owner/operator.

She is survived by three sons, Scott Goldberg of Chicago, Michael Goldberg of Huntington Beach, Calif., and Adam Goldberg of Manhattan Beach, Calif.; one brother, David Goldman of Deerfield, Ill.; and two grandchildren.

Services were 1 p.m. today in Palm Mortuary, 7600 S. Eastern Ave.

The family suggests donations to the Susan G. Kolman Breast Cancer Foundation, 4850 W. Flamingo Road, Suite 27, Las Vegas, NV 89103.

Elaine Heller

Elaine Heller, 71, of Las Vegas died March 22 in a local hospice. She was born Sept. 10, 1929, in New York City. A resident for 10 years, she was a secretary/ receptionist in the telephone surveys and marketing industry.

She is survived by her husband, Harold; one daughter, Susan Raboy of Hyde Park, N.Y.; one brother, Steven Kurland, and one sister, Helen Greenberg, both of Allentown, Pa.

No local services scheduled. Nevada Funeral Service, 2983 Fremont St., handled arrangements.

The family suggests donations to the Multiple Sclerosis Association, 6000 S. Eastern Ave., Suite 5C, Las Vegas, NV 89119.

Richly R. Hirsch

Richly R. Hirsch, 60, of Tillamook, Ore., died Thursday in Portland. He was born Nov. 25, 1940, in Carlsbad, N.M. A former resident of Las Vegas, he was an accountant, a journeyman electrician and a member of the IBEW.

He is survived by one daughter, Lashawn Bollenbach of Bartlesville, Okla.; one son, Jay A. Small of Tulsa, Okla.; one sister, June Parker of Weatherford, Texas; one brother, Ray Small of Las Vegas; and two grandchildren.

North Valley Funeral Alternatives in Wilsonville, Ore., handled arrangements.

Betty Lou Hoover

Betty Lou Hoover, 73, of Laughlin died Sunday in Laughlin. She was born April 13, 1927, in Long Beach, Calif. A resident for 17 years, she was a retail salesperson.

She is survived by two daughters, Leah Huffman of Troy, Mont., and Melanie Hoover of Libby, Mont.; two sons, George Hoover of Reno and Hal Hoover of Laughlin; eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be 11 a.m. Saturday in Palm Mortuary, 7600 S. Eastern Ave. Burial will be private.

David Milford Irons

David Milford Irons, 70, of Las Vegas died Saturday in Las Vegas. He was born March 25, 1931, in Staten Island, N.Y. A resident for 11 years, he was an air traffic controller for the Federal Aviation Administration for 10 years, a Vietnam War Navy veteran and a member of the U.S. Navy Fleet Reserve.

He is survived by his wife, Elaine; two daughters, Jacki-Marie Irons and Terry Irons, both of Las Vegas; one brother, Thomas Irons of Blairstown, N.J.; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Services are private. Nevada Funeral Service, 2983 Fremont St., handled arrangements.

Raymond Paul Johnson

Raymond Paul Johnson, 84, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in Las Vegas. He was born Dec. 19, 1916, in Muscadine, Ala. A resident for 61 years, he was a railroad conductor for Union Pacific Railroad for 50 years and a member of the Pacific Challenger Club.

He is survived by his wife, Marie; one son, Jeffrey of Gilbert, Ariz.; three stepdaughters, Maureen Smith, Linda Olenslager and Jeanne Warburton, all of Las Vegas; two sisters, Ruth Roth of Eureka, Calif., and Doris Swanson of Kansas City, Mo.; 28 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.

Visitation is scheduled 1 p.m. until 2 p.m. services Saturday in the 1st Ward LDS Church at 8th and Franklin. Burial will be in Bunker Memory Gardens. Bunkers Mortuary, 925 Las Vegas Blvd. North.

Michael Earl Knipes

Michael Earl Knipes, 44, of Las Vegas died Thursday in Las Vegas. He was born Aug. 1, 1956, in Fort Worth, Texas. A resident for 36 years, he was a manager for a car wash company and a member of the Boy Scouts of America.

He is survived by two sons, Michael E. Knipes and Andrew R. Knipes, one daughter, Melissa L. Knipes, and his parents, Robert and Myrtle Knipes, all of Las Vegas.

A memorial service will be 10 a.m. Monday in Bunkers Mortuary, 925 Las Vegas Blvd. North. Burial will be private.

The family suggests donations to the Nathan Adelson Hospice, 4141 S. Swenson St., Las Vegas, NV 89119.

Joseph 'Dicky Duck' Della Ratta

Joseph "Dicky Duck" Della Ratta, 66, of Las Vegas died Wednesday in Las Vegas. He was born July 24, 1934, in Brooklyn, N.Y. A resident for 17 years, he was a retired New York City road service employee.

He is survived by two daughters, Joey Della Ratta of Long Beach, N.Y., and Donna Ferrara of Rockville Center, N.Y.; one son, John Silon of Las Vegas; two sisters, Santa Biglione of Queens, N.Y., and Cathryn Russo of Las Vegas; six brothers, Anthony Della Ratta of Freehold, N.J., Louis Della Ratta and John Della Ratta, both of Las Vegas, Victor Della Ratta of Queens, Danny Della Ratta of Port Ritchie, Fla., and Gino Della Ratta of Idaho; and five grandchildren.

Visitation is scheduled 5-7 p.m. today in Palm Mortuary, 7600 S. Eastern Ave. Services will be noon Saturday in Palm Chapel, Eastern.

Elizabeth B. Rodgers

Elizabeth B. Rodgers, 77, of Las Vegas died Friday in Las Vegas. She was born Nov. 22, 1923, in Ireland. A resident for 26 years, she was a hotel front desk attendant.

She is survived by one son, Thomas McMahon, and one daughter, Mary McMahon, both of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and one sister, Lucy Noble of Cairo, N.Y.

Nevada Funeral Service-Nevada Cremation or Burial Society, 2983 Fremont St., is handling private arrangements.

Robert Louis Stefanou

Robert Louis Stefanou, 78, of Las Vegas died Monday in a local hospice. He was born March 26, 1923, in San Francisco. A resident for 14 years, he retired after 38 years as a Navy veteran and was a World War II and Korean War veteran, a member of Four Stack APD Veterans and the 99th Field Artillery.

He is survived by one son, Louis Stefanou of Henderson.

Nevada Funeral Service-Nevada Cremation or Burial Society, 2983 Fremont St., is handling private arrangements.

The family suggests donations to the Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 3538, North Las Vegas, NV 89036-3538.

Evelyn Toney

Evelyn Toney, 78, of Las Vegas died Wednesday in a local care center. She was born Sept. 14, 1922, in Maryland. A resident for 40 years, she was a bookkeeper in the hotel industry and a member of the Moose Lodge.

She is survived by her husband, Wilbur of Tacoma, Wash.; one son, Walter J. Hancock, one daughter, Kathleen LaChance, and one sister, Margaret Zehring, all of Las Vegas; five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Desert Memorial Cremation and Burial Society, 1111 Las Vegas Blvd. North, is handling arrangements.

Connie Rose Wiker

Connie Rose Wiker, 86, of Las Vegas died Wednesday in Las Vegas. She was born Feb. 7, 1915, in Prescott, Idaho. A resident for 35 years, she was a waitress at the Fremont and Hacienda hotel-casinos.

She is survived by two sons, Larry Wiker and Harry Wiker, both of Las Vegas; one sister, Bonnie Hess of Idaho; two grandsons and three great-grandchildren.

Visitation is scheduled one hour prior to 10 a.m. services Saturday in Bunkers Mortuary, 925 Las Vegas Blvd. North. Burial will follow in Eden Vale Memorial Park.