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Gerald “Jerry” Eugene Wippel
22 Oct 1936 - 9 Jun 2011
Gerald “Jerry” Eugene Wippel was born in Ellensburg to Paul E. and Mary T. Wippel on October 22, 1936. He was raised on a farm in the Edgemont Thrall District with his brother Louis and sister Janet.
Jerry attended Lourdes Academy and graduated from Ellensburg High School where he was a member of the 1955 basketball team that had a perfect league record (they never won a game). His friends, teammates and classmates remember him as well liked and with a great sense of humor, kindness of heart and generosity.
After graduation Jerry farmed with his father Paul until Paul and his mother Mary retired. Jerry then ran the farm until he became disabled in an agricultural accident.
Jerry was married to Helen Winegar who became the mother of three children, Jeffrey T. Wippel, Gregory E. Wippel and Kathi (Tim) Lowe.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Louis and the mother of his children from whom he was divorced.
He is survived by a sister, Janet Bonjorni; three children; six grandchildren, Gareth and Diane (Jeff), Roger and Dillon (Greg), and Michael and Haley (Kathi); as well as his nephews Scott and Bryon Wippel, Brad Van de Brake; nieces, Diane Wippel and Debbie Orcutt; and numerous great nieces and nephews and a couple of great-greats.
Service details are pending. Interment will be at Holy Cross Cemetery in Ellensburg. Valley Hills Funeral Home, 2600 Business Lane in Yakima has been entrusted with the funeral arrangements.
Daniel Mendoza-Moreno
Daniel Mendoza-Moreno, 69, of Yakima died June 7, 2011. Mr. Mendoza-Moreno was born in Michoacan, Mexico, and lived in the Yakima Valley for many years. He worked as a laborer in the agriculture industry.
Survivors include his wife, Aurora Mendoza of Mexico.
Memorial services will be at a later date in California and Mexico. Arrangements are by Valley Hills Funeral Home and Crematory.
Margaret Jennie Ramirez
Margaret Jennie Ramirez, 55, of Yakima died Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital. She was born in Yakima and worked for the Yakima School District for many years.
She is survived by her husband, Javier Ramirez of Yakima; mother, Jennie Maes of Yakima; son, Aaron Ramirez of Kent, WA; daughter, Mary Ramirez of Yakima; a sister, Carmelita Cruz of Yakima; and three grandchildren.
The funeral service will be held on Friday at noon at Valley Hills Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Terrace Heights Memorial Park.
Helen Frederick
17 Jun 1922 - 6 Jun 2011
As a junior in high school, Alexander Fitch wrote the following excerpts for a living history social studies assignment. The assignment included interviews with his grandmother "Mutti," who had just turned 80.
Helen E. Frederick refers to her childhood as a scene from The Grapes of Wrath. Before she turned 10, her father, Albert Moore, died leaving his wife, Fern, and five children. Just a few months later the stock market crashed, bringing the country into the Great Depression. Helen and her sister Evelyn were the youngest. There were times when Fern had to put her two youngest children in an orphanage. Helen does not remember this as a bad place. Dozens of other kids just like her, whose parents could not afford to keep their children, lived in this orphanage.
The years up to high school were of turmoil. The family traveled looking for work. By the time the family reached Yakima, Helen says, “We were dirt poor.” During the summers the family would move down to the Tri-Cities to harvest the produce and pick hops and then move back to Yakima for the winter.
At 21, Helen married George Feitush, a young entrepreneur who had started a restaurant called The Donut Shop. For the first time in her life, Helen found financial stability. She considered it a huge leap from the little girl who almost froze on her walks to school. Helen and George had two daughters, Vickie and Kim. Helen’s first home had a tennis court in the back yard, and this started a life-long passion for tennis. Helen remained in that home for fifty years.
Later in life, Helen married Frank Frederick. They enjoyed twenty-five years doing such activities as starting a gourmet group, traveling around the world, and taking up hobbies like golf, bridge, and doubles’ tennis. After Franks’ recent death, Helen is alone for the first time in her life. Today Helen lives a peaceful life. She enjoys talking to her three wonderful grandchildren, Summer, Susannah and Alex. She excitedly awaits the birth of her first great-grandchild, Fletcher. Helen still keeps in touch with her best friend and only remaining sibling, Evelyn. (1924-2007)
Beverly Gwen Jewell
Beverly Gwen Jewell, 81, passed away peacefully at home early Sunday morning, June 5, 2011, with her family by her side following a short struggle with cancer. Bev was born in Yakima to Vern G. and Bethel (Heintz) McMillan.
She attended local schools until moving to Vancouver during World War II. Her father worked as a welder in the shipyards there, and Bev attended 8th, 9th and 10th grade. Mom was shy, but it was easy to make friends in Vancouver because all of the kids at school were new – they had come from all over due to the war and the shipyards. Her family returned to Yakima following the war, and she graduated from Yakima High School in 1948.
Following graduation, Mom went to work for the Yakima Valley Regional Library, which fulfilled her voracious need for reading material – a favorite pastime throughout her entire life. She later was employed with Yakima City Peerless Laundry until becoming a full time wife and mother.
Bev married Elmo F. Jewell of Sunnyside, WA on July 20, 1951. He passed away on July 16, 1997. They lived most of their 46 years of marriage on 54th and Nob Hill Boulevard next to Congdon Orchards. She loved nurturing the asparagus mounds in the orchards next to their home, so there was always fresh asparagus for dinner during the season. And a fresh pear was never more than a few footsteps away.
Mom joined the local TOPS Club in the late 1960’s and made some lifetime friends while losing weight, which she kept off the rest of her life. She loved to cook, can, and bake, but somehow was able to maintain her figure.
Mom enjoyed sports of all types from the time she was a young girl. As a pitcher, she played fastpitch softball for the Yakima Apple Queens in her 20’s, and swimming at the local pools or Eschbach Park was a must during the summer. Badminton or croquet were favorite front lawn games. Fishing and camping at Rimrock Lake were highlights when the kids were out of school during the summer break. Mom was an avid Mariners fan and rooted for them to the very end. Nothing made her happier than to see Alex Rodriguez strike out after he left the Mariners!
Mom was a 30 year ovarian cancer survivor, and after her recovery she began daily 10 mile walks. She continued this routine until hip replacement surgery forced her to shorten her distance. She felt blessed to have beaten cancer once and enjoyed the past years in good health.
Dogs were an important part of Mom’s life. She never turned away an animal who was injured, hungry or in need of a home. The majority of her pets were rescue animals, and she always said that “Toby was sent by Elmo to protect me after he passed away.”
Mom loved to spend time with family, baking, gardening, watching Young and the Restless and the Mariners. She had a wonderful sense of humor that she carried with her until the very end, and we will miss her laugh and smile. Mom was a loving, caring, thoughtful, and generous lady who was at the center of our family, and will remain in our hearts forever.
Bev is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, an infant sister, Peggy Jean; father and mother-in-law, Fred and Pearl Jewell; sister-in-law, Norma Hickson; and her niece, Noreen Maier in 2010. She is survived by daughters, Sherry (Mondo) Figueroa of Yakima, Debi (Mike) Mason of Spokane; son, Greg Jewell; sisters-in-law, Thelma Maier, Lorraine (Winston) Kean all of Yakima; grandchildren, Bryan (Tina) Jewell of Moses Lake, Todd (Shawna) Jewell, Josh Figueroa, Emily Figueroa; nieces, Shirl (Charles) Kingman, Karen (Dave) Lowe; nephew, James (Kim) Kean all of Yakima; cousins, Wally (Pat) Heintz of ME, and special friends, Richard (Debbie) Stites of Auburn. Mom is also survived by her canine/feline friends Toby, Penny, Jasper, Niko, Isaac, Tank and Smokey.
The family wishes to thank Dr. Silvia Labes, Janice, the Hospice Team – Sherry C., Shelby, David, Tammy, Hilary, Pastor Dan Rogers, Memorial Telemetry (Sarah), Dr. Lancaster, and Dr. Laufer for their care and concern during Mom’s illness.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Yakima Valley Humane Society or Yakima Valley Memorial Hospice.
A graveside service will be held on Saturday, June 11, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. at Terrace Heights Memorial Park. Those wishing to attend should meet at the cemetery.
