Idyllwild Town Crier

Former Idyllwilder John Wiita, 77, died of natural causes Oct. 12, 1998, in Laguna Hills. He was born May 25, 1921, in Fitchburg, Mass. Mr. Wiita received a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Northeastern University in Boston and worked as an engineer for Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach before entering the U.S. Navy in WWII. After the war,...

Marguerite Bettis, a 9-year resident of Idyllwild, died at her home Nov. 2. A private family service was held at Forest Lawn in Glendale on Nov. 7. Her daughter, Trish Wimbrow, was very appreciative of community members who assisted in caring for her mother and who were supportive of Mrs. Wimbrow, a former Idyllwild resident. No further information was released...

A longtime supporter of Idyllwild Arts Academy, Eric Bettelheim, 66, died of respiratory distress Sunday, Nov. 1, 1998, while on a visit in Borrego Springs. Mr. Bettelheim was born April 4, 1932, in Asyut, Egypt. He worked as an engineer for Ralph M. Parsons Co. in Pasadena until his retirement in 1987, at which time he and his wife, Phyllis,...

Josephine B. Oddous, 89, a longtime school teacher at Idyllwild School and in Hemet, died from heart failure at her home in Idyllwild on Monday, Oct. 12, 1998. Ms. Oddous was born July 14, 1909, in Spokane, Wash. Having obtained bachelor's degrees in arts and education, she was a teacher at the Baptist Christian School in Hemet for 12 years....

Last week, we reported that a well-loved community member, Ann Baerwald, 60, died peacefully after a long bout with cancer on Monday, Oct. 26, 1998. She died at Hemet Valley Medical Center. Miss Baerwald was born in England on March 21, 1938. She was raised in Cleveland. She attended Swarthmore College as an undergraduate and received her masters degree as...

Helene P. Mattingly, 82, beloved housewife and a retired saleswoman for Petley Postcards, died Monday, Oct. 19, 1998, at the Desert Regional Medical Center. Mrs. Mattingly was born Dec. 13, 1915, in Akron, Ohio to Herbert E. and Edna P. Teeple Petley. A resident of Palm Springs, she also was a part-time resident of Idyllwild. Her husband, Benjamin L. Mattingly, preceded...

Gaylor Edwin Field, 82, a photographer, died Tuesday, Sept. 1, 1998, of cancer at his home in the Los Feliz Hills of Los Angeles. He was a high jumper on the track team at Polytechnic High School in Riverside. After high school, he attended Los Angeles Art Center studying photography. His first job was a press photographer for the Los...

Gerald C. Walraven, a dominoe player and well-loved friend of Idyllwild residents, died Saturday, Aug. 22, 1998, of a heart attack in Rock Haven, Pa. Mr. Walraven, 71, was a resident of Pine Cove and Hemet. He was born Feb. 14, 1927, in Ireton, Iowa, and moved to California in 1957. He served in the U.S. Army for two years and...

Robert George Pallas of Idyllwild, a longtime letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, died of heart failure on Sunday, July 26, at the age of 96. Mr. Pallas was born Sept. 10, 1901, in Omaha, Neb. He was a member of the National Association of Letter Carriers and a postal service employee for 40 years in Omaha. He and...

Charles Hurley Dodson, a self-employed cook for 40 years, died of cancer at Meadowbrook Convalescent Hospital in Hemet on Wednesday, July 22. Mr. Dodson, 91, was a resident of Anza for 15 years before moving to Hemet two years ago. Mr. Dodson was born Aug. 1, 1906, in Rogers, Ark. Besides being a self-employed cook, he was a cook...