OBITUARIES
John Edward McElwain
Apr 3, 2026
John Edward McElwain passed away peacefully with his wife by his side on April 3, 2026. John was born to Burl and Inez McElwain towards the end of WWII in Claremore OK where his parents had a café and gas station on Route 66. Hunting, fishing, farming, football and church were a way of life in Oklahoma and Kansas where...
Darlene Dorothea Lyell
Sep 22, 2026
Darlene Dorothea Lyell passed away peacefully at home in the loving care of her family on September 22, 2026 at the age of 86. Darlene was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Aurelia and Stanford Benedict.
Darlene grew up in El Monte, California with her parents, two sisters Barbara and Mary and brother Jimmy. On April 25, 1960 she married Carl Lyell...
Gerald Francis McDonald
Sep 9, 2026
Gerald Francis McDonald, 81, of Ridgecrest, California, passed away on September 9, 2026, at Palmdale Regional Medical Center.
Gerald was born on April 5,1945 to Kenneth and Angelina (Dittrich) McDonald in Woodstock, Illinois. As a young child, Gerald and his family moved to a dairy farm in Taylor, Wisconsin, where he grew up as the oldest of nine children and with...
Frederick Eugene Villicana
Sep 13, 2026
Frederick Eugene “Freddy” “Rick” Villicana Frederick Eugene Villicana, affectionately known as Freddy and Rick, passed away peacefully at his home at the age of 88 on September 13, 2026. He was born at the Lawton Indian Hospital in Lawton, Oklahoma and was the only one of his 8 siblings to be born in a hospital. He is survived by one...
Mary Celesta Brooks
Sep 10, 2026
Mary Celesta Brooks, known to all who loved her as Celesta Brooks, passed away on September 10, 2026, in Ridgecrest, California. She was born on November 9, 1934, in Roswell, New Mexico, and lived a life marked by faith, music, and quiet devotion.
Celesta was a longtime member of the Church of the Nazarene in Ridgecrest, where her love for the...
Joseph McDonough
Aug 3, 2026
Our precious father, husband, grandpa, great grandpa, brother and friend, Joseph McDonough, was called home by his Savior Jesus Christ on 8/3/26 at the age of 97, and 26 days before his 98th birthday. Our dad was the third child of eight, and the first of 2 boys. He grew up on a farm in Fromberg, Montana with no running...
Geraldine "Gerri" Ann Levy
Aug 11, 2026
In Loving Memory of Geraldine “Gerri” Levy
On August 11, 2026, our beloved mother, sister, grandmother, and great-grandmother passed away in Bluffton, South Carolina, after a lengthy battle with Lewy Body Dementia.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on November 13, 1935, to Katherine and Leslie Stuart, Gerri was the second oldest of five girls. She joined the Navy after high school and...
Eunice Ellen Gilliland
Sep 2, 2026
Eunice Ellen Stellmon Covert Gilliland, born on June 21, 1939, in Nez Perce, Idaho, passed away peacefully at her home on September 2, 2026, after a courageous battle to extend her life through twenty three monthly blood transfusions. She was the beloved daughter of Carey Ivon Stellmon and Glee Lorraine Moomey Stellmon, and was predeceased by her dear parents, her...
Mark Gerald Storch
Sep 10, 2026
CAPT Mark Storch, USN (ret.), 69, passed away in Los Angeles on September 10, 2026 surrounded by his family. Mark was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and served 31 years in the United States Navy. His career as a Naval Aviator took him and his wife all around the globe. They were elated to have NAWS China Lake as his next...
Gregory Alan Miller
Sep 7, 2026
Gregory Alan Miller, 49, of Ridgecrest California, passed away September 7, 2026. He was born December 17, 1976 in Portsmouth Virginia to Debi Pomrenke and Glen Miller.
Greg Jr lived in Iowa until he was 5 years old. It was then that his dad, Greg Sr, joined the Navy and the family moved to San Diego California. He lived there until...
Shelby Dane King
Aug 12, 2026
Shelby Dane King 1939-2026
One of Ridgecrest, Indian Wells Valley and the state’s leading contractors for the last 52 years, Mr. Shelby Dane King, 87, of Ridgecrest, California, passed away peacefully at his home on August 12, 2026, surrounded by his loving family. He has now embarked on his final flight, this one to Heaven, to be with his family members...
Cecilia Jane West
Aug 9, 2026
Cecilia Jane West of Ridgecrest, California, passed away on August 9, 2026, at the age of 86. She was born September 19, 1939, in Pampa, Texas, the oldest child of Cecil and Laura Lois Cross.
In the 1940s, Cecilia’s parents moved their family to California, where Cecilia would eventually build a life filled with family, friendship, and love. She began her...
Richard Clarence Toborg
Aug 5, 2026
Richard Clarence Toborg, born on October 20, 1946, in San Fernando valley, California, passed away peacefully on August 5, 2026, in Ridgecrest, California, surrounded by his loving family.Richard’s journey began in the San Fernando Valley, where he grew up and spent his younger years. After graduating from high school, Richard joined the United States Navy, where he proudly dedicated 20...
Mary Jane Matthews
Aug 5, 2026
Mary Jane Matthews left this life to join her soulmate, Matt on August 5, 2026. Mary Jane was born at home in Shackelford County, Texas, on January 15, 1941 to Jim & Sibyl Miller. She grew up and attended schools within an 18 mile radius of Albany, Texas. Her main comment on where she lived was "in the sticks" on...
Francisco Orozco Barajas
Aug 3, 2026
En memoria de Francisco Orozco Barajas
Francisco Orozco Barajas nació el 11 de agosto de 1947, en Apatzingán, Michoacán, México. Pasó gran parte de su infancia y juventud en su tierra natal, donde vivió hasta los 18 años. En 1971, después del fallecimiento de su único hermano, quien era su hermano mayor, Francisco decidió trasladarse a Guadalajara, Jalisco, en busca de...
Billy Gene Brown
Aug 2, 2026
Billy Brown of Ridgecrest, CA passed away on August 2, 2026, one month before his 97th birthday.
Born on September 2, 1929 in Muskogee, Oklahoma, one month before the start of the Great Depression, Billy was the child of Blanche and Robert Brown.
After the loss of his father the family moved to New Mexico and worked on a ranch. It wasn’t...
Karen Joyce Hines
Jul 28, 2026
Karen Joyce Hines, 77 of Ridgecrest, CA passed away peacefully on Tuesday July 28th 2026. She was born on Sept 16th 1948 in Quincy, IL to Frederick Otis and Fern Lorien DeJaynes.
She was a wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend.
Karen went to Trona elementary and Trona high school. She worked at Ridgecrest Regional Hospital starting out as a...
Martha Kathleen Harkey
Jul 26, 2026
Martha Kathleen Harkey, 69, of Ridgecrest, California, passed away on Sunday, 26 July 2026 at Loma Linda University Medical Center after a brief illness. She was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, educator and friend. She was born in Long Beach, California on 20 January 1957 to Melvin and Tobi Thompson, and was the fifth of eight children. Martha graduated from...
Victor Jesus Lara
Jul 20, 2026
Victor Jesus Lara, beloved son, brother, grandson, cousin, uncle, and friend, passed away on July 20, 2026, at the age of 25. Born on June 18, 2001, Victor's life, though brief, was marked by a radiant presence and a genuine joy that he infused into every moment and relationship.
From an early age, Victor endeared himself to all who had the...
Ilene Keristine Huss
Jul 18, 2026
In Loving Memory of
Ilene Keristine Huss
June 16, 1933 – July 18, 2026
Ilene Keristine Huss was born on June 16, 1933, in the family home in East Los Angeles, California.
On June 2, 1956, she married, Logan A.L. Huss. Together they built a life centered on family, hard work, and service to others. Ilene is survived by her two daughters, Gloria (Steve)...
