Albany Democrat-Herald from Albany, Oregon • A6

A6 Sunday, July 1, 2018 AlbAny GAzette-times 1 Joseph Omelchuck July 28, 1927 June 12, 2018 Joseph Omelchuck lived life to the fullest until his death at home with his wife Barbara Ross by his side. Joe was born in 1927 in Homestead, Pennsylva- nia. He started life with his parents, Eastern European immigrants, and three siblings, Margaret, Alfred and Stephania. A much larger family surrounded him over his lifetime, in- cluding his three children, Jeff Omelchuck (Karen), Julie Omelchuck (Jeff Wright), and Jason Omelchuck (Julia); first wife, Jean Omelchuck; children, Serena Jaspera (Charlie); Jennifer Sandhu (Erik), and John Ross (Laura); 13 grandchildren; and his siblings and their families. To be part of a big, blended family was a blessing to him.

Immediately after high school, Joe enlisted in the US Navy. World War II ended while he was in boot camp and he spent his time traversing the world as a radar technician on a naval icebreaker. He attended college on the GI Bill, graduating from Penn State University in 1952 with a geology degree. Work took him west where he explored various petro- leum geology jobs in Colorado, Wyoming, and Mon- tana. Through the highs and lows of the oil industry, Joe built a reputation for finding oil in Montana and North Dakota.

He spent many brutally cold or hot days interpreting drill core cuttings for the thrill of the find. In 1972, he left his company job in Billings to go out on his own as a consultant. Joe semi-retired in 1991 and continued producing oil prospects until 2005. Joe loved staying active. He began playing tennis early in life, building a strong forearm as a youth cutting grass with hand clippers to earn money for nickel comics.

Over the years, he found enjoyment in gardening, camping, backpacking, fly fishing, skiing, canoeing and biking with family and friends. Joe was a fixer of all things big and small, a dabbler in the stock market, a reader of newspapers, and a letter writer. In 1991, Joe moved to Corvallis to be within com- muting distance of his children in Portland. There, he met and married Barbara in 1994. Joe developed a close group of friends referred to as the Beanery Bunch, who biked, skied and together.

Barbara and Joe found joy in hosting and partic- ipating in many family gatherings. The desire to be closer to family (mostly their grandchildren) finally drew them to Portland in 2011. They enjoyed city life, attending symphony and dance performances, shop- ping at the local farmers market, walking the neigh- borhoods, and attending political fundraising events. Family and friends will miss appetite for good meals and conversations. He is loved by many.

A memorial celebration is planned 12:30 p.m. on July 28, 2018, 91st birthday) at Blue Lake Park near Portland. Memorial donations can be made in his name to Linn Benton Food Share, P.O. Box 1920, Corvallis, OR 97339. Dr.

Robert Main Burton August 4, 1948 June 23, 2018 Dr. Robert Main Burton of Corvallis died Saturday, June 23. He was 69 years old. He was born August 4, 1948, in Bethesda, Mary- land, to Robert and Maurine (Parshall) Burton. Much of his childhood was spent in Webster Groves, Missouri.

As a teenager, he ran away to Greenwich Village, New York, where he slept on a stage at the restau- rant where he worked. He eventually returned home to attend Washington University in St. Louis where he majored in mathematics, wrote poetry, and led protests against the Vietnam War. He moved west to the Bay Area in the midst of the Cultural Revolution, where he lived in a Berkeley com- mune and attended over 100 Grateful Dead shows. He earned his Ph.D.

in mathematics from Stanford University in 1977. In 1979, he became an assistant professor of mathematics at Oregon State University in Corvallis, where he raised his family of three children with Sharon Cameron. During his long career at OSU, he served as chair of the Mathematics Department, taught in the Honors College, and served as Assistant Provost in Academic Affairs. He met his wife, Vicki Tolar Burton, while serv- ing on the University Curriculum Council. He was internationally known for his work in sto- chastic probability, chaos theory and neural networks.

To him, there was little division between mathematics, art, music and the patterns of the universe. Bob loved math, but not nearly as much as he loved his wife and family. He is survived by his wife Vicki Tolar Burton of Cor- vallis; daughter Sarah Main Burton of Corvallis; daugh- ter Maya Burton Severson and son-in-law Kevin Sever- son of Tigard; son Taber Monro Burton and daughter- in-law Alyssa Burton of Seeley Lake, Montana; brother Lt. Col. James Burton (ret.) and sister-in-law April Burton of Elk Grove, California; stepdaughter Sarah Lench and spouse Eric Lench of Corvallis; stepson Jef- frey Collins and spouse Laurie Collins of Philadelphia; and five grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents Robert and Maurine Burton; and siblings William, Fredrick, and Katherine. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 10, at First Presbyterian Church of Corvallis, followed by a reception in Dennis Hall. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in his memory to the Association of Women in Mathematics. Bob was a survivor, and he inspired us all by his strength and courage.

He is resting easy now with God, perhaps listening to his favorite Dead song and working on a math problem. May the solution he finds be elegant and infinite. Please leave condolences and memories at www. mchenryfuneralhome.com. Ronald (Ron) John Brown November 30, 1934 June 24, 2018 Ronald (Ron) John Brown passed away on June 24, 2018, at the age of 83 years, after battling disease.

Ron will be lov- ingly remembered by his wife of 62 years, Violet (Vi) Brown; brother Larry (Nina); children Gary (Kristi), Jeff (Marcia), and Brenda (Tim), and his 13 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Ron was preceded in death by his sister and brother-in- law, Margaret and Frank Weber; and his daughter-in-law, Marcia Brown. Ron was born in Tumwater, Washington on Novem- ber 30, 1934, to Joseph Frederick and Sarah Ann (Clau- son) Brown. He graduated from Olympia High School in 1952. Ron and Vi met in Olympia while they were living in the same apartment building, and they were married on November 30, 1956.

In 1960, they relocated to Cor- vallis when Ron was hired at Oregon State University as a computer systems analyst, where he remained until his retirement in 1991. Ron and Vi had three children, Gary Lee, Jeffrey Allen, and Brenda Leanne Brown. Ron and Vi and their children lived on a small farm in southwest Corvallis, where Ron was able to raise animals, grow a garden, enjoy the outdoors and spend much of his time working on many projects. They loved to travel together, go fishing and camping, and be with friends and family. As avid Beaver fans, Ron and Vi attended all kinds of OSU sporting events, and were season ticket holders for over 50 years.

Ron ran the clock for OSU Wrestling for many years, and especially enjoyed the annual get together with the Intergalactic Order of the Cosmos Alumni Wrestlers. Ron was also a member of the Cor- vallis Community Choir, a skilled woodturner, an ath- lete on several sports teams, and a perpetual tinkerer, collector and curious mind. He taught himself many skills, and was happy to share his knowledge and ex- perience with others. Ron was always one to lend a helping hand to his neighbors, family and friends. He was a loving father and grandfather, and he touched everyone around him with his sense of humor, his easygoing attitude, and his generosity.

He will be forever missed. A celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m. Sat- urday, July 7, at McHenry Funeral Home, 206 NW 5th Street, Corvallis. Memorial donations in memory of Ron can be made to Lumina Hospice Care. Please leave condolences and memories at www.

mchenryfuneralhome.com. OBITUARIES SALEM (AP) A Marion County deputy caught on video repeatedly punching a homeless per- son while taking them into custody June 4 face criminal charges. The Marion County Dis- trict Office said in a statement Friday that Deputy Jacob use of force was justified because it was either nec- essary to make an arrest or in self-defense. The case review in- cluded interviews with 18 witnesses and reports from deputies involved in the arrest, but unclear if Tessa Lovelace, the per- son hit and arrested, was among those spoken to by authorities. Lovelace was cited for interfering with a police officer and resisting arrest during the encounter in Detroit and released to the Psychiatric Crisis Center in Salem.

The district at- office says it prosecute Lovelace. The office says Thompson will remain on a non-patrol assignment while the agency conducts an investigation. No charges for deputy caught punching a homeless individual VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland Irena Szewinska, a Polish sprinter who dominated athletics for two a i i i a and who later be- came a member of the Inter- national Olympic Com- mittee, has died at 72. husband and former coach, Janusz Sze- winski, said his wife died shortly before midnight Friday in a Warsaw hospital after a battle with cancer. The Polish news agency PAP on Saturday described Szewinska as the most fa- mous athlete in Polish sports history.

Polish President Andrzej Duda remembered her as the Lady of Polish saying her death was great loss and great Thomas Bach, president of the IOC, said the Olympic family is in deep and that the Olympic flag would be low- ered at the IOC headquar- ters in Lausanne, Switzer- land, for three days in her honor. her gentleness and modesty, she was a real role model, dedicating her whole life to sport. As such, she inspired athletes and women around the Bach said. personally ex- perienced this over many years and I will always have fond memories of the time we spent Szewinska competed in five Olympics, win- ning gold medals in the 400-meter relay in 1964, in the 200 meters in 1968 and the 400 meters in 1976. She was also a 10- time world record holder in the 100, 200 and 400 meter races.

She was born Irena Kirszenstein on May 24, 1946, in the Russian city of Leningrad, now St. Pe- tersburg, to a Polish-Jewish family. The family returned to Poland when she was still a child. At her last Summer Olympics in 1980 in Mos- cow, she suffered a mus- cle strain that ended her Olympic career. Olympic gold sprinter Szewinska dies at 72 Szewinska Call UsWith MediCare QUestions Wemake it simple to understand Call today! George Dunford 503-999-0148 Albany Stoves, Inc.

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