The Memorial Wall

Charlene Singer, age 80, of Culver City, California passed away on Friday, March 17, 2023.

Since the passing of the PACT Act to provide aid to veterans who have been exposed to toxic burn pits, approximately 66,000 screenings have been done in Wisconsin, according to data from the Milwaukee VA Medical Center. 

Nationally, there have been over 3.4 million veterans screened with 42% reporting at least one exposure.

One of those screenings changed Linda Probst’s life. Her husband, Edward Probst of Neenah, died in March at 75 years old. He had served during the Vietnam War and died of service-related hypertension and Parkinson’s disease, she said. 

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Edward Michael Probst at the age of 75 years old. Mike was born on January 24, 1948 in Appleton, Wisconsin to Edward and Helen (Abendroth) Probst.

Mike graduated from Xavier High School, Class of 1967. In 1968 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He served abroad the heavy cruiser SS St. Paul in Vietnam and was honorably discharged after two years of service. When he returned home he went back to Pacon Corporation and after 45 years, retired. Mike met Linda Blohm in January of 1970 on a blind date and they married on November 3, 1973. In December 1974 their first child, Matthew arrived, followed by Sarah, Jessica, and Jordan. Their family was now complete. In July 1975, they moved onto the Schaefer Family Homestead.

In September 2018, Mike had the honor of going on the Old Glory Honor Flight. It was the best time going to Washington DC and the trip held many great memories for him.

Mike attended and graduated from NWTC with a Certificate in HVAC.

Mike was the greatest husband of Linda Probst, proud dad to Matthew (Sandie), Sarah (Heath), Jessica (Scott) and Jordan (Jill). He was proudest Papa to Aubree, Adelin, Berklee, Andrew, Preston, Makenna, Lydia, and Sebastian.

He is further survived by his siblings; Terrie, Mary (Karl), Betty (Ron), Donald (Jan), sisters-in-law, and brothers-in-law Julie (John) Donna (Randy), Cindy (Kim), Randy (Karen) and Ryan as well as many nieces, nephews and friends, including Dave (Diane) Brum, John Z and our neighbors Matt and Lisa Krautkramer and our FVMP family who supported us throughout this journey.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Helen, brother Timothy, brothers-in-law Norm and John. Linda’s parents Donald and Shirley Blohm who thought of and loved him as their son. Brothers-in-law Kevin, David, and Daniel as well as his nephew, and godson, Chad and several aunts and uncles. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund is being established for FVMP (Fox Valley Memory Project) who helped both Mike and Linda through the difficult times. You were a Godsend.

All are invited to bring pictures and memories of your friend, Edward “Mike”.

“My Love, I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you, we’d be married and together for life. I am saddened that we didn’t make it to 50 years, but we’ll celebrate together someday in heaven.”

Pittsburgh Steelers legend Dick Haley has died at the age of 85.

Former NFL head coach Todd Haley, Dick's son, wrote on Twitter that his father died after a "long fight with dementia and Parkinson's" disease.

Dick Haley was an American professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at the University of Pittsburgh and was selected in the ninth round of the 1959 NFL Draft.

“Very sorry to say, the world the NFL and my entire family lost one of the best people I’ve ever known and my idol,” Todd Haley wrote on Twitter. “A man that gave me the best chance to succeed in this world, my father Dick Haley after long fight with dementia and Parkinson’s.”

Haley was the director of player personnel for the Steelers from 1971 to 1990 and was the de facto general manager of the squads that won four Super Bowls in the 1970s. Haley’s greatest contribution to the Steelers was his direction of the 1974 NFL Draft class that saw the team select four future Hall of Famers.

“We lost an amazing football mind and a better man with the passing of Dick Haley,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a press release. “He was a valuable part of this franchise for 23 years, the first 4 of those as a player and the final 19 as a member of the Player Personnel Department. Dick played an instrumental role in our unprecedented success in the 1910s during the second part of his career. He developed a unique eye for talent, and he ultimately helped identify and draft many of the players that allowed us to win four Super Bowls during that decade. My condolences go out to the entire Haley family during this difficult time.”

A native of Midway, Pennsylvania in northwestern Washington County, Haley attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he was a running back from 1955-58. Haley rushed for 741 yards and had eight total touchdowns in three seasons of playing with the Panthers. He was part of the Pitt 1955 Sugar Bowl team, though he was ineligible as a freshman. Haley took part in the 1956 Gator Bowl.

Haley was drafted in the ninth round of the 1959 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins, starting a six-year professional career that saw him transition from running back to defensive back.

Haley started with Washington as a rookie in 1959 and received votes for NFL Rookie of the Year. After two seasons starting for Washington, he moved to Minnesota and then back to Pittsburgh, where he joined the Steelers midseason in 1961. Haley ended up playing 49 games and making 39 starts for the Steelers from 1961-64, recording 13 interceptions, for which he remains tied for 32nd in team history.

After his playing career ended, Haley joined the Pittsburgh front office in 1971, working with Dan Rooney, Bill Nunn and Chuck Noll to revamp the team’s talent acquisition process.

The result was spectacular, with the Steelers drafting Jack Ham, Dwight White, Larry Brown, Frank Lewis and Gerry Mullins in 1971; Franco Harris and Steve Furness in 1972 and J.T. Thomas in 1973, in addition to the incredible draft haul in 1974, setting the table for the team to win an unprecedented four Super Bowls over the next six years.

Haley stayed with the Steelers until 1990, then spent another 16 years with the New York Jets as their GM before finishing his career with the Miami Dolphins before retiring to Florida.

Haley’s son, Todd Haley, took up the family business and was the offensive coordinator of the Steelers from 2012-17. He is currently the head coach of the Memphis Showboats of the USFL.

The former NFL wide receiver passed away after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.
Otis Taylor was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver. He played college football at Prairie View A&M University. He was drafted by the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth round (29thoverall) of the 1965 AFL Draft. He was also selected in the 15th round of the 1965 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He chose to play in the AFL for the Chiefs where he would spend his entire career.

In 1969, Taylor began experiencing seizures. In 1990, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease dementia, which eroded his health over the following decades, until he was bedbound and largely incommunicative in his last
years. His family filed a lawsuit against the NFL in 2012, believing that his medical conditions were caused by injuries he received during his playing career "The Kansas City Chiefs organization is saddened by the passing of Otis
Taylor."

"My family and I would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to Otis' wife Regina, his sister Odell and the entire Taylor family as we mourn his passing."

"Otis was a Chief throughout his 11-year career, and he played an integral part in the early success of our franchise."

"He became a Kansas City icon with his signature touchdown in Super BowlIV, as he helped the Chiefs bring home our first Lombardi Trophy."

"He was one of the most dynamic receivers of his era, and he helped revolutionize the position."

"Off-the-field, he was kind and dedicated to his community. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

"Otis' legacy will live forever as a member of the Chiefs Hall of Fame."

Taylor was drafted by the Chiefs in the AFL draft and by the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL in 1965.
But he chose to play in Kansas City, where he spent his entire 11-year career.
The receiver helped the Chiefs win two AFL championships between the league's merger with the NFL.
In 1970, Taylor and Kansas City triumphed in Super Bowl IV, beating the Minnesota Taylor was drafted by the Chiefs in the AFL draft and by the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL in 1965.
But he chose to play in Kansas City, where he spent his entire 11-year career.
The receiver helped the Chiefs win two AFL championships between the league's merger with the NFL.
In 1970, Taylor and Kansas City triumphed in Super Bowl IV, beating the Minnesota Vikings 23-7.
A year later, he led the NFL in receiving yards and made the first of his two Pro Bowl appearances.
Taylor ended his career with 410 receptions for 7,306 receiving yards and 57
receiving touchdowns.

He also logged three rushing scores.Vikings 23-7.
A year later, he led the NFL in receiving yards and made the first of his twoPro Bowl appearances.
Taylor ended his career with 410 receptions for 7,306 receiving yards and 57 receiving touchdowns.
He also logged three rushing scores.

On Thursday, March 9, 2023, Joseph Mones Mateo, Jr. passed away at age seventy-four. Throughout his lifetime, he touched a lot of lives.

After immigrating from the Philippines, Joseph graduated from Seaside High School and attended Monterey Peninsula College. He, then, transferred and graduated from San Jose State University. After receiving his commission as an officer in the Air Force, his time in the security forces took him all over the world before he returned to California to teach R.O.T.C. at both San Francisco State University and Sacramento State University.

Achieving the rank of Major, he completed his Air Force career as a reservist while he worked as a civil servant for another two decades. When he retired to the Monterey Peninsula, his roots in the community deepened. He joined the Monterey Sunrise Rotary and a Toastmasters group. He became a docent at the San Carlos Cathedral in Monterey and volunteered at the International School of Monterey in Seaside where he taught enrichment classes and spent time in his grandsons' classrooms. Joseph took up ballroom dancing and learned to play the ukulele. An avid golfer, he enjoyed many afternoons on our local golf courses.

Joseph was best known for his megawatt smile and his boundless willingness to lend his time and talent to help others and the community. He is survived by his wife of fifty years, Ursula (Sally); their daughter and son-in-law, Camilla and Jacob Mann; and two grandsons, Riley and Dylaney Mann. 

Death follows yearslong battle with Parkinson’s disease

James Carl Moeller was an American politician and mental health professional who served as a member of the Washington State House of Representatives, representing the 49th Legislative District from 2003 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented the Clark County communities of Hazel Dell, Walnut Grove, Minnehaha and his native Vancouver.

Former Washington legislator and Vancouver city councilor Jim Moeller died Wednesday following a yearslong battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 67.

State Rep. Sharon Wylie announced Moeller’s passing from the House floor Wednesday afternoon.

“He was fearless,” Wylie said in an interview later in the day.

Wylie said Moeller had most recently been working to get an assault weapons ban passed, adding the House passed a bill banning the weapons only hours after his death.

“He would defend other people to the death. He was a fierce advocate,” Wylie added. “And he had an incredible sense of humor.”

Wylie said Moeller used that humor to rein in lawmakers from the dais whenever discussions got too raucous.

“He would make some very understated, well-timed comment and everybody would just laugh. He would break the tension,” she said.

James Carl Moeller was born in Vancouver on July 2, 1955. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Washington State University, he did his graduate studies in social work at Portland State University.

He was elected to the Vancouver City Council in 1995 and served there until he was elected as the 49th District state representative in 2002. Moeller served in the Legislature from 2003 to 2017. He was named speaker pro tempore of the Washington House of Representatives in 2011.

In addition to his time in office, Moeller worked as an addiction councilor at Kaiser Permanente for 27 years.

Perhaps best known by some for his love of colorful bow ties, Moeller was one of the state’s first openly gay lawmakers and was a trailblazer for the gay community in Vancouver and the state.

After Moeller was elected to the Legislature, former Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt was appointed to his seat on the city council. Although the two weren’t on the council at the same time, Leavitt said they worked together at times.

“We had many, many interactions over the years, both while I was a council member and as mayor,” Leavitt said. “Our interactions were always enjoyable and sometimes spirited.”

Leavitt said while Moeller was a passionate advocate for certain issues, he was never dogmatic or close-minded.

“He was always a consummate gentleman. He was always open to discussion and listening, understanding perspectives that we had,” Leavitt said. “I never once questioned his motivation or integrity, for that matter.”

Former Vancouver City Council candidate Mike Pond shared his thoughts on Moeller’s passing on Facebook.

“Legislator, ally, boss, mentor, confidant, friend. An elder statesman, a real class act. I always say ‘Jim paved the road, I now get to skip down!’ ” I’m forever in your fan club. Thank you, for all you did for so many,” Pond wrote.

During his time in the Legislature, Moeller served on numerous committees, including the joint Senate and House task forces on child support and public health financing. He was the co-chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs and a member of the governor’s work group on licensing of mental health and abuse counselors.

Moeller was also actively involved in community organizations. He was a founding member of Clark County Pride and Hands Off Washington. Moeller served on the YWCA Diversity Task Force, Clark County’s methamphetamine task force, Washington End of Life coalition and was chair of the Southwest Washington Health District Board of Directors, among many others.

As word of Moeller’s passing spread, lawmakers and others who knew Moeller turned to social media to express their sympathies, including state Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center.

“While Jim and I have equal and opposite political DNA, he always treated me with respect and dignity. I, in return, treated him the same,” Rivers said in a Facebook post. “More importantly, the way he treated my son, Derick, while he was a page in Olympia and my husband Fred trying to navigate his way in Olympia was always with Love!!! A lovely human being and a dear friend.”

In another Facebook post, former Washington State Democratic Party Chair Tina Podlodowski said, “We lost one of the OGs in Washington LGBTQ politics and a terrific guy. Godspeed Jim Moeller — rainbow bow ties in heaven tonight.”

In a post on its Facebook page, the Clark County Democrats said, “Jim was a fine example of service to one’s community. His kind heart and dedication will be a lesson that those who seek elected office would be wise to follow.”

Moeller and other former lawmakers who passed away during the past year will be honored by the Legislature during a special memorial session on March 15.

She was born on April 18th, 1940, in Larimore ND to Dudley and Amy Winslow.

She was raised on the family farm in Arvilla ND.

At the age of 6 with a Tuberculosis diagnosis, she was quarantined at San Haven Sanatorium in Dunseith ND.

She returned home in the spring of 1948 just before her 8th birthday.

She attended school in Larimore ND.  Where she was a member of the Future Homemakers of America.  She was active in church activities and dance.

On Oct 26th, 1956, she married the love of her life, James Daniel Wiegandt.  They had a wonderful 54 years of marriage before James passed away in 2011.

They made their first home in Larimore North Dakota.  In 1957 they were blessed with a son Daniel.  In September of 1958 they left North Dakota to make California their forever home.  They resided in Long Beach California where their two daughters were born.  Joni in 1959 and Lynne 1961.  With 3 small children at home, she attended night school to complete her education and receive her high school diploma.

In 1966 they moved to Santa Ana, CA.  She was an amazing mother and active in her children’s schools, PTA, church activities and was the Camp Fire Girl leader.  

In 1974 they moved their final home in Garden Grove.  

She worked in the date entry field for 9 years before joining James in retirement, so they could travel.

They were active members in Sons of Norway, Danish Brotherhood and multiple community service projects through their church.

Her life was centered around her family, they were her greatest joy.

She was the most kind and loving mother to her 3 children.  

Her greatest pleasure was spending time with grandchildren and great-grandchildren and they adored her.

She died peacefully Saturday March 4th 2023 after a long 18 year battle with Parkinson’s disease.

She is survived by:

Son Daniel (Lynne) Wiegandt, Costa Mesa, CA

Daughter Joni (George) Chadwick, Bothell, WA

Daughter Lynne (Rick) Watkins, Yorba Linda CA

Grandchildren:

Melissa (Jeff) Alger, Ryan (Heather) Chadwick, Natalie (Jonathan) Smith

Bryon (Stacie) Watkins, Jonathan (Amber) Watkins,  Kimberly (Joshua) Kammer.

Great- Grandchildren:

Makayla, Brayden, Kypton, Landry, Caysen, Hannah, Evan, Logan, Norah, 

Finley, Nash and Harlon

Sister:

Clyone Serene

Multiple Nieces and Nephews

In lieu of flowers, the family would like donations to go to:

Parkinsonsresource.org/Ardythe Wiegandt

Or mail to Parkinson’s Resource Organization

 74-478 Highway 111 #102 Palm Desert, CA 92260

Allan Edward Baugher died peacefully in his home on Sunday, February 26, 2023 surrounded by his family.

Born on September 27, 1935, to parents Edward and Romaine Baugher, founders of Baugher's Farm Orchard & Restaurant. Allan joyfully spent his days in the fields and with his family. Around Carroll County he was known as Mr. B, and could often be seen hauling fruit in his old Ford pickup truck, leading kindergarten field trips, sharing bounty from the farm with friends and strangers, and playing his harmonica- often in seemingly inappropriate places.

Throughout his multi- year battle with Parkinson's he never lost his positive outlook. He was always ready to greet friends and family with a warm smile, quick sense of humor, and a song from his trusty harmonica- even when his lungs were weak. He was genuinely grateful for every day the Lord gave him.

Allan is survived by his wife Marjorie Hull Baugher, who worked faithfully by his side for over 60 years; as well as his children Kay Ripley, Ted and Lynn Forman, Nathan Baugher, Kevin and Lorraine Jones and Dwight and Allison Baugher. His crop continues to grow with thirteen grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and a little pumpkin on the way. He is also survived by his siblings Dan Baugher, Miriam Helton and Dottie Dunn.

The family will welcome friends on THURSDAY, March 2, 2023 from 11- 2pm and 4 to 8pm at Pleasant Valley Community Fire Department, 2030 Pleasant Valley Rd., Westminster. Funeral services will be held on SATURDAY, March 4, 2023 at 1:30pm at his church - Westminster Church of the Brethren, 1 Park Ave., Westminster, officiated by Pastor Glenn McCrickard and long time family friend Pastor Lallah Brilhart. Interment will be in Meadow Branch Cemetery. 

James A. Wilding, an airport executive who helped push for the transfer of Washington’s two major airports from federal control to an independent authority in the 1980s and was instrumental in their expansion to meet increased passenger demand as leader of that new body, died Feb. 24 at a rehabilitation center in Cary, N.C. He was 85.

The cause was complications from Parkinson’s disease and hip surgery, said his daughter Patricia Wilding.

Trained in college as a civil engineer, Mr. Wilding was hired by the Federal Aviation Administration in 1959 and participated in the planning and development of Washington Dulles International Airport. He later became chief of the engineering staff at Dulles and National (later Reagan National) airports.

In 1979, he was named director of the FAA-owned and -operated authority overseeing Dulles and National, which were the only commercial airports in the country then owned and operated by the federal government. That meant the airports were susceptible to the cutback whims of legislators overseeing the federal budget, and investment in the two airports was much smaller than most others of comparable size.

Even the simplest of requests required going hat in hand to Capitol Hill. “Take something as simple as buying a new truck,” Mr. Wilding told The Washington Post at the time. “If the fire station at National needs a truck, we have to go to Congress to get the money.”

In 1984, with strong backing by Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole, a federal advisory commission she had appointed recommended the government renounce ownership and control of the two airports and hand it over to an independent public authority. According to the commission, the changeover would allow the airports, estimated to need nearly $200 million to finance new terminal and runway construction, to issue revenue bonds to fund improvements.

Some members of Congress reportedly were loath to give up control for fear of losing privileged access to National Airport, where they were guaranteed a parking spot after making the 15-minute drive from Capitol Hill.

Many airline industry officials marveled at Mr. Wilding’s self-effacing and even-temper in the most difficult of circumstances. The Post once called him a “quiet manager, a detail man who some employees say appears to feel more comfortable with computer printouts than with his colleagues.”

After the new Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority was formed in 1987, Mr. Wilding guided the organization through a multibillion-dollar capital development program that helped modernize the two airports, including a new terminal and an expanded runway at Reagan.

At Dulles, he led terminal and concourse expansions — helping, he said, transform the airport from “just a handful of overseas flights to London and Paris and little else to rank as a major gateway.” (The international arrivals hall, completed in 2011, was named in his honor.)

By the time he retired in 2003 as president and chief executive of the Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority, he had led the two airports through the implementation of post-Sept. 11, 2001, security measures as well as bankruptcy filings by major carriers, an economic disruption that can have an impact on vital fees to the airports.

“Jim was savvy,” Edward Faggen, the airports authority’s former general counsel, wrote in an email. “Parking for members of Congress was preserved. Congressional skepticism stemmed as much from fear of local control, people who wanted to limit or close National Airport due to noise complaints. Congress needed much assurance to make sure that would not happen.

“Jim was instrumental in reaching compromises with the Congress and the community," Faggen added.

James Anthony Wilding was born in Washington on Dec. 22, 1937 . His father was chief of the supply division at the Smithsonian Institution, and his mother was a homemaker. He graduated in 1955 from the Priory School (now St. Anselm’s Abbey School) in the District and in 1959 from Catholic University.

He was a member of the federal Senior Executive Service and was an officer in professional and regional development groups. A longtime resident of Silver Spring, Md., where he was a member of St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church, he relocated to Cary eight years ago.

In 1961, he married Marcella Gibbons. In addition to his wife, of Cary, N.C., and daughter, of Greensboro, N.C., survivors include three other children, Matthew Wilding of Arlington, Va., William Wilding of Evansville, Ind., and Marci Wilding of Cary; a brother; eight grandchildren; and a great-grandson.

In interviews, Mr. Wilding recounted the most dramatic moments of his career.

The worst day, he said, was the January 1982 Air Florida crash, which occurred moments after takeoff at National, when the plane — because of improper de-icing and other problems — could not gain enough height, clipped cars after it hit the 14th Street Bridge, and plunged into the Potomac River. Seventy-eight people died, including four motorists.

In large part motivated by that disaster, Mr. Wilding said, he successfully pushed to lengthen the overrun, an extension of the runway used to provide a safety margin in case an aircraft has to abort take off and needs more distance to stop.

Three years after the Air Florida disaster, an Eastern Shuttle jet ferrying 177 people rejected takeoff at National and came to rest, Mr. Wilding said, “at the very end of the extra 750 feet.”

As he recalled to The Post, he and one of the staff engineers, Frank Conlon, “just stood there looking at the plane, and I said, ‘Frank, I don’t know what would have happened to those people if the overrun hadn’t been there, but it wouldn’t have been good.’ That’s probably the most satisfied I’ve ever felt.”

George Ellison, a naturalist, author, longtime columnist for the Asheville Citizen Times and by all accounts a Western North Carolina treasure, died Feb. 19, according to his daughter, Quintin Ellison.

George Ellison, 81, lived in Bryson City with his wife, Elizabeth Ellison. Their daughter said Ellison had Parkinson's disease. He died from double pneumonia after receiving “amazing care” from Haywood Regional Hospital and Four Seasons Hospice, Quintin said.

George Ellison was by any measure the voice of the WNC mountains for at least the past 36 years, penning the weekly “Nature Journal,” detailing the intricate ways of wildlife, especially his beloved birds, the passing of seasons in the mountains and the intricate wonders of nature.

Ellison was writing as long as he could, even through his health battles, Quintin said. His last "Nature Journal" column was published Feb. 4, about hepatica. "But to my way of thinking, year in and year out, hepatica is the earliest of the truly showy woodland wildflowers," he wrote. 

Quintin Ellison, herself a former reporter with the Citizen Times, said she believed her father started working as a correspondent for the paper, writing and taking photos, even before the Nature Journal gig, starting back in the 1980s. He was a prolific naturalist and author, who had also written six books. In 2019 Ellison was honored with the prestigious Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award for co-authoring with Janet McCue, “Back of Beyond: A Horace Kephart Biography,” by the WNC Historical Association.

It is a 500-page, seminal biography on one of the most famed naturalists in WNC history. It was edited by Frances Figart, creative services director for Great Smoky Mountains Association, which published the book.

The first Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award was presented in 1955 to Wilma Dykeman for her groundbreaking historical and environmental non-fiction work, “The French Broad."

When Ellison and McCue won the award in 2019, Ellison said it was one of his greatest achievements as a writer.

“It’s astonishing to get nominated. There were 21 regional nominees, and they got that down to five, I thought that was all right. Then lo and behold, they told me Janet and I were the winners," George Ellison told the Citizen Times in 2019. "I never even fantasized something like this might occur."

"The first time I heard George speak, he was talking about how Horace Kephart and George Masa contributed countless hours to the Smokies Nomenclature Committee, making sure the peaks and other features of the mountains were named in a way that paid homage to the traditions and peoples of the region," Figart told the Citizen Times.

"Ellison said, 'The study of geographic features helps us know where we are. And if we know where we are, we know better who we are.' "Perhaps more than any friend in my life, George knew who he was. He was dedicated to cultivating and sharing a sense of place in his chosen home.

He was passionate about nature and wildlife in all its manifestations. And he was an able and balanced interpreter of the past. Through his poetry and our conversations, I saw him as present in each moment with a dauntless zest for life. He had a keen knowledge of the lives of birds and when they would arrive at his property on the edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. My husband John and I will never forget taking walks with him and Elizabeth among their beloved ferns, hearing the calls of water thrushes and winter wrens."

McCue was deeply saddened by the news of Ellison's death. But she recounted her special memories of working with him on their award-winning Kephart biography.

"George and I were an unlikely pair — I, a librarian living in upstate New York; he, a writer and naturalist in North Carolina. We shared a passion for Horace Kephart and for the Smokies," she said.

"Our writing like our storytelling began to mesh — so much so that we had a hard time discerning who wrote which sentence. I learned a great deal from George — how to be a better writer, how to be more present in the woods. I am still wrestling with fern morphology. George was OK with that. We cannot know it all, but we can revel in the process of learning."

George Robert Ellison II was born on Dec. 15, 1941, in Danville, Virginia, the son of Ruth and George Robert "GR" Ellison, who was killed in World War II, Quintin Ellison wrote on her Facebook page.

“My father played football for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After a career-ending knee injury, Dad turned his attention to academics, finishing his bachelor's at UNC and continuing at the University of South Carolina, where he received his master's degree.

He taught at Mississippi State University in Starkville. In the early 1970s, we moved to Bryson City.

He loved these mountains and its flora and fauna. He and my mother last year placed into conservation our family property on lower Lands Creek in Swain County.”

He and Elizabeth had three children, George Robert Ellison III, Milissa Ellison Dewey and Quintin, six grandchildren – George Robert Ellison IV (George Ellison), Daisy Ellison, Jonathan Reed, Elizabeth Liz Reed and Will Murphree – and great-grandchildren.

“He was not always an easy person, but always he was an interesting one, and we loved and cherished him, just as he did us, exactly how he was and how we are,” Quintin wrote.