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Woodlake schools seek unification

   In the past several weeks, both the Woodlake Elementary and Woodlake High School boards have passed resolutions to unify and, according to Superintendent Tim Hire, it’s simply the responsible thing to do. It’s no secret that school districts large and small are dealing with incredibly shrinking revenues.
   So according to Hire, the timing is right, especially when unification can immediately generate more dollars. Additional revenue of $643,436.91 is what the unified district would receive based on current fiscal-year projections just for “blended” certificated staff and benefits alone.
   The average daily attendance (ADA) funding formula doesn’t change but there are other organizational and financial incentives, too.

  “This has been something our board has needed to look at in the past,” said Joe Hallmeyer, longtime Woodlake elementary schools board member. “I look at it from a business perspective and an efficiency issue. The people who work for the district will be able to accomplish more, not less.”
   Consider the day-to-day operation of the district’s business office for example. Currently, there are two sets of books, two budgets, two reports for everything, and the list goes on and on in terms of employees duplicating tasks under Hire as the superintendent of Woodlake Public Schools.
   The current budgets for the two school districts — where 2,289 students (1,546 elementary, 743 high school) are enrolled — are $15 million and $9 million, respectively. Even if Three Rivers, one of two other elementary districts within the Woodlake High School District, chooses never to unify, there are immediate benefits for Three Rivers and Stone Corral (the other elementary feeder school), too.
   Those come in the form of more money for programs and facilities at the high school where currently 78 students from Three Rivers are enrolled. Hire said the support of Three Rivers would be helpful in Woodlake’s unification process because voters in all the districts, including Three Rivers and Stone Corral, would also be voting on any proposal for unification.
   Here’s how the process for the proposed unification of Woodlake’s five schools actually works. The district’s consultant is currently compiling a report that, if all goes according to plan, will be submitted to the Tulare County Office of Education sometime in January.   Following a review period and a public hearing held somewhere within the district, TCOE will submit a unification proposal for the ballot.
   If voter-approved, the Woodlake “Unified School District” would be created with new district boundaries. The existing high school and elementary five-member boards would be dissolved and a new seven-member board would then be elected.
   Recently, the Three Rivers board passed a resolution to the effect that they are not interested in joining a unification effort at this time, and Hire maintains that Three Rivers and Woodlake will continue to have a “seamless” relationship.

  “There would be some immediate benefits for Three Rivers if the elementary chose to unify with Woodlake,” said Joe Hallmeyer. “In addition to a hike in teacher salaries, their grade six through eight students would be able to take advantage of more electives at the middle school like band and drama.”
   Superintendent Hire and trustee Hallmeyer both agree the choice for Woodlake is an obvious one.

  “It just makes more sense to have one board be charged with the education of our kids from preschool through their high school years,” Hallmeyer said.
   Some Three Rivers residents are not convinced a single school board with one Three Rivers seat would act in the best interests of Three Rivers School. If the Woodlake unification is successful, time will tell if a similar proposal might be a potential long-term solution for meeting the budget challenges currently facing the Three Rivers district.

SOS: 3R’s support
Critical to ‘Save Our School’

   The TRUS Foundation is committed to assisting Three Rivers Union School through its current financial challenges. With the defeat of Measure V by 9 percent, or a mere 114 votes (a two-thirds majority was required for passage of the parcel tax measure), it is obvious that most Three Rivers voters understand the importance of having a school in this community under local control.
   MAINTAINING AUTONOMY: The Foundation concurs that “local control” of TRUS should continue because the school has upheld its end of the bargain by providing a superior education to its students.
   Local control means a board of directors, elected by Three Rivers voters, who are community members with close ties to the school, making decisions solely in the best interest of Three Rivers students.    Local control means that Three Rivers residents set the standards for Three Rivers School and hold accountable anyone or anything interfering with the process of educating and learning.
   COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP: Because the situation at TRUS remains dire in regards to its budget, the generosity of Three Rivers residents is currently necessary to maintain the quality programs and educational excellence that is and always has been a hallmark of this school.
   The Three Rivers Union School District was created in 1927 on approval of Three Rivers voters. This move consolidated several outlying one-room schoolhouses into one facility. The community has continued to support the school ever since.
   TRUS has given back by providing a strong academic foundation for local children. Over the years, TRUS has become an essential part of the community by also being a place where so many gather for regularly occurring local events and seasonal activities.
   EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION: For the past 83 years, Three Rivers School has consistently ranked as one of the top schools in Tulare County. The TRUS Foundation unanimously supports the current board of trustees’ efforts to keep Three Rivers School in its own independent district. To this end, the Foundation, at its board meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 30, committed to raise funds to assist with current budget shortfalls.
   Just like for many Three Rivers residents, the past several years have not been easy for TRUS. Federal and state dollars have decreased and the student population has dwindled as families have left town in search of ways to cut expenses, such as more affordable housing options or shorter commute times.
   Currently at the school, every day is a challenge. While the students are still the top priority, staff is at a minimum.
   As many know, Sue Sherwood, superintendent/principal, is teaching sixth grade while continuing with her administrative duties. These are long, grueling days for her and she is taking no additional pay for the added responsibilities, but she remains committed to doing whatever it takes to “Save Our School.”
   DONATIONS REQUESTED: The community’s support of TRUS is vital. As residents and alumni make their year-end contributions to their favorite charities, Three Rivers School hopes that the nonprofit TRUS Foundation can count on the support and generosity of the community and others who have benefited from this unique kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school.
   The Foundation, as always, will be good stewards of the donations they receive by spending 100 percent of every dollar on the programs, curriculum, facilities, services, staff, equipment, and wherever the finances are necessary.
   FOUNDATION MISSION: For as long as there is a need, the TRUS Foundation will be regularly soliciting financial donations to assist Three Rivers School. In addition, the organization will continue to host its annual fall dinner-auction and is also considering other fundraising events.
   Checks may be made payable to the TRUS Foundation and tax-deductible donations sent to P.O. Box 99, Three Rivers, CA 93271 or dropped off at the Three Rivers School office. If interested in joining the TRUS Foundation board, call 561-4466 or inquire at the school office or contact any current board member.
   Thank you in advance for your support, whether in the form of dollars or time. Happy Holidays to all from the TRUS Foundation board:
   Lee Crouch, president; Valerie Deveraux, Sarah Elliott, Mark Hirni, Karen Holland, Greg Lockhart, Pam Lockhart, Barbara Merline, David Sherwood.

A cluster of topics

tackled at Town Meeting

   There was an array of topics and speakers at the Monday, Dec. 6, Town Hall meeting, sponsored by the Three Rivers Village Foundation. Supervisor Allen Ishida topped the agenda with some news that could potentially impact every user of Kaweah River water.
   Supervisor Ishida said there is currently a proposal that is coming out of Siskiyou County that each user of river water must seek a permit from California Department of Fish and Game. Siskiyou County, California’s fifth largest county in land area, is located along the Oregon border in the Klamath region, and has a population of 60,000.

  “They (DFG) are taking authority that they haven’t been granted,” Ishida said, “…and the California State Association of Counties plans to oppose the proposal.”
   Ishida also mentioned that several watershed management plans are being developed for rivers in the Southern Sierra region. The Kaweah is farther along in the process, he said, because of the more aggressive management policies of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
   Bill DeLain, Southern California Edison region manager, spoke on a program to assist local small businesses in becoming more energy efficient. DeLain said in February and March, representatives of the utility company will be canvassing Tulare County and Three Rivers businesses offering free installation of lighting upgrades.
   DeLain said under the direct install program, a business owner can receive up to $10,000 worth of free upgrades. A number of local businesses have already taken advantage of the program.
   SCE is also waging a holiday campaign aimed toward the consumer on how to make the most efficient-energy choices. To help navigate the dizzying choices of electronics and appliances, SCE has created a downloadable gift guide at www.sce.com/shopping.
   DeLain said, for example, the choice of a flat screen TV is important because some units can cost between $13 and $15 monthly to operate.  An energy-efficient model costs only about $45 per year.
   Tom Sparks, Tulare County Association of Governments board member, spoke on several grant opportunities that could enhance the town center area between Comfort Inn and Suites and the Cal Fire Station. Measure R money, he said, could be used as a match with federal money that is available to make the area more pedestrian-friendly.
   Sparks said a call for project proposals should be submitted to TCAG by sometime in January, 2011. Among some ideas being suggested for preliminary funding are a crosswalk in Three Rivers, a river trail from Anne Lang’s Emporium to the Chevron station, and a trail that circumnavigates Lake Kaweah.
   Dana Dierkes, public information officer for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, presented an update on parks road construction. She said that two segments of the Generals Highway road construction project have now been combined into one ongoing three-year project. The new larger project was made possible because of stimulus money the parks received under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
   The next Town Hall meeting is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 7, 2011.

Sequoia Park shooter charged

   The man who drove errantly through the exit lane at the Ash Mountain entrance station into Sequoia National Park on Thanksgiving Day and then fired eight shots near the Foothills Visitor Center was arraigned in a federal district court last week and remains in custody of U.S. Marshals. Matthew Talbott, 42, of Sacramento was charged with possession of a controlled substance, attempted delivery of a controlled substance, use of a weapon in a manner endangering persons and property, disorderly conduct, and the operation of a motor vehicle without due care.
   A search of the suspect’s vehicle revealed drug paraphernalia and 10 pounds of packaged marijuana. Talbott faces at least two felony counts in connection with the incident and could be sentenced to several years in a federal penitentiary.

LIVE!

News of the Three Rivers Performing Arts Institute

The origins of the holiday concert

By Bill Haxton

   I started out thinking I’d explore the origins of Christmas holiday music, but a 35,000-year-old flute made from the bone of a Griffon Vulture changed all that.
   The original idea was to start with the recent past, the golden age of the 20th century — White Christmas, Let It Snow, Silver Bells, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Winter Wonderland.
   Then I was going to trace the origin of those vernacular songs back through the 19th century, the era that produced Jingle Bells, written in 1850 by James L. Pierpont while nursing a pint or two at Simpson’s Tavern in Medford, Massachusetts. Strangely, Jingle Bells was written to commemorate Medford’s wild, careening Thanksgiving sleigh races and had nothing to do with Christmas.
   The 19th century also produced a trove of songs still enormously popular today: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, The First Noel, Hark the Herald Angels, Good King Wenceslas, It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.
   All of these owe a debt to St. Francis of Assisi, the first to write and perform holiday songs in common language. Spending most of his life away from cities, Francis broke with the rigid traditions of the medieval church, which then was all about Ambrosian and Gregorian chants, gorgeous and ethereal to be sure, but sung in Latin and simply not accessible to the common folk in the countryside.
   St. Francis changed that. He was troubadour, a good one, and carried simple, easy-to-remember songs everywhere he went. His songs spread all over Europe and eventually to England, which even then didn’t consider itself European.
   The tradition he started survives today, small groups singing a cappella as they wander through their neighborhoods and nearby malls. St. Francis is justifiably credited with the invention of “caroling.”
   On the classical side of holiday music, composers like Bach and Mozart continued 500 years of formal tradition and wrote huge orchestral masses and choral works on sacred themes. Retracing the classical line of development takes one all the way back through the early Renaissance, when dukes, kings, bankers and importers finally acquired enough wealth to hire their own private orchestras, then hired composers to create music for them.
   From here, I originally intended to work backward through the Roman and Greek eras to the music of ancient winter solstice celebrations. But this is where the Griffon Vulture flute brought me up short. I realized no matter how far back I reach for the origins of holiday music, any kind of music, there’s always something farther back.
   Like that vulture bone flute that was unearthed in the Hohle Fels Cave in Germany in 2008. Archaeologists were not the only experts to be stunned. Musicians were astonished at the precision of the intervals between the notes and the harmonies that the flute was capable of producing.
   The discovery of this ancient flute suggests that music may have been with us ever since our species became human. Even more to the point, there is a growing number of researchers who think our inclination toward musical tone and rhythm may have pre-dated the development of our ability to speak. If this is true, it’s no wonder music moves us so easily and so profoundly.
   On Saturday, Dec. 11, Three Rivers is going to have a chance to enjoy holiday music spanning the centuries from the late Renaissance to contemporary times. The widely acclaimed College of the Sequoias Chamber Singers will launch their wonderful voices on the wings of music from William Byrd’s ethereal Haec Dies (1580) to the lofty Magnificat of contemporary John Rutter to the moving African Noel to the vernacular classic The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
   Bill Haxton is a principal in the Three Rivers Performing Arts Institute.

Locally made soaps

cleanse and moisturize

For dogs too!

By Brian Rothhammer

   The Feel of Soap — that’s what Charlene Vartanian, R.N., chose to call her line of hand-crafted soaps.
   These are soaps that you can feel good about using. Made with fresh, pure ingredients such as olive oil and beeswax, they are enhanced by pesticide-free herbs and botanicals from Charlene’s own Three Rivers garden.
   Soaps, both commercial and homemade, are the result of combining alkali with animal fat or vegetable oil. This mixture will saponify, a chemical reaction in which the fats are broken down (hydrolyzed), yielding soap and glycerin.
   In large commercial operations, the soap is then boiled, which removes glycerin. After introducing salt, the soap is then dried and pelletized, and fragrance and color are added and further processed prior to packaging.
   Instead, Charlene makes her soaps the old-fashioned way. She begins by infusing pure olive oil with herbs and/or botanicals for 30 days. She adds beeswax and warms the mixture in her kitchen.
   She then combines alkali and distilled water in carefully measured amounts at controlled temperatures, adding herbs, botanicals, and essential oils.

  “You won’t need lotion,” said Charlene, as this time-honored method preserves the glycerin created during saponification. The fresh soap then cures for another 30 days.

  “It’s all about feeling better,” she added, as glycerin moisturizes and protects skin.
   Along with varieties such as sage, lavender, geranium, and goat milk Castile, to name a few, she even creates a soap for dogs. Shaped like a bone, it is infused with citronella, tea tree, and grapefruit; all natural insect repellents. She will also work up custom batches of soap using a customer’s own plants, if they prefer.
   Thoughtfully hand-tied with ribbon and placed in attractive earth-toned boxes, these soaps look elegant, yet are reasonably priced. They make excellent gifts.
   Charlene has practiced craniosacral therapy for 10 years, and describes it as “The gentle art of helping your body restore itself.” The essential foundation of her soaps are the “...special gifts of the plant world.”
   Why not get a clean start on restoring you and the skin you are in? The Feel of Soap product line is available now at Watson’s Health Foods in Visalia, Colors in Three Rivers, or call Charlene regarding The Feel of Soap or CST services at 561-4215.

New Orleans photographer

brings ‘Earth Magic’ to 3R

   Some artists find inspiration in the natural beauty of the world — mountains, oceans, and desert scenes. For New Orleans-based photographer, Elizabeth Lieberman, one of her main muses has been the magic and mystery of ancient manmade stone structures and their interaction with the landscape in which they are placed.
   Elizabeth, who has traveled the world photographing these ancient stone monuments, such as Machu Pichu (Peru), will be presenting a collection of her photographs from the UK, India, and Peru in a solo art show at the Cort Gallery in Three Rivers from December 17 to 25. The artist will be hosting a reception on Friday, Dec. 17, 7 p.m. Food and drinks will be served.
   The exhibition, aptly titled Earth Magic, will feature photos of megaliths, ancient pathways, and other manmade stone structures from around the globe.
   As a young child, Elizabeth claims that she was first hooked by photography when her parents gave her an old but serviceable Brownie Box camera, which she found made “surprisingly good pictures.”
   Growing up in England in the 1950s and ‘60s, family outings with her parents would often be to historic and ancient sites such as Stonehenge.
   As a young adult, Elizabeth became increasingly interested in these rock structures.

  “I like the mystery of it,” Elizabeth said. “I like the sense that someone was in that place thousands of years ago. I like to take time at each site to see what energies I can pick up on.”
   In recent years, Elizabeth came to realize that not only did the architects of these very ancient megalithic stone monuments choose their sites with great care from the point of view of often breathtakingly beautiful landscape and precise orientation with earth energies, but also that these structures have been built and still exist not just in northern Europe but also in India.
   With Elizabeth’s series of photographs of megaliths, including Quoits and Dolmens from Penwith Moors (Cornwall, UK) and Marayoor (Kerala State, India), she hopes to share some of her fascination of the beauty and mystery of these ancient places.
   Lisa Lieberman of Three Rivers contributed this article. Elizabeth Lieberman is her stepmother.

OBITUARIES

Bishop John Steinbock
1937 ~ 2010
   Bishop John Steinbock, leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno, died Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010, at St. Agnes Medical Center. He was 73.
   Bishop Steinbock had been diagnosed in August with Stage 3 lung cancer.
   John Steinbock was born in Los Angeles in 1937. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1963 at the Cathedral of St. Vibiana in Los Angeles.
   He had also served as bishop for the Diocese of Orange and as third diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Santa Rosa. Bishop Steinbock came to the Diocese of Fresno 19 years ago from Los Angeles.

  “I found [the bishop’s] concern for the human soul and well-being of others an inspiration,” said Congressman Devin Nunes in a statement.
   In 2003, when the Franciscans announced that they would be leaving St. Anthony Retreat in Three Rivers, the Diocese of Fresno took over the retreat center, allowing it to continue serving as a center for community events as well as hosting “retreats” for men, women, married couples, teenagers, and young adults of all denominations from around the world.
   Bishop Steinbock was in Three Rivers in May 2008 where he offered a blessing and presided over a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Santa Teresita Youth Conference Center on the Retreat grounds, a $5.5 million project undertaken by the Diocese of Fresno.
   His successor will be appointed by Pope Benedict XVI. In the meantime, a priest will be elected by a board of diocesan priests to run the day-to-day operations of the diocese, which includes the area from the Coast Ranges in the west to the Nevada border and from Mariposa County in the north to Frazier Park.
   The bishop’s body will be received Monday, Dec. 13, 10 a.m., at St. John’s Cathedral, 2814 Mariposa St., Fresno. He will lie in state until 7 p.m., when a vigil and rosary will be held. Visitation will follow until 11 p.m.
   Bishop Steinbock’s funeral Mass will be Tuesday, Dec. 14, 10:30 a.m., at St. Anthony of Padua, 5770 Maroa Ave., Fresno, followed by burial at St. Peter’s Cemetery, 264 N. Blythe Ave. Bishop John Steinbock, leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno, died Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010, at St. Agnes Medical Center. He was 73.
Bishop Steinbock had been diagnosed in August with Stage 3 lung cancer.
   John Steinbock was born in Los Angeles in 1937. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1963 at the Cathedral of St. Vibiana in Los Angeles.
   He had also served as bishop for the Diocese of Orange and as third diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Santa Rosa. Bishop Steinbock came to the Diocese of Fresno 19 years ago from Los Angeles.

  “I found [the bishop’s] concern for the human soul and well-being of others an inspiration,” said Congressman Devin Nunes in a statement.
   In 2003, when the Franciscans announced that they would be leaving St. Anthony Retreat in Three Rivers, the Diocese of Fresno took over the retreat center, allowing it to continue serving as a center for community events as well as hosting “retreats” for men, women, married couples, teenagers, and young adults of all denominations from around the world.
   Bishop Steinbock was in Three Rivers in May 2008 where he offered a blessing and presided over a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Santa Teresita Youth Conference Center on the Retreat grounds, a $5.5 million project undertaken by the Diocese of Fresno.
   His successor will be appointed by Pope Benedict XVI. In the meantime, a priest will be elected by a board of diocesan priests to run the day-to-day operations of the diocese, which includes the area from the Coast Ranges in the west to the Nevada border and from Mariposa County in the north to Frazier Park.
   The bishop’s body will be received Monday, Dec. 13, 10 a.m., at St. John’s Cathedral, 2814 Mariposa St., Fresno. He will lie in state until 7 p.m., when a vigil and rosary will be held. Visitation will follow until 11 p.m.
   Bishop Steinbock’s funeral Mass will be Tuesday, Dec. 14, 10:30 a.m., at St. Anthony of Padua, 5770 Maroa Ave., Fresno, followed by burial at St. Peter’s Cemetery, 264 N. Blythe Ave.

Clarice Prescott
1912 ~ 2010
   Clarice Prescott passed away Saturday, Nov. 27, 2010, in Morro Bay. She was 98.
   Clarice was born in 1912 in Wright City, Okla., where she graduated from Wright City High School in 1929. She received her nursing degree from U.C. Berkeley and later graduated with distinction from Arizona State College in Tempe with a Bachelor of Science degree.
   Clarice worked in public health and was a school nurse for most of her career in Phoenix, Ariz., and Lynwood, Calif.
   On June 25, 1969, Clarice married Jerry Prescott. The couple retired shortly after, moving to Cayucos. They spent their winters at their beach house and their summers at their cabin in Silver City in the Mineral King area of Sequoia National Park.
   Clarice and Jerry fished, hiked, and backpacked well into their 70s. Clarice often said they had the best of both worlds, a house at the beach and a cabin in the mountains.
   Clarice was preceded in death by her husband, Gerald Prescott, in 2001 and her son, Kenneth Groves, in 2008.
   Clarice is survived by her daughter, Georgene Powell of Canada; her sister, Georgia Kaplan of Arizona; brother Richard Harper of Georgia; and her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who lovingly called her “Grande.”
   There will be a memorial in Cayucos in early summer 2011 at the Cayucos Community Church, followed by a second memorial in Silver City.

Winnie Phipps
1923 ~ 2010
   Eva Winifred “Winnie” Phipps of Grand Haven, Mich., died Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010. She was 87.
   Winnie was born October 23, 1923, in Toledo, Ill., to Rex and Eva Winifred (Stitt) Lacy. She was married to Donald Phipps on September 5, 1942.
   The couple retired to Three Rivers and built their retirement home here. She was a member of the Sierra Traditional Jazz Club and the Three Rivers Woman’s Club. Winnie moved to Grand Haven four years ago to be nearer to family.
   She was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years on November 20, 1995.
   Winnie is survived by her three children, Dan Phipps and wife Claudia of Grand Haven, David Phipps of Las Vegas, Nev., and Nancy Cole of Santa Barbara; eight grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
   A memorial service and interment was held in Toledo, Ill. Share memories with the family online at www.vbkfuneralhome.com.

Jim Perry
1926 ~ 2010
   James A. Perry passed away peacefully at his Three Rivers home on Monday, Dec. 1, 2010. He was 84.
   Jim was born in Milwaukee, Wisc., in 1926 to Eugene J. and Ella M. Perry. When Jim was two, the family moved to Los Angeles.
Upon his high school graduation at the age of 17, Jim enlisted in the U.S. Navy. During World War II, he served in Guam.
   After his service, Jim graduated from George Pepperdine College. He worked at the Automobile Club of Southern California, which is where he met his future wife, Nellie Johnson.
   Four years later, in 1954, Jim and Nell were married. He then enrolled in University of Southern California where he received his teaching credential and Master’s degree.
   Jim began his teaching career with the Los Angeles City School District. He then moved to the Torrance Unified School District and completed his career at the Southern California Regional Occupational Center.
   Upon his retirement in 1984, Jim and Nell moved to Three Rivers.
Jim is survived by his wife of 56 years, Nell; son Steven Perry of Three Rivers; and two grandchildren.
   A service was held earlier this week with interment at Three Rivers Cemetery.
   Condolences may be sent to the family at www.evansmillerguinnchapel.com.

Frances Beutler
1913 ~ 2010
   Frances Evelyn Beutler of Woodlake died peacefully on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010. She was 97.
   Frances was born Sept. 21, 1913, in Woodlake to Onis and Mabel Lewis Brown. She was raised in Three Rivers and graduated from Woodlake High School.
   On April 15, 1934, Frances married Willis Beutler at her father’s Three Rivers home. After their marriage, they moved to Colton, Calif., where Willis was employed by Safeway Stores. This is where their three children were born — Celesta, Garry, and Larry.
   In 1947, the family returned to Three Rivers where they were part owners of Three Rivers Market. Frances was a member of the Three Rivers Woman’s Club, Lady Lions, and Three Rivers School PTA.    She and her husband were also instrumental in the founding of the Three Rivers Ambulance Service.
   After Willis retired, the couple moved to Woodlake, where they resided for the next 30 years.
   In 1993, Frances was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Willis. She was also preceded in death by her daughter, Celesta, and brothers Lewis and Bill Brown.
   She is survived by her sons Garry and wife Jan of Porterville and Larry and wife Diana of Sonora; nine grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; and 11 great-great-grandchildren.
   Services were held earlier this week with burial at Three Rivers Cemetery.