Linfielder John Howey (1947-2015) obituary

Obituary from June 10, 2015, The Dalles, Ore., Chronicle 

John Howey 

Maupin, Ore.,

Sept. 1, 1947-May 20, 2015

John Henry Howey was born on September 1, 1947 in Honolulu, Hawaii to Robert and Mildred Howey.

After graduation from Radford High School in 1965, John attended Linfield College in McMinville, Ore., earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1969 in Physical Education as well as a Master’s degree in Physical Education in 1970.  

He began a teaching career at South Wasco County Union High School in Maupin, Ore., in 1970 and remained there until his retirement in 2003. 

John taught PE and health but his primary focus was as the coach for the “Mighty Redsides”. Over the years John coached boy’s football, boys’ basketball, girls’ volleyball, as well as girls’ and boys’ track and cross country. In 2002 John was awarded the Oregon Coach of the Year for all Class 1A schools. 

John contributed to the South Wasco County Union High School’s athletic program not only as a valuable coach but as a mentor and friend to the many students he taught during his tenure. He led by example in demonstrating integrity, honesty and truthfulness both as a coach to his students and as a valued citizen in the Maupin community.

John loved the Central Oregon climate. He spent many pleasant days on the banks of the Deschutes River fishing for salmon or trout and hunting in the hills around Maupin in the fall for deer and elk. John shared the meat and fish from his fishing and hunting trips with many of the elderly citizens living in Maupin. 

But his greatest outdoor passion was golf. John belonged to the Pine Meadows Golf Club in Wamic, Ore., as well as the Kah-nee-ta Resort Golf Club where he golfed on a regular basis, winning tournaments over the years, and enjoying the camaraderie and competition of the game with his golfing buddies.

On August 3, 1979, John married Gwen Snodgrass of Maupin, Ore. The couple settled in Maupin where they have remained for the past 36 years. 

John is survived by his wife Gwen, mother Mildred, brother Mark and sister in law Mary, 5 nieces and nephews: Matthew Howey, Jeffrey Manuel (and wife Rhonda), Jana Downs, Mischa Hurst (and husband Troy) and Nathan Grafe (and wife Joyce); 2 sisters-in-law: Peggy Grafe and Sylvia DeSordi; 2 brothers-in-law: Jerry Manuel and Gary Grafe; and 8 grand nieces and nephews.  

John influenced and shaped many lives in the Maupin community, he will always be remembered and appreciated for his efforts and profoundly missed by all who knew him.

Contributions in John’s name can be made to the Maupin Ambulance Fund and the South Wasco County Union High School Athletic Fund.

A Celebration of Life honoring John Howey is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 21, 2015, at the Maupin High School Gymnasium.

--Obituary from June 10, 2015, The Dalles, Ore., Chronicle. A form to express condolences online is available.

http://m.thedalleschronicle.com/obituaries/2015/jun/10/john-howey

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Wildcatville says sympathy cards honoring John Howey may be mailed to his widow:

Gwen Howey

PO Box 303

Maupin, OR  97037

101 – Get ‘er Done!: Linfield Football 2015

Mark your calendar. Get ready to put 101 candles on the Linfield Football birthday cake.

The 2015 season will be Linfield football's 101st. What’s a good slogan for this season? How about “101 – Get ‘er Done!”

Linfield, then McMinnville College, started playing the sport in 1896. First game ever for the Wildcats was vs. Pacific College (now called George Fox University. Don’t confuse Pacific College with Pacific University.)

Linfield did not play football 1906-1921 because the college Board of Trustees deemed football too violent. The sport was dropped in the summer of 1906 and resumed with the 1922 season.

The first 10 seasons (1896-1905) of Wildcat football were as McMinnville College. All Wildcat football since 1922, the year the college changed its name, has been as Linfield.

Due to World War II, no football was played 1943-1945.

To clarify, the 100th anniversary of STARTING Linfield football was in 1996. But, the 2015 season will be the 101st season of the Wildcats PLAYING football.

=SEPT 2015/LINFIELD FOOTBALL=
Sep 12: 12:30pm vs. Chapman (Linfield Homecoming)
Sep 19: Noon vs. Redlands
Sept 26: Bye

=OCT 2015/LINFIELD FOOTBALL=
Oct 3: 1:30pm at L&C, Portland
Oct 10: 1:30pm vs. Pacific
Oct 17: 1pm at Willamette, Salem
Oct 24: 1:30pm vs. Whitworth (Family Weekend)
Oct 31: 1:30pm at George Fox, Newberg

=NOV 2015/LINFIELD FOOTBALL=
Nov 7: 1pm vs. UPS (AT&T Hall of Fame Game)
Nov 14: 1pm at PLU, Puyallup

Farewell John Howey, Linfielder

(This was updated 5pm 6/10/2015.)

Linfielder John Howey, 67, died of a heart attack May 20, 2015, at home in Maupin (Wasco County), Ore.

His service will be held 1:30 p.m., Father's Day Sunday, June 21, 2015, in the South Wasco County Union High School gym in Maupin.

Following the service a dessert potluck will be held in the school cafeteria.

Survivors include his widow, Gwen. They had no children.

John Henry Howey was born in September 1947. From Hawaii, he was a 1965 graduate of Radford High School in Honolulu.

A member of Linfield Class of 1969 (bachelor of science degree), John also earned a M.Ed. (master of education degree) from Linfield. In addition to playing tackle (lettered 1966, 1967 and 1968) for the Linfield football Wildcats, he served as a Linfield assistant football coach in the 1969 season. He played football for Linfield head coaches Paul Durham and Ad Rutschman and served on Rutschman's coaching staff.

The photo with this posting shows John (#74) as a member of the 1968 Linfield football team.

John was part of a Linfield football milestone. On the evening of Sept. 23, 1967, he was back in Hawaii as starting defensive left tackle playing for Linfield in Honolulu Stadium. The Wildcats upset highly favored University of Hawaii, 15-13, before a crowd of 20,000, the largest crowd ever to see a Linfield game.

John spent this entire teaching (health and physical education)/coaching career in Maupin. He started at the school on Aug. 3, 1970, when it was called Wasco County Union High School. In June 2003, he retired from the school with its current South Wasco County name.

In his more than 32 years at Maupin, John coached high school football, cross-country, boys' basketball and girls' and boys' track & field. He was the 2002 1A Oregon high school boys' coach of the year in track & field after his South Wasco County Union High boys state 1A championship the same year.

John's 1996 South Wasco Union High boys' basketball team finished second in state and third in 1998. His 1979 girls' cross-country team was second in state and his 1978 and 1980 teams in the same sport finished third in state.

Following retirement, he stayed involved with South Wasco County High School. He often was a substitute teacher at the school and frequently assisted a p.e. teacher with golf, helping teach students the sport at the school and the local golf course. The past few years he was the school’s assistant girls’ basketball coach.

He also helped with track & field. Recently, John worked with Ellis Rager, South Wasco County High shot put athlete. "I wanted to win state for Howey because he was the only one who got me this far," Rager, a junior, told The Dalles Chronicle. And, indeed, on May 21, 2015, Rager won the state 1A boys' shot put title during the State Championship meet at UO's Hayward Field in Eugene.

Coach Paul Durham on College Football Hall of Fame 2016 ballot

McMinnville N-R 6/9/2015

"Paul Durham, the late Linfield football coach and athletic director who posted the first 12 winning records in a 59-year streak for the Wildcats that continues today, is up for one of the highest honors available in college football.

"Durham was placed on the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame ballot, one of 200 players and coaches across all levels of football to be considered for the College Football Hall of Fame’s 2016 class. If elected, Durham would be the second Linfield coach to receive the honor, after Ad Rutschman (1968-1991; inducted in 1998).

"Durham compiled a 122-51-10 record as head coach of the Wildcats from 1948 to 1967, winning six Northwest Conference championships and making two NAIA national championship games. He also held the athletic director title from 1949 to 1968, taught classes at Linfield College and served as sports editor of the McMinnville News-Register.

"All dues-paying members of the National Football Foundation are eligible to vote on the nominated coaches and players. Candidates not selected will automatically go through voting procedures again the following year.

"Durham, who died in 2007 at age 93, is one of four nominees with Oregon ties, including former Oregon State linebacker Steve Brown, former Oregon State center John Didion and former Oregon State defensive tackle Jess Lewis."

N-R Photo: "A bronze monument of Paul Durham, the late Linfield football coach and athletic director, is unveiled on Oct. 18, 2014 ... on the Linfield College" campus. "Durham is on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2016."

Saluting Ooney Gagen of Linfield College Wildcats athletic fame

Those who knew Paul Durham, Linfield's long-time football coach and athletic director, heard about Linfield athlete Ooney Gagen many times.

Paul wrote about Ooney in his "Dodging with Durham" sports column in the McMinnville News-Register and even published pictures of him, although any recognizable facial features were always blocked out.

No one ever met Ooney personally and the only stories about him were told by Coach Durham.

Some people claimed Ooney was just a fictitious character invented by Paul.

Others believed Ooney was a real person. For example, someone who claimed to be Ooney made a sizable donation to the Paul Durham Linfield Scholarship and encouraged others to donate. They did. One thing led to another and not only did the scholarship gain additional funding, but other funding helped build a Coach Paul Durham statue on Linfield's campus.

Those regaled by Paul's great stories found Ooney living in Portland under an assumed name. Ooney was guest of honor and spoke during the May 21, 2015, Cardinal Circle lunch at Art Larrance's Raccoon Lodge in Raleigh Hills, Portland.

Is Ooney Gagen real or not? Only Paul knew. But, these photos from the Cardinal Circle lunch seem to indicate he's true to life.

The always modest Ooney Gagen had business cards at the lunch, but he didn't hand them out. 

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See a posting at Mac News to learn about Ooney's dream home on Ooney Gagen Way in McMinnville.
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Attending the May 21, 2015, lunch with Ooney Gagen were Jerry McNeil, Marty Bergan, Bob Lunt, Ray Olson, Bob Zuleger, Bob Ferguson, Larry Hermo, Terry Durham, Gene Forman, Jack Forde, Carl Heisler, John Prutsman, Dick Brown, Art Larrance, Dave Spire, Odis Avritt, Larry Binkerd and Dan Beeson.

Photo cutlines:

• Frequently, Ooney has his head in paperwork.
• Ooney talks to those attending May 21, 2015, Cardinal Circle lunch
• With Dan Beeson and Jack Forde. That’s Ooney in the middle.
• High top football cleats had Ooney and Ray Olson talking up a storm.
• Ooney and admirers Larry Hermo and Marty Bergan
• Gene Forman and Ooney talk football.
• Talking hoops with Ooney is Terry Durham, whose father Paul Durham often mentioned Ooney.
• Gridiron glories recounted with Larry Binkerd, Ooney and Carl Heisler.
• Ooney examines a pigskin held by Bob Lunt.
• Hail fellow well met Ooney with John Prutsman and Bob Ferguson.
• Bob Ferguson holds cleats while Ooney sniffs sweaty football memories.
• With Ooney, Art Larrance recounts Linfield’s first national championship team, Wildcats baseball 1966. They’re with title banner on display at Art’s Raccoon Lodge, Raleigh Hills, Portland.

Lei honor Parker Moore following 2015 Linfield Commencement

Informal memorial for Parker Moore (Wildcat football #35) on Lever Street, Linfield campus, McMinnville, adorned with lei following Linfield commencement on 5/31/2015. Photo taken morning of 6/2/2015.

Catball 2015, Thanks for the Memories!

Sparky of Linfield: Catball's Mikaela Viloria, football's Marcus Gonzalez and Steve Davis have 'Sparky' nickname

Sparky? Linfield athletics?

Say hello to Mikaela “Sparky” Viloria, an outfielder for Catball, from Orange, Calif. She joined Linfield softball as a freshman in 2014. 


In photo, she's in Salem, Va., with Catball competing for the 2015 NCAA DIII national softball title.

Mikaela, daughter of Gene and Teri Viloria, got her Sparky nickname while playing mini soccer as a five and six-year-old for an OJSC/Orange Junior Soccer Club team called the “Purple Puppies.” 

Puppies coach Dawn Southland used "Sparky" because Mikaela would “spark up the team” when sent into soccer matches.

Well past mini soccer, the Sparky nickname has been used when she played recreation softball, travel/club softball, for the El Modena High School Vanguards softball team and now for Catball.

Speaking of El Modena, Sparky provided not a spark, but a lightning bolt in the Vanguards’ CIF/California Interscholastic Federation playoff win over Etiwanda High School of Rancho Cucamonga.

The Orange County Register reported that Sparky had one of El Mo’s crushing blows in the Etiwanda game by hitting a two-run homer. The newspaper included a photo of Sparky being greeted at home plate by teammates after her blast.

Two other Sparkys were Linfield football players:

--Meet Marcus "Sparky" Gonzalez, a Wildcat defensive end from Honolulu (St. Louis School). He lettered for the ‘Cats in the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons. In the photo, he’s with his mother, Phyllis Freund, after a 2011 game on Legendary Maxwell Field.

--Greet Steve "Sparky" Davis, who lettered in football for Linfield in the 1969, 1970 and 1971 seasons. In his black & white photo, he's wearing a Linfield football uniform. (Sadly, Steve died in 2014. This story was originally posted in 2011.)

http://www.linfield.edu/sports/hof-member.html?m=61&y=11

How did Sparky Gonzalez get his nickname? 

“I … remember … always being called Sparky,” he said. “I asked my parents how I got the name and they tell me that it was kind of an evolution of names. My real name is Marcus, so I guess in the child's (way) of saying my name it went from Marcus to Marky, then from Marky to Sparky and it stuck…”

The highlight of Gonzalez’s time as a Linfield football player was creating “friendships with my teammates that I now consider brothers,” he said.

It was “awesome” to have a successful Linfield football career, he said. “I (enjoyed being among) my ‘brothers’ for countless hours a week, putting in the time to get better and continue the Linfield legacy … The bonds (between us) will last forever…I couldn’t be any happier with the success I've shared with them.”

For the ‘Cats, Sparky Davis was a linebacker in the 1968 and 1969 seasons and a kicker after that. His straight-ahead kicking made him Linfield's leading football scorer in the 1970 season. During it he “booted” a 33-yard field goal with nine seconds left to beat PLU, 16-13, in a night game on Franklin Pierce High School field in Tacoma, Wash.

Davis, who lives in McMinnville, is a 1968 graduate of North Salem, Ore., High School and earned a Linfield bachelor of science degree in business. His vital behind-the-scenes role in Wildcat football is honored by his enshrinement in the Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame. 

What are the roots of Davis' "Sparky" nickname?

He was among Linfield students who lived in the McMinnville Fire Department downtown for room and board. In return, he was a volunteer firefighter.

Dalmatian dogs are commonly associated with fire departments as being faithful companions of firefighters. The nation's #1 fire department Dalmatian is "Sparky" the fire dog. Steve's fellow McMinnville firefighters gave him the nickname.

There’s another Sparky Davis angle, too. The Davis family has a long history of being electricians and in the electrical supply contracting trade. Sparks are associated with electricity. But, as Steve points out, there are no sparks “if you do it right!”

Posted Dec. 11, 2011
Updated/re-posted Oct. 12, 2013
Updated/re-posted May 21, 2015

Catball practice 5/18/2015

About Linfield new women's basketball coach (posted 5/13/2015)

 

Bunn excited about new coaching challenge at Linfield

By Gary Horowitz, Salem Statesman-Journal 5/13/2015

McMINNVILLE – Casey Bunn spent part of last weekend organizing her new office in the Linfield Athletic Complex, and meeting with members of the women's basketball team.

A week into her job as women's basketball coach at Linfield College, Bunn is excited about her first opportunity as a college coach.

After spending the past three years as girl's basketball coach at Tualatin High School – the Timberwolves made three consecutive OSAA Class 6A state playoff appearances – Bunn is ready for a new challenge.

Linfield is an NCAA Division III school and part of the Northwest Conference.

"Being able to coach at the Division III level is great for me," said Bunn, 31, who grew up in Stayton and played college basketball at Oregon State.

"I like the balance of the school. They're able to be students first and still be able to enjoy basketball and at a competitive level."

Athletic scholarships are not offered in Division III, but recruiting remains a key to success at any level. Bunn will be looking for the right fit at Linfield, which competes in one of the nation's strongest conferences for women's basketball.

NWC teams have reached the national championship game in four of the last seven years. George Fox University in Newberg won the national title in 2009 under coach Scott Rueck, who has since led OSU to national prominence.

Bunn replaces Robin Potera-Haskins, who stepped down after five seasons. Linfield was 12-13 last season and placed fifth in the NWC.

"We just felt like she was a good fit," Linfield athletic director Scott Carnahan said of the Bunn hire. "I think with us, being able to have a strong connection with our student-athletes we felt was very important, and we felt that was a strong suit with her teams at Tualatin."

Bunn will be promoting Linfield on the recruiting trail and wants the school to be center stage, but clearly her extensive basketball background was an asset in landing the job.

As a senior at OSU in 2007, Bunn led the Pac-10 in scoring and was a first team all-conference selection. She graduated with a degree in public health promotion and education, and went on to play professionally for three years in Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Australia.

"I was a very fortunate to play in the places that I did," Bunn said. "Basketball's taken me around the world."

Her basketball roots remain firmly planted in the state of Oregon.

Bunn was an assistant girl's basketball coach at Lake Oswego High for two years before accepting the head coaching job at Tualatin, and is co-founder and director of Portland Jr. Energy Basketball, a skills development program predominantly for girls in third grade through high school.

It's a program that continues to be a passion for Bunn.

"We all know that basketball and sports in general is an amazing tool for kids to learn real life lessons," Bunn said. "So we really emphasize that, and good attitudes and positive self-talk and positive imagine and confidence. Especially with young girls in this day and age, they struggle with that big time."

Even though Bunn's days as a professional basketball player are in the rearview mirror, she still has big-time game, evidenced by her success in three-on-three street basketball tournaments in recent years.

Representing Portland Energy, Bunn has been part of teams that have won five consecutive women's open division titles at Hoopfest in Spokane, Washington, which is the largest tournament of its kind in the world.

And Bunn and company are the four-time defending women's open champions at Salem's Hoopla, which will be held Aug. 6-9 in front of the Oregon State Capitol.

Bunn's main priority these days is coaching, but being able to physically illustrate to players what's she's looking for on the court is an asset.

"I'm not as young as I used to be, obviously," Bunn said with a smile, "but I can still show 'em. I think being able to do that is valuable to players. A lot of players like to see it done and like for me, I can't look at a board and be like, 'that's the play.' I've gotta run through it."

As for her coaching style?

"I'm a coach that pushes their players and expects a lot of out of them, but at the same time we're gonna have a lot of fun," Bunn said. "It's gonna be a team where it feels like family."

It would come as no surprise to see Bunn as a Division I women's basketball coach down the road, but she's not looking ahead.

Bunn has embraced every stop during her basketball journey, and that's her plan at Linfield as well.

"I'm the type of person that where I'm coaching, that's where I wanted to be. I'm all in," Bunn said. "Now that I'm at Linfield it's a great opportunity, a great new challenge for me."

The Bunn file

Who: Casey Bunn, women's basketball coach at Linfield College
Age: 31
Hometown: Stayton
Of note: A first team all-Pac-10 selection at Oregon State in 2007 and the conference scoring leader (20.0 points per game)...10th-leading scorer in school history (1,163 points), seventh in rebounds (679)...played professional basketball in Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Australia...head girl's basketball coach for three years at Tualatin High School...a four-time all-state selection at Stayton High.

Parker’s Run 5-9-2015: Evergreen Aviation Museum campus in McMinnville

Preparing for Parker's Run 5/9/2015

On 5/8/2015 in Linfield's Riley Hall, early packet pick-up for 5/9/2015 Parker’s run/walk on grounds of McMinnville's Evergreen Aviation Museum.

Catball with trophy

Linfield Catball players with 2015 NWC Softball Tournament trophy. 

Wildcatville photo taken 4/30/2015 afternoon. 

Link to Linfield Softball website: 
http://bit.ly/1ItvANq

On 4/30/2015, Linfield announces first group of prospective student-athletes who intend to play football for Wildcats

See Linfield Sports Info news release here: 

http://bit.ly/1zuxjAn

WU at Linfield Softball Game #1 on 4/19/2015

Hail to BWC!

Are we guilty of taking some things for granted? If so, let the Bar West Classic/BWC not be one of them. Wildcatville joins others who enjoy BWC's efforts year after year. Our Linfield-related lives are enriched by what Steve and Gil created and their team produces. Hail to BWC!

CHARLOTTE FILER: Retired Linfield professor and Linfield Review advisor passes away

Retired Linfield professor and Linfield Review advisor passes away

Linfield Review March 28, 2015

Yamhill County resident and retired Linfield professor of journalism Charlotte Colleen Filer, 83, died March 24, 2015, at the Vineyard Heights assisted living facility in McMinnville. She had been diagnosed with liver cancer.

Filer was born on March 7, 1932, in McMinnville. Her parents were Lena Marie Filer and Emmett Sylanus Filer, and she had a sister, Audrey Lippens, and a brother, Martin Emmett Filer, all of whom are deceased. She grew up in Dayton and graduated from Dayton High School.

She graduated cum laude from Linfield in 1954, and worked as a journalist for the McMinnville News-Register and an administrator for the college.

Filer attended the University of Iowa in 1960 to obtain a Master of Arts degree, and later worked as a journalism professor and press officer for the news bureau for Linfield until 1974. She was also the advisor for the Linfield Review, the Oak Leaves student yearbook, and edited the Linfield Bulletin, the alumni publication.

After working for Linfield, Filer worked as the public information director for Pacific University in Forest Grove. She retired in 1989.

Former students of Filer established a communications/media endowment scholarship in 1986 in her honor. Linfield continues to award the Charlotte Filer Journalism Scholarship to deserving students from Yamhill County.

Contributions can be made to this scholarship through Linfield’s Office of Institutional Advancement or to the Charlotte Filer Endowed Scholarship Fund at Pacific University.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. April 17 at the Dayton Pioneer Evangelical Church. A private burial was held for family and friends at the Dayton Odd Fellows cemetery.

https://thelinfieldreview.com/17665/the-rest/retired-linfield-professor-and-linfield-review-advisor-passes-away

Catball practice 3/27/2015

What we see. What we'd like to see.

What we see on McMinnville’s Northeast Adams Street (99W) near Northeast First Street. (It’s about a two minute drive from this sign to the Linfield campus.) What we’d like to see. 

In March 2016, LCC fell to Linfield JV Softball

The Linfield junior varsity scored early and often as the Wildcats held off the Lower Columbia College -- LCC, a two-year institution in Longview, Wash. -- Red Devils, 7-3, in nonleague women’s softball on Thursday in McMinnville, Ore.

According to The Daily News of Longview, LCC trailed 5-0 after four innings. 

In the fifth, the Devils scored three runs, highlighted by a two-run triple from Ashley Kelly.

The Wildcats added solo runs in the fifth and sixth innings.

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LCC athletics website says the teams played twice on March 24, with Linfield winning the first game, 7-3, and LCC winning the second, 8-6. See game recap at link below and game photo above.

http://lccreddevils.com/news/2016/3/28/softball-devils-split-non-leaguer-at-linfield.aspx

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Speaking of LCC:

--Linfielders Don Porter and Jack Riley were coaches and athletic directors at LCC way back when.

--In the first game of Linfield’s varsity 1948 football season, Linfield beat LCC 14-7 on LCC’s field in Longview. According to the Linfield football record book, it was the only time Linfield’s varsity played LCC. It was first game of Paul Durham’s storied career at Linfield head football coach. See story below from Sept. 19, 1948, Sunday Oregonian about the game.