Obituaries for February, 2024

April 7, 1946-February 17, 2024 Steven B. Molvig was born on April 7, 1946 in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He was raised on the family farm, helping his father Alvin and mother Doris. He and his older sibling, sister Joan, share the same birthday. Steve always said he was “The best birthday present Joan ever got!” There was a bit of grumbling however when they had to share a single birthday cake between them. Graduating from high school in Climax, Minnesota in 1963, Steve began his college career attending Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He finished his undergraduate degree at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota. June of 1970 saw Steve drafted, called to the United States Army. He would go on to be thankfully stationed in the states, becoming a field medic. He was honorably discharged in December of 1971. He went back to teaching, …

Margaret May Quigley, 81, passed away on February 10, 2024, in Elko, NV. She was born February 22, 1942, in Pocatello, ID to Acel “Ace” Loran and Mary Hilda (Green) Quigley. Margaret was a loving mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, great grandmother, great-great grandmother and friend who cherished her family and friends, including their fur-babies. Her love for the many four-legged animals everyone around her owned was one of her greatest passions. Just to babysit, visit with, or let them sit on her lap is something she looked forward to no matter what. We often teased her and called her the dog whisperer. All our pets loved her as much as we do. Margaret’s unwavering love and kind heart will forever be remembered by those who were fortunate enough to have known her. Her spirit will live on in the hearts of all of us. Margaret is survived by her brother …

John Aufdermaur Jr. died peacefully on February 8, 2024. He was born on October 10, 1937 to John Sr. and Caroline Aufdermaur who immigrated to Lovelock, NV from Switzerland. John’s birth made headlines in the local paper because he was the Aufdermaur’s first son following 5 sisters. He had 6 sisters and 3 brothers. His family owned and operated Purity Dairy and he grew up in the family business helping his dad milk cows, delivering milk, and driving a team of horses in the fields. John attended Fairview Elementary School and graduated from Pershing County High School in 1955. While attending high school, he was involved in football, basketball, student council and FFA. John worked at Nevada Iron Mines, Munk Brothers, Fundis Trucking, Larry Starr Cement, and Eagle Picher where he retired after 30+ years. After retirement, John became Pershing County’s brand inspector. A job he greatly loved. John was …

Long-time resident of Humboldt County, Stanley Eugene McCoy died peacefully in his sleep on the morning of February 7, 2024. Stanley was the youngest of four children born to Melvin Street McCoy and Mable Lucille McCoy (née Pearce) in Winnemucca on September 18, 1941. He grew up in the home that his parents built for the family in the 1940’s on Bridge St. alongside his brother Milton McCoy. He had a typical American childhood, which isn’t so typical anymore: playing outdoors, family get-togethers, hunting and fishing, boy scouts, school sports, and learning the carpenter’s trade from his father. He attended Winnemucca Grammar School and earned his diploma from Humboldt County High School on June 1, 1961. After high school, Stanley did his military service in the Nevada National Guard, having trained at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Thereafter, he worked for the railroad for a year and then with McCoy Builders …

Jack left this earth on Sept. 23, 2023 to be with those who had gone before him. Jack was born in San Francisco, CA. on August 5, 1942 to Joseph “Chip” Montrose and Marjorie Patricia “Pat” Primm. At an early age the family moved back to Lovelock, NV where Chip was born and raised and a lot of family still live. While Jack was in grade school the family moved to Fallon where he lived until graduation from Churchill County High School with the class of 1960. After graduation he was drafted into the Army and served his country in Viet Nam. He was very proud of his service. After the Army, he made his home in Carson City where he worked for the Nevada Department of Transportation. He earned his Professional Engineer’s Certificate and continued advancing his career until his retirement in 1995. After retirement he returned to Fallon …

Diane Louise (McGrath) Engelson, 67, of Battle Mountain, Nevada, died at her home on February 15, 2024 Diane was born in Phillip, South Dakota on March 7, 1956 to Howard and Elinor McGrath. She attended school in Phillip, South Dakota where she graduated in 1974. She married Jerry Engelson on September 3, 1977 in Phillip, South Dakota. Diane worked as a nurse’s aide in South Dakota and Wyoming, then ran a day care in Battle Mountain, Nevada. Diane is preceded in death by her husband Gerald ‘Jerry’ Engelson, and her parents Howard and Elinor McGrath. Diane is survived by her children; Brian (Samme) Engelson, Jerome (Katrina) Engelson, Teri (Chris) Spring. Her grandchildren; Breven (Anna) Engelson, Maizee Engelson, Ryan Engelson, Kaylen Engelson, Macyn Engelson, Elijah Engelson, and Michael Spring. Great grandchild MaKenzie Engelson. Her sisters; Clair Hamilton, Linda Thesisese, Cheryl Hunt, and Brother; Daniel McGrath A potluck dinner will be held …

John Bill Darrough Born in Brigham City, Utah January 14, 1956 to Western Shoshone parents Hicks and Neva Brady Darrough and died in Grass Valley, CA January 23, 2024. John enjoyed the outdoors and shared his outdoor activities with his family whether hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, picnicking, snow sledding and rock climbing. John introduced his daughters Cassandra and Mary at a young age to the joys of hiking, camping and fishing. John also enjoyed along with his Western Shoshone Family members, their annual Pine Nut Gathering camping trips within their Ancestral Homelands in central Nevada. After graduation from Hug High, John attended the California College of the Arts in Oakland, CA where he pursued his interests in Photography and the Fine Arts. John also attended the University of Nevada at Reno School System where he studied Journalism, Law, Business, History and Biology. John enjoyed designing and creating Jewelry especially from …

Louis Franklin Ryle Sr., of Lovelock, Nv, passed away on January 28, 2024, after a 1.5-year battle with lung cancer. Louie was born on March 19, 1947, to Russell Sr. and Juanita Ryle in Lovelock, NV. In 1966, he was drafted into the USMC and graduated from boot camp from USMC Base Camp Pendleton. After graduating from boot camp at Camp Pendleton, he went to Vietnam, with Bravo Company Third Tanks from 1966-1968. While in Vietnam, his tank B-25 was ambushed and was shot with an RPG. He was the only survivor of B-25 crew and received the purple heart. The Vietnam Tanker Association has called him a “hero” for his acts of valor for trying to save is crew and the grunts around him that day. If you would like to read about this event look up the book called Con Thien: The hill of Angels, written by James …

Grace McErquiaga passed away peacefully on January 18, 2024 surrounded by her family. Grace was 95 years old and a lifelong resident of Humboldt County. She was born in Winnemucca to Doss and Mabel McNinch on November 20, 1928, on the edge of the Great Depression. Grace graduated from Humboldt County high school in 1942. She soon fell in love with John McErquiaga and the couple were married in 1945. Shortly thereafter they fulfilled their dream of owning a ranch by buying the River Ranch near Orovada. Grace and John soon welcomed 2 daughters (Dodie and Dorie) and began creating a life on the Ranch. They taught their girls the value of hard work (damn hard work!), horsemanship, and the immeasurable value of family. Dodie married Ross Zimmerman in 1967 and Doris married Allan Albisu in 1968. With the unfortunate and untimely death of John in 1979, Grace had to …

Edna Mae Hill of Buckley, Washington, age 77, passed away peacefully in hospice care on January 15th, 2024 after a brief illness. Born in Portland, Oregon December 28th, 1946 to Harvey and Mary (Alderson) Freeman, Edna was the eldest of nine children. In 1969 she married Terry Hill and they moved to his family’s farm in Orovada, Nevada. Terry preceded her in death in 1998. Edna was the proud mother of daughter Tamra, & son Eric. She was also a motherly figure to may throughout her life, career, and community service. While living in Orovada, she worked for the school district and served as the 4-H community leader for many years before later moving to Winnemucca and working at the juvenile detention center. Her dedication to the 4-H program is legendary. She organized heaps of fun and educational activities along with field trips, plays, and fundraisers all while passing on …

Scott LaVassaur, 55, passed away suddenly on January 20, 2024. Scott was born and raised in Piercefield, and attended Tupper Lake High School. Upon his graduation in 1986, he enlisted in the Air Force where he was a telecommunications specialist. He received an Honorable Discharge and retired after 20 years of service. He was stationed in several places around the world, including California, Germany, New Mexico, Iraq, and Alaska. While in Alaska, he met and married the love of his life, Tracy. She referred to him as “Lava Love.” They built a wonderful life in Alaska where he worked for the Alaskan Railroad after he retired from the Air Force. Eventually they decided to move to Nevada where he worked for Berrick Gold Corporation. They settled on a 25-acre ranch where they raised their animals- horses, a donkey, sheep, llama, ducks, cats, and dogs. On his days off he was …

12/20/1938-01/08/2024 Vincent was born on December 20th. 1938 in Cincinati Ohio to his mother and father Agnes and Ivan Shearer. After high school in Glendale, California, Vince joined the Army National Guard for three years then in 1957 joined the United States Marine Corps. After returning from Vietnam 1962, Vince had a variety of occupations and hobbies. He was a very proud butcher for many years, he was an officer of the law for years, and then after meeting his wife, Kay, he took an extreme interest in endurancehorse racing and fell in love with making racing carts. One other lifetime love of his was training trial dogs, he had an amazing talent and shared that with some of his closest friends. Vince Shearer was a man to remember, a friend those of us close will forever keep in our hearts, and a genuine soul that will not be forgotten.

Sheila Elaine Schein (Renshaw) of Lovelock passed away on January 24, 2024 after a brief illness. She is survived by her husband, Robert; children, Julie Gritton (Jamie), and Jim (Jeanette); and her seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Sheila was born to Norman and Eleanor Renshaw in Reno, Nevada in 1944 and grew up in Sparks. She graduated from Sparks High School and attended the University of Nevada Reno. In 1965 she married the love of her life, Robert Schein, and they moved to Lovelock in 1972. Sheila wore many hats during her lifetime. Besides being a loving wife and mother she was also a telephone operator, title company clerk, bookkeeper, and a legal secretary. She headed up the child support enforcement division of the Pershing County District Attorney’s office for many years. She was a noted figure in the Lovelock arts community, teaching piano to a generation of the town’s …

Lilly Jean Anderson, passed away peacefully on 01-10-24 in Caldwell Idaho, the place she called home for over 49 years. Lilly was born in Winnemucca, Nevada on January 28, 1940 to Charles Brown and Alice Bengochea Brown. She was raised in Winnemucca where she attended the local schools and made many lifelong friends. She is survived by her brother Omar Brown (Vonnie), her children Sam Johnstone, daughter Tauna Burhans (Jon); 3 grandchildren, Cassi Whitney (James), Annie Johnson (Randall), Ben Burhans (Bailey); 9 great grandchildren, Maryan Johnson, Fatuma Johnson, Roscoe Johnson, Bentleigh Burhans, Florence Whitney, Isola Johnson, Brylee Burhans, Fitz Johnson and Simone Whitney, and many dear cousins. Lilly was preceded in death by her husband, Andy Anderson. Lilly attended beauty school in Reno after High School and was a beautician in Winnemucca and later a homemaker. She moved to Caldwell, Idaho, and worked at the local hospital, West Valley Medical …

Lewis Trout passed away on January 19, 2024. He was born on January 11, 1948, in Quincy, Massachusetts to Elvin and Mildred Trout. After graduating from high school in 1965, he went into the United States Navy. He served in the Navy Supply Corps at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. He was transferred to Sea Duty in 1967. He was on the USS Hector (AR-7), based out of Long Beach, California and worked in the payroll department. His job was to pay half of the crew and officers. In 1969, he was honorably discharged from the United States Navy went to the Pasadena City College. He graduated with an Associate of Arts Degree in 1970. He then went on to the University of Southern California and graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Economics degree. He worked at a 4-star hotel in Pasadena while putting himself through college. But …