Russell Epperson died April 28, 2011. He was 49. Courtesy photo.

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”

– Ursula Guin, novelist

Russell Troy Epperson, a man who touched the hearts of many, will be remembered by family and friends.

He passed peacefully on April 28, 2011.

Born Sept. 8, 1961, Russell’s journey here on Earth lasted 49 years.

He liked to joke and tell good stories. He enjoyed good music, fast engines, and camping at the coast. He had a vibrant personality.

Those who had the pleasure of knowing Russell knew what mattered to him most, family. A loving husband, father, papa, son, brother, uncle, and friend, he had a way of making so many feel welcomed.

He is survived by his wife Cynthia, son Kyle, daughter Carly, granddaughter Willow, mother Gwyn, stepmother Paula, brothers Charles Epperson and Robert and Gary Mayhood, sister-in-law Lisa, niece Haley, nephew Charles Junior and many close friends.

He has joined in peace his father Edward Russell Epperson and stepfather Warren Steffen.

Rest now, Russell, and know that the memories we’ve shared with you will be forever in our hearts.

Pastor Newell is survived by his wife, Betty Strach-Newell; sister, Myrna Deutscher of Olivet, S.D.; and sons, David Newell of Napa, Calif., and Pastor Paul Newell of Yucaipa, Calif.

A celebration of his life is planned for Sunday, May 1, at Lake County Bible Fellowship at the corner of Seventh and N. Forbes streets in Lakeport, Calif.

Sunday service will begin at 10:45 a.m. and the memorial will follow at 12 p.m. Please join us in celebrating a life well lived.

Please share your memories by leaving a comment below.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. – Psalm 23:6

Leona Pogue died Friday, April 15, 2011. She was 97. Courtesy photo.

Leona Brown Pogue went to be with the Lord on April 15, 2011, at the age of 97 years old.

She was born in Missouri on April 19, 1913. In 1948 she moved to Manteca. She worked at Manteca Cannery, Manteca Hospital and Palm Haven Rest Home.

She is survived by her son, John J. Pogue of Stockton; five grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; many great-great-grandchildren and great-great-great-grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her husband, John O. Pogue of 67 years; daughters, Betty Joan McNeil and Phyllis Deloris Hutchings; son, Roy Francis Pogue; and three grandchildren.

Leona loved to knit, visit with family and friends, camping and fishing during the summer. She loved to travel, loved to watch basketball and mostly loved baseball.

Visitation and services will be at Park View Funeral Home, 3661 E. French Camp Rd, Manteca, Calif., on Friday, April 22, 2011, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with services starting at 1:30 p.m. Interment will follow at Park View Cemetery.

Gene Necoechea of Lakeport, Calif., died Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Courtesy photo.

Longtime Lakeport resident Gene Necoechea (Geno) died on Tuesday, April 19, 2011, in Santa Rosa, Calif.

Born to Salvador and Francisca Necoechea in Mexico City in 1922, Gene first came to Lake County as part of the Bracero program in 1944.

Although Gene traveled throughout the Western states (Texas, Montana, Washington, Idaho and Nevada) in search of work and adventure, he always returned to Lake County.

By the early 1950s he was well established here, working at the Green Ranch in Scotts Valley. After a few years Gene relocated his parents and his sisters to Lakeport.

By the late 1950s Gene had moved into construction, running heavy equipment. He became a member of the Operating Engineers and for many years worked for Lange Brothers.

Gene loved the outdoors; he loved hunting and fishing. Modoc, Klamath, McCloud, Noyo, Baja, Vancouver – these were just a few of the places Gene liked to go.

Gene was always known as the life of the party and loved to tell jokes and stories. One of his favorites was when he and his friend Homer Pulse would ride their horses into town and tie them up outside the Clearlake Club in front of the court house. Then they would go on in and have a little refreshment.

Once they were sufficiently “refreshed” they would get back on their horses and race them down Main Street all the way to the Rendezvous on Lakeshore Drive. Of course by that time they would need to refresh themselves all over again.

Gene really liked to socialize, also spending a lot of time in the Lakeport coffee shops like the Mecca and the Water Wheel. In later years he could often be found during the morning “discussion” at the Shore Line. But his favorite place was probably the Bonnie Brae out on the lake, because that’s where he met Persis Cossey, who would become his wife.

Gene and Persis were married in 1961 and lived on Voight Road in Big Valley. They both loved to fish and spent much of their time going camping and fishing. After Gene retired they built a home in Cassel, near Burney in Shasta County. They spent many happy hours fishing on McCloud Reservoir.

Gene was preceded in death by his wife Persis, and his sisters Julia Alvarez and Elsa Fowler. He is survived by his nieces, Maria Necoechea of Sacramento and Diana Madura of Santa Rosa, and his nephews, Rafael Alvarez of Davis and Michael Fowler of Kelseyville.

Services will be at Jones Mortuary in Lakeport on Monday, May 2, at 1 p.m., followed by a reception at the Lakeport Yacht Club from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Hospice Services of Lake County, 1717 S. Main Street, Lakeport, CA 95453.

Edgar Austin of Clearlake Oaks, Calif., died April 19, 2011. He was 82 years old. Courtesy photo.

Edgar Allen Austin of Clearlake Oaks, Calif., passed away on April 19, 2011. He was 82 years old.

He was born in Oakland, Calif., on July 15, 1928, and served in the Korean war. He retired from the Bakers Union after 30 years.

He was a 32 year resident of Lake County, where he was past commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion, and past governor of the Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge.

He is survived by his daughters, Carolyn Randall and Greta Colman, and his son, Eric Austin, all from Clearlake Oaks; four grandchildren, Lori Hyrup, Bryan and Marcel Moranton, and Jessica Tignor.

Memorial services will be held at the Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge, located at the corner of Highway 20 and Highway 53, on Sunday, May 15, at 1 p.m.

Devoted Green Bay Packers fan Ronald Hughes of Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., died Thursday, March 10, 2011. He was 76 years old. Courtesy photo.

Beloved son, husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Ronald J. Hughes, son of Roland and Elva (Wilcox) Hughes, age 76 of Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., passed away on March 10, 2011, after a long courageous battle with non-small cell lung cancer.

Ron was born on March 26, 1934 in Dodgeville, Wis., and grew up in Ridgeway, Wis., where he graduated from Ridgeway School at the age of 17.

Ron had a true love and appreciation for all sports. He was a star basketball and baseball player in school and in the Navy and even had a chance to try out for Chicago White Sox. He was a loyal life-long fan to his favorite NFL team the Green Bay Packers, of which he was a stockholder, and as always he was cheering them on during the road to their recent Super Bowl win.

He was also a regular at Lower Lake and Middletown High School sporting events where he took joy in rooting on his granddaughter and other local young athletes and spending time with both old and new friends.

Ronald enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17 and served on the USS Cascade from 1951-1954 and he was a lifetime member of the local VFW.

After leaving the Navy and living in the Madison area, Ron moved to Rothschild, Wis., where he met his future wife Sharon. Several years later, Ron decided to follow his dreams and make the move to California.

After obtaining a position as a welder/sheet metal fabricator in Sunnyvale, he married Sharon on March 12, 1977, in Reno in the midst of a huge snowstorm. In June of 1977 the family set out on the long drive from Wisconsin to start their new family life in California.

After realizing that Sunnyvale was just too busy of an area for them, the Hughes family moved to Willits, Calif., for a short period and then on to Rohnert Park where they lived until finding their dream waterfront home in Hidden Valley Lake in Lake County, Calif., in February 1989.

Ron was a proud Lake County business owner. Ron’s Precision Metal Fab., a manufacturer of tight tolerance sheet metal parts, supplied customers across the United States. This was a successful business that Ron operated for over 15 years until the shop was closed at his retirement in February of 2006.

Ron greatly enjoyed his life in Hidden Valley Lake loving to fish, garden, visit with his many dear friends and playing 8-ball. Ron had a famous reputation since his early years in Wisconsin as a force to be reckoned with on the pool table.

Ron successfully worked with the HVLA management to bring back a pool table to Mulligan's Bar and started the regular Thursday night pool tournaments years ago which turned a slow night to a very successful night for the Hidden Valley Lake establishment. The pool table area in Mulligan’s has now been lovingly dedicated and renamed “Ron’s Place” in honor of his contributions and memory.

Ron was predeceased by his parents, brother William Hughes, sisters Ruth Landon and Darlene Hughes and granddaughter Jaclyn Ramirez.

Ron is survived by his loving wife of 34 years Sharon (Kleimola) Hughes. His children, Rhoda (Lee) Dlug of Bonners Ferry, Idaho; Richard Hughes of Greeley, Colo.; Roger (Daniel Russell) Hughes of Beaverton, Ore.; Roberta (David) Hughes-Millman of Fountain Green, Utah; Scott Lafrancois of Rohnert Park, Calif.; and Danielle Lafrancois of Clearlake, Calif.

Also surviving Ron are his 10 grandchildren and sisters Margaret Olson of Monroe, Wis., and Verna Gould of Dodgeville, Wis.

Ron (AKA Benny, Huey, Ronnie, The Ronster) has touched all of our lives deeply with his loving friendship, dedication and wonderful quirky sense of humor, and he will be greatly missed and never forgotten by the many that loved him.

We wish to thank Dr. Gregory Smith and his staff at the Martin-O’Neil Cancer Center in St. Helena, Calif., for the care provided to Ron and his family during the last two and a half years and to Hospice of Lake County for the comforting guidance during these last few difficult weeks.

We could not have made it through these final months without the support of our family and friends and special thanks to John Arview, Norm and Kim Carter, and Dick and Millie Hammes for all they did to help us through this difficult time.

Please join us in a celebration of Ron’s life on what would have been his 77th birthday on Saturday, March 26, 2011, at Mulligan’s Bar at Hidden Valley Lake from noon to 2 p.m., where we can share special memories. A light luncheon will be provided.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers any donations in Ron’s memory be sent to Hospice Services of Lake County at 1717 S. Main St., Lakeport Ca 95453-5668.