Obituaries

Charles 'Chuck'

W. Dickerson

1943-2008

A celebration of life is March 8 in Minden for longtime Carson Valley businessman Charles "Chuck" W. Dickerson, who died Jan. 13, 2008, from heart failure.

Mr. Dickerson was born Nov. 9, 1943, at Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, to Edwin and Melitta Dickerson. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Texas, where he studied aeronautical engineering. He then attended Ambassador College in Pasadena, Calif. There he met his wife, Terri Dickerson. Mr. Dickerson was a minister for 11 years. Upon leaving the ministry, he became a real estate agent in conjunction with developing his own aircraft maintenance business, Air Sierra Unlimited at Minden-Tahoe Airport. His passion was airplanes. He was a multi-engine rated pilot and loved to fly. His company sponsored Formula One airplanes at the Reno Air Races.

Mr. Dickerson knew Carson Valley was where he wanted to raise a family. He and his family loved the camping, hiking, fishing and boating the Valley had to offer. He enjoyed the small-town atmosphere. He was a founding member of the Carson Valley Sertoma Club and was generous with his time.

Mr. Dickerson was preceded in death by a brother, Richard.

He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Terri; three children, JoLynn Reddon and husband Mark of Las Vegas, Chris Dickerson and wife Alicia of Gardnerville, Kelly Lamoreaux and husband Jarom of Monument, Colo.; a brother, John; and seven grandchildren, whom he loved dearly.

For more information on the memorial service, call 267-3198 or e-mail chuckdickerson@cox.net.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Carson Valley Sertoma Club in Mr. Dickerson's name or the Chuck Dickerson Memorial Fund at Wells Fargo Bank, account No. 9270200018.

Julius A. Frei

1929-2007

A memorial service and interment will take place 10 a.m. Jan. 29, 2008, at the Sacramento Valley Veterans National Cemetery, Dixon, Calif. for Julius A. Frei, 78, who died, Dec. 3, 2007, while on vacation with his family at Lake Tahoe, from complications of long term diabetes.

Mr. Frei was born in Portland, Ore., Sept. 14, 1929. He grew up in Milwaukee, Ore., attended Milwaukee Grade School, and graduated from Benson Technical High School in Portland with a degree in airplane mechanics. Upon graduation, he joined the Army Air Corps and attained the rank of technical sergeant. Mr. Frei was a B-29 flight engineer with the Strategic Air Command during the Korean War.

Mr. Frei joined Pan American World Airways in 1955 as a flight engineer in New York City. He transferred to San Francisco, then to Miami, where he met his future wife, Holly, finally returning to San Francisco. During his 34-year-career with Pan Am, he flew all over the world on Boeing 377, 707, and 747 aircraft. He became a check flight engineer on the 747. He loved flying and never thought of it as a job.

He flew the Russian Olympic team to the Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956. In 1957, he flew President Sukarno back into Jakarta after the Indonesian military attempted a coup while Sukarno was out of the country.

Until they landed, they did not know if the plane would be greeted by Sukarno supporters or attacked. After President Nixon normalized relations with China in 1972, Mr. Frei flew the first commercial flight into Beijing. He earned his private pilot's license in 1973.

Mr. Frei married his wife, Holly, in 1968 in Fremont, Calif., where they raised their two daughters. The family traveled the world: Skiing the Swiss Alps, cruising the Nile River, touring King Tut's Tomb in Egypt, experiencing Christmas in Hong Kong, China.

Mr. Frei was a member and Trustee of the First United Methodist Church and belonged to Alameda Lodge No.167, Masonic Lodge, Fremont, Calif. In 1996, he moved to Minden.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother. Mr. Frei is survived by his wife of 39 years, his two daughters, one granddaughter, and a sister.

Donations may be made in Mr. Frei's memory to the American Diabetes Association. Arrangements are in the care of Truckee Tahoe Mortuary, Truckee, Calif., where cremation took place.

Jewel Earlene Mendes

1936-2008

A memorial service for Jewel Earlene Mendes, 71, a Gardnerville resident since 1966, is 4 p.m. Friday at Walton's Chapel of the Valley in Carson City.

Mrs. Mendes died Jan. 16, 2008, in Gardnerville. She was born March 5, 1936, in Tennessee to Fayette Miller and Gertrude Davis.

She worked as a waitress in several restaurants. She was well known at the J.T. Basque Bar & Dining Room in Gardnerville where she worked for over 20 years.

On Dec. 1, 1972, she married William Mendes in Gardnerville.

Mrs. Mendes loved crafts, gardening, and antiques. She loved her family, especially her grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband William in 2005.

Survivors include son Richard (Christine) Hogan of Reno; brothers William, Robert, and Danny; sisters Ann, Polly, and Thelma and grandchildren Hunter and Reilly.

George F. Tobin

1920-2007

George F. Tobin, 87, a Gardnerville resident, died Dec. 22, 2007.

Mr. Tobin was born April 28, 1920, in Portland, Ore. He moved to South Lake Tahoe in 1965 and was active in the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the South Lake Tahoe Yacht Club. He moved to Gardnerville in December of 1999. He was a long-time member of St. John's Episcopal Church in Glenbrook for many years on Vestry. He was also a greeter, usher and warden.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Virginia Tobin of Gardnerville.

He was cremated at the Truckee Meadows Burial Service and will be inurned in the St. John's Columbariam in Glenbrook. Memorial donations can be made to the Alzeheimer's Associations in California or Nevada.