Obituaries

November 27, 1934 – December 8, 2025

Lynora (Nonie) was born November 27, 1934, in Banner County, Nebraska to George Edward and Helen May McGowan. Nonie was the third child of eight siblings. She learned to drive on the family ranch by age 8 and became her father’s driver when his health was poor. Her father bought her a piano, she took lessons from a neighbor, and she often said playing the piano brought her peace, her love of music lasted her entire life. While in high school she sang in the school and church choir and was the first cheerleader at her school to learn to do a cartwheel. She attended Scottsbluff Community College to obtain her teaching certificate and began her career as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse.

While finishing high school Nonie’s cousin had noticed a track star from a rival school and bet Nonie a…

June 11, 1933 – November 29, 2025

Jerry was born June 11, 1933, in Minatare, Nebraska, the oldest son of Hershall Glen and Mary Elizabeth Van Winkle. He was an all-star athlete who excelled in track and field, basketball, football and choir. While in high school he worked at his Uncle and Aunt’s automotive garage and café learning the mechanical trade between peeling potatoes and washing dishes. He attended Scottsbluff community college and studied engineering prior to being drafted into military service. Jerry’s natural athleticism served him well while he served as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division until his honorable discharge.

While finishing high school Jerry met a cheerleader from a rival school, Lynora (Nonie) who became the love of his life. They married on June 12, 1955, and started their married life in Kentucky where their daughter Beth Ann was born. After discharge from the Army, they…

Orton Douglas MacLean “Doug”

“The Music Man”

Orton Douglas MacLean, affectionately known as Doug or by many in the community as “The Music Man,” passed away peacefully on March 10, 2026, at the age of 81, at his beloved “Hideaway Cabin” on Stewart Street in Vanderhoof, British Columbia—a place where he had recently begun preparing to open a small business teaching guitar lessons and sharing his love of music with others.

Doug was born January 21, 1945, in Medicine Hat, Alberta, to Orton MacLean and Donelda Major (née Baptiste), and was raised within a family that would shape his lifelong values of service, curiosity, and compassion.

Doug lived a life filled with music, service, and connection. A dedicated educator and musician, he spent many years as a B.C. school and music teacher for grades K–12, inspiring generations of students with his passion for learning and creativity. Even later in life,…