Walking On: John Duane Yarbrough, Ty Daniel Holm, John Allen Darcy, Sheila Diane Langley, Judith Darlene Olsen

John Duane Yarbrough

July 6, 1959 – April 22, 2024

Tribal Elder John Duane Yarbrough passed away on Monday, April 22, 2024, at the age of 64.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, May 17, in the Tribal gym, followed by a gravesite service at the Tribal Cemetery and a meal at the Elder Activity Center.

Bollman’s Tribute Center in Dallas, Oregon, is assisting the family.

Ty Daniel Holm

July 23, 1968 – April 29, 2024

Tribal Elder Ty Daniel Holm passed away Monday, April 29, 2024, at the age of 55.

Crown Cremation Services in Tualatin is assisting the family.

Funeral service details were not available at presstime.

John Allen Darcy

March 18, 1945 – May 6, 2024

Tribal Elder John Allen Darcy passed away on Monday, May 6, 2024, at the age of 79.

Sunset Hills Funeral Home, Crematorium and Cemetery in Eugene is assisting the family.

Funeral service details were not available at presstime.

Sheila Diane Langley

March 4, 1951 – April 30, 2024

Tribal Elder Sheila Diane Langley passed away on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at the age of 73.

Barton Family Funeral Service in Kirkland, Wash., is assisting the family.

Funeral service details were not available at presstime.

Judith Darlene Olsen

Oct. 2, 1943 – April 17, 2024

It is with sad and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Tribal Elder Judith Darlene “McKnight” Olsen.

She was a wonderful and caring mother, sister and grandmother. She shined with love and cared more about the people around her than she did about herself.

Judy was born on Oct. 2, 1943, at McMinnville Hospital, to Elvira Langley and Thomas McKnight.

She was one of 10 children. She grew up in Willamina in a small one-bedroom home with Dorothy, Maxine, Ramona, Beverly, Barbara, Wayne, Robert, Melvin and Rick. Judy graduated from Willamina Union High School and was married to Larry K. Olsen on Aug. 23, 1965, in Vancouver, Washington.

They moved to California and lived there until 1969 and then moved to Champaign, Illinois, and had two children, Larry and Laura. In 1976 they moved to Tempe, Arizona, where Judy made many friends and became a mother to many of Larry and Laura’s friends.

Judy took in anybody that needed help and was the “hand of authority” to most. She was afraid of nothing and no one.

Judy stayed in Arizona until 1990, when she moved back to Oregon to be with her siblings. She lived there until 2007 and then moved back to Arizona to be with her kids and grandson, Brody.

She loved daisies and pigs, cooking and baking, sitting on her porch and watching the sun come up, going out to see her son’s band play, solitaire, watching old TV shows, going out to the local club and listening to acoustic guitar and country music, or just having family over and serving them all food. She became “mom” to everyone she knew.

Judy passed away in her sleep peacefully and unexpectedly on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

Judy always had time for others and strong words of advice for anyone. If you know or knew Judy at all please raise your glass and wish her farewell and godspeed.

For such a small lady, she will leave a huge hole in this world. We will miss you mom. We love you very much.

She is survived by Rick and Vivian McKnight, Larry K. Olsen, Larry M. Olsen, Jynchelle Olsen, Laura Olsen, Brody Hoeper, Nadia Flack, Lisa Robinson, Barbara Feehan and Beverly Cooney.

A celebration of life service will be held in Oregon. A time and place will be posted at a later date. For updates, please check the Facebook group “Grand Ronde Friends, Family & Neighbors.”  

Poem by unknown:

God saw she was getting tired and more time was not meant to be.

So he put his arms around her and said “Judy, come with me.”

With tearful eyes she left us and quickly slipped away.

Although we loved her dearly, she wasn’t meant to stay.

A golden heart stopped beating, hardworking hands to rest.

God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best.

Poem by Larry M. Olsen 1985

“A Golden Tear”

To see a tear is more precious than life

A drop of gold from the heart

It bleeds the sorrow of thoughts and feelings

It shadows the pain inside your body

But only for a second in time.

A tear of sorrow from the soul

Holds more meaning than all that is imagined

But never cures all the hurt in your mind

Just gives an excuse to accept it

And then fades away---

Only to come back again.

To hold a tear is to know how to feel

True warmth and strength come from a tear

A tear is an everlasting memory

To remind us of what we really are.

If you never experience a tear, life is not complete

If you never have pain, you will not understand

If sorrow never follows you, you have no regrets

If you never have a tear---

I will bleed one for you.