Obituaries

Mary Ethelyne Worl

Mary Ethelyne Worl, 94, passed away March 30, 2007 at the Living Center in Jackson. Ethelyne was born May 28, 1912 near Athol, S.D., to Schuyler and Edith Young. Her childhood was spent on the family farm where they raised cows and wheat. Like many people of her generation she relied on her horse to get her to school, and either rode Flossie or hitched her to a buggy. One of her fondest memories of her childhood years was waiting for the Sioux City Journal, the daily paper, which contained a Thornton Burgess bedtime story. Ethelyne attended college at South Dakota State College where she studied journalism. She baked pies to help pay for the cost of college. After college she worked for newspapers in South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa.

In 1936, Ethelyne married Carl Worl in Omaha, Neb. They lived in Dunlap, Iowa, where Carl was in business and Ethelyne worked for the local newspaper as well as doing volunteer work for the local library and contributing to the Mid-West Book Reviewers. In 1951 Carl was elk hunting in the Pinedale Area. Ethelyne read an advertisement in the Omaha newspaper for the sale of a car dealership in Pinedale. It was only a few days after relaying the information to Carl when he called home and said, “You’d better get ready to move.” The Worls arrived in Pinedale on a cold winter day with the first eveningís temperature dropping to 40 below. The snow, cold and the small rented log house were all a shock to Ethelyne. However, it was only a short period of time before she was immersed in the community and had developed a keen appreciation for her new surroundings and for the people residing in Sublette County. Ethelyne helped run the business and also worked at the Pinedale Round-Up for a number of years running the linotype. After Carl’s death in 1969, Ethelyne continued to run Worlís Ford Service for another five years.

Reading was one of Ethelyne’s passions, and until suffering a stroke in 2005 she read on a daily basis completing four or five books a week. She enjoyed reading both fiction and nonfiction, and particularly liked biographies of historical individuals. In 1952 she joined the 2-Better-You Club and expressed to the membership how disappointed she was that Pinedale did not have a library. She was placed in charge of the situation, and became instrumental in the establishment of a library in Pinedale and the development of the Sublette County Library system. She was a trustee on the County Library Board, and in 1968 was appointed Sublette County Librarian. She served on the Wyoming Library Association Executive Board and on the Advisory Council for Wyoming Libraries. She used to say that she was the only librarian in the nation who was also a Ford dealer, owned a racehorse and drove a pink Edsel.

Ethelyne began writing early in her life, and like reading, it was part of her daily life. In 1953, she was elected to Sublette County Artists’ Guild, and was an active and prolific writer for the Guild for 52 years. She composed poems, wrote on various topics, and documented the lives of early pioneers in Sublette County as well as describing ìthe lay of the land.î She was honored in 2003 when the Guild asked her to do the cover painting for a reprint of their book Carvings on the Aspens. She greatly valued the friendship and camaraderie of other Guild members, and relished in mentoring younger members.

After moving to an apartment in Sublette Center in 1997 she began writing a weekly newspaper column. She titled her column Under The Hill Gang because Sublette Center sits under a hill. Her attitude was, “Well, we’re not over the hill, we’re under the hill. Over the hill is the cemetery.” The column first appeared in the Pinedale Roundup, and then in the Sublette Examiner. She reported on people and happenings at the Sublette Center, and on senior citizen issues, plus she couldn’t help throwing in some political views, philosophy and sometimes just good old common sense. She received many communications from people regarding her column, and often had correspondence from people she did not know and/or who lived out of state.

Ethelyne began painting in 1963, and, like reading and writing, this media became a very important part of her life. Through the years she established herself in both oil and watercolor fields. While spending the winters in the Monterey Bay area the ocean became one of her favorite subjects to paint. After moving her winter home to Mesa, Ariz., the desert and southwest landscape scenes replaced the ocean. However, at the heart of her painting were flowers and scenes of the Teton and Wind River Mountains.

Other hobbies of Ethelyneís were playing bridge and cooking. In her younger years she enjoyed playing golf, gardening and going on horseback, picnic and camping outings with her family. Ethelyne took pride in the horses Carl raised and looked forward to a good cutter or chariot race. With friends and family she traveled the back roads of western Wyoming exploring mountains and desert areas, and often wrote a story, poem or did painting to express her feelings about the outing.

Ethelyne took great interest in what was going on in her community, state and nation. She was not afraid to take a stand or express her opinion. For years she was active in the Republican Party, and loved a good political debate. Ethelyne had a vast array of friends of all ages, and found great satisfaction in meeting someone she did not know. She was active in various community organizations, and was a member of Pinedale Community United Church of Christ.

Ethelyne was preceded in death by her husband, Carl Worl and her sister Phyllis Giunta. She is survived by her children, Ronald G. Worl and wife Alison of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Mary Lynn Worl of Pinedale; grandchildren, Christie Perez of Hunstville, Ala., Scott Worl of Franklin, N.C. and Carl Worl and wife Alex of Westminster, Colo.; great-grandchildren, Chelsea and Justin Perez, Michael and Andrew Worl and Victoria Worl. She is also survived by her nephew and nieces, Bruce, Kathy and Sandra Giunta; her beloved first cousin Paul Selsor and wife Helen of Thayer, Iowa.; and her cherished friend Betty Jo Heydt of Jackson.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. The family suggests memorial gifts be made to Sublette County Artistsí Guild, Pinedale Community United Church of Christ, Art Group at Rendezvous Pointe, or Sublette Center.

JaNeanne Marie Hays

JaNeanne Marie Hays, 53, passed away Sunday evening March 25, 2007 at The Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa, Okla. Her family was at her side.

JaNeanne was born March 7, 1954 in La Grande, Ore., to George and Annette Profit. On Dec. 9, 1972 she married Cary Hays in Big Piney. Together they had four children. She was a member of the Southern Baptist Church where she enjoyed doing missionary work, helping people in need and was a Sunday School superintendent. She enjoyed fishing with her family. She also taught English to Spanish-speaking people and worked at the bible bookstore in Williston, N.D., before moving back to Big Piney in June of 2006. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister and aunt. She always put her family first. We will miss her dearly.

She is survived by her husband Cary; three daughters – Kessa (Michael) Brakey of Williston, N.D.; Autumn (Jody) Marmon of Big piney; and Cionda (Jacob) Holter of Big Piney; sisters – Toni David and Laurel Profit and brother Kent Profit; and three grandsons.

She is preceded in death by her parents, son Lee and brother Michael Profit.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, March 31 at 11 a.m. at the Fine Arts Building in Big Piney. Friends and family may call at Covill Funeral Home in Pinedale from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday afternoon and also two hours prior to the service Saturday morning in Big Piney. In lieu of flowers the family has requested donations be made to The American Cancer Society in her name P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718.