Peggy Lou Airhart 1923-2022 Actor, artist, wife, mother, volunteer police officer, world traveler, Red Hat Lady and woman of faith, Peggy Lou Airhart died March 23 at age 99. She was a 15-year resi- dent of Leisure World. Born Peggy Lou Morrow in Portland, Oregon, she was not fond of rain and moved at the age of 18 to Los Angeles, where she met her future husband, Lonnie, at a dance. During their 45-year marriage in their Long Beach home, they raised two sons and two daughters. In 1972, to earn extra Christmas cash, Peggy took a part-time job at May Company that turned into a 20-year career. With the children grown, though still busy as a wife and worker, she found time to become a world traveler with her brother as her traveling companion and later, with LW friends. After her husband’s death, her children urged her to move to Leisure World, where her latent talents blossomed. Peggy discovered she could draw and joined an art class, then the ceramics group Claycrafters. A neighbor took her to Enter Laughing, the improv group, and she was a star. From there, it was on to the Theater Club and the Producers Club, for which she was a mainstay in their yearly productions. She also joined the Seal Beach Police Department as a volunteer officer and became a Red Hat Lady. Peggy is survived by sons Gregory (Lori) and Darrel (Beverly); daughters Nancy Conrad (Tim) and Mitzi Brady (Chris); 12 grandchildren; 17 greatthe grandchildren; and brother Jim. -paid obituary

Betty Hobbs 1921-2022 Betty M. Hobbs passed away peacefully at the end of February at home with her children by her side. Just a few months shy of turning 101, Betty lived a great life. She was a world traveler since childhood, journalist and volunteer for many diverse organizations such as scouts, PTA, Meals on Wheels, the Episcopal Church, symphonies and museums. A beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, godmother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Betty is survived by her three children, Jeffrey, Howard and Delrie; three grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Widowed in 1976, Betty later moved from Palm Beach, Florida, to Seal Beach to be closer to her mother and brother. She lived in Mutual 2 for 42 years. Her ashes will be interred in Arlington National Cemetery next to her husband, Frank C. Hobbs. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, April 27, at 1 p.m. at St. Theodore of Canterbury Episcopal Church (located at Redeemer Lutheran Church). Her vibrant wit, wisdom and intelligence are greatly missed.

Jessie E. Sparks 1923-2022 Jessie E. Sparks, 98, passed peacefully in her sleep the morning of Feb. 15. Jessie was born on July 15, 1923, in the town of Bryantsville, Kentucky. She was the daughter of the late Harry Park and Elizabeth Swope Edwards. She was the youngest of four children and had special memories of her parents after her siblings were all grown. Mrs. Sparks attended Western Kentucky University, where she studied accounting. She met love of her life, Marvin L. Sparks, there while both were attending school together. They were married Jan. 4, 1945, and moved to Long Beach after WWII. She was able to practice accounting in both Dayton, Ohio, and Long Beach before she and Dr. Sparks welcomed two children into their lives. Dr. and Mrs. Sparks spent 66 wonderful years together before he passed in 2011. Mrs. Sparks attended the Seal Beach Leisure World Baptist Church, where she had a lot of friends. She was a dedicated Christian. She was also a devoted Rams and Lakers fan, and lived long enough to enjoy watching the Rams win the Super Bowl this year. Mrs. Sparks is survived by her daughter, Janice Konkler (Jon) of Anchorage, Alaska; son, Dr. David L. Sparks (Lusheia) of Long Beach; and four grandchildren, Shannon, Stacey and Stephen Konkler and Finnian Sparks. A graveside service is planned for Friday, July 15, at 9:30 a.m. It would have been Mrs. Sparks’ 99th birthday. The service will be held at Forest Lawn Memorial grounds, located at 1500 E. San Antonio Drive, Long Beach. In lieu of flowers, remembrances are suggested to Leisure World Baptist Church for missionary support at P.O. Box 4057, Seal Beach, CA, 90740.

Lavona B. Moore 1929-2022 Lavona B. Moore was born on March 28, 1929, in Concordia, Missouri, to Alvin and Nora (Wehmeier) Bokelman. She died on March 15, while a patient in Memory Care Gardens of Rountree Gardens in Stanton, California. She was a Leisure World resident of Mutual 9 for 34 years. She was the oldest of five children. Her early years were on a farm in a rural community near Alma, Missouri, where she attended a one-room elementary school and was taught by her grandfather, who was also the pastor of the neighboring Lutheran Church. When she was high school aged, the family moved into their own home in Concordia. She worked as a waitress while in high school, and after graduation, she was employed by the community bank. At the age of 21, she moved to St. Louis and continued working in a bank. While attending church functions, she met Gilbert Moore, a student at the local Lutheran seminary who was assisting at the church. They were married on June 8, 1952. In addition to living in Missouri, Lavona lived with her family in Idaho, Washington, Hawaii and California; traveled to all 50 states. When all her children were in school, she was employed by numerous jobs including bank accountant and office manager, and in her later years, she managed the offices for Solheim Lutheran Home in Eagle Rock and Southland Lutheran Home in Norwalk. She was very active in volunteer services, and in addition to being the pastor’s wife, her most prominent role was her years of service for the hospitality center at Lutheran conventions. She is survived by her husband, Gilbert; children Mahlon, Dorothy and Lisa (Delbert Nunley); grandsons Aaron, Peter (Ashley) and Geoffrey; and her siblings, Melba, Alice and Norma; plus numerous relatives. She is preceded in death by her daughter, Christine, and brother Raymond. Lavona often quoted her confirmation verse: “Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 KJV). A graveside burial attended by the family will be held on Saturday, April 30, at Forest Lawn, Cypress; at her request, a memorial moment for everyone will be held on Sunday, May 1, 10:30 a.m. during the regular worship service of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Leisure World. The family requests no flowers, but you may donate to a charity of your choice, the Alzheimer’s Association or Redeemer Lutheran Church in Leisure World.

Scott Boeger 1946-2022 Scott Boeger, born April 6, 1946, died on Feb. 28. He was born in Bellwood, Illinois, the son of Gilbert and Marie Boeger. He is sur- vived by his fiancé, Potsy Frank; daughters Sally (Doug) and Sandy (John); grandsons Donny and Cooper; and greatgrandson Jesse. After moving to California, Scott explored a variety of jobs, including being a meter reader in Laguna Beach, a bus driver and an accountant. He bought King Arthur’s Pub in Westminster and developed a loyal clientele by sponsoring darts, cribbage games and tournaments. Scott moved to Leisure World in 2003 and was a member of the RV Club and the Cribbage Club. Upon retirement, he devoted his time to his real passion: magic. Scott was a member of several area magic clubs and won many awards and trophies in magic competitions. He will be remembered for his great sense of humor, his corny one-liners, and his generosity in teaching and supporting other magicians. His mentoring of many magicians resulted in their going on to win major awards themselves.

Karen Aileen Merkel 1943–2020 Karen Merkel will be missed by many friends and family. Karen passed away at Los Alamitos Medical Center on July 24, 2020, of non-COVID related reasons. Karen was born along with her “womb-mate” Kurtis on June 18, 1943, in Bismarck, North Dakota. She said that it was fun growing up with a twin brother, giving “double-trouble” to their mother who often said, “What one twin didn’t think of doing mischievously, the other one did!” At the age of 15, while attending her second confirmation class at House of Prayer Lutheran Church in Bismarck, North Dakota, a miracle and a mystery happened simultaneously: Karen received Jesus into her heart as her Lord and savior, which truly was a miracle. When the pastor asked Karen to read the three Scripture texts in that confirmation class (Isaiah 6:1-8, Romans 10:13-17 and Matthew 28:16-20), a mystery happened, and she immediately received a missionary calling. After finishing her formal education which included Bismarck High School, Bismarck Junior College, Dickinson State College and attending Northern Illinois University and the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, she was ready to begin her missionary career, which spanned over 50 years. On March 31, 1968, Karen was commissioned at the House of Prayer Lutheran Church in Bismarck, North Dakota to serve as a Lutheran missionary in South America. She studied Spanish in Costa Rica, spent four years in Uruguay with the former Lutheran Church in America and nine years in Bolivia with the World Mission Prayer League. In November 1976, at the age of 33, while serving in Bolivia, Karen was stricken with breast cancer, which resulted in a radical mastectomy that was performed in Bismarck. Four months to the day after her surgery, she returned to Bolivia with her chemotherapy in her suitcase. That year, she wrote a book about her cancer experience titled, “Jesus Can Put it all Together.” Karen worked five more years in Bolivia, and then, because of declining health, she returned to the U.S. After doing parish ministry in Central California, Emanuel Lutheran Church in San Jose and St. Luke Lutheran Church in Sunnyvale, where she met her best friend, Sue Hutchins, Karen returned to missionary service in October 1987. She set up an office in Anaheim and became the Pacific Southwest (PSW) regional coordinator for the World Mission Prayer League (WMPL) for 30 years. At the time, Karen became a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Huntington Beach, where the beloved Paul Johnsen, a former missionary to Japan, was pastor. After moving to Leisure World in 2012, Karen often attended Redeemer Lutheran Church of Leisure World and enjoyed their Wednesday Bible studies. She was also honored to occasionally be invited to preach at Redeemer. One of Karen’s favorite ministries serving as PSW coordinator was to travel around the world, visiting the work of the WMPL, ministering to and encouraging the missionaries. Her friend Sue was always her traveling companion, helping the missionaries and the nationals with their computer needs. In 1995, Karen was diagnosed with heart disease that included two open heart surgeries and a 45 minute cardiac arrest. By 1996, she was heading toward a heart transplant until she received a second opinion, changed cardiologists, and started a new regimen of medications and cardiac rehab. She never let her heart condition deter her from her ministry with the WMPL. Some of her favorite activities were nurturing her friends, preaching, visiting U.S. national parks, photography and watching baseball. Karen would ask you a question today: “Now that I am in heaven, who will take my place to share God’s love around the world? If not YOU, then WHO, if not NOW, then WHEN?” Karen was preceded in death by her father, Chris Merkel; her mother, Esther Zeiszler; her sister and brother-in-law Marlene and Richard Mallett; her “womb-mate” twin brother, Kurtis Merkel, and her brother-in-law Ralph Eck. She is survived by her sister and brother-in-law Lorna and Paul Wohnoutka; sister Bernice Eck; her sister-in-law Lois Merkel; and her special friend Sue Hutchins. Her Service of Committal was held on Dec. 18, 2020 ,at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Sunnyvale. The service was held outside with social distancing because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her ashes are stored in a niche of a columbarium at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Sunnyvale. A memorial service for Karen will be held at Grace Lutheran Church in Huntington Beach on Saturday, April 9, at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the World Mission Prayer League at www. wmpl.org in memory of Karen Merkel. —Paid obituary

••• Lois Campbell Celebration of Life All are invited to Lois Campbell’s celebration of life service on Sunday, April 10, from noon-3 p.m. in Clubhouse 1. The family requests people wear bright, colorful clothes at the service to celebrate Lois’ bright and cheerful spirit. People are invited to write something about Lois, what she taught them or a special memory about her with their name on it to share. For more information, contact Jim Campbell at (562) 619-2462.