Recent Obituaries and Guest Books

MYLA MCFARLAND Myla Dittus McFarland, 46, passed away June 11, 2013. Myla bravely fought colon cancer for over 7 years and was a constant source of inspiration. Myla was a personal banker (PB2) for Wells Fargo Bank and loved working with all of her clients. She received many awards and always excelled at what she did. She was preceded in death by her mother, Juanita Robillos; and sister, Alisandra of the Philippines. She is survived by her husband, Robert McFarland; her children, Jason and Jordan Dittus of Bismarck, N.D.; father, Tiburcio Robillos of the Philippines; brother and sisters, Nora, Conrad, Alijandro, Ben, Eduardo, Angelita and Rowena. Viewing will be 4-8 p.m., Thursday, June 20, at Bunkers Mortuary, 925 Las Vegas Blvd. N.

JAMES MORRISON James Patrick Morrison, "Big Jim," of Las Vegas, passed away June 12, 2013. Jim was born March 17, 1934, in Ashland, Ore. He graduated from Medford High School and attended the University of Oregon. He proudly served 11 years in the U.S. Navy. Jim joined the Clark County Sheriff's Department and retired from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department after 21 years. Jim is survived by his wife, Eleanor; his daughters, MaryEllen and MaryJo (Wes) Crane; and granddaughter, Roberta (Michael) McCarter. Jim's loving spirit, positive outlook, and humble appreciation of life touched many; he is greatly missed. Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 22, at Palm Mortuary, 6701 N. Jones, Las Vegas. In lieu of flowers please donate to your local animal shelter.

GARY NELSON Gary Lee Nelson, 70, of Florala, Ala., a former long-time resident of Las Vegas, passed away in an accident June 4, 2013. Gary loved Nevada and was an avid hunter and fisherman. He retired from the telephone industry. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; son, Gary Nelson Jr.; daughters, Judy Nelson and Sharon Brown, all of Pinetop, Ariz.; sisters, Jo Ann Thompson, Pat Paquette and Judy Lemerand, all of Las Vegas; brother, Larry Nelson of Caliente; stepsons, Steve Clark of Red Level, Ala. and Emlyn Clark of Las Vegas; seven grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. Celebration of life will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 13, at Boulder City Elks Lodge, Boulder City.

LOLA SCHUTTE Lola Edythe Schutte, 86, of Las Vegas, passed away Sunday, March 31, 2013. She was born Jan. 24, 1927, in Des Moines, Iowa. She was preceded in death by her parents, Marie and Julius Dorhmann; her daughter, Pamela Kinnan; and her sons, Christopher and John Schutte. Lola is survived by her sons, Claude and Kraig Schutte; daughters, Kimberly (Michael) Irwin, Kathleen Schutte and Julie Aragon. Services are pending at Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, Ariz. Lola will be missed by her family and friends.

CLARENCE SHANK As with the reverberating sounds of live orchestras that have all but vanished from the famed Las Vegas Strip, our city has lost another treasure, Clarence Gill "Hank" Shank, a man integral to our community both as a brilliant musician and successful real estate broker. Hank Shank, of Las Vegas, passed away June 5, 2013. He was born April 26, 1916, in Steubenville, Ohio. Hank began piano studies at an early age. Shortly after graduating from high school, he was performing professionally. During World War II, he played with Glen Gray's Casaloma Orchestra, Tommy Tucker, and the Jimmy Richards Orchestra, settling in Chicago after the war. He chose a freelance career there which eventually led to stints with the Oriental Theatre and Chez Paree orchestras. Hank became a part of a golden age in music playing for Judy Garland, Jack Benny, Betty Grable, Dan Daley, Donald O'Connor, Eleanor Powell, Milton Berle, Henny Youngman, Jackie Mason, Jack Carter, Jack Carson, Tony Bennett, Yvonne De Carlo, Tony Martin, Mills Bros, Marlena Dietrich, Bing Crosby, Billy Eckstine, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Vale, Bobby Darin, Burl Ives, Dorothy Dandridge, Ray Bolger, Gordon MacRae, Abbe Lane, Helen O'Connell, Pearl Bailey, Eve Arden, Robert Goulet, Carol Lawrence, Olsen and Johnson, Ben Blue, and Patti Page. In 1954, he moved to Las Vegas to join the popular Mary Kaye Trio. Later, he became a member of the Flamingo Hotel Orchestra. It was at this time that Hank, always striving, began to study real estate leading to that proud day in 1961 when the doors opened for the first time at Hank Shank Realty on Hoover St. For the next several years, Hank essentially led two lives, real estate broker by day and pianist by night, becoming the orchestra leader at the Aladdin Hotel. Juggling two professions was a daunting task which he managed with distinction while also serving as president of Paradise Strip Investment Company. Moving to new offices on Bruce St., Hank realized it was time to devote his inexhaustible energies primarily to real estate, while still making occasional "guest appearances" at the piano. Hank Shank Realty was a mainstay of the community melding his business acumen and high ethical standards. It was his unwavering adherence to these standards upon which this successful business was founded. He was a proud member of Toastmasters International, Kiwanis Club, Shriner's and Musicians' Locals 369 (Las Vegas) and 10-208 (Chicago). He was the devoted husband to Billie Tripp Shank; he is also survived by his son, David; daughter, Medea; daughter-in-law, Corinne; son-in-law, Doug Snyder; and two beloved grandsons, Matthew and Christian Snyder. Hank was a generous and charitable man. Memorial services will be at 4 p.m. Monday, June 24, at Palm Mortuary 7600 S. Eastern Ave. In lieu of flowers please make donations to the Salvation Army or Shriner's Children's Hospital in his name.

SANDRA STONE Sandra Jane Stone, of Bullhead City, Ariz., has passed away. She was born March 1, 1939 in, Davenport, Iowa, and passed June 8, 2013. She was very active in the political and professional service fields. She was an executive secretary for Alpha Beta Markets 1963-1970, a time-leave and payroll clerk for Tooele Ordinance Depot in Tooele, Utah, assistant southern Nevada coordinator for the Robert List campaign, coordinator at the Robert List campaign headquarters in 1970, legal supervisor for the office attorney general of Las Vegas 1971-1978, and special assistant to the Governor of the State of Nevada 1979-1982. She met Albert Earl Stone in 1988 and they were married in Carson City. She moved shortly thereafter with her husband to a Kuwait engineering and consulting firm, which built roads and bridges. In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait and she had to flee the country leaving her husband behind in hiding. He was finally allowed to leave the country. After Kuwait was liberated they returned to finish their work there. They retired to Cannonville, Utah in 1991 and built their retirement home. They were avid in exploring the mountain and high bluffs in the area. They enjoyed ATVs and exploring the great outdoors. In 2002, they moved to Bullhead City. She is survived by her brother, John Baxter of Las Vegas; sister, Diana Flanagan of Cypress, Calif.; nephews, Jack and Jace Yasser of California, and Brian and Danny Flanagan of California; and niece, Tara James of Pahrump. Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Friday, June 21, at Christ the King Catholic Church, 4925 S. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas. For info johnnyb1212@embarqmail.com

HALA VON EBERSTEIN Hala von Eberstein (Hala Vaughn), of Henderson, passed away peacefully after a long courageous battle with cancer, surrounded by family the night of Friday, June 14, 2013. Hala was born June 28, 1973, in Amman, Jordan, to Mary Eva Harami (deceased) and Adil Khamis Harami (deceased). She lived in Utah until 1997, when she moved to Las Vegas with her fiance, Kelly, whom she married Oct. 22, 2000. Hala was a deeply caring individual with a thirst for life. She was a devoted wife, mother, sister, daughter and friend. She never did anything half-heartedly. She went after everything with gusto and had a spirit that inspired too many lives to count. Hala is survived by her husband, Kelly von Eberstein; daughter, Alyssa Rae von Eberstein; son, Jagger Jordan von Eberstein; sister, Dalia Harami; brother, Sam Harami; niece, Breanna Harami; and best friends, Alisse Bonaldi and Tracy Abbate. The family also wishes to thank all the -doctors, nurses, and staff at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA)-Western Regional Medical Center, Goodyear, Ariz., St. Rose Dominican Hospital-Sienna Campus, Henderson, and Las Vegas Cancer Center, Henderson. Funeral services will be at 3 p.m. Friday, June 21, at Palm Mortuary, 7600 S. Eastern Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89123, (702) 464-8500. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to The Gateway for Cancer Research www.demandcurestoday.org Please visit www.palmmortuary.com for more information.

VERNA WRIGHT-WARE Verna Mae Wright-Ware, 87, of Las Vegas, passed away Sunday, June 9, 2013. Verna was preceded in death by her husband, Zelman Ware; and daughter, Delores Ware-Givens. Verna is survived by her daughter, Zelma Marie Ware-Scott; sons-in-law, David Scott Sr. and Richard Givens; four grandsons, Derek Scott, David Scott Jr., Troy Givens and Justin Givens; seven great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her. Visitation will be 3-7 p.m. Friday, June 21, at Palm Mortuary, 1325 N. Main St. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 22, at Pentecostal Temple, 1117 N. F St.