Leon “John” Roff – dedicated and loving husband, father of four, and friend of many – died peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. The fourth and only boy of five children, he was born in Brainerd, Minn., to Leon and Emma Roff, on March 17, 1936.
He grew up hunting, fishing, and causing a ruckus. He enjoyed a successful career in carpentry that brought him to California, where he worked at Comet Rice and met the love of his life, Jane.
Together they spent 40 years loving one another unconditionally and raising a beautiful family.
No matter where John went, his smile, sarcasm, and kindness made an impact. He loved country music, cheered faithfully for the Raiders, cherished his pecan trees, enjoyed helping Jane make quilts, and never encountered a repair job he could not fix.
One of his biggest contributions was through “John’s Pool,” where he spent 35 years bringing people together and helping children and adults learn to swim. He opened his pool to the town of Willows and provided a place of joy, community, and laughter. He loved watching the children grow up and eventually bring their own children to his pool.
He is survived by his daughters, Brandi, Kelly, and Kerri; seven grandchildren; and the countless family and friends he has touched throughout his life. Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Jane; daughter, Angela; and his sisters, Ermadale, Imogene, Shirley, and Judy.
A celebration of life is planned for 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22, at F.D. Sweet and Son Mortuary, 114 North Shasta Street, Willows, with a reception to follow at “John’s Pool,” 621 Third Street, Willows, where friends and family will enjoy one last barbecue to celebrate John’s life.
Ginger Elaine Martin Gammon died unexpectedly in her Willows home on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. She was born to Lillie and William Martin on June 30, 1952.
She grew up in Oklahoma and then later moved to Gridley, Calif. Growing up, she was very close with her mom and one older sister, and she always had a dog.
She was a wild teenager. She spoke of running through orchards, getting into trouble with her girlfriends, getting kicked off the stage at an Elvis concert, and she enjoyed attending movies.
It was during her time in Gridley that she met and fell in love with Doug Gammon. They both worked at a local burger shack called the “Ice Burgie”.
They were engaged in 1969 and married in September of 1970. They had their honeymoon in Monterey.
The couple bought their first home in 1974, in Willows. It would end up being their “forever home.”
She went to beauty school and carried her love of makeup and jewelry with her, her whole life. She always wore makeup and her hair always had to be done.
Doug Gammon was deployed to Vietnam in 1969 and Ginger worked and held down things at home. She often spoke of how hard those times were, waiting on letters and hoping he would return safely.
He did and in October, 1972, they welcomed their first baby boy, Joshua Richard Gammon. Five years later, in December of 1977, they had their second son, Jordan Tyler Gammon, and then in March, 1981, they welcomed their third and last son, David Michael Gammon.
Ginger was an amazing wife and mother. She managed working full time, doing all the housework, raising three boys, and always had a homecooked meal on the table every night, and made it look easy.
She always went all out for the holidays, hosting huge family dinners with her mom and sister, where her three boys as well as her four nephews and one niece would get together.
In October of 1994, as Ginger would say, she finally got her baby girl: Her first granddaughter, Kylie Alyssa Gammon, was born.
Ginger had seven grandkids. After Kylie came Tony, Brittyn, Troy, Marissa, Shane, and Cole. They all lived in Willows and she got to help raise them all.
It turned out the only thing she was even better at than being a mother was being a grandmother. She loved to spoil them all and there wasn’t a day when the house wasn’t filled with candy and baked goods.
There was nothing she loved more than her family and the house was never empty. Her three sons went to see her almost every day and the grandkids were always over.
You could always go to “Grandma’s” for some stories, advice, and, of course, a homecooked meal.
Later on, in 2019, her great-grandchild, Max Gonzalez, was born, and then in 2022, Adrian Gonzalez. She adored them and they were so lucky to know her.
She loved scary movies, Elvis music, and chocolate.
In 2012, she got to visit Graceland with her husband and granddaughter. She was like a kid in a candy store, touching all the things she thought he might have touched.
She loved her dogs, usually having up to five in the house at a time. When she was young, she would always say she wanted a puppy farm, and she basically did get one!
She raised cocker spaniels for many years and eventually switched her obsession to pugs. She spoiled them as well, with Doug often joking that the dogs ate better than he did.
She also loved the ocean, visiting Fort Bragg as often as she could throughout her life.
Everything she did, she went all in. She always went through phases where she obsessed over something and then would move onto something else.
Over the years, to name a few, her hobbies including knitting, crocheting, sewing, baking, making shoes, gardening, video games, etc. She was a very good painter as well.
She would paint really neat birdhouses and other things that Grandpa would build. When she entered the 21st century and her son, Jordan, got her a computer, many of her hobbies became computer games and learning to email.
She would say she didn’t like to cook, but even so she was the best at it. Many of her recipes were passed on from her mom and that was something that they shared.
Especially during the holidays, she made sure to make everyone homemade cinnamon rolls, holiday-themed sugar cookies, popcorn balls, and all kinds of other treats.
She ran the Sani Food Deli in Willows for many years. Most of the salad and dip recipes they still use today are from her, along with the popular “Honker Meal” that she created.
Her favorite drinks were Diet Pepsi and Starbucks. She also loved her snacks, sending Doug to the store every day with a list of items, whatever the craving of the week was.
She was lucky enough to spend her life married to her high school sweetheart and on Sept. 12 of this year they celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary.
Her family is planning on spreading her ashes in Fort Bragg, one of her favorite places. She will be greatly missed.
The Glenn County Observer 