System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!Ernest Kitts
Ernest L. Kitts, 59, of Baker City died Dec. 24, 2000, at St. Elizabeth Health Services.
His memorial service will be scheduled later.
Mr. Kitts was born Sept. 28, 1941, at La Follette, Tenn., to Delmos and Ethel M. Kitts. He served with the 101st Airborne in Vietnam.
He was a very efficient car salesman in the Portland area until his retirement. His hobbies were fishing and hunting. He was well liked by many friends.
Survivors include his mother, Ethel M. Kitts of La Follette, Tenn.; brothers, Ronnie Kitts of Chattanooga, Tenn., and Larry Kitts of Duff, Tenn.; sisters, Sandra Branom and Darlene Ayers, both of La Follette, Tenn.; his children, David Kitts of Caryville, Tenn., Angie Williams of La Follette, Tenn., Grant Kitts of Baker City and Brian Kitts of Longview, Wash.; five grandchildren; and his best friends and caretakers, Herschel and Donna Scott of Baker City.
He was preceded in death by his father, Delmos Kitts.
Lillian Schuff
Lillian E. Schuff, 78, of Baker City died Dec. 23, 2000, on Highway 245 near Baker City as the result of a motor vehicle accident.
Her funeral was at 2 p.m. today at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel. Chaplain Gary Way of St. Elizabeth Health Services officiated.
Mrs. Schuff was born Oct. 26, 1922, at Dennison, Iowa, to Albert and Irene Boyens. After graduating from high school at Stewart, Neb., she began teaching in a one-room schoolhouse there.
She moved to Portland to work as a shipyard welder and met Elmer Schuff. They were married in 1946. They raised two children, Allen and Lois, while actively helping other children in the community. After hunting and fishing over many areas of Oregon, the couple fell in love with the Baker area. They decided to retired to Baker City in 1973. They settled at Stices Gulch and enjoyed the wildlife, hunting and fishing opportunities in the area.
Survivors include her husband, Elmer; a brother, Walter Boyens; a sister, Jean Gossard; her son, Allen; her daughter, Lois Emerson; and three grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association through Gray’s West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, Ore. 97814.
Edward Ankrom
Edward Conway Ankrom, 85, a longtime Halfway resident, died Dec. 22, 2000, at St. Elizabeth Health Services.
His memorial service will be Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Halfway Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Lon Nalder of the LDS Church will officiate. Disposition was by cremation at the Eastern Oregon Pioneer Crematory.
Mr. Ankrom was born Sept. 17, 1915, at Salem, W.Va., to Connie Eli Ankrom and Bertha Maude Matheny.
While he was a young boy he, along with his family, moved to Augusta, Ill., where they lived until he was six years old. From there they moved to Michigan. When he was 19 he, like many other young men of the times, spent a summer in the wheat fields in Texas and through the Dakotas. From there he moved to the West Coast, where he went to work in the defense plants during World War II. After this period of his life he started driving truck and worked for many companies until he went to work for Darigold, where he worked until his retirement in 1972.
He moved to Halfway in 1977, where he met and married Lois Colyer in 1978.
Mr. Ankrom is survived by his wife, Lois Ankrom; a son and daughter-in-law, Jim and Donna Ankrom of Snohomish, Wash.; a stepson and daughter-in-law, Jay and Carolyn Short of Trout Run, Pa.; a grandson, Kelly Ankrom of Marysville, Wash.; a granddaughter, Tierney Ankrom of Snohomish; three step-grandchildren, Cody, Like and Rosie Short of Trout Run; a sister and brother-in-law, Jine and Louis Basman of Richland; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Eli and Bertha Ankrom; and by two sisters, Marjorie Ankrom and Genevieve Ankrom Stewart.
Contributions in Mr. Ankrom’s memory may be made to The Salvation Army in care of Gray’s West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, Ore., 97814.
Eugene Pupil
Eugene Joseph Pupil, 71, a lifelong Baker City resident, died Dec. 17, 2000, at his home.
His graveside funeral will be Friday at 2 p.m. at Mount Hope Cemetery. Pastor Roger Scovil of the Baker City Christian Church will officiate. Visitations will be Thursday from noon to 5 p.m. at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave.
Mr. Pupil was born Dec. 4, 1929, at Baker City to Joseph H. Pupil and Dorothy Rundall.
He lived his entire life in Baker City and attended school here. He was raised by his grandmother, Bertha Rundall, and his father, Joe.
He loved the beautiful mountains and to be driven around to enjoy them.
Mrs. Pupil is survived by his sister, Violet V. Caviness of Baker City; and by many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a sister and two nephews.
Contributions in Mr. Pupil’s memory may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children, in care of Gray’s West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, Ore., 97814.
‘Rosy’ Crockett
Rosslee Dama “Rosy” Crockett, 82, a longtime Baker City resident, died Dec. 21, 2000, at her home.
A celebration of her life will be Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Darlene Friedlander will conduct the service. A reception will follow the service in the Oregon Trail Room at the Quality Inn Motel, 810 Campbell St. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery.
Visitations will be today until 8 p.m. at Gray’s West & Co.
Mrs. Crockett was born Feb. 8, 1918, at Monett, Mo., to Leslie A. Taylor and Faye Nichols.
She married her best friend, Roy Crockett, on June 13, 1936. They were the parents of one child, a daughter, Darlene.
Mrs. Crockett spent her early childhood in Missouri. She came west with her mother, stepfather, sister, aunt, uncle and cousin. They were intending to go to Yakima, Wash., to work in the orchards, but stopped for a while to work in the New Plymouth, Idaho, area, when they heard of work in the Sumpter Valley area. They moved there to work in the lumber camps and on ranches.
She attended school at McEwen and spoke fondly of the happy times she enjoyed there. Then she came to Baker City to finish school. She graduated from Baker High School.
She was the first queen of the Miners’ Jubilee and thoroughly enjoyed the 50th anniversary of the Jubilee by riding in the July 4 parade at Haines in 1985. She spent one year and four months of her life during the 1940s in the TB hospitals in The Dalles and Portland, coming home to renew her love of family and the many outdoor activities she enjoyed, especially hunting and fishing.
Before her husband passed away, they enjoyed escaping the cold weather by wintering in their motor home at Quartsite, Ariz., where she came to love the beauty of the Arizona desert almost as much as she did Baker Valley and the surrounding area.
Mrs. Crockett is survived by her daughter, Darlene Friedlander, a brother-in-law, Owen Bleakman, brother and sister-in-law, Leslie and Ilah Taylor, and a niece, Dianne Reeves, and her husband, Gary, all of Baker City; a grandson, Bryan Hottel, and his family, of Sacramento; a great-grandson, Roy Chapman Hottel, a stepdaughter, Susan Pujals, a stepson, Steven Friedlander, and their families, all of Napa, Calif.; a granddaughter, Autum Brooks and her family, Aaron, Chelsea and Cameron, a nephew, Mel Cundiff, nieces Carol Loos and Marsha Dawe and their families, all from Colorado.
Her life was also blessed by many wonderful friends who shared her love of the outdoors and a good game of cards.
Mrs. Crockett was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Roy; a sister, Katherine Bleakman; and a grandson, Robbie Hottel.
Contributions in Mrs. Crockett’s memory may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children or to the charity of one’s choice in care of Gray’s West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, Ore., 97814.
Izora Hall
Izora Gregory Hall, 96, of Santa Barbara, Calif., and a former Baker City resident, died Dec. 19, 2000, at Santa Barbara.
She will be interred in the Lostine Cemetery next to her husband, Wade B. Hall. A memorial service will take place next spring in Northeastern Oregon. The time and place will be announced later.
Mrs. Hall was born Oct. 8, 1904, near Elgin, the first child of J. Frank and Tennessee Allen Gregory. She grew up on Smith Mountain near Wallowa.
After graduating from Wallowa High School, Mrs. Hall taught for three years in rural Wallowa County schools — Goff, Eden and Smith Mountain. Then she attended Oregon Normal School in Monmouth, and received a normal school degree. She taught junior high school English in coastal Oregon towns from 1927-49 — Myrtle Point for two years, Tillamook for one year and then Coos Bay for 19 years. During those years she completed college by attending summer school.
In 1949 she married Wade B. Hall of Wallowa, an employee of the U.S. Forest Service. They lived in Enterprise from 1950-54, where Mrs. Hall taught high school English in 1953 and 1954. The Halls lived in Baker City from 1954 until 1992, when they moved to the Grande Ronde Retirement Residence at La Grande. Mr. Hall died in 1993. In 1997 Mrs. Hall moved to Santa Barbara.
Her greatest interest and pleasure were her family and friends. She also loved the outdoors, horses, horseback riding, and trips in Northeastern Oregon’s rural areas and mountains. She was a devoted member of P.E.O. Chapter CJ for more than 40 years and participated with her husband in Masonic organizations and activities.
Mrs. Hall is survived by her stepdaughter, Diane Hall Jackson of Santa Barbara; her nieces, Beverly Johnson Kane of Boise and Donnajean Carla Gregory of Milwaukie; and the family of her deceased nephew, Greg Johnson.
Contributions in Mrs. Hall’s memory may be made to the Baker County Library Foundation, the Wallowa County Health Care Foundation, or other local charities.
‘Wally’ Brennan
Walburga “Wally” Brennan, 86, a lifelong Baker City resident, died Dec. 29, 2000, at St. Elizabeth Health Services.
The rosary will be said today at 7 p.m. at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, First and Church streets. Mass of Christian burial will be Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the cathedral. Interment will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitations will be today until 5 p.m. at Coles-Strommer Funeral Home, 1950 Place St.
A superwoman perhaps before the term was used, Mrs. Brennan lived as one. She was born June 3, 1914, at Baker City to John and Walburga O’Connor, and she lived most of her life in this community. Her formative years were spent enjoying Baker Valley and attending St. Francis Academy. While attending the school she participated in the art and music programs. She even directed the orchestra. She graduated from St. Francis in 1932.
Her next adventure took her to Marylhurst College in Portland. In May of 1942 she completed her degree at the Sacred Heart School of Nursing in Spokane, Wash. While in college she enjoyed skiing, golfing and archery, and although she loved the outdoors and being active, she never did take to camping and swimming.
It was in Spokane that she met the love of her life, John V. Brennan. They were married on May 2, 1942, at the Sacred Heart Church in Spokane, and then were off to Sandstan, Va., where they had their first child and lived until Mr. Brennan was called off to World War II.
Mrs. Brennan decided that she would return to her family in Baker City alone with her daughter, Ann, and wait for her husband’s return. Back in Baker City she lived at 1517 First St. with her parents and worked as a nurse at St. Elizabeth Hospital. Once the war was over, her husband joined her and they lived the rest of their lives in Baker City, where they raised five children.
Mrs. Brennan retired from nursing in 1979. She was a lifelong parishioner of St. Francis de Sales Catholic church and was a member of the Mother’s Club and Altar Society. She passed quietly from this world surrounded by those who loved her. Her passing is a great sorrow to those who knew and cherished her.
Mrs. Brennan is survived by five children and their spouses: Ann and Matt Kniesel, Margaret and Jon Eyer, Mary and Tom Norton, John and Sandy Brennan and Colleen and Jeff Collier; grandchildren Tony and Michael Day, Theresa and Brett Hamilton, Colleen and Lenny Keiser, Christine, John and Matthew Eyer, Jenell and Jimmy Zamora, Benjamin and Cynthia Norton, Calvin, Joseph and Jacob Collier, and Michael, Becky and Angela Brennan; six great-grandchildren, Thomas and Samuel Hamilton, Jonathon and Samantha Brennan, and John and Joseph Keiser; and by her brother, Joseph O’Connor.
She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Walburga O’Connor; her husband, John Brennan; brothers, Francis and Micheal O’Connor; and a grandson, John Day.
Memorial contributions may be made to the St. Francis de Sales Food Bank through Coles-Strommer Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, Ore., 97814.
Leona McDonald
Leona Faye McDonald, 73, a longtime Baker City resident, died Dec. 30, 2000, at her home.
Her funeral will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Baker Valley Christian Assembly, 3720 Birch St. Pastors Monte Loyd and Loyd Phillips will officiate. Vault interment will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitations will be until 7 o’clock tonight at the Coles-Strommer Funeral Home, 1950 Place St.
Mrs. McDonald was born on Feb. 24, 1927, at Prairie Valley, Okla. She was the daughter of Harland Cecil and Inez Marie Dyer Crownover and was raised in Coburg. She married Doyle J. McDonald on Dec. 19, 1959, in Vancouver, Wash. They moved to Baker City in 1970.
Mrs. McDonald loved life, and her husband, children and faith were at the center of it. Making a home for her family was her work. Many happy memories were made fishing and being with them.
Gardening was another favorite thing for her. She was a loving person and in all of her life she never met a stranger. Her faith in her Lord and Savior was her strength. She was a member of the Baker Valley Christian Assembly.
Survivors include her husband, Doyle McDonald of Baker City; sons, Harley Sorrells of Spokane, Wash., and Frank Sorrells of Radcliff, Ky.; daughters, Mary Howery and Shannon Lethlean, both of Baker City; nine grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren; sisters and brothers-in-law, Donna and Loy Moss of Springfield and Corinna and David Metzler of Arizona; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her daughter, Londa Sorrells; a sister; two grandsons; and her son-in-law, Jim Lethlean.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Baker Valley Christian Assembly Building Fund through the Coles Strommer Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, Ore. 97814.
Rachel Daly
Rachel Hanby Hudspeth Daly, 89, of Fossil, a former Baker City resident, died Dec. 30, 2000, at her home at Fossil where she had lived with her husband, Richard, for 25 years.
Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Fossil Bible Fellowship. Burial will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Mount Hope Cemetery.
Mrs. Daly was born on Dec. 13, 1911, at Hereford to Alice and Walter Hanby. She was raised in Sumpter Valley.
In the 1930s she was partners with her first husband, Greene Hudspeth, and his brothers, Ernest and Wallace, in ownership of the Minam Horse Ranch. Her husband was killed there in a hunting accident in 1935.
In the early 1940s, she went to Pondosa to cook at the boarding house for loggers. There she met Richard Daly. The couple were married in 1942.
They lived at Baker City where she was a member of the Calvary Baptist Church. The couple retired to Fossil in 1977.
Survivors include her husband, Richard; a sister, Pearl Waller; her children, Jean Hudspeth Marrs, Bill Hudspeth, Mary Hudspeth Thompson, Joyce Daly Pierson and Sharon Daly Solseng; 16 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother, a grandson and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice through her daughter, Jean Marrs, 2636 N.E. 20th, Portland, Ore., 97212; or Gray’s West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, Ore., 97814.
Gertrude Hoisington
Gertrude Florence Hoisington, 77, of Durkee died Jan. 2, 2001, at Union.
Her graveside funeral will be at 1 p.m. Monday at the Durkee Cemetery. Visitations will be from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Daniels Chapel of the Valley in La Grande.
Mrs. Hoisington was born on Jan. 19, 1923, at Burney, Calif., to Clyde and Hattie Wright Purden. She moved to Idaho and later to Durkee where she lived with her husband, Harold Hoisington.
She enjoyed fishing, picnicking and most of all spending time with her numerous nieces and nephews.
Survivors include her sister, Eleanor Morgan of Coos Bay; numerous nieces and nephews and other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband, and five brothers and two sisters.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Disabled American Veterans or the Veterans of Foreign Wars through the Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St., La Grande, Ore., 97850.
