System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!‘Bea’ Shook
Bertina M. “Bea” Shook, 77, a former Baker County resident, died March 30, 2001, at the Richland Life Care Center at Richland, Wash.
Her funeral was April 6 at the Richland Lutheran Church.
Mrs. Shook was born Dec. 22, 1923, at Medical Springs. She was considered an early Christmas present. Her family later moved to Pondosa. She married Manly Shook in 1943 and the couple moved to Baker City.
In 1946, they moved their family to Richland, Wash., where they raised their three children.
They later moved to Benton City, Wash., and bought a horse ranch. Eventually, after the kids were raised, they moved to Whitstran, Wash., on another horse ranch. Aside from working on the ranch and raising children, Mrs. Shook worked as a custodian for Battelle from 1968 to 1989.
She was very involved in community activities. While at Richland, she and her husband helped to found the Richland Lutheran Church. She was very involved in the Sunday school classes at the church.
She also served as a room mother at the local school so that she could take an active role in her children’s lives.
The Shooks helped to start the first rodeos in the Tri-City area. Mrs. Shook also trained a racehorse they owned.
Later on, she became very involved with cutting horses. She was a lifetime member in the Washington Cutting Horse Association and was a show manager for many years. She also had many friends in the Northwest Cutting Horse Association.
Outside of the horse community, she enjoyed traveling, gambling, square dancing, horse racing and honky-tonkin’. Most of all, she loved to be with her family and friends. She was a spark in every life she touched, full of life and encouragement.
Survivors include her brothers, Ralph Coffman and his wife, Verna, Coy Riggs and his wife, Gerry, and Fred Riggs; her sister, Hazel Allegre, and her husband, Bob; her children, Nancy Walsh and her husband, John, Jerry Shook and his wife, Elizabeth, and Donna Whittle and her husband, Jim; and grandchildren, Sean Ahern, Shane Ahern, Lance Shoemaker and his wife, Stephanie, Kevin Shoemaker, April Shook, Casey Shook and his wife, Meredith, and their two children, Christian and Adam.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children, P.O. Box 2472, Spokane, Wash. 99210-2472.
Clifford Garrett
Clifford Bertran Garrett, 56, of Baker City died April 14, 2001, at St. Elizabeth Health Services after a long battle with cancer.
His funeral will be Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Pastor Ed Niswender of the Calvary Baptist Church will officiate. Interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitations will be today until 8 p.m. at Gray’s West & Co.
Mr. Garrett was born Jan. 31, 1945. to Harlin L. and Mayme G. Garrett.
He worked in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, for more than 25 years. Most of his summers, though, were spent logging in Eastern Oregon and Idaho with his brothers John, Bob and Jack.
Mr. Garrett loved the woods and spent much of his time just enjoying the outdoors. That is, unless the car races were on television — he wouldn’t miss a NASCAR race. He enjoyed laughter and conversation with friends and family. He took pride in his work, and it was said he was the best “loader operator” on the North Slope. He enjoyed giving his sons and nephews advice on the job, especially if they didn’t need it.
Mr. Garrett always enjoyed a good joke. He got a big kick out of his great-nephews, Bailey and Tank, and Tank’s dog, Pedro. He wished he had more time with his daughter and grandchildren. The Garretts are a large and close family, and he loved them all. His many friends will greatly miss him.
Mr. Garrett is survived by his mother, Mayme T. Garrett; his wife, Lillie Jean Garrett; his sons, Harlin L. Garrett II, Justin Jon Garrett and Grover T. Garrett; his daughter, Carolyn Shebesta; his grandchildren, Kyle and Krystal Shebesta; his siblings, Euna Faye and Henry McAdams, Ray and Mary Anne Garrett, Bobby and Kate Garrett, Jack and Colleen Garrett of Durkee, Jim Garrett, John and Marge Garrett, Thelma and Dan Elliott of Grays Lake, Ill., Lenny and Pat Rasmussen, Ken and Arlene Garrett of Portland, Debra Garrett, Amber and Doug Emery of Salem; and many nieces and nephews.
Mr. Garrett was preceded in death by his father, Harlin L. Garrett.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society through Gray’s West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, Ore. 97814.
Erma Gray
Erma L. Gray, 74, of Haines, a former longtime Forest Grove resident, died April 17, 2001, at St. Elizabeth Health Services.
Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Forest Grove Memorial Chapel at Forest Grove. Pastor Art Mentzer will officiate. Concluding rites and interment will be at the Forest View Cemetery in Forest Grove.
Gray’s West & Co. is in charge of local arrangements.
Mrs. Gray was born May 13, 1926, at Spokane, Wash., to Oscar and Maude Pearl Johnson Coombes. As a young girl, she moved with her family to Oregon, settling in the Baker City area where she lived and received her education. After high school, she attended Pacific University at Forest Grove, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in 1949.
While attending Pacific University, she met William Clifford “Cliff” Gray in her chemistry class. They were married in November of 1947 at Forest Grove.
After their wedding, they made their home in the Forest Grove community until 1991, when they moved to the Baker City area. Mr. Gray died on March 15, 1996. The couple had been married for 48 years.
After raising her six children, Mrs. Gray worked as an adult caregiver for 15 years until June of 2000. She was a member of the First Christian Church at Forest Grove and later was a founding member of the Cornelius Christian Church. Since living in the Baker City area, she was a member of the Baker City Christian Church.
Among her interests, Mrs. Gray enjoyed making jewelry, reading, quilting, gardening, baking and traveling, especially overseas. She volunteered many hours with senior citizens. She enjoyed studying her Bible and taught Sunday school for many years. She loved her family and always enjoyed spending time with all.
She also was preceded in death by her father and her first child, Jean.
Survivors include two sons and a daughter-in-law, Franklin Gray of Muncie, Ind., and Joseph and Anita Gray of Phenix, Ala.; three daughters and sons-in-law, Sandra and Jose Garcia of Forest Grove, Carol and Michael Pelky of Nevada and Rebecca and Joseph Larrimore of Forest Grove; her mother, Maude Coombes of Haines; five brothers and sisters-in-law, Donald Coombes of Haines, Ben and Doris Coombes of Stanfield, Jasper Coombes of Richland, George and Perry Coombes of Seligman, Mo., and Ed and Elise Coombes of Winchester, Idaho; and a sister and brother-in-law, Jabudah and Al Grossmiller of Baker City; eight grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association of Oregon, 9320 S.W. Barbur Blvd., Suite 140, Portland, Ore. 97219 or to the Ninos de Mexico (Children’s Orphanage), P.O. Box 309, Union, MO 63084.
Janie Barton
Janie Gassoway Barton, 53, of La Grande, and a former Baker City resident, died April 21, 2001, at St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise.
A celebration of her life will be Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, 1702 Sixth St. Pastors Wayne Pickens, Rick McKinley and Frank Wiens officiating. Committal and interment will be at the Island City Cemetery. Visitations will be today until 7 p.m. at Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St. in La Grande.
Mrs. Barton was born Sept. 15, 1947, at Ontario to Loren and Verna Gardner Davis. She was schooled in Ontario, graduated from high school at Goldendale, Wash., and received her degree in education from Oregon State University at Corvallis.
On July 26, 1968, she married John Gassoway in Barton. In 1988 they moved to La Grande for a year and a half, before moving to Baker City. In 1992 they returned to La Grande. Mr. Gassoway died on Nov. 29, 1994.
On Sept. 14, 1996, she married Doug Barton in Reno, Nev. They made their home in La Grande. Mrs. Barton worked for Valley Insurance and had recently become a certified insurance counselor after many years of study.
Mrs. Barton was a devout Christian and an active member of the La Grande First Baptist Church, where she was part of one of the church’s care groups. She enjoyed reading her Bible and learning from other Christians through readings and sermons. She loved being a homemaker, sewing, and her family.
Mrs. Barton is survived by her husband, Doug Barton of La Grande; her children, Rachel and Jamie Lindvall of Santa Clarita, Calif., Scott and Freedom Gassoway of Sutherlin, Brenda and Ron Overton of Cove, Dr. Brent and Selena Barton of Hermiston, and Belinda and Scott Young of Donald; nine grandchildren; one great-grandchild; her parents, Loren and Verna Davis of Estacada; brothers and sisters, Jerry Davis, Jean Davis, Joann Nordquist, Neal Davis, Richard Davis and Mark Davis, all of the Portland area; and other relatives and many friends.
Memorial contributions may be made to the La Grande First Baptist Church or Birthright through Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St., La Grande, Ore. 97850.
Winifred Prouty
Winifred I. Prouty, 93, of Baker City and a former Springfield resident, died April 23, 2001, at a foster care home in Baker City.
At her request, disposition was by cremation. A memorial service will be scheduled later at Springfield.
Mrs. Prouty was born on July 4, 1907, at Joliet, Ill., to Otto and Alice Carpenter Sallenbach. She married Kenneth B. Prouty on Nov. 27, 1929. She is survived by her only child, Wesley B. Prouty of Durkee.
She was preceded in death by her mother, her father, her stepmother, her sister, her husband and her brother.
Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice through the Coles-Strommer Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, Ore. 97814.
Jessie McLeish
Jessie Elizabeth McLeish, 88, a longtime Baker City resident, died April 21, 2001, at St. Elizabeth Health Services.
Her memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Coles-Strommer Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Pastor Ralph Holcomb will officiate. Friends and family are invited to the American Legion, 2129 Second St., for a time of fellowship and sharing after the service. There will be a private vault interment after the service.
Mrs. McLeish was born on Oct. 20, 1912, at North Powder. She was a daughter of Ira and Laura Luster Emery. She attended school at Pocahontas and was a Baker High School graduate. She worked for several years at the laundry and as a waitress for several restaurants until she met George McLeish.
They were married at Carson City, Nev., on July 21, 1951. After their marriage, she became a housewife and took care of her husband and their home.
She loved all flowers and had a beautiful flower garden, which she enjoyed immensely. She also loved to do crossword puzzles and completed one every day.
Another favorite pastime was gambling, and she and her husband looked forward to the twice yearly trips to Nevada, where she was always lucky. She really enjoyed playing the video poker machines. She was a member of the Anthony Lakes Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary, Post 3048.
Survivors include her husband of 49 years, George McLeish of Baker City; her brother-in-law, George Turner and his wife, Effie, of Baker City; her sister-in-law, Doris Burton of Milwaukie; special friends, Louise and Bill Balfour, Ed and Margaret Hindman and Bob and Joan Scarbrough, all of Baker City; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Pearl “Babe” Turner, and twin sister, Bessie Rank; and a brother, Duane Emery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, the VFW Auxiliary Cancer Fund or a charity of one’s choice through the Coles-Strommer Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
Hayward Tibbs
Hayward O. Tibbs, 84, of Salem, and a former Haines resident, died April 21, 2001, at Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital in Portland.
His funeral will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the First Church of the Nazarene, 1250 Hughes Lane. The Rev. Ron Kratzer of the First Church of the Nazarene will officiate. Interment will be in Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitations will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave.
Mr. Tibbs was born on Feb. 18, 1917, at McEwen. In 1922, the Tibbs family moved to the Rock Creek area where he received his education at Rock Creek Grade School and then at Haines High School.
He was quite the jokester as a young man, playing many jokes on his younger sister. He learned to play the piano at an early age and played razzmatazz style. He formed a band, which played for dances from Baker City to Pendleton. The band was paid $3 an hour for its three to four hours of playing.
In 1946, Mr. Tibbs accepted Christ into his life and quit playing for dances. After leaving school, he went to work using a team of horses to haul ore from a mine in the Rock Creek Butte area to Haines, where it was loaded on rail cars. He also logged in the Bates area.
He married Marjorie Trimble in 1937. They had seven children.
In 1941, he and his wife bought their first ranch in the Rock Creek area. They milked cows and raised sheep. Mr. Tibbs also broke wild horses.
They sold this ranch in 1943 and purchased his parents’ place, continuing their ranching activities. In 1944, he made his first large machinery purchase, a Massey Harris combine that he bought for $2, 540. The combine came in several crated pieces and Mr. Tibbs had to assemble it.
They leased out the Rock Creek Ranch so they could lease a 2, 100-acre ranch in Pyles Canyon in 1945. Mr. Tibbs worked this ranch and did custom combining until 1952, when they sold the Rock Creek ranch and moved to Baker City.
His first job in Baker City was working for Earl Stiff’s Blue Mountain Oil Co. On Feb. 10, 1953 — the day their son, Douglas, was born — Mr. Tibbs signed a dealership contract with Massey Harris Machine Co. Massey Harris floored the machinery and Mr. Tibbs purchased $3, 000 in part.
The first location of Tibbs Equipment Co. was on a small corner lot at 10th and E streets. The next year, Mr. Tibbs purchased land farther north on 10th Street where he built a 40-by-60-foot building featuring a show room and parts department.
Mr. Tibbs cancelled his contract with Massey Ferguson and leased the shop and land to Carroll Adams. He later bought the Ford tractor dealership from Adams and sold it in 1965.
The Tibbses leased a ranch from Marion Inman and farmed there until 1970. While living in Baker City, they purchased a large home on the corner of Fourth and Estes streets and rented out rooms in their basement to boarders.
Mr. Tibbs was very active in the Nazarene Church throughout his adult life, teaching adult Sunday school classes for many years.
In the fall of 1970, Carroll Adams offered Mr. Tibbs a sales job at his Ford tractor and New Holland dealership at Walla Walla, Wash. Two years later, Adams offered him the job of managing the John Day dealership. Mr. Tibbs lived there until he retired in 1982.
After retiring, he and his wife moved to Salem to be near their youngest son, Dan. Mr. Tibbs lived in Salem until his death. During his retirement years, he enjoyed the many winters they spent at Yuma, Ariz., as well as hunting and fishing when at home in Oregon.
He was preceded in death by his parents, James and Martha Tibbs; brothers, Walter and James Jr.; sisters, Pearl, Effie and Ellen; and their first two children, Martha and Herbert.
Survivors include his wife, Marjorie of Salem; daughters, Marlene Ritchie of Las Vegas, Nev.; Anita Raymond of Bend; Bonnie Bartholomew of Concord, Calif.; sons, Douglas, of Meridian, Idaho, and Dan of Salem; 23 grandchildren; 30 great-great-grandchildren; and sisters, Jessie Tartar and Margie Chubb of Hermiston.
Memorial contributions may be made to the First Church of the Nazarene through Gray’s West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
Daniel Brown
Daniel Campbell Brown, 92, of La Grande, and a former Baker City resident, died April 19, 2001, at his son’s home in La Grande.
At his request there will be no public services. Private interment will be at Rock Creek Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Daniels Chapel of the Valley in La Grande.
Mr. Brown was born Oct. 25, 1908, at Condon to Charles Arthur and Missouri Pearl Fitzwater Brown. In 1924 he moved to Baker City. During World War II he was stationed in Italy with the U.S. Army Air Corps, where he was an engineer on PBY airplanes. He was shot down twice. In December of 1948 he married Aletta Fae Dunn in Winnemucca, Nev. The marriage later ended in divorce.
During his career as a teamster route man he drove a fuel truck and was a delivery driver for Crown Cleaners in Baker City. After moving to La Grande in the early 1950s he drove truck for Blue Mountain Distributing and later for Connie’s Distributing, from which he retired in 1973.
In 1966 he married Mary Alice Goodwin in Winnemucca. She preceded him in death in July of 1997.
Mr. Brown was a member of the Baker Elks Lodge. He will remembered for his love of life and the outdoors. He was an avid reader and dirt bike enthusiast. On his 80th birthday he took his last spin on his dirt bike before he sold it. Many will remember the dune buggy he built, and which is still in the family.
Mr. Brown is survived by his children, Dan D. Brown of La Grande, Irene Trible of Albany, Gary Brown of Cordova, Tenn., Mike Kelly of Meridian, Idaho, Linda Beeson of La Grande, Norma Flanagan of La Grande and Dennis Goodwin of Condon; his sister, Doris Macomber of Lacey, Wash.; several grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and other relatives and friends.
‘Pat’ Davis
Joseph “Pat” Davis, 77, of Baker City died April 23, 2001, at St. Elizabeth Health Services after a two-year battle with cancer.
His graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Mount Hope Cemetery. The Rev. Susan Barnes of the First Presbyterian Church will officiate. Ritualistic rites will be accorded by the Baker Elks Lodge, No. 338. Visitations will be until 7 o’clock tonight at Coles-Strommer Funeral Home, 1950 Place St.
Mr. Davis was born on March 17, 1924, at Portland to Joseph and Mary Davis. He grew up mainly in Baker City and graduated from St. Francis Academy. During World War II, he served in the Merchant Marines on a T-2 tanker, delivering aviation fuel to Allied forces in the South Pacific.
In 1947, he met Margaret Nation in Portland. They were married on June 20, 1947. Shortly after they married, they moved to Baker City where he began working for the Union Pacific Railroad as a mail plier. During his career he held different jobs with the Union Pacific and retired as the Baker City agent.
He was past exalted ruler and a life member of the Baker Elks Lodge, past president of the Baker Lions Club, a member of the Baker Lodge, No. 47, AF&AM;, and a member of Esther Chapter, No. 11, Order of Easter Star.
In 1959, Mr. Davis was the Democratic district chairman for the Elect John F. Kennedy for President Committee. He was instrumental in having Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy visit Baker City. They spoke to a full house at the Baker Community Center.
The story is told that Mr. Kennedy was a bit late getting to the Community Center because he and Mr. Davis and a couple of other people rode in Mr. Davis’s orange Plymouth station wagon to do some politicking. Mr. Davis attended the 1960 Democratic Convention in Los Angeles where John F. Kennedy was nominated as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate.
Mr. Davis enjoyed hunting and fishing during his younger years, but what he really enjoyed was traveling around the country seeing new sights and making new friends. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather and will be greatly missed.
Survivors include his children, Patrick M. Davis and his wife, Diane, of Baker City, and Daniel Davis of Baker City; his brother, Thomas “Don” Davis and his wife, Peg, of Ben Lomond, Calif.; his sister, Beatrice Plant of Indiana; two grandchildren, Jeremy Davis and Emily Davis of Baker City; numerous nieces and nephews; and the Miriam Higley family.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Joe and Mary Davis; his wife of 43 years, Margie; his sister, Ellen Marie Badley; a niece, Jackie Badley; and a nephew, Joe Badley.
Memorial contributions may be made to Pathway Hospice though the Coles-Strommer Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
