System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!Martin Smolich
Martin Smolich, 77, a Baker City native, died April 21, 2004, at St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland.
His funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the Baker Elks Lodge, No. 338, 1896 Second St. Members of the Elks Lodge will perform the ceremony. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. There will be a reception afterward at the lodge.
Martin was born on Aug. 15, 1926, at Baker City to George and Mandy Lulich Smolich. He attended St. Francis Academy and worked for the Oregon Lumber Co. for quite a few years. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was a member of the Baker Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Survivors include four brothers, Emil Smolich and his wife, Kay, George Smolich and his wife, Janet, and Paul Smolich and his wife, Helen, all of Milwaukie, and Bob Smolich and his wife, Patty, of Seattle, Wash.; one sister, Helen Cardinal, and her husband, Jerry, of Gig Harbor, Wash.
He was preceded in death by five brothers, Luke, John, Jim, Raymond and Tommy Smolich; and by one sister, Leona Stoddard.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Baker Elks Lodge, No. 338, through Gray's West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
Clarence Green
Clarence Ellsworth "Clancy" Green, 82, of Baker City, died April 6, 2004, at St. Luke's Hospital in Boise.
At his request, there will be no formal service. There will be a celebration of life gathering by the pond at his ranch later this summer. The time will be announced. All friends and family will be welcomed.
Clancy was born on May 2, 1921, at Corvallis to Seth and Alice Green. He graduated from Whittier College at Whittier, Calif.
After graduation, he went into radio broadcasting and was a radio actor. He also worked at CBS as an announcer and producer.
In 1940 he married Mary Jane Bowden. They had three children. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1941 and received his pilot training there.
Flying became one of his greatest passions. He flew cargo and transport-type aircraft throughout World War II. His wartime duties included flights to the Philippines, and he was among the first allies to fly into Japan after the armistice. He was injured one time, but was able to successfully land his plane and cargo.
After his discharge from the service, he was hired by Pan Am Airlines where he flew the "Clipper" flying boats. His commercial career continued when he was hired by TWA Airlines on Jan. 12, 1948.
He safely flew around all over the world until his retirement on May 1, 1981. He retired as a captain on Lockheed L-1011 aircraft, having earned a reputation as an excellent pilot, and the love and respect of his peers and co-workers.
On Clancy's birthday May 2, 1977, he married Betty Jones at Reno, Nev. They lived in California for several years until they flew up to Baker City in his private plane in search of the "perfect ranch." It had been one of his lifelong dreams to be a cattle rancher.
They found the ranch of their dreams in the Keating Valley. They bought the John Brown Ranch in 1978 and enjoyed a beautiful fall and enjoyed riding their horses and moving their cattle. However, their first winter ranching was the winter of 1979 when the area experienced 40 days where the temperature never exceeded 10 degrees. Ranching and calving took on a whole new dimension for the tenderfoots. They stuck out the winter and gained a greater appreciation for area ranchers.
They ran 500 head of cattle and enjoyed most of the ranch work. Most of all, they came to enjoy all of their neighbors. They sold the ranch in 1981 and moved to their horse ranch on Washington Gulch Road, where Clancy developed a new passion: breeding and raising thoroughbred race horses.
Although Clancy never had a Kentucky Derby winner he did have several class horses including: Higher Flyer, Contequos, and Heza Green. He was still breeding and racing horses at the time of his death.
Survivors include his wife, Betty Green of Baker City; his daughter, Sandra Saunders of Sandy; son, Jeff Green of San Diego; Robin Radovich and her husband, George, of Escondido, Calif., Rocky Morris and her husband, Larry, of Baker City, and Steve Jones and his wife, Marilynn, of Baker City; 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Clay Gates
Clay Loren Gates, 82, of Baker City died April 8, 2004, at St. Elizabeth Health Care Center.
His graveside service was today at Prairie City Cemetery in Prairie City. Pastor Loyd Phillips of the New Hope Assembly of God Chapel at Vale officiated. There was a reception afterward at the Strawberry Mountain Grange in Prairie City.
A former Grant County resident, Clay was born on April 24, 1921, at Ritter. He attended school at Ukiah, Long Creek, and Susanville. He lived his childhood at Galena.
Clay worked for 48 years ranching and logging at Bates, John Day, Baker City and Alaska.
Survivors include his wife, Helen Hacker Gates; a sister, C.L. Petty of Sumpter; daughter, Beverly Davis, and her husband, Bill, of Bear Valley; grandsons, Edward and Dakota, of John Day; and sisters-in-law, Hazel Wood of Prairie City and Sue Pureene of Sumpter.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Lillian and Jack Gates and a wife, Zona Haskens Gates; and by many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Alzheimer's Association or Pathway Hospice through Gray's West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
Francis DeRoest
Francis E. DeRoest, 78, of Baker City, died April 7, 2004, at his home about one mile from the old DeRoest farmhouse where he was born.
The rosary will be said at 7 p.m. Tuesday at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, First and Church streets. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the cathedral. The Rev. Robert C. Irwin of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral will officiate. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. There will be a reception afterward at St. Francis de Sales Parish Hall.
Visitations will be until 5 p.m. today and from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday at Gray's West & Co., 1500 Dewey Ave.
His parents, Bruno and Sibilla, were immigrants from Belgium, having come to the United States during World War I. They had nine children, who all grew up to be successful individuals, having learned firsthand from their parents the work ethic and persistence required to attain success.
Francis attended St. Francis Academy through the sixth grade, but the Depression years brought that education to an end when he and his brothers and sisters had to quit school to work on the family farm.
He later worked at the old Oregon Lumber Co. in south Baker City. There he met his loving wife of 54 years, Leona. They were married on Aug. 12, 1949, at Baker City.
When the Oregon Lumber Co. moved from Baker City to Bates, Francis began a long, successful career as a cabinetmaker and home builder. He was totally self-taught in these trades. He was a life member of the Baker Elks Lodge.
One of the highlights of Francis' life was hunting each year in the Sumpter area with his son, nephews, great-nephews and friends from California. His cabin at the head of Phillips Lake was filled with love and laughter as they shared each day's hunt, as well as memories and "tall tales" of past hunting trips.
The hunting partners dubbed him "Kingpin" and went out of their way to take care of "Kingpin" after each evening's hunt. And "Ol' Kingpin" just pushed back in his recliner and relished every minute. The success of their hunts was not measured in deer or elk killed, but in the joking, teasing and general camaraderie shared.
As a very young man, Francis and his brothers would ride the old Sumpter Valley Railroad train to their hunting grounds near Sumpter. The boys would camp out in an old railroad car at the end of the line and the train crew would bring groceries to drop off as needed.
Survivors include his wife, Leona, of Baker City; daughters, Kathy Larios of Baker City and Karolyn Monteyne and her partner, John Watts, of Victor, Mont.; son, Francis Jr. and daughter-in-law, Julie, of Powell Butte; 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren; sisters, Mary DeMey of Redmond and May Rouse of Lake Oswego; brothers, Joseph, of Orem, Utah, and Don of Baker City; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was preceded in death by an infant son, Michael A.; his parents, Bruno and Sibilla; brothers, Hector, Leon and Mick; and a sister, Palma Rouse.
Memorial contributions may be made to Pathway Hospice through Gray's West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
Mary Chapman
Mary Marie Chapman, 88, of Baker City, died April 9, 2004, at St. Elizabeth Health Services.
Her graveside service will be at 1 p.m. MDT Tuesday at Hilltop Cemetery in Nyssa. Pastor Roger Scovil of the Baker City Christian Church will officiate.
Mary was born on May 12, 1915, at Vale to Bud and Laura Rose Syme Mattingly. She was raised at Watson where she also attended school. She graduated from high school at Nyssa.
She married Arthur A. Chapman on May 23, 1934. The couple lived at Huntington during World War II, where Mr. Chapman worked on the railroad. While in Huntington, they raised two children, Charles and Laura.
In 1946, the couple moved to Baker City. Mary went to work for Cablevision as an office manager and continued to work there for many years.
Survivors include her son, Charles Chapman and his wife, Gail, of Baker City; her daughter, Laura Mae Kovash and her husband, Walter, of Ontario; grandchildren, Sean Chapman of Pomona, Calif., Sheri Chapman of LaPine, Richard Kovash of Albuquerque, N.M., and Chris Kovash of Oakland, Calif.; and three great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, Arthur A. Chapman.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children through Gray's West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
Bernice Munhall
Bernice V. Munhall, 87, of Baker City, died April 2, 2004, at the St. Elizabeth Health Care Center.
Recitation of the rosary will be at 7 o'clock tonight at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Her graveside service will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Summerville Cemetery. The Rev. Robert C. Irwin of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral will officiate.
Mrs. Munhall was born on May 14, 1916, at Summerville to Victor and Martha Fries Johnston. She was educated at Imbler, graduating in 1934. After graduation she attended business college at Spokane, Wash.
She worked for various La Grande doctors. She married Robert Munhall on April 13, 1949, in La Grande. In 1950, they moved to Baker City where Robert worked for York Electric. Later they purchased York Electric where she took care of the bookkeeping for the company until their retirement.
She also was a homemaker and loving wife and mother. After their retirement they spent most of their time at their cabin on Wallowa Lake. She loved the wildflowers and watching the wild birds. She loved to cook especially large meals for family gatherings.
Mrs. Munhall had a love for music and people and she shared her love with all. She had been a member of Pleasant Grove Grange since 1926 and was a member of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral and the St. Francis Altar Society.
Survivors include her son and daughter-in-law, Alan and Jeanne Munhall of Lakeview; her daughter and son-in-law, Marilyn and Wayne Bloom of Baker City; brothers and sisters-in-law, Leighton and Marie Johnston of Hood River and Dean and Judy Johnston of Union; grandchildren, Kevin and Darnel Cassidy of Haines and Tony Bloom of Dixon, Calif.; great-grandchildren, Kale Cassidy of Haines and Matthew Dixon of Dixon, Calif.; brother-in-law, Owen Munhall, and his wife, Kathleen, of Spokane, Wash.; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and a niece and nephew.
Memorial contributions may be made to the St. Francis de Sales Choir Loft Repair Project, St. Francis de Sales Food Bank, or Pathway Hospice through the Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Baker City, OR 97814.
Leah Kerr
Leah Etta Kerr, 85, of Bend, a former longtime Baker teacher, died April 4, 2004.
There will be a private family service.
Mrs. Kerr was born on June 25, 1918, at Loveland, Colo., to Leon and Olivia Hewitt Evans. She was raised at Medford. She married Norman M. Kerr on April 11, 1942, at Medford. He died in 1988.
Mrs. Kerr was an elementary schoolteacher in the Baker School District from 1965 to 1986. She retired after 37 years of teaching.
She was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma and Oregon Retired Educators. She was active with the Baptist Church and loved to read and sing and she enjoyed music.
Survivors include her son, Norman Kerr V and his wife, Vicki; her daughter, Karen Spencer of La Pine and her husband, Virgil; a brother, Leon Evans of Medford; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother and three sisters.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Bend Senior Center, 1600 S.E. Reed Market Road, Bend, OR 97702.
Autumn Funerals of Bend is in charge of arrangements.
Alladyne Derrick
Alladyne L. Derrick, 78, a long-time Baker City resident, died April 7, 2004, at her home.
Her graveside funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Mount Hope Cemetery. The Rev. Connie Boone and Mr. Mike Durgan of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church will officiate. Everyone is invited to a reception afterward at St. Stephen's.
Alladyne was born on March 8, 1926, at La Grande to Bill and Wilma Neider Metcalf. She was raised in Baker City and was a Baker High School graduate. She married Robert V. Derrick on March 10, 1946, at Baker City.
Survivors include her husband, Bob Derrick of Baker City; son and daughter-in-law, Larry M. And Debra Derrick of Winter Park, Fla.; grandchildren, Kim, Miki, Bill and Joe Derrick; a niece, Gloria Lewis, and her husband, Wayne; and other nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Wilma and Bill Metcalf.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
Lovell Bennett
Odie Lovell Bennett, 85, a lifetime Richland resident, died July 25, 2004, at St. Elizabeth Health Services.
There will be a celebration of his life at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Richland Community Park. Gordon Bond will officiate.
Lovell was born on May 4, 1919, to Odic "Odie" Lewis and Anna Adaline Chandler Bennett at the family's old home place at Richland near Eagle Creek. He was raised at Richland where he attended school. He was a 1938 graduate of Eagle Valley High School at Richland.
After graduation, Lovell went to work at the Army Depot. He married Adelia Thomas on Oct. 16, 1942, and they made their home at Richland while Lovell worked on the family ranch.
His trade of sheep shearing took them all over Oregon, Wyoming, Idaho and Washington. Lovell and Adelia had two daughters: Marlene and Pam. He learned the trade of horseshoeing when his daughters grew up and wanted horses of their own.
In 1956 Lovell went to work at Brownlee Dam and in 1959 the family moved to Halfway. In the mid 1960s, Lovell became Halfway's resident peace officer because of the influx in population brought in by the construction of the dams. He went on to work for Brockway Union Oil, which took fuel to the Hells Canyon Dam project.
After that job, he worked for Ellingson Sawmill at Halfway, driving the lumber truck from Halfway to Baker City, sometimes making the trip two to three times in a night.
In 1965 he joined the Hells Canyon Riders and in 1968 served as the organization's president. In 1968, Lovell also became part of the sheriff's posse. During this time he served as a guard to the "Paint Your Wagon" wardrobe tents.
In the early '70s, Lovell drove the gravel truck from the pit near Cornucopia to the Brownlee Dam Site. In the late '70s and early '80s Lovell worked as a butcher at the Pine Merc for then-owners, the Fergusons. He worked for Terry Vaughan when he bought the store.
In the late 1970s, he worked as a milker for his daughter, Marlene, who had a dairy at Halfway. In 1978 Lovell and Adelia divorced.
On Sept. 20, 1982, he married Betty Purcell at Reno, Nev. Together they ran a dairy as well as operated a foster care home. In 1999 they bought the Shorthorn Restaurant and Lounge in Richland.
In 1989 he was honored to be the grand marshal of the Hells Canyon Junior Rodeo. Lovell enjoyed the outdoors. He loved to fish, hunt, camp, find mushrooms and ride horses.
Lovell especially enjoyed his visit to Alaska; he had always hoped to go back one day. Lovell loved to do anything he could for anyone he could whenever he could. He will be missed by all who were touched by his life.
Survivors include his wife, Betty; daughters, Marlene Geils of Girdwood, Alaska, and Pam and Robert DuMars of Richland; two stepdaughters, Sharie and Bill Andrade, and Anna Steenhard of Richland; four granddaughters, Angie Tucker and Cynthia Tucker of Boise, Idaho, Celeste Prescott and Nicole Geils of Alaska; six stepgrandchildren, Kyle Kenyon, Brandon Cook, Cody Steenhard, Margurite Luna, Shawn Andrade and Joshua Andrade; one great-grandson, Chanc'; three stepgreat-grandchildren, Lucia Luna, Jordan Luna and George Kenyon; nieces, Earlinda Crider and Vanessa Nagy; nephew, Benny Bennett; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins; and his little dog, "Penny."
He was preceded in death by his parents; and two brothers, Ianthis Franklin, who died in 1996, and Earlin Stewart, who died in 1993.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Hells Canyon Junior Rodeo or to the Diabetes Foundation through Tami's Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834.
