System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!Elsie Penn
Elsie Penn, 89, a lifelong Baker City resident, died Oct. 2, 2004, at St. Elizabeth Health Services.
The rosary will be said at 7 o'clock tonight at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, First and Church streets. The Revs. Robert C. Irwin and Camillus Fernando will concelebrate the Mass. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery.
Mrs. Penn was born on May 28, 1915, at Baker City. She was a daughter of Julius and Alida Scherrens Van Driesche. She was raised in Baker City and attended school at St. Francis Academy.
She married Edmond "Ed" Penn on Sept. 17, 1949. They made their home in Baker City where she worked for Consolidated and Portland Pendleton Motor Co. Freightway for a number of years as their office worker.
Elsie loved to grow flowers, especially iris and chrysanthemums. She was a lifelong member of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral.
Survivors include her brothers, Cyril Van Driesche and his wife, Clara, of Baker City; Marcel Van Driesche and his wife, Ruth, of Stayton; and Frank Van Driesche and his wife, Margaret, of Portland; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Ed.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Francis de Sales Cathedral for Mass intentions for Ed and Elsie Penn. This may be done through the church or through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
Delbert Pierson Jr.
Delbert Francis Pierson Jr., 89, of Baker City, a former longtime resident of Prairie City and Burns, died Oct. 4, 2004, at St. Elizabeth Health Care Center.
His graveside service will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Prairie City Cemetery. Jack Retherford of Bible Way Community Church will officiate. Friends are invited to join the family for a potluck reception at the Strawberry Mountain Grange Hall after the service.
There will be a memorial service later at St. Elizabeth Health Care Center.
He was born on Feb. 7, 1915, at Berry Creek, Alberta, Canada. He married Ruth Titus on June 30, 1935, after graduating from high school at Marcola. They enjoyed 54 years of marriage.
He was always active in church, even becoming a minister for a time. He never knew the word "stranger, " making friends wherever he went. He enjoyed working at the Burns Christian Church Thrifty shop as well as hunting and fishing with friends.
He was preceded in death by four sisters; his wife, Ruth; his son, Roger; one granddaughter; and one great-grandson.
Survivors include his daughter, RoseAnne Day, and numerous nieces, nephews, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great- grandchildren and friends.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Blue Mountain Humane Association through Gray's West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
Maurice Hurd
Maurice Charles Hurd, 86, of Lindsay, Texas, a former longtime Baker City resident, died Oct. 3, 2004, at his home.
His graveside funeral with honors will be at 2 p.m. Friday at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. Pastor Billy Ledbetter of the First Baptist Church of Muenster, Texas, will officiate.
Maurice was born on March 1, 1918, at Ekalaka, Mont., to Wallace and Hazel Kinsey Hurd. He married Marcella Mae Dotson on March 26, 1950, at Sidney, Mont. The couple had three daughters: Susan, Maureen and Laurie.
In his youth, Maurice worked on his father's ranch herding sheep and cattle, haying and performing other ranching duties. He would often be hired out to work on other ranches, performing similar tasks. Once in 1936, he was hired to put up Russian thistle for hay in North Dakota.
It was also in 1936 that Maurice joined the Civilian Conservation Corps. Through the CCC he worked on road construction through Roosevelt State Park in North Dakota, and served as a hospital orderly and a radio operator. The last job carried over into his service in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
He enlisted in the Navy in December 1939 and served as radioman 3rd Class. He served aboard the USS Houston, which sank after being torpedoed in the Battle of the Java Sea on Feb. 28, 1942.
Maurice and the other survivors were captured by the Japanese and spent 3 years as prisoners of war. During that time Maurice worked to build a railroad through the Burma jungle, replanted a rubber plantation, and later mined coal in Japan.
He was discharged from the Navy at Bremerton, Wash., on April 1, 1946. At the time of his release and discharge after the end of the war, he had served for six years, three months and 18 days.
For his service and his time spent as a prisoner of war, Maurice received the American Area Campaign medal, a one-star American Defense medal, a three-star Asiatic Pacific Area Campaign medal, a one-star Philippine Defense medal, a World War II Victory medal, a one-star Good Conduct medal, a one-star Presidential Citation and the Prisoner of War medal.
Once back in the United States, Maurice took advantage of his GI Bill of Rights eligibility. He enrolled at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont., in 1947. During his last year in college, he worked for a radio station, KOOK, at Billings where he performed duties as the broadcast engineer and other related tasks.
In 1951, he earned bachelor's degrees in history and political science. Maurice taught junior high and high school for nine years in Montana and California. He taught history, math and science as well as directing school plays and sponsoring a radio club.
He learned to square dance in California and later taught it in college. He called square dances at Townsend, Mont. In the summers between school years, Maurice often worked on ranches for the Soil Conservation Service to support his family.
In 1959, Maurice decided to quit teaching and return to school. He earned a master's degree in ranch management from Montana State University at Bozeman in 1961.
After graduation, Maurice went to work for the Bureau of Land Management, first as a range conservationist. At Lakeview he acted as "chief of party" in the surveying of 700, 000 acres.
In 1963, he went to Vale where he spent 4 years publicizing the Vale Project. At Vale, he handled many aspects of public relations and training in the production of films, photographs and brochures as well as speaking and conducting educational and informative tours.
Also to his credit from his tenure at Vale, was his production and scripting work on the film, "This Waiting Land." He spent the rest of his career with the BLM at Baker City, where he retired in 1978 as a realty specialist.
Maurice and Marcella made their home at Baker City until 1998, when they moved to Lindsay, Texas, to be closer to their daughter, Susan, and her family.
During his retirement years, Maurice continued to be active. He found his greatest pleasure in a number of hobbies that he practiced during his working years and some that were newly acquired. He enjoyed photography, cooking, gardening, traveling, genealogical research, playing the organ, and his favorite, woodworking.
In his later years, Maurice read the Bible faithfully and attended the First Baptist Church of Muenster, Texas.
During his lifetime, Maurice was a friend to many and devoted in his love for his wife and his family. His perseverance and steadfastness inspired both love and respect from not only his family, but also from the many people who came to know him.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Howard; and sisters, Clarice Thomas, Lorena Flynn and Meryl Avery.
Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Marcella; daughters, Susan McIver of Gainesville, Texas, Maureen McIlroy of Sedona, Ariz., and Laurie Bruun of Tacoma, Wash.; seven grandchildren, Andrea Brinton Haga of Arlington, Texas, Stephen Brinton of Wilmington, Del., Anna, Aaron and Nathan Bruun of Tacoma, Wash., and Ashley and Stephanie McIlroy of Sedona, Ariz.; one great-grandchild, Olivia Haga of Arlington, Texas; a sister, Helen Maschera of Phoenix, Ariz.; sons-in-law, Mark McIver, Dan McIlroy and Carl Bruun; and many nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made to Home Hospice of Cooke County, P.O. Box 936, Gainesville, TX 76241.
Richard Hunt
Richard Douglas Hunt, 64, a former Baker City resident, died peacefully on Sept. 28, 2004, at home in Boise after a short illness.
His funeral will be at 11 a.m. at Relyea Funeral Chapel, Boise. His graveside service will be at 11 a.m. (PDT) Saturday at Mount Hope Cemetery.
Richard was born on Jan. 26, 1940, at Baker City to Thomas C. and Marie Aasa Hunt. He attended Baker City schools and was a Baker High School graduate. He attended Brigham Young University at Provo, Utah, and the University of Utah at Salt Lake City.
Richard was an avid basketball player, played the trombone, and was a member of the Baker Drum and Bugle Corps. One of the loves of his life was fly fishing in and around the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area in Northeastern Oregon. He also enjoyed golfing, hunting and the outdoors, and he loved to read.
Richard worked in the investment community for many years at Portland and Palm Springs, Calif., as a broker. About 15 years ago, he moved to Boise to be with his family. He worked in the electronics field until retirement.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and a sister, Kathryn Marie.
Survivors include four brothers, Tom and his wife, Colleen, Jim and his wife, Norma, and Robert, all of Boise, and John Elwood and his wife, Susan, of Portland; and by three sisters, Jeanette Hindman and her husband, Charles, and Barbara Beck, of Boise, and Marie Hines and her husband, Dan, of Portland; and many nieces and nephews whom he dearly loved.
He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Vada Landweer
Vada Adelle Landweer, 57, died Sept. 25, 2004, at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise.
There will be a celebration of her life at 3 p.m. (MDT) Friday at Bucky's Cafe in Cambridge, Idaho.
Vada was born on Oct. 13, 1946, at Baker City. She was raised at Sparta and attended the Sawmill Gulch school and Eagle Valley High School at Richland. She attended her last year of high school at Vale, where she graduated.
During her life, she lived in Prairie City, and then moved to Richland. Her last years were near the Cambridge, Idaho, area.
Vada's passions included her family, especially her grandchildren, her many friends and her monthly newsletter "The Mountain Pass Press." She enjoyed living in and near the mountains. She truly lived her life on her own terms and will be remembered for her gentle nature, kindness, honesty, and for always standing for what she believed in.
Survivors include three sons, Don Butler and Ron Butler of Boise, and Sgt. Thomas Landweer of the U.S. Army, stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y.; brothers, George and Bill Graves of Oregon; sisters, Vesta Allen of Washington, and Shirley Carpenter and Nona Carpenter of New Mexico; grandchildren, Edward Ross Butler and Michelle Renee Butler of Baker City.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Lola Graves; two sisters, Barbara Stultz and Marjorie Blank; and her eldest son, William David Butler.
Arrangements are under the direction of Tami's Pine Valley Funeral Home.
‘Jim' Pellissier
James "Jim" Richard Pellissier, 74, a longtime Baker City resident, died Sept. 25, 2004, at Boise.
His funeral will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Gray's West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Sister Kay Marie Duncan of Pathway Hospice will officiate. Friends are invited to join the family for a reception after the service at Community Connection, 2810 Cedar St. Visitations will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday at Gray's West & Co.
Jim was born on Feb. 9, 1930, at Quincy, Wash., to Oran and Euna White Pellissier. He was raised in logging camps at Tamarack, Idaho, and later on a ranch near Tonasket, Wash. He came to Baker City in 1949, where he has lived off and on since.
In 1951, Jim was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served two years in the transport group. He was stationed at Fort Eustis, Va., and at Fort Hood, Texas.
From 1954 to 1956 he attended Eastern Oregon College (now Eastern Oregon University) at La Grande and later Oregon State University at Corvallis. Jim graduated with a business degree.
After college, Jim went to work for the Edward Hines Lumber Co. outside of Bates and at Baker City. He also had worked for the Forest Service in different areas, first in Baker City then at Bellingham, Wash., Roseburg and Denver.
Jim then moved back to Baker City, where he lived along the Medical Springs Highway. He became involved in the livestock business, running nine trucks as Pellissier Livestock Transportation (PLT). Jim retired on Feb. 7, 1992.
Jim was married to Elsie Jane Callender of La Grande on July 20, 1959, at John Day.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Oran and Euna Pellissier; and a brother, Robert Joseph "Bob" Pellissier.
Survivors include his wife, Elsie; children, Beverly Anne Day, and her husband, Shane, of Sommers, Mont.; John David Pellissier and his wife, Chris, of Klamath Falls, James Oran Pellissier of Los Angeles, and Joseph Daniel Pellissier of San Francisco; his brother Frank LaVern "Mike" Pellissier of New Plymouth, Wash.; and his nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Baker County Meals On Wheels program through Gray's West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
‘Bud' Aldrich
Lewis Eugene "Bud" Aldrich Jr., 82, of Haines, died Sept. 19, 2004, at his home.
Memorial Mass will be celebrated Friday at 10 a.m. at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, First and Church streets in Baker City. The Rev. Robert C. Irwin will officiate. There will be a reception afterward at the St. Francis Parish Hall.
Disposition was by cremation at Eastern Oregon Pioneer Crematory. Inurnment will be Friday at 1 p.m. at the Haines Cemetery.
Bud was born May 22, 1922, at the old St. Elizabeth Hospital in Baker City, to Lewis and Edna Burnside Aldrich. In the early years of his life the family lived at Mount Carmel, where his father worked for Alva Peters and in the woods for John Davis' mill. They then moved to Rock Creek for a short time and then, when Bud was 6, the family moved to Muddy Creek to a house which they rented from Tom Tibbs.
Bud started school at Muddy Creek, where he had Fay Christensen for his teacher and where he continued through grade and high schools, graduating in 1940. During the summers of 1933 and '34 he worked for his uncle and aunt, Dutch and Mona Aldrich, on the Heart place. He raked hay with a team and earned $2 per day. In the summers of 1938 and '39 he worked as a bellhop at the Geiser Grand Hotel in Baker City. The year after graduating from high school he worked as assistant manager at the Geiser Grand for Jess Edwards, earning money to go to college.
In the fall of 1941 he went to Linfield College at McMinnville for his freshman year. He lived with Harry and Louisa Alvis, and worked for them to earn room and board. After attending Linfield for one year he was due to be drafted into the Army for World War II. Instead he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was inducted into the Naval Reserves in the fall of 1942 and was sent to the San Diego Naval Training Station. After finishing there he was sent to the U.S Naval Hospital in San Diego where he was trained as a Navy corpsman. After finishing his training there he was sent to Field Medical School at Camp Elliot, Calif., for training for overseas duty with the Fleet Marines.
Bud was shipped overseas on the S.S. Luraline from San Diego to Numea, New Caledonia, where he joined the 1st Marine Raider Battalion. After several weeks of training in field operations with "The Raiders, " he was sent with the battalion to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, which had recently been recaptured from the Japanese, and where the battalion joined other Marine units for the buildup for the push north. In early July 1943 the 1st Raider Battalion was sent north to recapture the island of New Georgia in the Solomon group. After the island was secured, the battalion was sent back to Guadalcanal, and from there to New Zealand for two weeks of R and R.
After returning to Guadalcanal the 1st Raider Battalion was sent north again, this time to Guam. While en route they landed on the island of Emeru, stopping there to seize the island. When the island was secured they moved on to Kwajalein, joining Fleet and 3rd Division Marines. They all embarked on the USS LST No. 482, sailing for Guam. Upon arrival Bud was in the first wave of Marines to land on Guam, where the Americans suffered very heavy casualties. The action on Guam started July 21, 1944, and did not end until the island was recaptured on Aug. 27. The battalion then returned to Guadalcanal.
On Sept. 8, 1944, the 1st Raider Brigade and the 29th Marines joined to form the 6th Marine Division. This was the first Marine Division ever formed in the field. On Oct. 23, 1944, the orders were received to return to the United States.
Bud returned home to Rock Creek for a short leave. In January 1945 he left for Seattle, where he was assigned to the U.S. Naval Station Dispensary, Pier 91. This is where he continued his duties until Jan. 8, 1946, when he was honorably discharged from the Navy. Bud was recalled to the Navy for the Korean conflict. He was stationed at Pier 91 in Seattle for 12 months, then discharged.
Bud then returned to Linfield. In 1950 he graduated with a bachelor of science degree in biology. After working many temporary jobs he moved to Corvallis to continue his studies at Oregon State University. Here he took a job with the college, teaching while he continued his education. In August 1953 he received his master of science degree in zoology and botany. Bud joined the Sigma xi fraternity while attending OSU. He applied for and received a Fulbright Scholarship, which he used to travel to Austria to work on his thesis on the liver flukes of freshwater fish. While in Austria he discovered an unknown type of water bacteria, which was named after him.
Upon returning to OSU, Bud received his doctorate in zoology, botany and entomology in May 1960. This was not the end of his education — it was never-ending. He also earned degrees in ancient world languages, Latin, music and library science. He held a license to be a ham radio operator, and just last year he finished a class in geography through Eastern Oregon University.
From OSU Bud moved to Portland, where he taught at Portland State University for several years before taking a job at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Tex. Here he taught for only one year. He then took a job at Biddeford, Maine, where he taught in the biology department for a number of years. He was so much appreciated by the students and faculty that they dedicated their yearbook to him.
During summers Bud traveled the world. He would say he had seen the world many times, except for one island — Ireland. If he wasn't traveling he was teaching or taking people on tours to such places as the Galapagos Islands.
Bud finally took a job teaching at Seattle University, which brought him closer to home. He became the president of the board of the zoology department for many years. This is where he retired from teaching, after which he moved home to Rock Creek. He lived with his dad until his dad passed away. He continued to live at the family home until his death.
Bud loved his church, the arts, classical music, traveling, camping and visiting family and friends. He was an elected member of the Baker County Library Board, and a granger with the North Powder Grange. He belonged to many charitable boards and made many generous donations to these organizations as well as to colleges.
Bud is survived by a brother, Gordon Aldrich and his wife, Eula, of Haines; nieces, Sally Scelson of Baker City, and Pamela Mathson and her husband, Dave, of Dillon, Mont.; a nephew, Jim Aldrich and his wife, Christine, of North Powder; many great and great-great nieces and nephews, including Amber Scelson of Baker City and Erin and Jenna Aldrich of North Powder; a great aunt and uncle in Washington state, and many cousins.
Bud was preceded in death by his parents, Lewis and Edna Aldrich, and by a nephew, Ronald Hung.
Contributions in Bud's memory may be made to Pathway Hospice, in care of Gray's West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
Judith Hovde
Judith Ann Hovde, 60, of Baker City, died Sept. 22, 2004, at her home.
There will be a celebration of Judy's life at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Calvary Baptist Church, 2107 Third St. Pastor Ed Niswender will officiate. Friends are invited to join the family for a time of sharing in the fellowship hall after the service.
Judy was born on Feb. 20, 1944, at Mount Vernon, Wash., to Walter and Viola Andersen Robertson. She was a 1962 graduate of Eisenhower High School at Yakima, Wash. She went on to earn her nursing degree from Emmanuel Hospital in Portland.
Being a compassionate, loving, gentle person, her career in nursing was very well-suited to her. She worked for Dr. Eugene Kazmierski's practice in Portland for 21 years until her retirement in 1999.
She and her husband, Art, traveled to Baker City to visit her close friend and Judy fell in love with the people and the valley. They moved to Baker City as soon as she retired and loved every minute being here.
She was an avid reader and loved animals and her flowers. She would spend many hours tending them and often helped out her friend, Jeanne Schroder at Baker City Floral.
She was a devout Christian and faithfully worshiped at Calvary Baptist Church where she and Art were members. Judy was grateful for the support offered by her church.
She loved people and always had a kind word to say. Judy was an amazing example of how to live joyfully. She will be greatly missed by all.
She is survived by her husband, Art Hovde of Baker City; her daughter, Kathie Olson, and her husband, Jeff, of Scappoose; son, Gary Frutchey of Portland; daughter, Christy Hellwege, and her husband, Russ, of Shelton, Wash.; stepsons, Michael Hovde, and his wife, Wendi, of Portland and David Hovde and his wife, Ashley, of Hood River; eight grandchildren, Courtney and Quinn Olson, Ashley Price, Brenden and Joshua Hovde, Luke and Adam Hellwege and Jessica Hovde; three brothers, Mike Robertson, and his wife, Liz, of Cle Elum, Wash., David Robertson of Mill Creek, Wash., and Tom Robertson and his wife, Jana, of Kirkland, Wash.; a sister, Jane Bean, and her husband, Troy, of Everett, Wash.; special friends, Jeanne and Harold Schroder of Baker City and Faith and Dave Kangas of Battleground, Wash.; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Calvary Baptist Church Building Fund through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
