System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!Laurajo Bennett
Laurajo Bennett, 74, of El Monte, Calif., died Aug. 28, 2002 at her home.
Her funeral service was held in Halfway on Saturday, Aug. 31. Interment was at Pine Haven Cemetery.
Laurajo was born in Phoenix, Ariz., on Nov. 23, 1927, to Kenneth and Edith Roberts. She was raised and educated in Los Angeles. In 1947 she married William Bennett, and on Aug. 10 of this year they celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary.
Bill and Laurajo made their first home in Texas. It was there in Texas where their daughter Karen was born. Not long after, they left Texas for Baker City and while in Baker their second child Linda was born.
From Oregon they went to El Monte, where Nancy and James were born. They spent the next 52 years making their home in California. In 1989 they started spending time and enjoying their summers in Halfway.
Laurajo was a loving wife and mother. She was blessed as well with 10 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
She enjoyed camping with the family and traveling with her husband. She loved her summers in Halfway with all of her friends. She enjoyed reading, sewing, crocheting, painting and her flowers. She was active in the Ladies Rotary, Emblem Club, Ladies Moose Club and the Geranium Club.
She is survived by her husband Bill; daughters and their husbands, Karen and Jan Haga of Hermiston, Linda and Carl Miley of Lancaster, Calif., Nancy and Jim Minner of El Monte, Calif.; son, Jim Bennett and his wife, Sharon, of Newport Beach, Calif.; grandchildren, Jan Jr. and Karly Haga, Heidi and Tim Miley, Rhonda, Jim, Brandon and James Minner, William and Jaime Bennett and two great-grandchildren.
Donations in her memory may be made to the American Diabetes Foundation or the Lung Association in care of Tami's Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834.
Warren Evan Carroll
Warren Evan Carroll, 84, a long-time La Grande resident, died Aug. 22, 2002, at Twin Firs Retirement Center in La Grande.
At his request, there will be no public services. Arrangements are under the direction of Daniels Chapel of the Valley.
Mr. Carroll was born June 30, 1918, in Kelly, Wyo., to Hubert Lawrence and Lucy Jane VanCleave Carroll. He graduated from Baker High School and served in the Merchant Marines during World War II.
In 1937, he married Ann Dockweiler. The couple had two children. In 1951, he married Mary Miller.
Mr. Carroll worked as an electrician for the Mount Emily Lumber Company and for Boise Cascade for 35 years.
Mr. Carroll enjoyed being with family and friends, fishing, traveling, woodworking and other hobbies. He loved to go to auctions. He was a member of the Eagles Lodge and belonged to several other organizations.
Survivors include his sisters, Lillie Ells and Violet Graham of Baker City, and Lois Music of Yelm, Wash.; brothers, Omar and George Carroll, both of Baker City; three grandchildren; his special companion, Bobbie Shaw of La Grande; a special friend, Minnie Halsey of Union; and other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his second wife, Mary; his daughter, Anna Geraldine; his son, Warren Jr.; three brothers and four sisters.
Memorials may be made to the charity of one's choice in care of Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St., La Grande OR 97850.
‘Pud' Collins
Leonard "Pud" Collins, 83, of Elgin, died Aug. 26, 2002, at Grande Ronde Hospital.
A celebration of life service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Powwatka Cemetery, north of Wallowa. Loveland Funeral Chapel is handling arrangements.
Mr. Collins was born Sept. 18, 1918, to Jesse Elbert and Mattie Rae Prince Collins in Powwatka Ridge, in Wallowa County. He spent his entire childhood on Powwatka and loved it there. He was a logger all of his life.
In 1945 he moved to Pondosa, and then to Elgin in 1947. He loved the outdoors, hunting, fishing, picking huckleberries, family gatherings and his grandchildren.
He is survived by brothers, Roy Collins of Wallowa and Allen Collins of Richland; a sister, Mary Cathcart of Lakeview; two daughters and their families, Susan and Tom Wells of Elgin and Cindy and Ron Noland of Hermiston; stepdaughter, Carol Stimmel and her husband, Bob, of Milton-Freewater; five grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; three step-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by a son, Jack; a stepson, Gary; and a brother, Willard "Bud" Collins.
‘Denny' Craig
Paul Dennis "Denny" Craig, 66, of Las Vegas, Nev., a former North Powder resident, died Aug. 20, 2002, at Las Vegas.
Mr. Craig's body was cremated. There was a private funeral at Las Vegas. There will be a memorial service at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Haines United Methodist Church. Pastor Sally Wiens will officiate.
Denny was born on March 11, 1936, at Baker City. He was raised on his parents' ranch at North Powder and was a 1954 graduate of Powder Valley High School.
He attended the University of Oregon at Eugene for one year and Eastern Oregon University at La Grande for one year. From there he moved with his family to the Willamette Valley.
He worked at Oregon Metallurgical Co. and then went into the dairy business with his father and brother. He moved to Portland in 1960 where he was in the restaurant and lounge business at Portland, Mount Hood and Corvallis.
Mr. Craig married Patricia Louise O'Connor on Dec. 25, 1971. They then moved to Salem where he formed his own yard maintenance business.
Upon retiring and selling his business, the couple moved to Las Vegas. Between traveling, he still did occasional yard service work, for which he really had a talent and he really enjoyed.
Hunting, sports, children and animals were a huge part of his life. He always had two or three exceptionally well-trained dogs. He raised exotic pheasants on their mini farm at Salem and had a miniature horse and a parrot.
Survivors include his wife, Patty; children, Sherri Ferguson, Melody Northrup and Patrick Fisher; grandchildren, Robbi and Roshelle Ferguson and Alexandria and Justin Fisher; brothers, Lowell and Randy Craig; sisters, Katharine Stauffer and Karen Yates; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Olive Craig.
The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to a charity of one's choice.
Rhoda Roth
Rhoda J. Roth, 83, of Pendleton, a former longtime Baker City resident, died Aug. 23, 2002, at Willowbrook Terrace in Pendleton.
Her graveside service will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Mount Hope Cemetery. Pastor Dennis Hickman of the First Lutheran Church will officiate. Visitations will be from noon until 5 p.m. today and from 8:30 a.m. until noon Tuesday at the Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St.
Rhoda Jane Coles Mattes Roth was born March 1, 1919, at Twin Falls, Idaho. She was a daughter of Joseph Joel Coles and Nettie May Locken Coles Carlson.
She moved with her family back to Haines at the age of six months. She received her education in Haines and graduated from Haines High School. She played basketball during school. She loved swimming and picnicking at Radium Hot Springs. Rhoda was a member of First Lutheran Church.
In June 1936, she married George Richard Mattes. They had two children: Myra Diane and Richard Michael. In 1949, she went to work for Pacific Northwest Bell and remained employed with that company until her retirement in 1975.
She loved her cabin property on Griffin Gulch and the farm on Burnt River Canyon. Mr. Mattes died on Feb. 11, 1969. Rhoda and George adopted their granddaughter, Soraya Jane, in 1965.
She married Leonard G. Roth in May 1972. He died in 1985.
Mrs. Roth loved to work in her strawberry garden, drive her car and take care of her daughters. She lived in Baker County until 1998 when because of ill health she moved to Pendleton to be near her son.
She was preceded in death by her parents; both husbands; and a brother, Emery Coles.
Survivors include her children, Myra D. Stout of Siloam Springs, Ark., Richard M. Mattes of Pendleton, and Soraya J. Kanakis-Campbell, of Bellevue, Wash.; grandchildren, Camille Morehen of Novhea, Calif., Maverick Salangsang of Alameda, Calif., Deon Mattes of Beaverton and Dustin Mattes of La Grande; great-grandchildren, Michael Biel of Chicago, Stephen Blum and Cory Blum, of Bellevue, Wash., Michael Mattes of Pendleton, and Deon "D.J." Mattes Jr. and Shayla Mattes of Beaverton.
Memorial contributions may be made to the First Lutheran Church through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
Alice Warnock
Alice Antoinette Warnock, 94, died Aug. 16, 2002, at St. Elizabeth Hospital after a brief illness.
Private burial was at the Sumpter Cemetery.
There will be a memorial celebration of her life at 3 p.m. Sunday at the McEwen Community Church in Sumpter Valley. Pastor Bill Cox will officiate. There will be a beef barbecue at the church for family and friends after the service.
Alice was born June 17, 1908, to Herbert and Theresa Nystrom Brown at Portland. She was raised on farms at Woodburn and Mohawk, and graduated from Eugene High School in 1924 at the age of 16.
After earning a teacher's certificate from Oregon Normal School at Monmouth, she taught in a two-room school at Donna, a small community northeast of Springfield. Two of her pupils aroused her interest in their uncle, who could stand on his head horseback. This introduction led to her marriage to Dan Warnock on June 30, 1929, which lasted 73 years.
Working together in the Willamette Valley through the Depression and World War II, Dan and Alice were able to start a cattle ranch in Sumpter Valley in 1946 where they lived for 56 years.
After raising two sons, Dan and Ed, Alice continued her education and graduated from Eastern Oregon University at age 77. She continued classes in writing and had many short stories and poems published in the "Attic" and other publications.
Never one to hesitate about an interest, she marched straight ahead into many interesting pursuits. Watercolor painting become one of her passions and she met weekly with the "Paintabouts" for many years.
Alice was instrumental in the preservation efforts of the old Natatorium building, which was developed into the Oregon Trail Regional Museum. She served on the museum board for many years.
She was a longtime member of Eastern Star and the First Presbyterian Church. She worked with Dan leading 4-H clubs for several years, and enjoyed volunteering as a "Grey Lady" visiting hospital patients and helping with their needs. Alice was thrilled with the honor of being selected the Baker County Chamber of Commerce Legacy Woman of the Year in 1995.
Alice was blessed with the ability to notice and appreciate unique beauty in everyday things. Her gracious understanding and acknowledgment of people's unique gifts made her a wonderful friend.
She had a child-like wonder and endless curiosity that endeared her to people. There was never enough time to accommodate the amazing energy she had for people and her passions.
She was an elegant lady with a great sense of fun. Those who knew Alice will understand the family quip regarding her: "Always late, but well worth the wait."
She was preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Sue Brown Iman; and a 3-year old brother, Thomas.
Survivors include her husband, Dan Warnock; son and daughter-in-law, Dan and Jo Warnock; and son, Edward Warnock; grandchildren, Dan Warnock, Randy Warnock, Terri Warnock, Jan Klarquist, Cindy Warnock, and Robin Ostby; and great-grandchildren, Tanner and Tyler Ostby, Cassi, Abby and Jerod Warnock and Aaron, Ford, Gabe and Clark Knowlton.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Oregon Trail Regional Museum Endowment through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR.
Eve Heath
Eve Maree Heath, 71, of North Powder, died Aug. 17, 2002, at her home.
There will be a celebration of her life at 2 p.m. Saturday at her home at 820 Second St. in North Powder.
Mrs. Heath was born on Sept. 23, 1930, at Walla Walla, Wash., to Lefty and Dorothy Jones Watkins. She was raised and educated in Washington.
She married Chester P. Heath on March 9, 1978, at Seattle, Wash. She bowled at the Baker Bowl for many years. She devoted her life to her uncle, Bud Jones; her mother, Dorothy Pearson; her daughter, Cathy Ann; and her grandson, Jeff.
She enjoyed visiting with friends.
She loved the flowers in her yard and was very proud of her yard that her daughter helped her with. She will be missed and was very loved by her family.
Survivors include her daughter, Cathy Ann Sult of North Powder; her grandson, Jeff Sult of North Powder; her great-grandson, Max Riley Sult of North Powder; an aunt; and nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Her husband died on Dec. 18, 1997.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Oregon Heart Association, 1425 N.E. Irving, No. 100, Portland, OR 97232-4201 or a charity of one's choice through the Loveland Funeral Chapel, 1508 Fourth St., La Grande, OR 97850.
‘Chuck' Pfeil
Charles Fred "Chuck" Pfeil, 73, of Baker City, died Aug. 18, 2002, with his family by his side on his ranch at Sutton Creek after a courageous 10-month battle with cancer.
His funeral will be Thursday at 1 p.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2625 Hughes Lane in Baker City. Mr. Darold Parry, 3rd Ward, will conduct the service. Vault interment will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery. A dinner at the church will follow the graveside service. Visitations will be today until 7:00 p.m. at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St.
Mr. Pfeil was born Feb. 11, 1929, at Farmington, W.Va., to Frederick Charles and Sylvia Idella McMullen Pfeil. The Pfeils migrated to the Boise Valley in Chuck's early years. During his school years, he worked after school as a welder and saved enough money to pay cash for a logging truck upon graduation from Boise High School in 1947. He logged in the Council area from 1947 to 1951. He then went to work for Morrison-Knudsen and became a construction welding supervisor. He help construct the Oxbow and Brownlee Dams and traveled extensively during the 1950s in Africa working on various construction projects. He returned to the states in the late 1950s. During the 1960s and 1970s he owned and operated Easyway Trailer Sales, moving and selling mobile homes in Baker and Union counties. He continually amazed people at how and where he could put a mobile home.
On July 17, 1973, he married Marilyn Martin. They were sealed for time and eternity in the LDS Boise Temple on April 26, 1996, and shared 29 years of marriage. Together they bought and operated the Sutton Creek Ranch. They transformed 300 acres of sagebrush and tar paper shacks into one of the finest alfalfa ranches in the valley. Chuck was always known for ingenuity and mechanical ability when it came to operating his business. He was also known for his "Hey Old Buddy" approach with his friends and he dearly loved and cared for all of his hay customers over the years. He was a wonderful caring man who will be greatly missed.
Chuck was a member of the Baker Valley ward at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where he served many appointments within the church.
He is survived by his wife, Marilyn of Baker City; a daughter and son-in-law, Diane Snell and Tom Beaver of Baker City, and their daughter, Tracy; a son and daughter-in-law, Duke and Jan Pfeil of Los Angeles, and their son Tim; and a son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Cathy Martin of Baker City and their children, Andrew and Anne Marie.
Chuck was preceded in death by his parents, Frederick and Sylvia Pfeil; and his son, Chris Martin.
Memorial contributions may be made to Pathway Hospice in care of Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
Rosemary Mitchell
Rosemary Mitchell, 90, of La Grande, a former Baker City resident, died Aug. 17, 2002, at a La Grande adult foster home.
Her funeral was today at the First Church of the Nazarene in Baker City. Art Evans of the New Life Center at La Grande officiated. Interment was in Mount Hope Cemetery. There was a reception afterward at the Nazarene Church Fellowship Hall.
Mrs. Mitchell was born on Oct. 3, 1911, at Union to Robert and Mary Gilkison Jones. She married John R. Mitchell in Baker City on May 24, 1931. Their first years were spent at Sparta in a home built by John on a site now called "Mitchell Meadows."
In 1939, they moved to Union where they lived until 1946. Then they moved to Hereford until John retired from logging.
Subsequently they lived at Baker City, Fruitdale, Idaho, and then to Sumpter. After John's death in 1982, Rosemary moved to Baker City and then to La Grande in 1992 to be near her daughter.
Rosemary enjoyed working with John in the woods, gardening, camping and the outdoors. But most of all, she loved her family and spending time with them.
Survivors include her sister, Hilda McCumber of Mount Vernon; daughters, Myrnie Koontz, and her husband, Chet, of Hereford, Wanda Lowe of La Grande and Neddie Mitchell of Lostine; 17 grandchildren, 53 great-grandchildren and 20 great-great-grandchildren.
She also was preceded in death by a daughter, Anna Jean Munsell; and two brothers, Dale R. Jones and Burl S. Jones.
Memorial contributions may be made to the New Life Center at La Grande or the Baker City Christian Church Building Fund through Gray's West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
