System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!‘Bob' Powers
Robert E. "Bob" Powers, 82, a longtime Baker City resident, died July 3, 2002, at his home.
Vigil services for Mr. Powers will be Sunday at 7 p.m. at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, First and Church streets. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday at 11 a.m. at the cathedral. The Rev. Robert C. Irwin will celebrate the Mass. Vault interment will be Monday afternoon at Hillcrest Cemetery in La Grande.
Robert was born Sept. 25, 1919, the youngest of six siblings born to Gertrude and Laurence Powers, a second-generation American farming family. His mother's family (Joice) had originally immigrated from County Wicklow, Ireland, settling in Wisconsin, and his father's family had immigrated from Waterford, County Cork, Ireland, and settled in South Dakota.
As a young man, Robert worked with the Nordstrom brothers in their first store in Seattle, in the shoe department, an experience which would define his professional future and what would become his life's work. He often spoke fondly of those early years.
Robert was know as "Bob." He was a quiet man and a gentleman, with a wonderful sense of humor and laughter, and was known for his generosity and unfailing belief in the basic goodness of everyone and everything around him.
He married Sarah "Sally" Patten on Sept. 27, 1943, in La Grande. Together they would build a life which spanned nearly 59 years of marriage — in Seattle, Walla Walla, Wash., and in Baker City.
As the owners of Powers' Family Shoes, Bob and Sally realized a personal and professional dream, and their store was a Baker City fixture for about 25 years. Bob loved selling shoes, which he had done for at least 50 years, and he always said if he could have had the opportunity, he would have loved to have done it for another 50 years.
Bob took great pride in his customers and in meeting any challenges or special needs that they required. He loved his customers and took great pleasure in each day at his store; he truly loved his professional environment.
Bob's style of old-fashioned service — where the customer was a first priority entitled to courtesy, a quality product, excellent service and total satisfaction — was remembered by several generations of families and individuals in his lifetime who would express their appreciation both to him and his family throughout the years.
Upon retirement, Bob and Sally enjoyed traveling throughout Canada, the Pacific Northwest, and the California coast visiting friends and family.
Robert is survived by his wife, Sally; his daughter, Colleen and three grandchildren: Sarah, Shafiq, and Ajira, of Santa Barbara, Calif.; his last remaining sibling, Erna Lassegard of Eugene; and several nieces, nephews and extended family members throughout Oregon and South Dakota.
Memory may be made to Pathway Hospice or St. Francis de Sales Cathedral through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
Mary Ellen Hansen
Mary Ellen Holman Hansen, 70, a former Baker City resident, died June 30, 2002, of cancer.
Mary was born on Oct. 6, 1931, at Baker City to Rosely Kirby and Amos Robinson. She was raised by her grandparents, Beatrice and "Buff" Baldock of Baker City. She has a surviving brother, Dennis E. Kirby of Clackamas.
In her early years in Baker City, Mary worked for the Red Cross as a swimming instructor and lifeguard for 18 years, teaching the children of the community to swim.
She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon at Eugene in 1953. She taught in secondary schools for 34 years, retiring from Castro Valley High School in 1987.
Mary then moved to Reno, Nev., and once settled, she immediately started serving the community. She served on these boards and commissions: Sun Valley Landowners Association, Sun Valley Citizens Advisory Board, Sun Valley General Improvement District, Regional Transportation Advisory Committee, Washoe County Parks Commission, Looking Fine in '99 and cabinet member of the Sun Valley Teen Center.
Mary often was assisted in these efforts by her best friend, Shirley Gieck. Mary will be missed by all who loved her.
For her accumulated efforts, Mary was awarded the prestigious Jefferson Award and the Silver Star. Sun Valley citizens and children enjoy the fruits of her tireless dedication: Sun Valley Boulevard bike lane, Community Center, Teen Center, Beautification of Sun Valley Schools and Seventh Street Park.
Catherine Culley
Catherine E. Culley, 81, a longtime Baker City resident and former Sumpter resident, died July 6, 2002, at St. Elizabeth Health Care Center.
Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Gray's West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Pastor Ed Niswender of Calvary Baptist Church will officiate. Burial will be in Mount Hope Cemetery. There will be a reception afterward at Calvary Baptist Church, 2107 Third St. Visitations will be until 8 o'clock tonight at Gray's West & Co.
Catherine was born on July 7, 1920, at Astoria to Clarence E. and Lucille Lockwood Starr. After her mother died, she was adopted by Hal and Bertha Bradley.
She later married Harold Culley at Weiser, Idaho. The couple soon moved to Granite where they lived for quite some time while Harold worked as a miner.
They moved to Bourne to continue mining and eventually ended up in Sumpter to finish their mining career. Later, Catherine and Harold moved to Baker City.
Catherine loved to bake and was a very good cook. Her hobbies included crocheting and embroidering. The time she spent relaxing was spent with God and reading her Bible.
Catherine and Harold had five sons: Hal, Ron, Bob, Harold Jr. and Don Culley. She had many grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Calvary Baptist Church through Gray's West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
Wallace Hansell
Wallace Arthur Hansell, 48, of La Grande, a former Baker City resident, died July 7, 2002, in an automobile accident on Interstate 84 near La Grande.
There will be a celebration of his life at 2 p.m. Friday at Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St., in La Grande. Pastor Gary Hood will officiate. Burial will be private. Viewing will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. today at Daniels Chapel.
Mr. Hansell was born on July 5, 1954, to Delmar and Teen Gardner Hansell in La Grande. He was a 1971 La Grande High School graduate. He had operated a barber shop at the Geiser Grand Hotel and for the past nine years, the La Grande Barber Shop on Depot Street.
He married Koreen Frederick on Sept. 25, 1997, at Elko, Nev. He enjoyed flying his para-plane, fishing, gardening, skiing, bowling, painting and being with his kids.
Survivors include his wife of La Grande; children, Daniel and Beth Hansell, both of Baker City; his parents of La Grande; brothers and sisters, Michael Hansell, Patti Nagy and Ginny Lambert, all of La Grande, and Scott Hansell of Corvallis, David Hansell of Seattle, Wash., and Betty Owen of Imbler; and other relatives.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Oregon Diabetes Association through the Daniels Chapel of the Valley.
Ron Tonack
Ron Tonack, 66, of Baker City, died July 6, 2002, as a result of the progression of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).
His graveside funeral will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Mount Hope Cemetery. Pastor Allan Franks of the Church of the Nazarene and Lynn Shumway will officiate.
Ron always enjoyed casual dress, his family members said. They encourage those attending the funeral to dress comfortably in the warm weather.
Ron was born Sept. 24, 1935, at Pendleton to Robert and Becky Tonack. He grew up in the Pendleton area. He received his bachelor's degree from Eastern Oregon College (now Eastern Oregon University) where he met and married Lorna Umpleby in 1960. The couple have two daughters: Johanna Young of Baker City and Gretchen Surber of Prineville.
Ron's love of teen-agers and his desire to help people led him to receive his master's degree in special education from the University of Oregon at Eugene. He then was invited to set up a special education department at a new high school in Anaheim, Calif. After two years, he was invited to return to Oregon to be the director of special education for Marion County.
While worshiping at the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Salem, Ron and Lorna felt God's leading to teach at The Alliance Academy at Quito, Ecuador, South America, where Ron used his special training to teach junior high math for six years.
Ron and Lorna and their family returned to Eastern Oregon in 1980, when they both became teachers at Baker High School. Throughout his career, Ron's passion was helping students realize their potential. During his 16 years at Baker High School his goal was to encourage and to help students develop skills to work and live independently.
Ron will be remembered as having a friendly greeting and a smile for everyone. He loved to lend a helping hand and always wanted to share his love of God through actions and speech.
After his disease made it impossible for him to be out among people, he spent hours each day praying for a very long list of people he knew as well as for those he heard had any kind of need. His influence was quiet, but far-reaching.
Survivors include his wife, Lorna, of Baker City; daughters and sons-in-law, Gretchen and Michael Surber of Prineville and Johanna and Jeff Young of Baker City; grandchildren, Justin, Andrew, and Erich Surber of Prineville, and Jennifer and Jacinda Young of Baker City; his sister Judith Terjeson of Pendleton and her sons, Rick and Mike; an aunt, Gladys Tonack; and several cousins.
Ron asked that memorial contributions be made to the Work and Witness ministry at the Church of the Nazarene or to Pathway Hospice of Baker City through Tami's Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834.
Mildred Harris
Mildred Virginia Harris, 80, a longtime Baker City resident, died July 5, 2002, at St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise.
Her funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Gray's West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Pastor Ed Niswender of Calvary Baptist Church will officiate.
Visitations will be from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday at Gray's West & Co. Interment will be in Mount Hope Cemetery.
Mildred was born on Sept. 10, 1921, at Wynne, Ark., to Walter and Emma France. She married Leonard H. Harris on May 24, 1941. They moved to the Northwest and raised their family in Baker City. They later moved and retired at Burley, Idaho, in April 1984.
She was a devoted wife and mother and active in her church for many years. She faithfully served her Lord by teaching Sunday school and participating in other forms of ministry. After retirement, they traveled extensively throughout the states, returning to Baker City in 1989.
"Our beloved wife and mother was much loved and will be greatly missed, " her family said. "Her sweet spirit will live on in our hearts forever."
Survivors include her loving husband and three children: Carol and Rod Wright of Baker City, Craig Harris of Pendleton and Patricia and Jimmie Muckleroy of Baytown, Texas; seven grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and her siblings.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Calvary Baptist Church Building Fund through Gray's West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
Bart Bailey
Bart Bailey, 20, of Baker City died June 24, 2002, at Grand Junction, Colo., of injuries sustained in a traffic accident while en route to the Hayman fire near Denver to work as a firefighter with Grayback Forestry Inc.
His Celebration of Life service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Baker City Church of the Nazarene, 1250 Hughes Lane. Pastors Lenny Spooner and Mark Trancale of the Nazarene Church will officiate. Interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. There will be a reception at the Nazarene Church after the service.
Bart moved with his family to Baker City at the age of 2. He was a 2000 graduate of Baker High School. He recently completed his sophomore year at Oregon State University in Corvallis where he was majoring in civil engineering. He also was a residential assistant for his dorm, sang in a men's choir and was involved in Real Life.
Bart enjoyed fishing, hiking, tennis, basketball and other outdoor activities. He loved music, sang in a band in college and enjoyed participating in drama. Along with numerous high school productions, he also was active in church drama in Corvallis along with his girlfriend, Colsey Bittner of West Linn.
Bart loved the Lord, his family and friends and was an inspiration to all who knew him. He accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior from the time he asked him into his heart at age 6. Because Jesus was Lord of his life, he set an example of truly loving others, doing his best in everything and spreading the good news of Jesus' love and forgiveness by the way he lived his life.
His family said: "We believe God's word, the Holy Bible, as it says in Romans 8:28 that ‘All things work together for good for those who love and serve the Lord and are called according to his purpose.' Even now, God will turn this tragedy for good and Bart will not have died in vain."
Survivors include his mother, Carla Schafer Bailey, father and stepmother, Jerry and Nancy Bailey, and twin sister, Brandy Ann Bailey, all of Baker City; a brother, Joe Bailey of Nutley, N.J.; stepbrother, Tyler Frakes of Eugene; grandparents, Lester and Charlotte Schafer of Council, Idaho, and Willis and Barbara Bailey of Joseph; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
The family suggests memorial contributions in honor of Bart Bailey be directed to the Baker High School drama or music departments through Gray's West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
Daniel Rama
Daniel Rama, 28, of Baker City, died June 21, 2002, at Glenwood Springs, Colo.
His memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the First Church of the Nazarene, 1250 Hughes Lane. Pastor Roger Scovil of the Baker City Christian Church will officiate. There will be a reception afterward at the Nazarene Church.
Daniel Rama was born June 6, 1974, at Grinnell, Iowa, to Dave and Judy Rama. He grew up in Nebraska, living at Deshler, McCook and North Platte.
He was a 1992 graduate of North Platte High School. During his school years he was active in Cub Scouts and Little League sports. He played on the Northwest Community College basketball team at Norfolk, Neb., for one year. He moved to Lincoln, Neb., and worked there for four years.
In 1998, he moved with his parents to Baker City where he was employed by Grayback Forestry. He worked for the company until his death in a motor vehicle accident on the way to fight the Hayman fire in Colorado.
At 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, he was a large young man known for his love of music, his skills on the basketball court, his passion for his firefighting job and his relaxed ability to get along with most everyone. Gentle good humor, a quick smile and a great sense of fun were personal qualities his friends and family will remember.
He was a good player of trivia games, cards and contests of strategy. He enjoyed the outdoor activities to be found in the mountains, camping, hiking and snowboarding.
One of the aspects of his job that he found interesting was the wildlife he got to see. He had not yet crossed paths with a grizzly or wolf, but felt sure that it was only a matter of time.
He was a good person who was interested in the world around him and will be missed by all who knew and loved him.
Survivors include his parents, Dave and Judy Rama of Baker City; his friend and former wife, Brandi Nutzman; three brothers, Matt of Madras and Anthony and Christopher of Baker City; two sisters, Taylin "Nicole" of Ashland and Meagan of La Grande; grandparents, Robert and Barbara Spurgeon of Scottsbluff, Neb., and Frances Rama of Minatare, Neb.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation through Gray's West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814, or delivered to any U.S. Bank location.
Lois Britton
Lois Butts Britton, 88, of Baker City, died June 23, 2002, at Gillette, Wyo., after a long illness.
Her graveside funeral will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Mount Hope Cemetery. Pastor Lura Kidner-Miesen of the Baker City United Methodist Church and Lynn Shumway of Burnt River will officiate.
There was a memorial service Tuesday at the New Life Wesleyan Church at Gillette, Wyo. Pastor Gary Maness officiated.
Lois Victoria Wilson was born on Aug. 27, 1913, at Richland to Victor and Mary Simonis Wilson. She attended Sunnyside School in a two-room schoolhouse. She and her younger brother, Joe, would walk the three miles to the schoolhouse and build the fire before the others arrived.
She graduated from Eagle Valley High School in 1932. During her childhood, the family spent summers at sheep camp in the Eagle Mountains. They built their beds on the ground and spent the time picking huckleberries. Her mother then canned enough berries to last until the next summer.
She married John Holbrook on Feb. 22, 1934. They lived at mining camps in Idaho where he worked. During that time, Lois ran her own pack string, carrying supplies to the mines.
In 1941, she separated from John and moved to Baker City with her infant son, Ron. While in Baker, City she worked to support herself and her young son. She served as head tax collector for Baker County from 1943 to 1945.
She married Albert Butts of Hereford on Sept. 17, 1945. They lived on several ranches in the Burnt River Valley. Their daughter, Phyllis, was born in 1949. Lois enjoyed the many aspects of farm life, as well as hunting and camping.
In 1958, she and Albert sold their ranch and bought the Hereford Store. They ran the store and restaurant until selling it in 1970. She then worked at the Hereford Post Office, where she soon was appointed postmaster, a position she held until her retirement in 1980.
After Albert's death in 1986, Lois moved to eastern Wyoming to be close to her family. She married Chuck Britton on May 22, 1989, and moved to Baker City. For several years they enjoyed spending winters in Arizona and summers in Oregon and Wyoming.
She led a very active life and was always ready for anything. Many of her adventures took place after she was 50 years old. She learned to ride a bike, a motorcycle, a snowmobile, to ice skate and to roller skate while in her 50s.
Her family and friends were important to her, and she loved visiting, talking and teasing with all people. Laughing was a major part of her life. She liked to play practical jokes and to have them played on her.
Her activities included quilting, crocheting, crafts and bingo. She especially loved pinochle and spent the last few months of her life teaching her grandchildren and most of her great-grandchildren how to play the card game.
Survivors include her husband, Chuck Britton of Baker City; brothers, Joe Wilson and his wife, Ada, of White Bird, Idaho, and Harold Wilson and his wife, Susan, of Gooding, Idaho; sisters, Anita Smith, and her husband, Hoot, of Riggins, Idaho, and Erma Guyer of Boise; sons and their wives, Ron and Beverly Holbrook of Gillette, Wyo., Howard and Sandee Britton of Baker City and Harold and Judy Britton of Hillsboro; daughters Phyllis Colpitts, and her husband, Ken, of Gillette, Wyo., Betty Braswell of Baker City and Evelyn Plankinton and her husband, John, of Menlo Park, Calif.; 15 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Albert; and brothers, Lester, Frederick and Edward.
Memorial contributions may be made to Northwest Wyoming Hospice in care of Stevenson-Wilson Funeral Home, 210 W. Fifth St., Gillette, Wyo. 82716, or to Pathway Hospice through Gray's West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
Faye Carlson
Faye Arlene Carlson, 67, of Elgin, a former Baker City resident, died June 23, 2002, at her home.
There will be a Celebration of Life service for Mrs. Carlson at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Elgin Stampede Hall. Interment will be at the Elgin Cemetery.
Mrs. Carlson was born on Dec. 3, 1934, at Baker City to George and Maxine Ruby Erwin Kirkland. She was a 1952 graduate of Union High School.
She married Jim Evans in 1955. She lived most of her life at Elgin and was a member of the Elgin Stampeders.
She married Frederick G. Carlson in 1975. Mrs. Carlson loved her children and her grandchildren. She also enjoyed riding horses, playing slot machines and betting on professional football games. Country music was her favorite music to listen to.
Survivors include her children, Sherri McDonald and her husband, Glen, Russ Evans and his wife, Tonya, and Kyle Evans and his wife, Sheree, all of Elgin, and Julie Bouchard and her husband, David, of Cove; her sisters, Marilyn Weatherbie of Fruit Heights, Utah, and Iola Irvin of Union; brothers, Roger Kirkland of North Powder and David Kirkland of Summerville; nine grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Dee Harn; and her husbands.
Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one's choice through Loveland Funeral Chapel, 1508 Fourth St., La Grande, OR 97850.
