System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!‘Dick' Backlund
Richard A. "Dick" Backlund, 71, of Baker City, died June 1, 2002, at St. Elizabeth Health Services.
There will be a celebration of his life from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, June 7, at the Eagles Lodge, 2935 H St.
Richard, or "Poppy, " as his grandchildren called him, was born on Feb. 26, 1931, at Everett, Wash., to Leonard and Berniece Backlund. He attended schools at Everett, Wash. He served in the U.S. Army in 1949, and was in the Korean War. He then was stationed at Fort Belvore, Va.
He worked as a mechanic at Chet Smith Garage, at the Ellingson mill and at St. Elizabeth Hospital until his retirement in 1994.
Dick enjoyed life and always had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his blue eyes. He also enjoyed his garden, which he shared with his wife, Donna. They were married in 1991.
Dick liked fishing, camping and carpentry work and very much loved his dog, "Sassy."
He had been a member of the Moose Lodge, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Eagles Lodge.
He was preceded in death by his brothers, Leslie, William and Roland Backlund; and his parents, Leonard and Berniece Backlund.
Survivors include his wife, Donna Backlund; sons, Rick Backlund of Fort Royal, Va., and Rob Backlund and his wife, Lorrie, of Baker City, sons by his first wife; sisters, Nan Martin of Baker City, Beverly Diggins ad her husband, Don, of Wallowa, Sue Braughton and her husband, George, of Baker City and Kathy Kissire and her husband, Kerry, of Baker City; grandchildren, Robby, Randy, Kelsie and Raymond Backlund, all of Baker City and Corey Backlund, serving in the U.S. Marine Corps; two great-granddaughters, Sierra and Ashlie; stepchildren, Ken, Joe and Steve Kowing and Cindy Davis; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made to Doernbecher Children's Hospital or donations will be accepted to help with funeral expenses through Gray's West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
‘Chuck' Wilson
Charles Earl "Chuck" Wilson, 61, of Baker City, died June 1, 2002, at St. Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise.
His graveside funeral will be at 3 p.m. Friday at the Pine Haven Cemetery in Halfway. Leonard Hill of the Halfway Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will officiate. There will be a potluck afterward at the Halfway Lions Park.
Chuck was born on Nov. 19, 1940, to Frank and Martha Connor Wilson at Cambridge, Idaho.
Chuck worked as a long-haul truck driver for part of his life and as contract mail carrier in the Baker City and Halfway areas until his retirement in 1990. At that time, he began spending his winters in Arizona and his summers in Baker City.
Chuck loved fishing and camping and had a huge love for cars and for working on them.
Survivors include his son, Charles Wilson Jr. of Pasco, Wash.; his sisters, Fern Schell of Gresham and Darlene Carpenter of Baker City; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was living with his nephew, Daniel Wilson and his family in Ontario, at the time of his death.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Martha Wilson of Halfway; his brothers, Darrell and Donald Wilson and Vernon and Lee Curry; and his sister, Evelyn Lyman.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society through Gray's West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
Vivian Stewart
Vivian Joy Stewart, 83, a life-long Baker City resident, died June 4, 2002, at Providence/St. Vincent Hospital in Portland.
Her graveside funeral will be at 1 p.m. Friday in Mount Hope Cemetery. The Rev. Robert C. Irwin of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral will officiate.
Mrs. Stewart was born Nov. 17, 1918, in Baker City, a daughter of John Kelly and Mabel Grisdale Kelly. She was educated at the St. Francis Academy in Baker City.
She married Robert "Bob" Stewart on March 26, 1938, at Weiser, Idaho. Mrs. Stewart lived her entire life in Baker City, except for a few years during World War II when they lived in Portland. She loved her home in south Baker and loved Baker City. She was a devoted housewife and mother.
Survivors include her daughter and son-in-law, Judy and Andy Tuttle of St. Helens; son and daughter-in-law, Jim and Margie Stewart, of Anacortes, Wash.; grandsons, Wes Tuttle and his wife, Cassie, of Donald, Chris Stewart of Marysville, Wash., and Russ Stewart of Anacortes, Wash.; granddaughters, Maggie Cowen and her husband, Chuck, of St. Helens and Gwen Potter of Mount Vernon, Wash.; great- grandchildren, Chase Tuttle, Chad and Samuel Cowen, Trey and Maegan Potter; and sister-in-law, Marion Hasher of Baker City.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Bob Stewart, and a sister, Nora Burnside.
Memorial contributions may be made to Pathway Hospice, 1904 Resort St., through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
Henry Ritsch
Henry Ritsch, 88, of Chico, Calif., died May 24, 2002, at a Chico care center.
Burial will be at Mount Hope Cemetery.
Henry was born May 7, 1914, at Potlatch, Idaho, to Valentine and Maria Ritsch. He married Lulu Davis on Feb. 23, 1940, at Boise.
Henry worked for Collins Pine Co. for 36 years and received a Certificate of Recognition from the California Legislature for his dedicated service as a logging supervisor.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his son, Douglas; his sister, Anne; three brothers, Ed, Carl and Frank; grandson, Dean; brother-in-law, Bert Peterson; and son-in-law, Denver Stout.
Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Lulu of Chico; a daughter, Mary Stout of Baker City; a brother and sister-in-law, Joe and Shirley Ritsch of Grants Pass; a sister, Elizabeth Patterson of Tigard; a brother-in-law, Sherrill Bushnell of Merlin; sisters-in-law, Fern Ritsch of Susanville and Gloria Ritsch of Grants Pass; grandsons, Vernon Stout, and his wife, Myra, and Damien Ritsch; granddaughter, Tami Fetter; great-grandchildren, Joe, Melissa, Dallas, Ray, David and Stephen; and daughter-in-law, Beverly Ritsch.
Richard Bryant
Richard M. Bryant, 76, of Baker City died May 31, 2002, at St. Elizabeth Health Center.
His funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Pastor Lennie Spooner of the Baker City Church of the Nazarene will officiate. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitations will be until 7 o'clock tonight at the funeral home.
Mr. Bryant was born April 14, 1926, at Lebanon, Oregon. He was a son of Cassius and Ella Pittman Bryant. He lived and received his schooling in Lebanon.
He entered the U.S. Marine Corps on June 26, 1944, in Portland and proudly served his country for the next two years during World War II. He served at San Ago, Guam, Tinsin, China, and was on Iwo Jima when the atomic bomb was dropped.
He was honorably discharged on May 5, 1946. After his discharge, he returned to Lebanon and married Phyllis Byers. They had four daughters: Jackie, Kathy, Joella and Becky. He was a dairy farmer at Lebanon for 30 years. He sold the farm in 1976 and moved to Baker City in 1977, where he built a house.
In 1978, he went to work for the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest as a warehouseman and equipment operator. He retired in 1989.
It was during this time, that he met Ginny, who also worked in the warehouse and office for the Forest Service. They were married on May 10, 1986, at the Nazarene Church. They were very happily married for 16 years and were inseparable. You very seldom saw one without the other.
Dick accepted Jesus as his savior in 1986. He joined the Nazarene Church and was baptized on June 27, 1993, by Pastor Jerry McConnel. After their retirement, Dick and Ginny traveled for three summers until Dick got sick.
He loved to garden and he and Ginny fished a lot. He also enjoyed watching the birds in his back yard as well as carpentering and doing crafts. He also enjoyed bird hunting. He was very talented in shooting pistols and was ranked 18th in the nation by the NRA for target pistol shooting.
He loved people and accepted his two stepchildren, Larry Wright and Ginny Bennet, as his own. He was especially known for his willingness to help, his kindness and for being a good friend. He will be greatly missed by his wife, Ginny, and his family and friends.
Survivors include his wife, Ginny Bryant of Baker City; daughters, Jackie Eckert of Rockaway Beach, Kathie White and Joella Bryant, both of Las Vegas, Nev., and Rebecka Bryant of Portland; two step-children, Larry Wright of Yerington, Nev., and Ginny Bennett of Pendleton; and 12 grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Clarnell Nickles of Albany.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Nazarene Church through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
Laura Newton
Laura Newton, 95, of Baker City, died May 30, 2002, at St. Elizabeth Health Care Center.
Her funeral will be at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at Gray's West & Co., 1500 Dewey Ave. Pastor Debbie Livingston of St. Elizabeth Health Care Center will officiate. Vault interment will be in Mount Hope Cemetery. There will be a reception afterward at Gray's West & Co. Visitations will be tonight until 6 o'clock at the funeral home.
Laura was born on Sept. 26, 1906, at Hartsville, Mo., to Edward and Elsie Hall Kirk. She married Henry Newton on April 24, 1929, at Baker City.
She was a member of the Calvary Baptist Church. She enjoyed gardening, the outdoors, spending time with family and crocheting.
Survivors include her two nieces, Rae Dean Moulton of Union and Dora Dean Barker of Grangeville, Idaho, and their children, Brent Moulton, Scott Moulton, Judy Salisbury and Wayne Barker; and several other relatives.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Henry; two brothers, Charles and Frank Kirk; and two nephews, Mike Moulton and Calvin Kirk.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Elizabeth Health Care Center or the charity of one's choice through Gray's West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
‘Ruby' Matthews
Vivian "Ruby" Matthews, 80, died Dec. 4, 2002, at St. Elizabeth Health Services.
A family gathering will be scheduled later.
Ruby was born Sept. 28, 1922, at Three Forks, Mont., to Charles A. Matthews and Cora Jane Andrews. She grew up and went through school at Lonerock.
Ruby lived most of her 80 years at Lonerock where she enjoyed the association with lifelong friends. She moved to Baker City in 1994 where she lived most of that time at Meadowbrook Assisted Living Center. Upon moving to Baker City, Ruby made friends with Shirley Johnson, who has remained her dearest and closest friend.
Ruby never married. She was very close to her sister and brothers. She loved pictures of family and especially pictures of her nieces and their families. Ruby was adored by all her family and friends. Her sweet smile and loving personality will be deeply missed by all.
Ruby was talented in needlework. She did beautiful embroidery and crochet. It was always a pleasure to receive handmade dish towels or pillowcases, on birthdays and at Christmas. She loved animals, particularly cats.
Survivors include her sister, Mary E. Haynes of Settler's Park; her brother, Allen Matthews of Portland; her closest and dearest friend, Shirley Johnson of Baker City; her niece and nephew, Marilyn and Keith Shollenberger of Baker City and her niece and nephew, Cindy and Jack Henner of Haines; her great-niece, Laura Hoopes, and her husband, John Hoopes, of Baker City and their children, Joelle, Kenneth, Jamie, Alisha, and Kristen; her great-nephew, Thomas Caylor, and his wife, Tracy Caylor, of Shoshone, Idaho, and their children, Hanna, Michael, Caleb and Jordan; her great-niece, Celinda Linscott of Baker City, and her son, Austin; her great-nephew, Jacob Westgaard of Haines, her great-niece and husband, Amy and Miguel Castro and family of Kuna, Idaho; and her great-nephew, Bryan Shollenberger and family of Walla Walla, Wash.
She was preceded in death by her parents, and her older brother, Emery Edward Matthews.
Memorial contributions may be directed to her best friend Shirley Johnson through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
‘Randy' Carpenter
Randall Earl "Randy" Carpenter, 45, of Coos Bay, died Nov. 25, 2002, as a result of a firefighting accident in the line of duty.
His memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Baker High School gymnasium, 2500 E St. Pastors Chris Carpenter and Lennie Spooner will officiate. Cremation rites were conducted at Ocean View Memory Gardens Crematory at Coos Bay. Inurnment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery.
Randy was born Dec. 9, 1956, at Baker City to G. Wayne and Drucilla M. Stiff Carpenter. He grew up in Baker City, graduating in 1975 from Baker High School.
He attended Portland State and Portland Community College. In December 1978, he married Mary Mamrose and they had two wonderful daughters.
He started his dental lab business in 1979, while holding several other jobs at the time. He started his firefighting career as a volunteer in 1979. During this time he was very active in the Oregon Volunteer Firefighter Association serving in all state offices, including president.
Randy became a full-time fireman shortly afterward in Baker City. In February 1989, he moved to Coos Bay to accept a position with the Coos Bay Fire Department. Randy was the consummate professional.
He was highly qualified in all operational and procedural aspects of his job. He was part of the original efforts to bring a hazardous materials unit to Coos Bay and was a specialist in HAZMAT.
He was qualified and certified to teach all subjects, and regularly taught courses in CPR and EMT Basic at the local college. He took great pride in this job and enjoyed the trust and respect of all his firefighter brethren.
He was an active member of the International Association of Firefighters, IAFF Local 2935, and the Regional Hazardous Materials Team. He also was skilled in construction and built a successful contracting business with his good friend, Jim Bush.
Randy especially loved spending time in Eastern Oregon, hunting as well as working with friends on the Bunch Ranch at Durkee, filling in whenever and doing whatever was needed. He had a wonderful sense of humor and often enjoyed a practical joke. His honesty and integrity were unquestionable.
He will be missed beyond description.
Survivors include his daughters, Sarah Carpenter and Stephanie Carpenter, both of Portland; parents, Wayne and Dru Carpenter of Baker City; brothers and their wives, Kerry and Cindy Carpenter of Baker City, Brad and Michelle Carpenter of Oregon City, and Jeff and Shelley Carpenter of Fruitland, Idaho; his companion, Christine Farmer-Benson of Coos Bay; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces, as well as countless friends who were like family to him.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Randy Carpenter Memorial Firefighter Training Fund through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814. It is suggested that those planning to attend the reception at the First Church of The Nazarene, 1250 Hughes Lane, after the service, bring either a salad or a dessert in a disposable container.
Edythe Collinson
Edythe Jayne Collinson, 80, of Baker City died Nov. 27, 2002, at St. Elizabeth Health Services.
Her memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Baker City Veterans Memorial Club, 2005 Valley Ave. Pastor Ed Niswender of the Calvary Baptist Church will officiate. Private interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery.
Edythe was born Sept. 2, 1922, to Edith and Clifford C. Chadwick. She attended Baker City schools and was a 1941 Baker High School graduate.
She married Joseph C. Collinson on April 10, 1943. She raised four children: Joseph C., Robert M., Richard E., and Jannice Eileen in the Portland area.
She was a sewing teacher for the Linton School District in the Portland area. She worked with her husband, Joseph, as a Master Gardener. She was very active for many years in 4-H and the Oregon state Extension program.
After she and her husband moved to Baker City, she became very active in the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and the AMVETS. She and Joseph were both members of the Calvary Baptist Church.
Survivors include her four children: Joseph C., Robert M., Richard E. Collinson and Jannice Wells; seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the "Scholarship Fund" for American Legion, Post 41, in Edythe's name through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
‘Eloise' McKittrick
Dorothy "Eloise" McKittrick, 93, a lifetime Baker County resident, died Nov. 30, 2002, at Baker City.
There will be no memorial service at this time. A memorial gathering is being planned for next summer.
Mrs. McKittrick was born Feb. 26, 1909, at the Wingville home of her pioneer parents, Robert Lee and Edith Lammert-Stewart. When she was 2 years old, her family moved to their Bowen Valley ranch where she lived while attending the Stewart Elementary School and Baker High School, graduating in 1927.
On March 22, 1930, she married Oran McKittrick at La Grande. They were married 52 years.
After their marriage they lived in Baker City, where her husband worked for the Democrat-Herald (now the Baker City Herald) until 1949. Mrs. McKittrick worked several years for Harrison's Fountain and Parson's Pharmacy in the 1940s.
In 1949, Eloise, Oran and their son, Bobb, moved to the Stewart family ranch in Bowen Valley, which they operated until their retirement in 1973. Mrs. McKittrick continued to reside at the ranch home until 1992 when she moved to Baker City.
Mrs. McKittrick was an active member of the Oregon Trail Riders during the 1940s and the 1950s. She loved animals and was an excellent horsewoman.
She was a member of several mounted drill teams during the 1940s. For several years in the 1960s, she chaperoned the annual 4-H club trail rides. During the 1980s, she volunteered as a server at the senior citizen lunches and as an assistant at the county library.
Survivors include her daughter-in-law, Teckla McKittrick of San Mateo, Calif.; two grandsons, Mike McKittrick and his wife, Nancy, of El Cajon, Calif., and Ladd McKittrick and his wife, Lynne of Tigard; great-grandsons, Remington and Colt McKittrick of El Cajon, Calif.; niece, Bonnie Simpson of Ketchum, Idaho; nephews, Jack Jacobson, and wife, Marsha, of Baker City, Bill Stewart and wife, Thelma, of Richland, Dale McKittrick and wife of Mesquite, Nev.; and Jim McKittrick and wife, Nancy, of Eugene; and many great- and great-great- nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Oran in 1982; her son, Bobb in 2000; her nephew, Oscar Jacobson; her brother, George Stewart; and two sisters, Margaret Dinwiddie and Marian Jacobson.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Baker County Library or to a charity of one's choice through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
