C. Wayne Widman, 69, of Parkdale, and a former Baker City resident, died March 31, 2002, at the Hood River Memorial Hospital.
His funeral was at 11 a.m. today at the Hood River Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Burial was at the Upper Valley Cemetery.
Wayne was born April 7, 1932, at Baker City to Carl Henry and Dorothy Ellen Williams Widman. He was raised and educated in Baker City and was a 1950 Baker High School graduate. After high school, Wayne left Baker City to work in a sawmill at Joseph.
About a year later he returned to Baker City to work for a local hardware store in the sales department. On Dec. 7, 1951, Wayne married Jackie Weller in Baker City.
Shortly after this Wayne started working for Staggs and Weber Co. at Keating. A job with the Forest Service brought him back to Baker City where he worked for a while.
In the midst of all of this, Wayne and Jackie started their family of three sons and three daughters. After leaving his job with the Forest Service, Wayne went to work for Al Conforth Land and Livestock at John Day. His next job change brought about a move to Lebanon where he worked for Moty and Van Dyke selling industrial supplies for several years.
Wayne left Lebanon in 1982 after he and his wife were separated. From Lebanon, he moved to Parkdale to work on a ranch, where he met Kathryn C. Bergerson. They were married on June 30, 1984, at Logan, Utah.
Wayne and Kathryn lived at Parkdale where he continued to work on the ranch for a short time. He eventually left the ranch to work for Power Transmission in Portland. Even though he lived at Parkdale, Wayne worked for his Portland company for two years.
In 1986, Wayne went to work for a sawmill at Tygh Valley until about 1989. Due to health problems Wayne could not continue working full time, so he used his many talents and interests to keep himself busy with little jobs here and there.
Wayne was known for his great handyman work; he could fix just about anything. With his talents he served his community by helping others.
His family remembers him as someone who always had to keep busy and worked hard. Wayne loved horses and had a great interest in restoring old horse-drawn machinery. He was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where he served as a bishop.
He held several callings, including scoutmaster, bishop and high councilor. He also enjoyed photography, music and singing.
Survivors include his wife, Kathryn, of Parkdale; sons, Gregory Wayne Widman of Albany, Ga., and Paul Douglas Widman of Phoenix, Ariz.; daughters, Abby Lynn Widman of Salt Lake City, Karrie Ann Averett of Las Vegas, Nev., and Jacqueline Lizette of Wilsonville.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, April 5, 2002
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor