Baker City, Oregon
Steven Lee Fletcher, 58, a longtime Baker City resident, died Jan. 31, 2001, at his family’s home in Baker City after a long battle with cancer.
His memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the First Church of the Nazarene, 1250 Hughes Lane. Pastor Roger Scovil of the Baker City Christian Church will officiate.
Mr. Fletcher was born on Oct. 5, 1942, at Tonasket, Wash., to Wendell E. and Jean D. Fletcher. He grew up on the family ranch in the Okanogan Highlands between the old mining communities of Molson and Chesaw, Wash.
After graduating from Molson High School in 1961, he attended Central Washington University, Washington State University and graduated from Oregon State University with a bachelor’s degree in forest management in the fall of 1967.
He was inducted into the U.S. Army and served stateside the next two years.
His life’s work as a forester for the U.S. Forest Service began in the Blewett Pass area of Ellensburg, Wash., while attending Central Washington University. After leaving the military service, he started working for the U.S. Forest Service again in May of 1970 at Prairie City as a Forest Service representative.
For 30 years he also served as Timber Sale Project coordinator on the Baker District, silviculturist on the Hells Canyon National Recreation and Eagle Cap Wilderness Areas, forest health coordinator and watershed analyst and recently until his illness, in the planning department with the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in Baker City.
He was always grateful for serving the communities of Prairie City, John Day, Enterprise and Baker City. He retired Dec. 18, 2000, after 34 years of government service.
His lifelong marriage to JoAnne Deardorff began on Nov. 4, 1972, at Canyon City. After moving to Baker City in 1974, the couple accepted the Lord at the Baker City Christian Church where Mr. Fletcher served as deacon until his illness.
Their love and faith brought two wonderful children into the world. They also became foster care and student foreign exchange parents and gave shelter for many youngsters through the years.
Mr. Fletcher’s primary interests were family, work and the church. Other interests included anything to do with the outdoors. Among these were fishing, hunting, wood cutting, motorbike riding and hiking. He will be remembered in the hearts of his family and friends.
Survivors include his wife, JoAnne, and son, Neil, of Baker City; a daughter, Kristi, of Eugene; his mother, Jean of Oroville, Wash.; brothers and sisters-in-law, Ron and Anita of Wenatchee, Wash., Gary and Tedi and Danny and Donna of Oroville, Wash., and Scott and Teri of Chelan, Wash.; and many other relatives and friends.
His father, Wendell, died in June of 1988.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Pathway Hospice of Baker City through Gray’s West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, Ore. 97814.
Used with permission from: The Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, February 2, 2001
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor