Eleanor Mae Hartman, 90, a former Baker City resident, died Jan. 9, 2008, at Bend.
Her memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Jehovah’s Witnesses Hall at Sisters.
Eleanor was born on Nov. 22, 1918, at Philadelphia to John and Emma Geise. She married Henry Willis in 1934 in Nebraska. The couple had five children.
She then married Howard Metzel at Salt Lake City in 1950. She had three more daughters.
Eleanor and her brother, John Geise, lived at North Platte, Neb., where her father was a train engineer for Southern Pacific Railroad. She later moved to Creswell with much travel in between.
She had many talents. She worked as a cook at a fishing lodge and was employed by the U.S. Forest Service in Montana.
She became best friends with Mabel Barton. They were fishing partners at Winchester Bay, where she loved to salmon fish.
Eleanor moved to Baker City in 1995 to be with her daughter, Jean, and her grandkids. She then lived at Settler’s Park until her son moved her to Bend in 2006.
Eleanor’s passions were her family, friends, gardening, fishing, camping, traveling along the coast and sampling treats along the way. She loved to bake; bread was one of her specialties.
She also taught most of her kids and grandkids how to play cribbage. Eleanor loved to play the piano and sing along with a good glass of wine. She had a heart as big as Texas and a laugh that was very contagious, her family said.
Survivors include her children, Jim and Nan Willis of Monmouth, Cliff and Patty Willis of Sisters, Henry Willis, Angie Camp and Walcie Moore, all of Montana, Ida West of Washington and Emma Charbonneau of Reedsport; 54 grandchildren (including Carol Free and Shelly Conro of Baker City and a great-granddaughter, Christina Blankenship); 57 great-grandchildren; 37 great-great-grandchildren; two nephews; and one niece.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Emma and John Geise; her daughter, Virginia Jean Halladay; a brother, John Geise; and grandchildren, Kathy Lott, Charlie Camp, Lucky Moore and Mindy Metzel.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Baker City Senior Center.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, January 14, 2008
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor