Union, Oregon
Benjamin “Ben” Taylor Bare, 76, of Union, died Aug. 12 at the Elks Hospital in Boise. Services will begin at 10 a.m. Friday at Union Cemetery in Union. An earlier notice incorrectly reported a service time of 2 p.m. Viewing will run from 3 to 7 p.m. today at Loveland Funeral Chapel, 1508 Fourth St., La Grande.
Ben was born on March 10, 1931, to Joseph and Evelyn (Bostler) Bare in Los Angeles. He attended school in Pasadena, Calif.
He joined the Air Force in 1950, and was a crew chief fixing fighter planes in Korea from 1952 through 1953. Ben met and married Ruby Knudsen on May 8, 1955, in Hill City, S.D. He was honorably discharged in July 1955 after serving 1 1/2 years at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, S.D.
He then worked for Bell Telephone in Pasadena until 1961 when he and his family moved to Newberg and worked for West Coast Telephone.
In 1975, he transferred to La Grande. He moved his family to Union later that year and continued to work for West Coast Telephone/General Telephone until he retired in 1991.
Ben enjoyed gardening, fishing, hunting and camping until his health began to fail. He was a member of the La Grande Bush Pilots for many years.
Ben is survived by his wife, Ruby; son, Larry Bare of Pendleton; daughters, Denise and her husband, Dennis Parker, of Spokane, and Lynda Bare of Oregon City; five grandchildren; one great-grandchild, one niece and one great-niece. He was preceded in death by his son, Lenny Bare, and sister, Patricia Bare.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to any charity or the Blue Mountain Humane Association, 3212 Highway 30, La Grande 97850.
La Grande Observer, Obituaries For The Week Ending August 18, 2007 – Published: August 18, 2007
Submitted by: Dixie Ricker