La Grande, Oregon
Ross Graham DeBoie, 67, of Pittsburg, Calif., and formerly of La Grande, died March 30 at his home from complications of an extended lung illness. A memorial service celebrating his life will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at Daniels-Knopp Funeral Cremation & Life Celebration Center.
Ross will buried next to his father in the Hillcrest East Cemetery in La Grande, in the community he considered a place of family and peace.
Ross was born June 8, 1940, to Ralph and Bonnie DeBoie at St. Joseph’s Hospital in La Grande where he was raised and educated. He attended Ackerman Elementary and La Grande Junior High and graduated from La Grande High School with the Class of 1959.
As a youth, he was an active member of Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in La Grande. While attending Eastern Oregon College he was a photographer for Perry’s Studio in La Grande.
In 1962 he entered the U.S. Air Force. He completed his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, then Tech School in Montgomery, Ala., where he was trained to be a dental lab technician. He was subsequently stationed at March Air Force Base in Riverside, Calif., Goose Bay Air Force Base in Goose Bay, Labrador, Beale Air Force Base in Maryville, Calif., before retiring as a tech sergeant after 20 years of service. Following his honorable discharge in 1982 he resided in Concord, Calif., where he worked for a private dental lab. In 1984 he began working as a dental lab tech for the Veterans Administration in Martinez, Calif.
After retiring from his second career on April 1, 2006, Ross began enjoying the retired life while continuing his active involvement in Pittsburg community affairs. His involvements included serving several terms on the board of directors of the Bay Harbor Homeowners Association, City of Pittsburg Community Advisory Commission, City Traffic and Circulation Advisory Board and the Community Development Block Grant Advisory Committee. He was a volunteer for the Pittsburg Seafood Festival and served on its board of directors. He was a member of the Pittsburg Elks Lodge, the Country Waffles Breakfast Club and the Smokehouse Coffee Club in La Grande, which was started by his father.
Ross enjoyed photography, electronics of any type, automobiles and bocce ball. He traveled to Italy several times, to the home of his foreign exchange student, Simone Ghiotti. He loved his family, especially his nieces and grandnephews. He appreciated good food and expensive wine, classical music, musicals and television. Most importantly he enjoyed his friends.
Survivors include his mother, Bonnie DeBoie of La Grande; brother and sister-in-law, John and Nancy DeBoie of Albany; several nieces; two grandnephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Ralph DeBoie, in 1999.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association or the American Heart Association in care of Daniels-Knopp, 1502 Seventh St., La Grande 97850.