Herman Chutes Webb, 98, a former longtime Baker City resident, died Sept. 9, 2007, at his home in Nampa, Idaho.
Visitations will be from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave.
His funeral will be at 2 p.m. Friday at the United Methodist Church, 1919 Second St. Interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Pastor Juanita Bergacker will officiate. Friends are invited to join the family after the service for a dinner at the church.
Herman was born at Baker City on Sept. 25, 1908, to William Martin and Caroline Marie “Lena” Olbrich Webb. He was the second of eight children: half sister, Elizabeth; sisters, Bertha, Gertrude and Hannah; and brothers, William, Joe and Henry.
He grew up in the Baker area and attended Baker schools through the eighth grade. During his childhood his family grew a huge garden for income. They made a living selling vegetables and flowers around town. They peddled the vegetables door to door, sometimes with a wagon and sometimes with a horse and wagon. He became an expert gardener trained by his mother and always raised a garden, up until the last few years.
Herman was a longtime member of the Methodist Church and for many years was in charge of the church’s sound system. He also was a life member of the Elks Lodge and a member of the Eagles Lodge.
He started his career in sheet metal in 1926 for Cook & Emele. In his later working years, Herman worked for Ne-Hi. He was a career sheet-metal worker with more than 55 years in the industry, including aircraft carrier construction during World War II.
In the early years of his career, Herman built sheet-metal coffins for the deceased Chinese countrymen, stories of which were published in magazines and aired on television.
He very much enjoyed the activities, friends and dinners at Community Connection in Baker City.
Herman was a loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He eagerly awaited visits from family members who had moved away from Baker City. Herman always wanted to see pictures of the new babies and hear all of the stories.
Herman married Wilma Wyoma “Billie” Stanley in 1940. They had one son, Harold C. “Mike” Webb. The couple were divorced in 1959.
Herman than married Margaret “Marge” Ten Clay in 1964. After Marge’s death, Herman married Rachel Riley in September of 2001.
He lived his entire life in Baker City unit just the last few months. He and Rachel moved to Nampa, Idaho, in February to live at Streamside Assisted Living Center.
Survivors include his wife, Rachel Webb of Nampa; son, Mike Webb, and his wife, Cheryl, of Baker City; seven grandchildren, Valerie Edelmayer, and her husband, Jody, of Rexburg, Idaho, Lana Goodwin and her husband, Lane, of Blackfoot, Idaho, Lane Webb and his wife, Janna, of Rexburg, Idaho, Casey Webb and his wife, Christine, of Olympia, Wash., Matthew Webb and his wife, Holly, of Columbia, Mo., Kirk Webb and his wife, Hazel, of New London, Wis., and Jesse Webb and his wife, Savannah, of Layton, Utah; 16 great-grandchildren; brother, Henry Webb of Boise; sisters, Gertrude Clymer of Baker City and Hannah Renfro of The Dalles; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Elizabeth and Bertha; brothers, William and Joe; two wives, Billie and Marge; and stepson, Lee Webb.
Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one’s choice through Gray’s West & Co., 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR 97814
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, September 12, 2007
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor