Baker County OR

Ciesiel, Marihelen Williamson Mrs. – Obituary

Marihelen Ciesiel, 73, a longtime Baker City resident, died Jan. 13, 2008, at The Cottages in Weiser, Idaho. Marihelen’s vigil/wake was Wednesday night at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated today at the cathedral. Internment was at Mount Hope Cemetery. Marihelen was born on April 26, 1934, at Nocona, Texas, to Freda Wilton and Emmett Williamson. She was raised in Los Alamos, N.M., before it was an official town. She graduated from Los Alamos High School and went on to college at the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque, where she met Robert F. Ciesiel. … Read more

Boyer, Phillip J. “Phill” – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Phillip J. “Phill” Boyer, 85, of Baker City, died Feb. 27, 2001, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. His funeral will be Friday at 10 a.m. at the Coles-Strommer Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. His graveside service will be Friday at 2 p.m. at the Canyon City Cemetery in Canyon City. The Rev. Susan Smith-Allen of St. Peters Episcopal Church in La Grande will officiate. Mr. Boyer was born Nov. 5, 1915, at Heppner to Guy and Clara May Boyer. He received his education in the Heppner area. He married Theda Rhea in Vancouver, Wash., on April 20, … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Dr. George W. Tape

A well-known and popular physician of Sumpter, and one whose kind, attentive treatment of the sick and geniality of manner towards them well have made him deservenly the favorite of all classes, was born in Ontario, Canada. In 1865, and received his preliminary education in that province. At the age of eighteen he entered the Detroit College of Medicine, and graduated in 1888. He then took a position on the house staff of the Harper Hospital at Detroit, and remained there till he came west, locating in Portland in 1891, where he successfully practiced for two years. In 1893 he … Read more

Gray, Erma L. Coombes Mrs. – Obituary

Haines, Oregon Erma L. Gray, 74, of Haines, a former longtime Forest Grove resident, died April 17, 2001, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Forest Grove Memorial Chapel at Forest Grove. Pastor Art Mentzer will officiate. Concluding rites and interment will be at the Forest View Cemetery in Forest Grove. Gray’s West & Co. is in charge of local arrangements. Mrs. Gray was born May 13, 1926, at Spokane, Wash., to Oscar and Maude Pearl Johnson Coombes. As a young girl, she moved with her family to Oregon, settling in the … Read more

Lampro, Lawrence Edward – Obituary

Sumpter, Oregon Lawrence Edward Lampro, 80, a longtime Sumpter resident, died Oct. 16, 2001, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. His memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the McEwen Bible Fellowship Church. Pastor Bill Cox of the church will officiate. There will be a reception at the church after the service. Vault interment was at Southview Cemetery at North Adams, Mass. Mr. Lampro was born on Dec. 22, 1920, at Becket, Mass., to Albert and Anne Lampro. He was a graduate of Chester High School at Chester, Mass. He married Elaine McCormick in June 1942 at North Adams, … Read more

Dollis, Helen Margaret Canning Mrs. – Obituary

Helen Margaret Dollis, 100, of Baker City, died May 19, 2007, at her home. At her request, there will be no funeral. After cremation, her ashes will be interred at Hollywood Forever Memorial Cemetery next to her beloved husband, Arthur. Helen was born on Feb. 5, 1907, on a farm at Albia, Monroe County, Iowa. She was the third child of Robert Edward and Frances Elmira Adams Canning. She was raised at Albia and upon graduating from school, she worked for an attorney as a legal secretary. During this time, she met a new accountant in town, Earl Scott Alexander. … Read more

Small, Carroll Otis – Obituary

Carroll Otis Small, 85, of La Grande, a former longtime Baker City resident, died Oct. 8, 2007, at the Grande Ronde Hospital in La Grande. His funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Pastor Jon Privett of the Baker City Church of the Nazarene will officiate. There will be a reception afterward at VFW Hall. Visitations will be from noon to 8 p.m. Friday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Carroll was born May 30, 1922, at Norwood, Mass., … Read more

Tipton, Mary Anna Mrs. – Obituary

Mary Anna Tipton, 86 of Baker City, died April 23, 2009, at Roseburg. Her memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Pastor Dave Deputy of the Calvary Baptist Church will officiate. Visitations will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. today at the funeral home. Private interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Mary Anna was born on Jan. 24, 1923, at Manteca, Calif. She was the youngest of five children. She attended schools at Manteca and upon graduation from Manteca High School, she attended Stockton Business College. Afterward she was employed … Read more

Lloyd, Madge M. Colton Mrs. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Madge M. Colton Lloyd, 84, a former Baker City resident, died Aug. 24, 2004, in Yakima, Wash., after a prolonged illness. A celebration of her life will be announced at a later date. Services are tentatively scheduled for Sept. 15 in Baker City. Madge, the daughter of John and Nora (Gilkison) Colton, married Robert H. Murray in 1939 and together they had 10 children. At the time of her husband’s death they lived in Richland, Ore. With eight children to raise she decided to move to Baker City, where she returned to college to acquire skills for … Read more

Metz, Janice M. – Obituary

Formerly of North Powder 1934-2007 Janice Marie (Christman) Metz, 73, of Troy, Mont., and formerly of North Powder, died Aug. 29 of congestive heart failure at the Libby Care Center in Libby, Mont. A memorial service is planned for Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the Methodist church in North Powder, followed by a graveside service at the North Powder Cemetery. Janice was born on May 15, 1934, in Halfway, to Calvin and Helen Christman. She grew up in the North Powder area and graduated as salutatorian of the North Powder High School Class of 1952. From an early age, Janice … Read more

Lew, Frances D. Vaughn Mrs. – Obituary

Frances D. Lew, 88, a former Baker County resident, died Feb. 23, 2007, at Modesto, Calif. Her memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Lakewood Funeral Home in Hughson, Calif. Frances was born on Oct. 20, 1918, at Baker City to Waldo Russell and Ella Afton Weitz Vaughn. She moved from Baker City to Keating Valley at the age of 9. Her parents ran the Keating Store and Post Office. She became an accomplished horseback rider and spent her early Keating years riding up and down the valley making friends. She married Lawrence L. Lew Sr. on Oct. … Read more

Biography of Thomas Howard

This substantial and capable gentleman is one of the real builders of the county of Harney, and it is quite proper that he should be accorded representation in its history, being a man greatly respected and worthy of the high esteem given to him. He was born in the city of New York, on May 11, 1833, being the son of Patrick H. and Mary (Ford) Howard. The father was an engineer, operating a stationary engine. Thomas grew to manhood, gaining a good education meanwhile, and part of the time working in the markets, where he learned the butcher trade. … Read more

Erskine, Marjorie Mrs. – Obituary

Marjorie Erskine, 83, a longtime Baker City resident, died April 22, 2005, in Grants Pass at Three Rivers Community Hospital. Her graveside memorial service will be at 3 p.m. Friday at Mount Hope Cemetery. There will be a reception afterward in the Oregon Trail Room of the Rodeway Inn, 810 Campbell St. Marjorie will be interred next to her husband Wayne E. Erskine, who died in December 2000. Marjorie was born on July 25, 1921, at Stuart, Iowa. She married Wayne Erskine on June 8, 1941. Marjorie enjoyed her family and many friends. She was an avid book reader and … Read more

McComas, E. S. – Obituary

Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon One of the largest funerals in the history of the town of Union marked the obsequies of the pioneer editor and politician, E. S. McComas. The funeral was held at Union, Wednesday afternoon, September 6 at 3 o’clock, and was attended by a great gathering of pioneers. The body was laid to rest beside his mother, brother, and son. The deceased leaves a widow, one daughter, an adopted son and three sisters, Mrs. Alice M. Bell of Enterprise, Mrs. Esther E. Pursel and Mrs. Mary R. Thomson of Union. Mrs. Bell received word of her brother’s … Read more

Moberly, Cora “Lois” Speelman Mrs. – Obituary

Cora “Lois” Moberly, 78, of Milton-Freewater and a Haines native, died Sunday, Nov. 20, 2005, in Walla-Walla, Wash. Funeral services will be held Saturday, Nov. 26, at 10 a.m. in the chapel of the Munselle-Rhodes Funeral Home, 902 S. Main St., Milton-Freewater. Private burial will be in the Milton-Freewater Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, Alzheimer’s Association, or to the Diabetes Association through the funeral home. Lois was born Dec. 15, 1926, in Haines to LeRoy and Lela Cross Speelman. She received her schooling in Haines, North Powder and Baker City. She married Joseph D. Moberly … Read more

Bracken, Sandra L. Litteral Mrs. – Obituary

Sandra L. Bracken, 63, of Baker City died April 4, 2006, at her home. Her funeral will be at 1 p.m. Monday at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Pastor Monte Loyd of Harvest Church will officiate. Interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitations will be Monday from 9 a.m. to noon at the funeral home. Sandra was born on June 28, 1942, at Yakima, Wash., to Arthur and Thelma Tuener Litteral. She attended first grade at Pendleton and then the family moved to Baker City where she finished her education. She loved to be with her children and … Read more

Churchill, Marjorie Bethene Dye Mrs. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Marjorie Bethene Dye Churchill, 90, a longtime Baker City resident, died March 18, 2004, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. Interment will be April 9 in Grants Pass. Marjorie was born on Feb. 18, 1914, in Arcadia, Neb., to Arthur Simeon and Millicent Pearl Vincent Dye. She married Raymond Leonard Churchill on Oct. 16, 1932. They had five children. During her life she enjoyed running a dairy with her husband in Woodburn. They loved working together and being together. During her life she was also a bookkeeper. Her greatest love was that of her children and grandchildren. The … Read more

Wyckoff, Chris – Obituary

Wallowa, Wallowa County, Oregon Chris Wyckoff, age 84 of Rt. 1 Wallowa, died Tuesday June 27th at the Wallowa Memorial Hospital in Enterprise. Mr. Wyckoff was born on April 8, 1894 at Luray, Kansas, the son of Charles and Elizabeth (Dye) Wyckoff. He served with the U.S. Army during World War I and on July 14, 1918 was married to Frances Naomi Bratton at Lucas, Kansas. They moved to Baker County on February 23, 1937. Mrs. Wyckoff preceded her husband in death on October 31, 1947. On December 28, 1949 he was married to the former Cora Ellena Bratton at … Read more

Baker County Oregon Sketches

Sydney Abell, Justice of the Peace opened the first legally constituted court in Baker County, October 29th 1862. The first case was that of the people vs. D. Scott, action to bind defendant to keep the peace, entered on complaint of Thomas Ricketts. The prosecuting witness failed to appear and the case was dismissed. Of the thirty-two cases docketed up to January 1st, 1863, there were four of the kind above cited, three suits about town lots in Auburn, Fifteen to recover money, five replevin cases, one unlawful detention, one felonious intent to cheat, one petty larceny, one assault and … Read more

Loennig, Doris O. – Obituary

Doris O. Loennig, 82, of Punxsutawney, Pa., a former Haines resident, died March 15, 2003, at Sprankle Personal Care Home at Punxsutawney. There will be a prayer service at 7 o’clock tonight at the Deeley Funeral Home at Punxsutawney. The Rev. John Bauer will officiate. Visitations are from 4 o’clock to 7 o’clock tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be at the Haines Cemetery. She was born on Oct. 5, 1920, at Haines to George Loennig and Pearl Angell. She was a member of the Saints Cosmas and Damian Roman Catholic Church. She was a member of the PEO … Read more