Baker County OR

Givens, Leenell Verlynn “Dickie” Roby Mrs. – Obituary

Leenell Verlynn “Dickie” Givens, 84, of Baker City, died Sept. 26, 2007, at Grace Memorial Care in Boise. There will be a celebration of her life at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, at the First Presbyterian Church, 1995 Fourth St. Dickie, as her friends called her, was born on Sept. 29, 1922, at Homedale, Idaho. She was the second of three children born to Lee and Nellie Roby. She grew up in Baker before it became known again as Baker City. After graduating from high school, she worked as a receptionist for a medical office. She married Raymond W. Givens … Read more

Lewis, William S. “Uncle Billy” – Obituary

Two Baker County Pioneers Are Gone William S. “Uncle Billy” Lewis, who was a county charge, died in the hospital in Baker, last Friday. He was a native of Virginia, born in 1854. He came to Baker 12 years ago. A brother M.H. Lewis of Wingville, survives and five nieces and five nephews. Funeral was held Saturday. North Powder News Saturday, January 22, 1927

Welch, Ray – Obituary

Ray Welch Passes At Age 71 Graveside services for Ray Welch of North Hollywood, California, former Haines resident, 71, were conducted at 2 pm Monday, January 11, 1971 at Haines Cemetery. Rev. Gordon l. Ruddick of the First Baptist Church in Haines officiated and arrangements were entrusted to Grays West and Co. Pioneer Chapel. Mr. Welch was born June 21, 1899 at Haines, Oregon, the son of William J. and Clara Long Welch. He had his schooling in Haines and lived there until the 1930’s when he moved to California where he has since resided. He passed away Tuesday in … Read more

Bushek, Richard Daniel “Dan” – Obituary

Richard Daniel “Dan” Bushek, 62, died April 21, 2009, at his home in Baker City. His memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Shirley McLin of the Community of Christ Church will officiate. Friends are invited to join the family for a reception after the service at the Sunridge Inn. Dan was born on Nov. 15, 1946, in Portland. He was the oldest of seven children. He served three years in the U.S. Army. He married Sandra Endersby on April 13, 1973, at Vancouver, Wash. The couple celebrated 36 … Read more

Wells, Edrie Antonia Schmidt Chaney Mrs. – Obituary

Edrie Antonia Wells, 85, died Jan. 1, 2007, at the Chehalem Care Center in Newberg. There will be a celebration of Edrie’s life and memorial service at 11 a.m. Monday at Pine Valley Presbyterian Church in Halfway. Friends are invited to join the family for a reception afterward. Interment will be in Pine Haven Cemetery at Halfway. Edrie was born on Sept. 11, 1921, at Halfway to Maude and Louis Schmidt. She attended grade school at Halfway and during high school transferred to California. She was a Lodi High School graduate. After graduation, she married Charles Chaney and moved to … Read more

Aldrich, Gordon – Obituary

Gordon Aldrich, 78, a lifelong Haines resident, died Sept. 30, 2007, surrounded by his family at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Boise. His graveside funeral will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Haines Cemetery, with Cliff Cole officiating. A reception will follow at the Haines United Methodist Church. Visitations will be Thursday from noon to 7 p.m. at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Gordon was born Jan. 29, 1929, to Lewis and Edna (Burnside) Aldrich. A terrible snowstorm prevented the trip to Baker City, so Gordon was born in Haines in the house currently owned by Betty Brown. … Read more

Wright, Calvin Ray “Cal” – Obituary

Calvin Ray “Cal” Wright, 52, of Hamilton, Mont., a former longtime Baker City resident, died Aug. 24, 2008, as the result of an accident. There will be a memorial barbecue Sunday in his honor at Hamilton, Mont. He was born March 10, 1965, at Waynoka, Okla., to Coral Belle Boren. When he was 2, Cal moved with his mother to Idaho. There she met and married Robert Boren who Cal respected and loved as his father. Cal grew up on a ranch at Emmett, Idaho, along with his eight brothers and two sisters. On Jan. 8, 1976, he married the … Read more

Zemmer, Harvey “Buster” – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Harvey “Buster” Zemmer, 76, died April 25, 2003. He was born to Charlie and Francis Zemmer on Feb. 2, 1927, at Baker City. After being dischargd from the U.S. Army in 1942, he remained in Oregon. He went to work for Ellingson Lumber Co. about 1962 and worked there until his retirement. He married Jeanette on July 13, 1984. They both loved hunting and fishing, so he and his best friend spent as many hours as they could going everywhere to hunt and fish. You could hardly drive a mile in any direction without him pointing to … Read more

Gover, Wilford L. Jr. – Obituary

Wilford Lovell Gover Jr., 66, Halfway, a longtime Pine Valley rancher, died Thursday, July 1, 1982, at St. Elizabeth Community Hospital. A private family mass will be at 1 p.m. Monday in the St. Winifred Catholic Church in Halfway. The Rev. Richard Groves of St. Winifred Catholic Church will officiate. A graveside service with friends invited will follow in the Pine Haven Cemetery in Halfway. Mr. Gover was born on Jan. 7, 1916, in Baker to Lovell and Nell Love Gover. He was reared in Pine Valley and in Eagle Valley. He married Helen Densley on Oct. 5, 1936, in … Read more

Johnson, Frederick William, Jr. – Obituary

Federick William Johnson Jr., 68, of Boring, a former longtime Baker City resident, died June 29, 2003. His graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland with U.S. Army honors. Mr. Johnson was born on June 11, 1935, at Tillamook to Frederick Sr. and Myrtle Johnson. He was raised and educated in the Gresham/Boring area, attending Orient Grade School and Gresham High School. He then attended Oregon State University at Corvallis. He served in the U.S. Army from January of 1955 to December of 1956. He then lived in the Portland Metro area … Read more

Graves, Larry A. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Larry A. Graves, 66, a longtime Baker City resident, died July 26, 2002, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. His funeral will be Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Pastor Bill Cox of McEwen Bible Fellowship will officiate. Interment will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitations will be today until 8 p.m. at Gray’s West & Co. Larry was born March 12, 1936, in Baker City to Lawrence and Emma Graves. Though born in Baker City, Larry lived with his family at Sumpter at the time, and he continued to … Read more

Houser, Melvin Earl, Sr. – Obituary

Melvin Earl Houser Sr., 74, of Nampa, Idaho, formerly of Huntington and Baker City, died July 14, 2003, at his home. His graveside service will be at 11a.m. Saturday at Mount Hope Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Zeyer Funeral Chapel, 83 N. Midland Blvd., Nampa. Melvin was the son of Wallace and Della Lane Houser. He was born on May 6, 1929, at Weiser, Idaho, and educated in Huntington. Mel joined the U.S. Navy on Sept. 12, 1950. He was honorably discharged on Aug. 26, 1952. He was a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans, and a … Read more

Hassler, Willie “Papa” Obituary

A memorial service was held on Jan. 16 for Willie “Papa” Hassler of Eugene and a former resident of Halfway and Baker City, who died Jan. 12 at age 87. Willie was born April 7, 1915, in Oregon City to Audley and Anna Hassler. He married Carrie Sells in Reno, Nev., in 1967. Carrie died in April 2001. When in Halfway, he was a charter member of VFW Post 7847. Willie lived in Halfway and Baker City before settling in Eugene more than 40 years ago. He served in the Navy during World War II as a chief radioman, and … Read more

Bowman, Florestine L. – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Florestine L. Bowman, 79, of La Grande died Sept. 21 at her home. A celebration of life will begin at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Loveland Funeral Chapel, 1508 Fourth St. Burial at Summerville Cemetery will be private. Mrs. Bowman was born Oct. 24, 1926, to Ray and Ida Rich Taylor in Baker City. She attended school in Baker City, and on March 20, 1948, married Arnol “Tuffy” Bowman. They moved to Pondosa where he worked at the mill. In 1958 they moved to La Grande. She was known for her beautiful yard and roses and for her … Read more

Oard, Albert G. “Al” – Obituary

Albert G. “Al” Oard, 84, a resident of Baker City, died June 17, 2005, at St. Elizabeth Health Care Center. A private family celebration of life services will be held at a later date in the Burns Cemetery in Burns. Coles Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. Al was born on Feb. 2, 1921, at Lawen to James and Clara Kesterson Oard. Their home was a ranch near Lawen, and Al attended the Crane and Drewsey grade schools. He was a 1938 graduate of Crane High School. He went on to college, attending Oregon State College at Corvallis from … Read more

Lewis Howard Wirth – Obituary

Lewis Howard Wirth, 81, a former Baker City resident, died July 29, 2009, at Orem, Utah. His funeral was Monday at the Walker Sanderson Funeral Home in North Orem, Utah. Interment was at the Orem City Cemetery. Lewis was born on July 10, 1928, to Joseph and Inez Wirth at Burns Lake, British Columbia, where he lived until the age of 8. His family then moved to Medical Springs where they farmed and ranched. He graduated from Baker High School, where he met and married Arlene Johnson. They were married on April 9, 1950, at Baker City. Together they raised … Read more

Strong, James Marvin – Obituary

James Marvin Strong, 70, of Hoxie, Kan., a former Baker City resident, died Dec. 14, 2006, at his home. His funeral was at 2 p.m. today at the Mickey-Leopold Funeral Home at Hoxie. Pastor Jim Martin officiated. Burial was at the Hoxie Cemetery. Military rites were conducted by Fort Riley soldiers. Mr. Strong was born on Feb. 24, 1936, at Baker City to Ellis and Helen Baisley Strong. He married Ruby Lorna Procter on Aug. 7, 1977, at Pendleton. He was a farrier and a pen rider for Hoxie Feed Yard. He was a U.S. Army veteran. He lived most … Read more

Hurt, Homer C. – Obituary

Homer C. Hurt, 87, a longtime resident of Baker City and Richland, died Oct. 9, 2002, at Physician’s Hospital at Reno, Nev. His ashes were buried with his wife, Ruth, Saturday at Mount Hope Cemetery. Mr. Hurt was born on May 22, 1915, at Chatsworth, Ill. Survivors include his son, David Hurt of Sparks, Nev.; eight grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth, of Baker City; and a daughter, Marilyn “Joy” Stover of Decatur, Ala. Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, October 25, 2002 Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor

Levy, Gertrude – Obituary

Gertrude Levy, 88 died in Portland, Oct. 15 after a long illness. Mrs. Levy was born in Baker Jan. 5 1889 to Mose and Hannah Fuchs. She attended Baker High School and St. Helen’s Hall, Portland. Her late husband, Gus Levy was a pharmacist in Baker and La Grande and raised horses in Baker. Survivors include sons, Milton of Danville, California and Louis of Pendleton; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Democrat Herald Oct 20 1977, pg. 3, col. 3. Contrubuted by: Diane Levy Salmon