Baker County OR

Mrs. Betty Hackney Maynard – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Betty Maynard, 80, a longtime Baker City resident, died Monday, March 25, 2002, at St. Elizabeth Health Care Center. Her funeral will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at St. Stephens Episcopal Church, 2177 First St. Betty was born March 12, 1922, at LaMar, Mo., to William H. and Nell Murray Hackney. The family moved to Salem when she was 5 years old. When she was 12 they moved to McMinnville She graduated from high school there. On Aug. 11, 1940, she married John C. Maynard in McMinnville. They moved to Baker City in 1958. Betty worked for … Read more

McCoy, Lillian L. “Peggy” Ray Gribble Mrs. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Lillian L. McCoy, 97, of Baker City, died Dec. 25, 2001, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. Her memorial service will be Friday at 2 p.m. at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Pastor Lura Kidner-Miesen of the United Methodist Church will officiate. Services will conclude in the chapel. Private vault interment will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery. Lillian Louise “Peggy” McCoy was born Lillian L. Ray on July 5, 1904, to Ellen and Charles Ray on the Oil Comet Lease land in Bakersfield, Calif. She received a rural education. She married Austin Brooks Gribble and had one … Read more

Erskine, Wayne Everett – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Wayne Everett Erskine, 77, of Baker City, died Dec. 10, 2000, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. His funeral was Thursday at the Coles-Strommer Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Pastor Lennie Spooner of the Baker City Church of the Nazarene officiated. Vault interment was at Mount Hope Cemetery. Mr. Erskine was born on Aug. 9, 1923, to W.R. and Stella Shortell Erskine. He was born on a small farm at Runnells, Iowa, and raised in the Prairie City, Iowa, area. He was married to Marjorie Arrasmith on June 8, 1941, at Bethany, Mo. He was a very good … Read more

Lewis, Esther Luciel Jeffords Mrs. – Obituary

Esther Luciel Jeffords Lewis, 79, died Oct. 16, 2007, at the Wallowa Valley Care Center at Enterprise. Her memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Wallowa Christian Church. Esther was born at home in Baker City on May 28, 1928, the first child of Wendell Richard and Myrtle Esther Wickam Jeffords. The family was completed with the addition of another daughter, Muriel, and two sons, Ray and Vearl. Esther attended Churchill Elementary School and was a 1947 Baker High School graduate. She then worked at the Baker Hotel as a waitress until she moved with … Read more

Byron, Carl Edward – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Carl Edward Byron, 82, of Baker City, died of natural causes May 3, 2001, at St. Elizabeth Health Care Center with his wife and daughter by his side. His graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Mount Hope Cemetery. Pastor Monte Loyd of Baker Valley Christian Assembly will officiate. Visitations will be until 7o’clock tonight at the Coles-Strommer Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Mr. Byron was born on April 24, 1919, at Akron, Colo., to Clyde and Margaret Moyer Byron. His family lived in Brush, Colo., until moving to La Grande in 1936. He enrolled … Read more

Lethlean, Vera Mae Thorne Mrs. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Vera Mae Thorne Lethlean, 76, of Baker City, died Sept. 25, 2002, at St. Elizabeth Care Center after an extended illness. Her funeral will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2625 Hughes Lane. A concluding service and dedication of the grave will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitations will be until 7 o’clock tonight at the Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Vera and her twin brother were born prematurely on April 22, 1926, at Holdman to Walter J. and Evelyn “Eva” Olive Corporon Thorne. Weighing only 2 pounds, … Read more

Jarman, Delbert “Gary” – Obituary

Haines, Baker County, Oregon Delbert Jarman 81 of Riverside, California passed away June 11 in Kaiser hospital in Fontana, California. He is buried in Olivewood Cemetery in Riverside. Delbert was born in Haines, Baker County, Oregon in 1904 to William and Bertha Green Jarman Hart and had his schooling in Haines. He was married to Georgie Swan, another Oregonian, and moved to Riverside where they have resided for twenty four years. He was supervisor for the Ralston Purina Company for thirty years. He is survived by his wife Georgie, a daughter, Dolly Umbarger, a brother Ardell and a sister Vivian … Read more

Bunch, Trace Junior “Baby” – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon “Baby” Trace Junior Bunch, infant son of Herbert Hamilton “Hoss” Bunch Jr. and Mandy Sue Zemmer of Baker City, was born and died Sept. 6, 2002, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. There was a graveside service on today at 10 a.m. at Mount Hope Cemetery. Pastor Lenny Spooner of the First Church of the Nazarene officiated. Interment was at Mount Hope Cemetery. Survivors include his mother, Mandie Zemmer, and father, Herbert Hamilton “Hoss” Bunch Jr., both of Baker City; brother, Trevor Zemmer of Baker City; grandparents, Les and Trudie Zemmer of Baker City; grandfather, Herbie Bunch Sr. … Read more

Love, Donald – Obituary

Donald Raymond Love, 10-day-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Donald F. Love, 1350 Fifth Street, died Sunday morning in St. Elizabeth Hospital. He is survived besides his parents, by grandparents, Moscoe Hensley of New Bridge, Mrs. Neoma Nutt of Oak Ridge Or., Frank and Junia Love, Baker; great-grandparents, Cora Ewing and Ben Hensley of New Bridge, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Warfield of Nampa, Ida.; several aunts and uncles. Graveside services will be Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. in Mt. Hope Cemetery, with the Rev. W. W. DeBolt officiating. Arrangements are by the Beatty Chapel. Baker Democrat Herald – – December 31, … Read more

Hudecek, Ida Marie Beers Mrs. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Ida Marie Hudecek, 66, a lifetime Baker City resident, died Jan. 13, 2001, at St. Luke’s Hospital at Boise. There will be a wake for her Tuesday and Wednesday at her home at 1007 Walnut St. All family and friends are invited. Her body will be cremated in Boise and her ashes taken to the home of her brother, Bill Beers, at Biggs Junction. Mrs. Hudecek was born on March 31, 1934, to Ed and Edna Beers of Baker City. She was a 1952 Baker High School graduate and worked as a bookkeeper at Commercial Welding in … Read more

Shirley, Julia – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Julia Shirley, 92, of Baker City, Ore., died Aug. 18, 2006, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. There was a graveside memorial service on Wednesday, Aug. 23, at 10 a.m. at Mt. Hope Cemetery. Jack Pittman of Baker City Christian Church will officiate. Contributions may be made to the Salvation Army’s general fund. Arrangements made by Gray’s West & Co., Baker City, Ore. Used with permission from The Record Courier, Baker City, Oregon, August, 2006 Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor

Brito, Helen Denise White Mrs. – Obituary

Helen Denise Brito, 63, died May 13, 2007, at her daughter’s home in North Powder. Her funeral will be this weekend at Battleground, Wash. Denise was born May 7, 1944, at West Frankford, Ill. She was the oldest of nine children born to Goldia Lavern and Helen Virginia Brown White. Her father was in the military and the family moved around as Denise was growing up. Her fondest memories were of living on the farm at Christopher, Ill. She married Joseph Brito on Nov. 1, 1960, at Las Vegas, Nev. She had known Joseph Jr. most of her life, attending … Read more

Cantrell, William James “Bill” – Obituary

William James “Bill” Cantrell, 84, of La Grande and a former North Powder resident, died April 3, 2001, at a local care facility. A celebration of life service was today at the North Powder Methodist Church. Sally Wiens will officiate. Committal and interment was in North Powder Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of the Daniels Chapel of the Valley. Mr. Cantrell was born on June 19, 1916, at La Grande to William Jasper and Martha Mildred McKenzie Cantrell. He grew up in La Grande and graduated from La Grande High School and Eastern Oregon College. He earned a master’s … Read more

Schneider, Vera L. Blacker Mrs. – Obituary

Vera L. Schneider, 97, passed away at Glisan Health Care Center in Portland, Ore., on June 3, 2008. Vera was born and raised at Pine, Ore. (Pine Town), on April 6, 1911, to the late Walter and Anna McFadden Blacker. She graduated from the Halfway High School. In 1937 she married Gerald Schneider, they lived in Cornucopia, Ore., until the mines were closed. They moved to Portland where she spent the remainder of her life as a homemaker. She was preceded in death by her parents, her loving husband Gerald, a brother Ernest and a niece Betty Jo. Vera is … Read more

Blaylock, Thomas Reed “Tom” – Obituary

Thomas Reed “Tom” Blaylock, 79, died Sept. 8, 2005, at St. Charles Hospital in Bend. His funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the McEwen Bible Fellowship. Pastor Bill Cox will officiate. Interment will be at the Sumpter Cemetery. Military rites will be accorded by Baker City AMVETS, Post No. 1874. Visitations will be until 7 o’clock tonight at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Tom was born on Aug. 8, 1926, at Seattle, Wash. He came to Oregon in 1945. He rode a horse to Arlington to work on a ranch. He graduated from school at Arlington. He … Read more

Hutton, Leona Fae Sissel Mrs. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Leona Fae Hutton, 50, of Baker City, died Dec. 10, 2004, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Boise. Her memorial service will be at 2 p.m Wednesday at the Church of the Nazarene, 1250 Hughes Lane. Pastor Lennie Spooner of the church will officiate. She was born at John Day on Dec. 9, 1954, to Gene and Betty Sissel. When she was 4 the family settled in Baker City. She was a 1973 Baker High School graduate. She married Ernest W. Hutton on March 23, 1984. In the late 1980s she graduated from La Grande College of Beauty. … 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

Quimby, Gladys Ruby – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Gladys Ruby Quimby, 90, and a former Baker City resident died Oct. 18, 2003. A memorial service was held Saturday, Nov. 1, 2003, 3 p.m., at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Reno, Nev. Allen Wiebe, Gladys’s son-in-law was the speaker. Mrs. Quimby was born in Upton, Wyo., to John and Mary (Canfield) Busby on Jan. 9, 1913. She was the sixth of 11 children. She was married to Duane Hults in 1930 and was remarried to Lawrence quimby in 1944. She had a total of eight children, seven boys and one girl. As a young … Read more

Public Schools of Baker County Oregon

It is much to be regretted that all records of matters pertaining to public schools during the first years of the settlement of the county, have been lost. All that can be done now is to record such matters as may be remembered by those who were engaged in school affairs in those days, as teachers or otherwise. As stated elsewhere, Mrs. Packwood taught the first school in the county, at Auburn, in the fall of 1862. Soon after her arrival she engaged in the work of raising money for the purpose of building a schoolhouse, and in a short … Read more

Foersterling, Vivian – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Vivian Foersterling, 82, long time Baker City, Ore., resident died Oct. 1, 2006, at her home in Baker City. Arrangements are being made by Coles Funeral Home, Baker City, Ore. Used with permission from: The Record Courier, Baker City, Oregon, October, 2006 Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor