Baker County OR

Schroeder, Richard Tom – Obituary

Richard Tom Schroeder, 63, of Halfway, died Sept. 14, 2009, as a result of a motorcycle accident near Boise. There will be no service. He was born on Feb. 4, 1946 in Portland, Ore. to Richard and Susan Dickerson Schroeder. Tom was raised in Portland and attended David Douglas High School, Class of 1964. After high school, Tom enlisted and served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He married his high school sweetheart, Orene “Toni” Ritter on Feb. 4, 1968. They had two boys, Nathan Matthew and Tom Benjamin. They made their home in the Portland area and Tom retired after … Read more

Blair, Gerard – Obituary

Gerard Blair, 70, a longtime Baker City resident, died June 25, 2004, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. There was a vigil service for Mr. Blair at 7 p.m. Sunday at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral. A Memorial Mass was at 11 a.m. Monday at the cathedral. The Revs. Robert C. Irwin and Camillus Fernando concelebrated the Mass. There was a reception in Gerard’s memory at the Baker Elks Lodge after the service. An outpouring of both grief and hope marks the passing of Gerard Blair, born in Baker City in 1933. He was an athlete at St. Francis Academy; letterman, … Read more

Cameron, Gerald Jon – Obituary

Gerald Jon Cameron, 53, of Baker City, died June 10, 2006, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. His funeral will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at the United Methodist Church, 1919 Second St. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Pastor Jack Bynum and the Rev. Donald Brown will officiate. Visitations will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Gerald was born on Feb. 27, 1953, at Fairbanks, Alaska. He lived at Fairbanks, Kotzebue, Shungnak and Ambler, Alaska, in his youth. In his later teens he lived at Nampa, … Read more

Chandler, Maribeth L. Gragg Mrs. – Obituary

Maribeth L. Chandler, 81, a longtime Baker Valley resident, died April 7, 2001, at her home on the family ranch on Chandler Lane. Her graveside funeral will be Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Mount Hope Cemetery. Pastor Lura Kidner-Miesen of the United Methodist Church will officiate. Vault interment will be after the service. Visitations will be today until 7 p.m. at Coles-Strommer Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Mrs. Chandler was born Oct. 16, 1919, at Fort Benton, Mont., a daughter of Ben R. and Pearl Sample Gragg. She was a railroad daughter and lived in La Grande, Montpelier, Huntington and … Read more

Hovley, Steve – Obituary

Steve Hovley, 57, of Baker City, died July 4, 2009, in Ontario. There will be a celebration of Steve’s life at 2 p.m. Friday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Steve’s life went in chapters, his family said. He was born on Nov. 23, 1951, at Oxnard, Calif., and raised at Simi Valley, Calif., and Pasco, Wash. He moved to Yakima, Wash., where he met and fell in love with Cherie Fanning. Steve, Cherie and his stepson, Scott, lived at Madras and Klamath Falls. Cherie died of cancer on Jan. 16, 2000. The next chapter in … Read more

Bennett, June Borcher Mrs. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon June Bennett, 79, of Baker City, died Dec. 15, 2004, at St. Elizabeth Health Center. The date of her memorial service will be announced later. June was born in the Fort Francis territories along the Canadian and American borders on June 1, 1926, to John Julies and Nellie Borcher. She was the youngest of three children. Her family moved to Evanston, Wash., in the 1930s were her father, “J.J.”, found employment in the lumber industry and in private enterprise up and down the Oregon and Washington coast. June was a 1944 graduate of North Bend High School. … Read more

Business and Fun in ’62 And ’63

About the Middle of October 1862, the first church organization in Baker County was effected under the supervision of Father Mesplie, of the Catholic Church, who came from Canyon City for that purpose. A long building was secured at the cost of six hundred dollars, but services were not held regularly, owning to the distance the priest had to travel. About the same time Miss O’Brien, now Mrs. Packwood, commenced the first school taught in Baker County, having about forty pupils in attendance. A lot was donated to her for school purposes and a sum of money raised by subscription … Read more

Aydelott, Lola Mrs. – Obituary

Lola Aydelott, 94, of Baker City died March 28, 2007, at her home at Meadowbrook. Her memorial was Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church in Baker City. Pastor Susan Barnes officiated. Lola was born on Sept. 2, 1912, at Joplin, Mo. Lola’s family left Missouri when she was young to travel west and finally settled on the Oregon Coast. There she met Owen Aydelott through friends and family members. The couple were married on Feb. 28, 1931. Lola’s family initially did not approve of her marriage to a college student, a man without a job. In 1935, the couple’s first … Read more

Miglioretto, Victor “Abie” – Obituary

Victor “Abie” Miglioretto, 88, died July 27, 2007, at the Weiser (Idaho) Rehabilitation and Care Center. There will be dinner and celebration of his life at 1 p.m. PDT Saturday, Aug. 11, at the Huntington Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall. Those attending are asked to bring stories to share. Abie was born at Huntington on Aug. 11, 1918. He was the ninth child of 12 born to Italian emigrants, Teresa and Antonio. He grew up on a homestead on the Idaho side of the Snake River (the present site of Steck Park) and at Huntington where his father owned a … Read more

Brown, Fred – Obituary

Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon Fred Billings Brown, 76, died of cancer, on Sunday, Nov. 7, 1993, at his residence in Battle Mountain, Nevada. A native of Enterprise, he was born Sept. 13, 1917, the son of Fred and Grace Elizabeth (Humpherys) Brown. He was educated in Baker City and worked as a mechanic and truck owner/operator. In 1958 he started to work for Reno Truck Service until he was forced to retire because of ill health. He moved to Reno in 1955 and worked for McCloud Trucking of Reno and then established his own trucking company, moving to Battle Mountain … Read more

Hoopii, Catherine Eleanor Bach Mrs. – Obituary

Catherine Hoopii, 87, a longtime Baker City resident, died Nov. 24, 2006, at St. Elizabeth Care Center where she had lived for the past year. Catherine’s ready smile and twinkly eyes will be fondly remembered by the staff and residents of Meadowbrook Place where she was its first resident in 1992. Catherine was a very wise women and just a delight to be around; her friends and the staff at Meadowbrook always felt they could talk to her about anything. A lifetime lover of literature, Catherine’s first project at Meadowbrook was to see to it that she and other residents … Read more

Karg, Margurite Maria “Margaret” McCarty Mrs. – Obituary

Margaret Karg, 100, a former Baker City resident, died June 27, 2009, at the Idaho Falls Care and Rehabilitation Center, where she had been a resident for 10 years. There will be a joint memorial service for Margaret and her husband, Otto Karg, at 2 p.m. Friday at Wood Funeral Home, 273 N. Ridge Ave., Idaho Falls. There will be a visitation time afterward. Burial will be in Rose Hill Cemetery. Her maiden name was Margurite Maria McCarty. She was born on Nov. 30, 1908, at Woodland, Wash., to Riley and Addie Chandler McCarty. She was the third of four … Read more

Bennett, Paul Vincent – Obituary

Paul Vincent Bennett, 89, died March 29, 2007, at Salt Lake City. There will be a service to celebrate his life at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 27, at the Burnt River Community Church at Unity. A native of Butler, N.J., he was a graduate of St. Anthony’s Catholic School. He was a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps and later served in the Merchant Marines, sailing on liberty ships during World War II hauling ammunition, fuel and troops. Later in life he loved to tell stories of his adventures around the world. Pursuing his passion to own a ranch in … Read more

Sears, Roger Leigh – Obituary

Roger Leigh Sears, 79 of Boise, Idaho, and a former Baker City resident died July 13, 2008, at the Veterans Hospital in Boise. Memorial services were held July 23, 2008, at the Idaho Veterans Home in Boise. Burial was at Idaho Veterans Cemetery in Boise. Mr. Sears graduated from Baker High School in 1946 and enlisted in the Navy in 1947. He worked and lived mostly in the Treasure Valley until moving into the Idaho Veterans Home in 1999. Mr. Sears is survived by his son Leo, Seattle, Wash., and his daughter Erleen, Portland, Ore. He was preceded in death … Read more

Willis, Samuel E. – Obituary

Samuel E. Willis Dies At His Shop Baker Merchant and Shoe Man Victim of Attack of Apoplexy Samuel E. Willis, Baker Merchant and shoe repairman, died in his shop on Broadway and Third streets Monday evening shortly after 5 o’clock of Apoplexy. He had apparently been in good health up to the time of his death. Mr. Willis operated a shoe store and cobbler shop on the present site of the J.C. Penny Company for several years before moving his shop to Broadway. He has been in business in Baker ever since he moved here in 1915. Mr. Willis was … Read more

Crawford, Robert C. – Obituary

Aged Mining Man Succumbs Robert C. Crawford, believed to be about 66 years old, died at the Protestant hospital in Baker Sunday afternoon at 1:30 after a long illness. Mr. Crawford was identified with the mining industry in this district for several years, and was owner of the Mammoth mine in the Virtue flat district before his death. North Powder News Saturday, August 6, 1927

Lessman, Lorene Elizabeth Smith Mrs. – Obituary

Lorena Elizabeth Lessman, 86, of Baker City, died April 14, 2005, at St. Elizabeth Care Center. Her graveside funeral will be Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Mount Hope Cemetery. Sister Kay Marie Duncan of Pathway Hospice will officiate. Visitations will be today from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Lorena was born Oct. 31, 1918, at Kamiah, Idaho, to Jim and Martha Carrol Smith. The family later moved to Eastern Oregon. Lorena attended school at La Grande and worked for a short time as … Read more

Hewitt, Sylvan Star – Obituary

Sylvan Star Hewitt, 88, of Union and formerly of Richland, died Nov. 25, 2005, at a La Grande care center. There will be a celebration of his life at 10 a.m. Friday at Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St., in La Grande. Interment will be at the Eagle Valley Cemetery in Richland. Visitations will be Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Daniels Chapel of the Valley. Sylvan Hewitt was born on May 13, 1917, at Richland to Elvira and Icey Hewitt. He attended Richland and Baker schools. In 1939, Sylvan married La Nore Wilson. He was … Read more

Smith, William “Bill” – Obituary

Sumpter, Oregon William “Bill” Smith, 69, of Sumpter died Sept. 26, 2002, at his winter home in the Tepusquet Canyon of Santa Maria, Calif. His body was cremated and there was a family memorial service at the Smith ranch. Bill was born on the family ranch on April 12, 1933, and lived there until his death. He bought his beloved forest in the Sumpter area in 1982 and built his home there in 1998. He also had lived there until a few weeks ago. Bill was an electrician by trade and wired the first space shuttle at Vandenberg Air Force … Read more

Kingston, Carol Rae Westerlund Mrs. – Obituary

Carol Rae Kingston, 61, of Troy, a former longtime Baker City resident, died Aug. 25, 2003, of natural causes at Ellensburg, Wash. There will be a memorial fellowship potluck dinner for family and friends at 1 p.m. Friday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Club, 2005 Valley Ave. Carol was born on May 1, 1942, at Baker City to Esther Mae and John Harold Westerlund. She was a 1960 Baker High School graduate and joined the U.S. Army that same year. She had worked at Marvin Wood Products from July 1986 to January 2000. She and her husband, Kenneth … Read more