Baker County OR

Swiberg, Elizabeth Mae (Bette) Gaeth Mrs. – Obituary

Elizabeth Mae (Bette) Swiberg, 84 died on June 26, 2007, at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Baker City, Ore., surrounded by family. A Memorial service will be held Friday, July 6, 2007, 11 a.m. at Skyline Memorial Gardens in Portland, Ore., (enter through gate 2 and meet in the funeral home.) Elizabeth Mae (Bette) was born on May 19, 1923, in Beverly Park, near Everett, Wash., to John Frederick and Victoria (Goralski) Gaeth. The family moved to Portland, Ore., where Elizabeth graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1941. Bette received her nursing diploma from St. Joseph Hospital in Vancouver, Wash., and … Read more

Hyatt, Russell Frank – Obituary

Russell Frank Hyatt, 89, of Fruitland, Idaho, a former Baker City resident, died Jan. 15, 2002, at Holy Rosary Medical Center at Ontario. His funeral was Friday at Shaffer-Jensen Memory Chapel at Fruitland. Interment was at Parkview Cemetery in New Plymouth, Idaho. Russell was born on Feb. 11, 1912, at Union to Lloyd Burk and Ida E. Hyatt. He attended Baker City schools and was a 1931 Baker High School graduate. He continued his education at Oregon State University at Corvallis where he graduated in 1940 with a degree in animal husbandry and range management. He worked for the U.S. … Read more

George, Charles F. – Obituary

Charles F. George Takes Own Life C.F. George, dairyman, who lived in the Missouri Flat district, shot himself in the head with a 22 rifle at his home last Friday at about the noon hour, and died at St. Elizabeth hospital in Baker about three hours later. Mr. George had been in poor health for some time suffering from a nervous breakdown and it is supposed this was the cause of the act. He was found by his wife and son Richard who returned from a trip to Haines. It is thought he had been shot about an hour when … Read more

Fleming, Carl Douglas – Obituary

Carl Douglas Fleming, 40, of Newberg and Halfway, died Aug. 30, 2005, as the result of a motor vehicle accident near Halfway. There will be a gathering of family and friends to celebrate Carl’s life later this month. The date and time will be announced. Carl was born on Feb. 9, 1965, at Santa Cruz, Calif., to Jimmy Dale and Carla Sue Caskey Fleming. He spent most of his growing up years at Santa Cruz, graduating from Monte Vista High School in 1983. He was a gifted athlete and after graduation he played baseball for a year in college. Carl … Read more

Simonsen, Glenda Beth Healey Mrs. – Obituary

Glenda Beth Simonsen, 69, of John Day, a former Baker City resident, died Sept. 23, 2007, at Blue Mountain Hospital in John Day. There was a private family service. Glenda was born April 22, 1938, at Baker City to Glen and Anna Jacobson Healey. She was a 1956 graduate of Powder Valley High at North Powder. Glenda married Roger Simonsen in Baker City on July 31, 1959. Glenda was a business owner with her husband, Roger. Their work included highway construction, wholesale grocery, service station and auto repair. She also filled customer service positions at several John Day businesses. She … Read more

LaRue, Mary Belle Ratcliff Mrs. – Obituary

Halfway, Oregon Mary Belle LaRue, 69, a longtime resident of Halfway, died June 10, 2003, at her home. Her graveside service will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Pine Haven Cemetery in Halfway. Pastor David Myhill of Pine Valley Christian Assembly will officiate. Vault interment will follow the ceremony. Mary was born Aug. 24, 1933, in Hopkinton, Iowa. She was a daughter of Manley L. and Florence M. (Davis) Ratcliff. The family moved to Halfway in December of 1935 when Mary was just a baby. She lived and received her schooling in Halfway, graduating from Halfway High School. Before graduation, … Read more

Emmons, Edith Gayle – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Edith “Gayle” Emmons, 69, of La Grande, died Oct. 29 at Grande Ronde Hospital. A memorial service will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St. Edith was born on May 22, 1938, to Harry and Ethel (Gardner) Thomas in Baker City. As a teenager, she moved with her family to La Grande where she finished her education, attending business college. On Oct. 29, 1955, she married Don Emmons in Weiser, Idaho. They made their home in La Grande and she worked as a fry cook for the Sac Annex, for … Read more

Braswell, Katheryn Sullivan Mrs. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Katheryn Braswell, 90, of Baker City, died April 8, 2002, at Ashley Manor Care Center. Her graveside funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the Eagle Valley Cemetery in Richland. The Rev. Lennie Spooner of the First Church of the Nazarene will officiate. There will be a reception afterward at the home of Pat and Bobbie Braswell. Visitations will be until 6 o’clock tonight at Gray’s West & Co., 1500 Dewey Ave. Mrs. Braswell was born on April 5, 1912, at Baker City to A.P. and Lulu Sullivan. She attended Baker schools and was a 1930 … Read more

Huff, Hiram M. – Obituary

Hiram M. Huff died Sunday Hiram M. Huff, a resident of Baker since 1908, died at 11 o’clock Sunday morning at the residence of his son, Dr. J. W. Huff in this city. The deceased was born in Kentucky, February 2, 1832, being 91 years, nine months and nine days old. He came to western Iowa May 1855 and married Lucinda McGahan June 24, 1856, six children being the result of the union, four of whom survive; Dr. J.W. Huff and T.C. Huff, Baker; B.T. Huff, Payette; Mrs. Clara Weston, Baker. Funeral services will be held this evening at the … 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

Cockram, Berniece E. Freeman Mrs. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Berniece E. Cockram, 88, of Baker City died Nov. 19, 2001, at St. Elizabeth Care Center after a short illness. Her funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at First Lutheran Church, 1734 Third St. Pastor David Hahn of the Desert Cross Lutheran Church at Tempe, Ariz., will officiate. Vault interment will be in Mount Hope Cemetery Berniece was born at Wilson Creek, Wash., on Feb. 23, 1913, to J.Q. and Docia Lynch Freeman. She moved to Baker City as a small child to the homestead ranch on Sutton Creek south of Baker City. She attended schools … Read more

Wilson, Ira, Jr. – Obituary

Ira Wilson Jr., 94, of Portland, a former longtime Baker City resident, died Jan. 29, 2005, at Portland. There will be no service. Mr. Wilson was born on Aug. 18, 1910, at Roseburg. He and his wife, Sylvia, were married in 1945. She died in 1977. He attended Tigard High School and served in the U.S. Army from Feb. 25, 1942, to Oct. 8, 1945. He lived in Baker City from 1947 to 1978 where he worked in the sawmill. Survivors include his nieces, Hope Wilson, Dawn Wilson Stricklin, Becky Wilson Freeman and Marsha Wilson, all of Portland; a nephew, … 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

Cundiff, Elva G. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Elva G. Cundiff, 89, a longtime Baker City resident, died Dec. 16, 2001, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. Her funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Norman Baxter of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will officiate. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitations will be until 6 o’clock tonight at Gray’s West & Co. Elva G. Cundiff was born on Oct. 8, 1912, at Butler, Tenn., to Marion Monroe Grogan of Zionville, N.C., and Rauza Ader Dugger, also of Butler, Tenn. Several … Read more

Gardner, Chester William “Bill”, Jr. – Obituary

Chester William “Bill” Gardner Jr., 87, of Washougal, Wash., whose name was familiar in the logging enterprise throughout Baker County, died Aug. 22, 2005, at his home after an extended battle with cancer. His graveside service was Aug. 30 at Mount Hope Cemetery. Pastor Ed Niswender of Calvary Baptist Church officiated. Military rites were accorded by the Baker Veterans of Foreign Wars Post, No. 3048. Bill was born on May 9, 1918, at Baker City to Chester William Gardner Sr. and Cora Young Gardner. He was raised and educated at Baker City. After graduating, he logged with his uncles until … Read more

Dias, Gary Joe – Obituary

Gary Joe Dias, 48, of Larnet, Kan., died Feb. 17, 2002, at his home. His graveside funeral was today at Mount Hope Cemetery. Deacon Jim Watt of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church officiated. Gary was born on Dec. 23, 1953, at Watsonville, Calif. He graduated from Watsonville High School and worked as an EMT at San Jose, Calif., and on several different construction jobs. He served on an atomic submarine in the U.S. Navy and also worked with his dad on a commercial fishing boat at Bristol Bay, Alaska, before falling to a long-term illness. Survivors include his father … 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

Employees by Seniority Service at Baker

Abbott, Jerry 9-6-49 Adamson, Paul 4-18-49 Aldous, Gladys 2-20-48 Anderson, Frieda 4-12-51 Anderson, Otto 4-0-54 Ashby, Geneva 9-6-50 Bailey, C.R. 5-1-52 Barron, Robert 4-8-24 Bence, Paul 9-30-57 Blank, Leona 4-20-59 Boles, James 2-15-45 Boles, Jewell 4-11-47 Boles, William 8-11-47 Boyce, Charles 4-18-49 Brenton, Ray 7-22-47 Brickey, Wiley J. 9-13-60 Brock, Morris 7-16-57 Buker, John 7-17-40 Bystrom, Axel 7-6-40 Calloway, Roy D. 0-0-29 Castle, Mike 10-1-57 Castle, Paul 5-29-40 Castles, Freda 9-0-49 Coalwell, Ronald 1-14-46 Cook, Lloyd 5-0-40 Cox, Thomas 7-24-46 Craig, Delbert 8-12-52 Crane, Carl 3-13-45 Crane, Valda 8-6-46 Culley, Don 3-3-52 Culley, Ralph 2-25-52 DePee, O.W. 8-8-49 DeRoest, Francis … Read more

Williams, Melvin F. – Obituary

Melvin F. Williams, 51, a former Baker City resident, died July 18, 2003, at the Veterans Hospital in Boise. There will be a private family service. Melvin was born Aug. 30, 1951, in Baker City to Fred and Enola (Derrick) Williams. He was raised and educated in the Baker City area. He joined the U.S. Army at the age of 17 and served in Vietnam as a medic. He married Kathy Schuh in 1969. They had two children. In 1976 he married Charlotte (Wood) Stephens, and they moved to Albany in 1980. After Vietnam he worked for the Union Pacific … Read more

Gilkison, William – Obituary

William Gilkison died Wednesday, April 29, 1931, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Charles Jones, in Union. He would have been 84 years of age had he lived until next August, and was the eldest brother of John Gilkison of North Powder. He was a resident of Baker until last fall when he went to Union to live with his daughter. The remains were shipped to Baker and the funeral took place today from the Presbyterian church. North Powder News – Oregon Trail Weekly Friday May 1 1931 Transcribed by Charlotte Carper