Powell, Erma V. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Erma V. Powell, 94, a longtime Baker City resident, died Dec. 19, 2002, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. Her funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Calvary Baptist Church, 2107 Third St. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. There will be a reception afterward at Calvary Baptist Church. Visitations will be from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Gray’s West & Co., 1500 Dewey Ave. Erma Veneva Powell was born on June 13, 1908, at the family ranch on Burnt River near Durkee. Her parents were Florence Boyer and John Fremont Powell, both … Read more

Heward, Arthur L. – Obituary

Arthur L. Heward, 81, a former longtime Baker County resident, died Nov. 11, 2002, at the Idaho State Veterans Nursing Home. At his request, there will be no funeral. Disposition will be by cremation. There will be a memorial service for family and close friends at the Downard Hansen Funeral Home, 241 N. Garfield Ave., Pocatello, Idaho. Interment will be at the Mountain View Cemetery at Pocatello. Arthur attended the University of Wyoming at Laramie and was enrolled in ROTC. He attended Officer’s Candidate School at Fort Benning, Ga., and was commissioned in May 1944 as a second lieutenant in … Read more

Vandecar, Robert Jr. – Obituary

Robt. Vandecar Jr. Dies Here Tuesday Robert Vandecar, Jr. 46, well known Bridgeport rancher, died Tuesday in St. Elizabeth Hospital from cancer. Funeral services are being arranged by Langrell Mortuary Chapel and details of his life are being compiled but were not available at press time. Mr. Vandecar grew up at Durkee and is best known by friends throughout the county for his work with the Burnt River 4-H livestock and Junior show projects a number of years. Source: The Record Courier, Baker City, Oregon, March 14, 1968 page 7 Contributed by: Belva Ticknor

Bloomer, Ted S., Sr. – Obituary

Durkee, Oregon Ted S. Bloomer Sr., 91, a longtime Durkee rancher, died Aug. 5, 2002, at the Holy Rosary Medical Center in Ontario. His graveside funeral will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at Mount Hope Cemetery mausoleum. Jim Rex of the Baker City Christian Science Church will officiate. Disposition will be by mausoleum entombment. A reception will follow at the Durkee Grange. Visitations will be today until 8 p.m. at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Mr. Bloomer was born July 16, 1911, at Lebanon, Mo., to William A. and Maude F. (Blackburn) Bloomer. The family moved … Read more

Hindman, Oscar – Obituary

Pioneer Who Died Saturday Brought to Baker as Baby in 1864 Funeral services for Oscar R. Hindman, pioneer Baker county resident, who died at the home of his sister-in-law, Mrs. Eva Hindman, 1768 Valley avenue, shortly before noon Saturday, will be held in the West and company parlor Tuesday afternoon at 2 o’clock. Rev. A.B. Weaver of the Methodist Episcopal church will officiate. Mr. Hindman, who was born in Iowa January 16, 1863 came to Baker valley with his parents when he was one year old. He lived in Baker county all of his life with the exception of a … Read more

Suitter, Earl Nathan – Obituary

Baker City, Baker County, Oregon Earl Nathan Suitter, 78, of Baker City, died May 9, 2006, at the family property in Haines. His funeral will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Ian Fisher, Earl’s nephew, will officiate. After the services, friends are invited to join the family for a reception at Geiser Pollman Park. Earl was born Sept. 1, 1927, in Emmett, Idaho, to Homer Nathan and Daisy Jessie Carroll Suitter. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged. Continuing … Read more

Hopper , Julius Roland – Obituary

Huntington, Oregon Julius Roland Hopper, 80, of Huntington died Aug. 28, 2004, at his home. There will be a potluck to celebrate his life from 11 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Friday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall at Huntington Julius was born on July 3, 1924, at Weiser, Idaho, to Ira Melvin Bogue and Elizabeth Avaline Queen Hopper. In 1925, the family moved to their “Lost Watch Ranch” in the Mountain View district, 20 miles out of Huntington. To attend high school, Julius moved in with the Sumner family in Ontario, on the Oregon Slope, and worked for his … Read more

Foersterling, Willis Emil – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Willis Emil Foersterling, 78, a longtime Baker City resident, died March 2, 2004, at his home. His funeral will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Private interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. The Rev. Susan Barnes of the First Presbyterian Church will officiate. Masonic Ritualistic Rites and military honors also will be conducted. Visitations will be from 9 a.m to 1 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Willis was born on July 30, 1925, at Baker City, to Willis Herbert and Zelda Mae Sparks Foersterling. He was educated at Sisley … Read more

Sayas, Lela Stoner Mrs. – Obituary

Durkee, Oregon Lela Sayas, 70, of Durkee, died July 15, 2003, at her home. Her graveside funeral was today at the Durkee Cemetery. Tom Brock of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officiated. There was a reception afterward at the Durkee Grange. Lela was born on June 22, 1933, at San Diego to Thomas and Velma Stoner. Survivors include her husband, Tony; children, Thomas Barrie, Velma Johnson and John Barrie; grandchildren, Diana Barrie, Donald Barrie, T.J. Barrie, Melody Wright, Darryl Johnson, Candace Johnson and John Barrie; great-grandchildren, McKenna, Ryan, Donna Jean, Isaac, Moncia and Trysta. Memorial contributions may … Read more

Smith, Robert Darrel – Obituary

Robert Darrel Smith passed away peacefully early October 16, 2004, at Ivy Place in Boise, Idaho. Darrel was born in the Crane Creek, Idaho area, April 20, 1904, to Alex and Effie Anne Cochran Smith, the youngest of three children. The family lived on their father’s homestead until Darrel was 2 years old, when they moved to Payette, Idaho. When he was 7, the family moved to the ranch his father purchased near Durkee where he rode a horse to a one-room schoolhouse and completed the eighth grade. After attending his high school freshman year in Brownsville, Ore., he returned … Read more

Mrs. Vera Louise Storie Powell – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Vera Louise Storie Powell, 104, a longtime Baker County resident, died Aug. 15, 2001, at St. Elizabeth Care Center. Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Her great-grandson, Pastor Wayne Hart of Calvary Baptist Church at Xenia, Ohio, will officiate. Interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. There will be a reception before the service at noon at Janis Hart’s home, 3320 Birch St. Mrs. Powell was born on March 28, 1897, at Durkee on the Horseshoe Ranch to Sidney and Iva Storie. She was the … Read more

Morris, Mary Jean Metcalf Mrs. – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Mary Jean Morris, 78, of La Grande died Feb. 19, 2004, at Grande Ronde Hospital in La Grande. A service in celebration of her life was at 11 a.m. today at Mount Hope Cemetery. She was born on May 7, 1925, at La Grande to Easton and Maurine Thompson Metcalf. She spent her early childhood in La Grande. The family moved to Telocaset and later to Durkee following her father’s career with the railroad. She was a Baker High School graduate. After graduation, she went to work for Woolworth’s in Baker City. She married Robert “Chuck” Morris … Read more

Carlile, Dale Robert – Obituary

Durkee, Oregon Dale Robert Carlile, 63, died Jan. 9, 2004, at his home in Durkee. At Dale’s request, there will be no services. Dale was born May 10, 1940, at Kelso, Wash., to Harry Carlile and Frieda Valentine Carlile. He attended school at Kelso/Longview where he loved playing football. After graduating from high school, Dale joined the U.S .Army and attended Ranger school. He was involved in the early years of the Vietnam War. Dale left the Army six years later as a lieutenant colonel. He moved home to Kelso/Longview and began his career as a police officer. He worked … Read more

Bryant, Faye Carmella Mitchell Page Kochis Mrs. – Obituary

Durkee, Oregon Faye Carmella Page Kochis Bryant, 75, a longtime Durkee resident, died Thursday, Dec. 27, 2001, at her home. Her funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 3, 2002, at Sacred Heart Church in Durkee. A reception at the Durkee Grange will follow. Viewing will be from 10 a.m. through 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 3, at the Pioneer Chapel at Gray’s West & Co., 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City. Vault interment will be at the Malheur Cemetery in Bridgeport. Faye was born Jan. 14, 1926, in Rigby, Idaho, to Clyde and Katherine Mitchell. She spent her early … Read more

Senter, Willetta Wyatt Vaughn Mrs. – Obituary

Willetta Vaughn Senter, 80, of Pendleton, a former resident of La Grande and Baker City, died July 11, 2002, at Pendleton. Her graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Island City Cemetery. Harold McKay will officiate. Mrs. Senter was born on Jan. 30, 1922, at Boring, Ky., to William Gibson and Louann Foister Wyatt. She was educated in Laurel County, Ky. During World War II she worked as a seamstress and as a tobacco sorter in the tobacco barns. She married Robert L. Vaughn Sr. in October of 1946 in Kentucky. In 1960 they moved to the … Read more

Grogan, Edward “Brent” – Obituary

Durkee, Baker County, Oregon Edward “Brent” Grogan, 51, of Durkee, died Jan. 14, 2005. A Celebration of Life service will be scheduled later. Brent was born at Baker City on Aug. 30, 1953, to Everett and Leanna Grogan. He married Lessie Turner in 1974. Brent’s greatest joys were his children, Casey and Joshua, along with his love of the outdoors. Living in Durkee most of his life, he enjoyed the small town that had been home for him and his family as well as his parents and grandparents before him. He was preceded in death by his father, Everett Grogan; … Read more

Langley, Helen Merritt Sheehy Mrs. – Obituary

Helen M. Langley, 89, a longtime Baker County resident, died Dec. 23, 2002, at Dallas Hospital in Dallas, Ore. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, First and Church streets. Vault interment will be at the Lime Cemetery at 1 p.m. Saturday. Family and friends are invited to a dinner reception in the church basement after the funeral. The graveside service also is open to family and friends. Visitation will be Friday from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Recitation of the rosary will be … Read more

Blacker, Robert William “Bob” – Obituary

Durkee, Oregon Robert William “Bob” Blacker, 56, of Durkee, died Jan. 22, 2007, at his home from complications of West Nile Virus. His memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Durkee Community Church. Bob was born in Baker City on Sept. 13, 1950, to Lora Riley Wright and Lee Arthur Blacker. He was the great-grandson of Charles and Minerva Baldock, who were early pioneer settlers in Baker Valley. His father was a construction worker and the family moved frequently. The Blackers lived in many towns in Oregon, Washington and Montana while he was growing up and made … Read more

Vandecar, Robert L. – Obituary

Robt. L. Vandecar Was Durkee Creek Rancher 54 Years Funeral services for Robert L. Vandecar of Durkee, 77 years of age and a well known Baker County stockman were conducted at 2:00 pm Tuesday Feb. 20 at Gray’s West and Co. Pioneer Chapel. The Rev. Richard A. Toll of the St. Stephens Episcopal Church officiated. Vault interment followed in the family plot at Mt. Hope Cemetery. Mr. Vandecar was born May 14, 1895 in Payette, Idaho the son of Augustus Byron and Rose Mott Vandecar. He had his schooling in Haines and in 1918 moved to Durkee. He was married … Read more