Halfway Oregon

Wirth, Ethel M. Mills Mrs. – Obituary

Ethel M. Wirth, 89, a longtime Eagle Valley and Baker City resident, died Aug. 27, 2001, at the Aspen Assisted Living Center in Hines. Her memorial service will be Friday at 1 p.m. at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Pastor Roger Scovil of the Baker City Christian Church will conduct the memorial service, and Associate Pastor Bob Whiteman will conduct the graveside services at Mount Hope Cemetery. Mrs. Wirth was born April 3, 1912, at Halfway to John W. and Jessie Shook Mills. She was raised on a farm on Pine Creek, above Jimtown. She graduated … Read more

Barton, Barbara Gover Mrs. – Obituary

Barbara Barton, 84, a former longtime Halfway resident, died April 18, 2009, at her home near Baker City. At her request, there will be no service. There will be a private vault interment at Pine Haven Cemetery in Halfway. She was born to Lovell and Velma Gover on June 21, 1924, at their home place in Pine Valley. Barbara’s family goes back to her great-grandfather, Aquilar Farmer Estes, who came from Missouri to become an early pioneer of Pine Valley and Cornucopia. Her grandmother, Barbara (know as Lorene) married Aquilar’s son, George Estes, who was killed in a snow slide … Read more

James Rogers – Obituary

This is the obituary for James Rogers, age 84, who died on June 16, 2008. It was initially published by the Record Courier in Baker City, Oregon on June 26, 2008.

Dillman-Van Vleck, Luana Marie Baze Mrs.

Luana Marie Dillman-Van Vleck, 77, died Aug. 24, 2004, at Holy Rosary Hospital in Ontario, where she had been hospitalized the past few days for flu-like symptoms. Luana will be remembered in the Baker City and Halfway areas as Luana Dillman, and the mother of Walt Dillman Jr., Sammy (Nancy Dillman) Mercer, Lonnie Dillman and Dock Dillman. Luana’s graveside memorial service will be Monday at 11 a.m. at Pine Haven Cemetery in Halfway. Pastor Bill Shields of the Pine Valley Presbyterian Church will officiate. Interment will follow the services. Luana, the daughter of Dock and Armilda Baze, was born Sept. … Read more

Moseley, Mark Everett – Obituary

Halfway, Baker County, Oregon Mark Everett Moseley, 46, died July 19, 2005, at his home in Palm Springs, Calif. There will be a celebration of Mark’s life in August. Mark was born on April 22, 1959, to Fred and Carol Baird Moseley at the Presbyterian Hospital at Whittier, Calif. At about the age of 5, the family moved to Oregon. It was there that he was raised and educated. During his school years, Mark enjoyed choir and drama. He was a 1977 Parkrose High School graduate. After graduation, Mark was an entrepreneur. He attended trade school for a time to … Read more

Koopman, Norman – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Norman Koopman, 82, of Halfway died peacefully with family by his side Nov. 6 in La Grande. A celebration of Norm’s life will be held this spring with a gathering of family, friends and a picnic. Details will be announced later. Norm was born Oct. 1, 1925, to Charles and Esther Koopman of Halfway. He spent most of his career teaching vocational agriculture at La Grande and Pine Eagle high schools before retiring in 1993. Once retired, he and his wife, Jewel, enjoyed winters on the southern Oregon coast and summers in Halfway. Norm was an avid … Read more

Russell, Ava Hunsaker Mrs. – Obituary

A Celebration of Ava Russell’s Life was held on Sunday, Jan. 2, 2005, 1 p.m. at the Community Connection Senior Center in Baker City. Friends were invited to join the family following the service for a luncheon prepared by the V.F.W. Auxiliary at the Senior Center. Ava Jane was born on April 17, 1940, in Carson, Ore., to Henry and Luella Thompson Hunsaker. She was raised early on in Carson, attending schools in Halfway, then onto Baker City and Umatilla. Ava also attended Business College for two years in Baker City. Ava married Paul Russell on Aug. 8, 1970. in … Read more

Shelton, Lela Makinson Mrs. – Obituary

Halfway, Oregon Lela Shelton, 77, of Halfway, died Sept. 10, 2002, near Cornucopia. Her graveside memorial service will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Pine Haven Cemetery in Halfway. Friends are invited to join the family for a reception after the service at the VFW Hall. Lela was the last of five children born to Fred and Okie Makinson in Halfway. She attended school in Pine Valley, graduating valedictorian of her class. After attending college in Boise, she married her high school sweetheart, Boyd Shelton, on Aug. 9, 1947. Her work career was focused in various business administration roles. She … Read more

Smith, Thomas – Obituary

Elgin, Oregon Aug. 9 — Thomas Smith, memorial service, 1 p.m., United Methodist Church, Elgin The Observer – August 4, 2008 ___________________________________ Thomas Ira Smith, 93, of McMinnville and formerly of Elgin, died July 10 in McMinnville. Memorial services will begin at 1 p.m. Aug. 9 at the United Methodist Church at Fifth and Birch Street in Elgin. Autumn Crematorium in Tigard was in charge of arrangements. Tom was born Sept. 22, 1914, to Ira Arthur and Henrietta Esther (Cruikshank) Smith in Gridley, Calif. The family soon moved to Elgin where Tom graduated from Elgin High School in 1932. Joining … Read more

Brooks, Olga LaRue Miller Mrs. – Obituary

Olga LaRue Brooks, 97, died May 21, 2007, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. Her graveside service was Friday at Eagle Valley Cemetery in Richland. Gordon Bond of the Richland Christian Church officiated. Friends joined the family afterward for a reception at the New Bridge Grange. Olga Larue was born Jan. 24, 1910, to George Walter and Ida Thompson Miller at Halfway. Her father was a forest ranger. He began his career working out of Wallowa County and later transferred to Baker County. He and his family lived at Halfway and he worked out of Pine Valley. Olga had two brothers, … Read more

Perkins, Fred Mrs. – Obituary

Mrs. Fred Perkins Passes Away Last Eve Mrs. Fred Perkins of Halfway died at 10 o’clock last evening at the Underwood hotel, after an illness of many years with paralysis. Mrs. Perkins was 53 years of age and was born in Canyon City, moving to Halfway many years ago, where her husband engaged in ranching. Mrs. Perkins had been in Baker one month for medical treatment and was stopping with here sister-in-law, Mrs. L.N. Perkins, proprietress of the Underwood. She is survived by a husband and one son Arthur. Funeral arrangements are pending the arrival of her sister, Mrs. Johnson … Read more

Bloom, Joan Smith Mrs. – Obituary

Joan Bloom, 72, of Weiser, Idaho, and formerly of Halfway, passed away Thursday, Aug. 21, 2003, at a Weiser care center. Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 2, at Thomason Funeral Chapel, Weiser. Joan was born Feb. 3, 1931, at Hill City, Kansas the daughter of Ray and Dorothy Stearns Smith. She received her education in Halfway where she met her future husband. Joan married Bud Bloom May 24, 1947, at Baker. The couple resided in several places in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, finally settling in the Ontario area where both children were raised. She was … Read more

Peterson, Bessie McMullen Mrs. – Obituary

Bessie Irene Peterson, age 77 of Halfway, passed away Saturday, Nov. 24 at her home. Funeral services were held Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 2 p.m. in the Pine Valley Presbyterian Church in Halfway. Rev. Judy Marshall officiated and interment followed in Pine Haven Cemetery, Halfway. Mrs. Peterson was born on May 12, 1907 in Halfway, the daughter of Ira and Maude Myrtle (McMullen), the granddaughter of pioneers Ira and Susan (Bragg) McMullen and Thomas Ramsey and Laura (Stout) Coggan Irwin Jr. A lifetime Halfway resident, Mrs. Peterson graduated from Pine Valley High School in 1926. She married Dick D. Peterson … Read more

Honeycutt, Gwendolyn Akin Mrs. – Obituary

Gwendolyn Akin Honeycutt, 100, a longtime Halfway resident, died Nov. 1, 2000, at her home. Her graveside funeral was Tuesday at the Pine Haven Cemetery at Halfway. Buck Steele officiated. Mrs. Honeycutt was born Oct. 18, 1900, at Victor, Colo., to George and Lucy Akin. She married Washington Denver Honeycutt on Nov. 5, 1919, at Pueblo, Colo. They had four daughters over the next eight years while traveling the West picking fruit. In the early 1930s, they owned a car dealership, but lost almost everything during the Depression. In 1939 they moved to Halfway where they farmed and later established … Read more

Hoffman, John Edward – Obituary

John Edward Hoffman, 82, of Forest Grove, a former Baker County resident, died Oct. 8, 2002, at Forest Grove. His graveside funeral will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Eagle Valley Cemetery in Richland. The Rev. Gordon Bond will officiate. Mr. Hoffman was born on June 14, 1920, at Council, Idaho, to George and Jasmine Garrett Hoffman. He was raised at Sparta. He entered the U.S. Army in 1944 and served in World War II. He was honorably discharged in 1946. He married Edna Nale on June 25, 1939, at Creswell. They were divorced in 1966. He married Thelma … Read more

Butler, Walt – Obituary

Walt Butler, 79, a former Halfway resident, died on March 9, 2005, at Yuma, Ariz. At his request, there will be no service. Walt LeRoy Butler was born at Wiley City, Wash., on March 21, 1925, to Walt LeRoy Butler Sr. and Annette B. Sams. Walt left high school early, acquiring a GED. He then entered the U.S. Navy and served until 1946. After the service, Walt went to work for Safeway stores in northern California, a career from which he retired in May of 1975. In September of 1971, Walt and Elsie Scoggin were married at Carson City, Nev. … Read more

Shock, Bessie Mae McMullen Mrs. – Obituary

Mrs. Bessie Mae Shock, 82, of Halfway, died Friday evening June 26, 1964, at St. Elizabeth hospital after a brief illness. She was the daughter of Isaac and Betty Bragg McMullen, who were among the first settlers in Pine Valley. Mrs. Shock was born March 25, 1882, at Pine, OR., in the small log cabin which still stands on the McCall property. The first school she attended was situated on the farm now owned by Ernest McQueen. She was married to Jess Shock in June 1926, and he preceded her in death in Feb. 1956. Their son, Norman, died in … Read more

Conner, Verlin A. – Obituary

Verlin A. Conner, 77, of Tygh Valley, a Halfway native, died March 15, 2007, at his home surrounded by the things he loved. There will be a celebration of his life at 1 p.m. Friday at the Tygh Valley Community Center. Verlin was born at Halfway to Albert and Alberta Conner. He grew up in the Baker area and was a Union High School graduate. At Union High School he was known as “Pee Wee Conner” on the football field. He was small, but mighty. He worked for the Pondosa Lumber Mill for many years where he met and married … Read more

McCullough, Larry – Obituary

Larry McCullough, 71, of Halfway, died May 23, 2009, at St Elizabeth Health Care Center. A private memorial will be scheduled later. Larry was born at Montpelier, Idaho, on Oct. 21, 1937, to Harold and Doris McCullough. He spent his youth at Garfield and Magna, Utah. He attended Utah State University at Logan, Utah, where he received his bachelor’s degree. Continuing his education at Utah State, he earned his master’s of science degree in psychology. Moving to Pocatello, Idaho, he spent the next 32 years counseling and teaching at Idaho State University. He made his home on a small acreage … Read more