La Grande Oregon

Holt, Thomas Martin – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Thomas Martin Holt Thomas Martin Holt, 72, died at his home Feb. 21. He was born Sept. 2, 1934, in Marquette, Kan., to John Charles Lucas and Eunice Louise (Johnson) Holt. The family intends to hold a memorial service for family and friends in the La Grande area sometime this summer. Details for this will be forthcoming. Memorials in Tom Holt’s name can be made to Zion Lutheran Church, 902 Fourth St., La Grande 97850. Mr Holt was raised and educated in Marquette. He graduated from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan., with a BA in business administration … Read more

Clark, Joisa Elizabeth (Miller) – Obituary

Word has been received in La Grande of the death of Mrs. Joisa Eliza Clark, 86, of Beaverton. She was born in the Grande Ronde Valley, out on the sand ridge, the daughter of George and Matilda Miller Conley, a pioneer family. Mrs. Clark lived in the valley most of her life, and was one of nine children. She is survived by twin daughter, Erma Levitt, Schenectady, N. Y., and Irene McKenzie, Salem; two sisters, Mrs. Georganna Chadwick, Cove, and Mary Gray, Woodburn; two brothers, John C. Miller, La Grande, and Benn Miller, Arcadia, Calif.; and many other relatives and … Read more

Westenskow, Ronald W. – Obituary

Formerly of Imbler Ronald Wilford Westenskow, 87, of Walla Walla and formerly of Imbler, died Oct. 24. A private graveside service for family and friends will begin at 10 a.m. Friday at Blue Mountain Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Walla Walla. A memorial service will follow at 11 a.m. at the chapel of Herring Funeral Home. Burial will be at the Blue Mountain Memorial Gardens Cemetery. A full obituary will be available later. Memorial contributions may be made to any charity in care of Herring Funeral Home, 315 W. Alder, Walla Walla, 99362. La Grande Observer – October 29, 2009 ____________________________ … Read more

Horn, Stanley Bruce – Obituary

Elgin, Oregon Stanley Bruce Horn, 74, of Elgin died Nov. 19. An inurnment begins at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Elgin Cemetery with a celebration of life following at 1:45 p.m. at the Elgin Community Center. Loveland Funeral Chapel and Crematory is in charge of arrangements. Stanley was born May 16, 1933, to Clarence and Lillie Southard Horn in Kimball, Neb. When he was 4, his family moved to High Valley near Union, and when he was 5 or 6, they moved to Cricket Flat near the breaks of the Minam River. He spent the remainder of his childhood years … Read more

Donohue, Donald Martin – Obituary

Donald Martin Donohue, 71, of Yakima died Sunday May 5, 1991 in Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital. Mr. Donohue was born in La Grande, OR on February 18, 1920 to Edward and Florence (McLachlen) Donohue. He was raised and educated in La Grande and later attended Oregon State University and the Colorado School of Mines. He served in the U. S. Air Force during WW II as a Warrant Officer. In 1950, he was married to Jacquelyn Yoho in La Grande. Mr. Donohue later moved to Richland where he lived for a time before moving to Yakima. For 17 years he … Read more

Mitchell, Lois E. – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Lois E. Mitchell, 80, of Redmond and formerly of La Grande, died April 1. A celebration of life will begin at 1 p.m. Friday at Daniels Chapel of the Valley, La Grande. Committal and burial will follow at the Mt. Hope Cemetery in Baker City. She was born April 21, 1926, to Harold B. and Nancy B. (Luster) Doherty in Baker City. In September 1946 she married Earl “Bob” Mitchell in Baker. Mrs. Mitchell spent her entire working years in banking, including more than 30 years at First Interstate Bank in La Grande, retiring in 1991. She … Read more

Shirley, Orville Dee – Obituary

Orville Dee Shirley, 79, of La Grande, died June 2, 2006, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. Cremation will take place at Eastern Oregon Pioneer Crematory in Baker City. Burial of the cremated remains will be later at the Enterprise Cemetery. Orville as born on Oct. 21, 1926, at Wallowa to Chet and Lady Clair Mabor Shirley. He lived at Enterprise until age 15 when the family moved to the Willamette Valley. He worked in the Oregon shipyards during the war. He later made his career in the timber industry as a log truck driver and millwright. He took a position … Read more

Hearing, Ross Ellwood – Obituary

La Grande, Union County, Oregon La Grande 1921-2000 Ross E. Hearing, 78, of La Grande, died April 23. A graveside service will begin at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Grandview Cemetery Mausoleum with the Rev. Norm Shrumm of the First Presbyterian Church officiating. Following the service, Mrs. Hearing’s friends and family will honor him at a luncheon at noon at Hoke Hall room 309 on the Eastern Oregon University campus. Viewing will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St. Mr. Hearing was born Sept. 6, 1921, to Merle and Alma McCullough … Read more

Campbell, Alvin Wilbur – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Alvin Wilbur Campbell, 87, of La Grande died Nov. 18 at his home. A celebration of life was observed Nov. 24 at Loveland Funeral Chapel. Mr. Campbell was born Nov. 10, 1919, to Luther and Hattie Gaertner Campbell in La Grande. In 1944 he joined the Army and was deployed in the Asiatic Pacific theater as a combat infantryman in the 172nd Infantry, 43rd division in Luzon, Philippines. He received numerous medals, including the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster for Heroism. He was honorably discharged in 1945. Early in his working life he was employed by … Read more

McDonald, W.G. – Obituary

W.G. McDonald Stricken At Pythian Gathering Wesley G. McDonald, owner of the McDonald Electric company at La Grande, suffered a stroke while attending the district convention of the Knight of Pythias last night in KP hall. Taken to Grande Ronde hospital, he had not recovered consciousness this morning, and friends report that according to his physician, he will remain in a coma for several days. The Observer Newspaper, La Grande, Oregon, Monday, April 28, 1952 McDonald, George Wesley McDonald Rites Set Tomorrow Funeral services for George Wesley McDonald, 53, owner of the McDonald Electric Co., who died Saturday night after … Read more

Cowan, Lois – Obituary

Wallowa, Oregon Lois Cowan of Wallowa died May 17, 2006, at the Wallowa Memorial Hospital after a short illness. She was 94. Mrs. Cowan was born Jan. 31, 1912, in Elgin to James Elvis and Bertha Witty Witherspoon. She grew up on the family farm on Cricket Flat and attended the Hindman Country School. She graduated from Elgin High School in 1931. After graduating, Lois worked as a telephone operator and a clerk in a grocery store. On June 26, 1938, she married Carl Raymond Cowan in Elgin. They lived in Baker City, Sumpter, La Grande and Elgin before moving … Read more

Walton, Dorothy Louise – Obituary

Dorothy Louise Walton, 87, of Island City, died March 21. A graveside service will begin at 2 p.m. Monday at the Island City Cemetery. Loveland Funeral Chapel and Crematory is in charge of arrangements. Dorothy was born Feb. 21, 1921, to Byron Howard and Vashti Ester (Piersol) Haynes in Sterling, Colo. She grew up in Colorado, and through various circumstances went to live in Arkansas for a time, which is where she met and married her husband, Ray Walton. The couple married in 1939 and had their first son, Lee, in 1940. In 1942, they moved to California and settled … Read more

Neustel, Colleen Lyon – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Colleen Lyon Neustel, 71, of La Grande, died Jan. 7 at the Grande Ronde Hospital. A graveside service is planned for 2 p.m. Thursday at the Island City Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Daniels Chapel of the Valley. Mrs. Neustel was born Sept. 12, 1935, in Promise to Gilbert and Sadie Carper Lyon. She was raised in Wallowa, graduating from Wallowa High School in 1953. She married Kendal Neustel and had four children. Mrs. Neustel lived in Wallowa and Union Counties all her life and had resided at 2102 Cove Ave. since 1969. Until poor … Read more

Wood, N. R. – Obituary

La Grande Man Is Killed By Train With both arms ground off close to his shoulders by a freight train from which he fell after signaling for a clearance at the Ora Dell viaduct, west of La Grande last Sunday night, N.R. Wood a brakeman, dragged himself from the rails and walked half a mile for help. His shouts aroused George Shimmel, and Wood was rushed to the hospital in La Grande. He is said to have given his signal while walking on the viaduct and in some way lost his balance and fell. No one saw the accident. Friends … Read more

Forthman, Mable Mrs. – Obituary

Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon Services for Mable Forthman, of Ontario, who died Tuesday, May 10, 1983 at an Ontario, Oregon hospital, were conducted at 2:00 p.m. Friday, May 13, 1983 at the Ontario ………. Chapel. (article smeared and unable to read minister’s name and name of church) Interment followed at the Evergreen Cemetery in Ontario. She was born on January 3, 1902 in La Grande, Oregon, the daughter of James and Nancy ??(last name smeared). She was raised and educated in Day Ridge and La Grande. She married William T. Forthman on December 24, 1920 in Flora. They lived in … Read more

Nebecker, Ida – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Ida Nebeker Ida Nebeker Lyman, 96, of La Grande, died June 2 in Cedar Hills, Utah, at the home of Marsha and Ken Hildebrandt, her daughter and son-in-law. A funeral service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Monday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1802 Gekeler Lane. Viewing will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday at Loveland Funeral Chapel, 1508 Fourth St., as well as before the funeral service, from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Monday. Ida was born March 25, 1911, to Joseph Wiley Nebeker and Annie Helen (Lindsay) Nebeker in La Grande. … Read more

Conley, Nettie – Obituary

La Grande, Union County, Oregon Nettie Conley of La Grande died Wednesday at the La Grande Nursing Center just 25 days short of her 100th birthday. Born Sept. 8, 1885, near La Grande, Mrs. Conley was the daughter of Charles and Martha (Childers) Golden. The Childers were a pioneer family who came to the valley in 1863 in a covered wagon. On July 18, 1902, she married Archie Conley at Union. They farmed at Phrys Point in Cove for several years. The Conley’s owned and operated one of the first combines brought into the Cove area. Her husband died on … Read more

Dean, Barbara June – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Former Union County Treasurer Barbara June Dean, 84, died April 14 at her home in La Grande. There will be no services. Daniels-Knopp Funeral, Cremation & Life Celebration Center is in charge of arrangements. Barbara was born Dec. 7, 1923, to William Humphrey and June Alta (Evans) Morrison in Halfway. After graduating from high school in Baker she attended business college. On Oct. 10, 1942, she married Byrl Dean in Weiser, Idaho. In 1961 she began working at the Union County Courthouse and in 1976 she was elected Union County treasurer. She served four terms, a total … Read more

Westenskow, Kenneth R. – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Kenneth R. Westenskow, 72, of Roseville, Calif., died Dec. 31. Visitation will be conducted Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Price Funeral Chapel in Citrus Heights. Calif. Funeral services will begin at 10 a.m. Monday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints, Roseville 1st Ward, in Roseville. Burial will follow at the Roseville Cemetery. A native of Imbler, Mr. Westenskow was born March 29, 1934, to Melvin (a former postmaster in La Grande) and Rowena Westenskow and grew up in La Grande. He attended Ackerman grade school and received an athletic scholarship to … Read more

Stone, Genevieve R. – Obituary

La Grande, Union County, Oregon Mrs. Karl R. (Genevieve) Stone of 1703 Cedar, died Monday at Grande Ronde Hospital. Mrs. Stone was born in Brier Hill, N.Y.; the daughter of William H. and Amanda Jane (Guernsey) Rogers. She taught music in a Watertown, N.Y., elementary school before she married Karl R. Stone on Aug. 27, 1919, in Watertown. The Stones moved to Oregon in 1920, and in 1943 came to La Grande from the Willamette Valley. They were owners of the Stone Cream Station for 20 years. Mrs. Stone taught school for two years in Reedsport, and was choir director … Read more