La Grande Oregon

Conley, A. B. – Obituary

La Grande, Union County, Oregon A. B. Conley, Pioneer of County, Called Beyond Another pioneer of the Grande Ronde valley answered the last call Sunday when death claimed Archie Bird Conley, of La Grande and former resident of Cove. Mr. Conley, one of the outstanding pioneers of this county, spent a long and useful life, having an important hand in the development of the county to its present stage. The deceased was 88 years, one month and eleven days of age and on January 4th, he and his wife celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary. A few days before their daughter … Read more

Rose, Arthur Delbert – Obituary

La Grande, Union County, Oregon Arthur Delbert Rose, 87, died Friday, Sept 30, 1994, at the Grande Ronde Retirement Residence, La Grande, after an extended illness. A graveside service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Enterprise Cemetery with the Rev. Ed Morrison officiating. Bollman Funeral Home of Enterprise is in charge of the arrangements. Mr. Rose was born Jan. 24, 1907, in Mabton, Wash., to George and Matilda Rose. When he was a young boy his family moved to Wallowa County. He attended the Swamp Creek School. He married Isabelle (Belle) Heskett on May 10, 1932. He … Read more

Bell, Erman – Obituary

Erman Bell, 89, of La Grande, and a former Baker County resident, died Aug. 25, 2001, at his home. At his request there will be no public service. A private burial will be at the Haines Cemetery. Mr. Bell was born May 30, 1912, at Rock Creek to Alfred and Ethel Gray Bell. He attended school in Haines and married Leona Hearing. He worked as a mechanic for the state of Oregon shops in La Grande. He lived in Union for many years before moving to La Grande two years ago. He enjoyed hunting and fishing. Survivors include a daughter, … Read more

Ragsdale, A. B. Mrs. – Obituary

Mrs.. Anna H. Ragsdale Passes In Tacoma, Wash. Word that Mrs.. Anna Hadley Ragsdale, a daughter of one of the early pioneer families of this community, is dead in Tacoma, Wash., where she was making her home with a son has been received here. The body is to be shipped to La Grande for burial beside the decedent’s father and mother and her son, Leo Hearing, of an earlier marriage. Other details were not included in the message received by friends here. La Grande Evening Observer, Thursday, 28 January 1926, Page 1. Funeral services for the late Mrs. Anna B. … Read more

Morehead, Alice F. MacDonald Mrs. – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Alice F. MacDonald Morehead, 97, of La Grande died June 26, 2003, at her home. Her funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Daniels Chapel of the Valley in La Grande. The Rev. Norman Shrumm of the First Presbyterian Church will officiate. Committal and interment will be at Hillcrest Cemetery in La Grande. Visitations will be until 6 o’clock tonight at Daniels Chapel of the Valley. Mrs. Morehead was born on June 15, 1906, at Knappa to Angus and Lenore MacDonald. She moved with her parents to a homestead near Ontario. She attended Pioneer schools, Payette, … Read more

Waelty, M. E. – Obituary

Funeral services were held for Murland Edwin Waelty Saturday, March 28 at 2 p.m., at the Bollman Funeral chapel in Enterprise. Mr. Waelty died at the Grand Ronde hospital in La Grande March 26, 1959, following a long illness. He was born at Summerville, Oregon, March 10, 1888, the son of Albert and Minnie Waelty. With his parents he came to Wallowa County at the age of 13 years and had resided here continuously until his death. He was married to Christina Goebel on July 5, 1909. Mr. and Mrs. Waelty resided on their farm in Middle Valley for many … Read more

DeRoest, Leon Douglass

La Grande, Oregon Leon Douglass DeRoest, 52, of La Grande died Nov. 1, 2001, at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland after a short illness. His service will begin at 1 p.m. Friday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2625 Hughes Lane. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitations will be until 7 o’clock tonight at the Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Mr. DeRoest was born on July 15, 1949, at Baker City to Toye Loudeen White and Leon Philemon DeRoest. He was a 1967 Baker High School graduate. In 1968, he married … Read more

Bay, David W. – Obituary

La Grande, Union County, Oregon David W. Bay, father of William Bay of this city, died last Sunday at the age of 81 years. La Grande Gazette, Friday, 17 March 1893, Page 3. Contrubuted by: Robert C. Bull

Schultz, Harold Herman – Obituary

School Boy Victim Of Fall From Mountain Harold Herman Schultz, 10, died Sunday night at the Grande Ronde hospital from injuries, he received when he fell from a cliff in the vicinity of Devil’s slide near La Grande and plunged 40 feet to the rocks below. Harold was in the company of seven other boys who were led on a Sunday afternoon hiking excursion up to Rooster peak by Elmer Miller of the Christian church. Miller said that he was keeping the boys with him as much as possible on the trip, but Harold must have wandered off on a … Read more

Spencer, Joseph – Obituary

Long Illness Foreruns Demise Yesterday Funeral Held from Family Home This Afternoon at 2 O’clock Death yesterday ended a long and painful illness suffered by Joseph Spencer, a well-known citizen of North La Grande. Mr. Spencer was ill for several weeks. He was about 63 years of age at the time of his death and is survived by a widow and several grown children. The funeral was held this afternoon from the family home near the planing mill and Dr. J. D. Gillian officiated. La Grande Evening Observer Monday, August 28, 1911 Page 8 Contributed by: Tom Childers

Harris, Harold Reed – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Harold Reed Harris, 82, of Sacramento, Calif., and formerly of La Grande died Oct. 26 from complications of pneumonia. There will be a reception for friends to visit with his family Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. at Loveland Funeral Chapel. A private family memorial service will follow on Saturday. Mr. Harris was born Nov. 9, 1923, in Fort Duchesne, Utah, to Leonard Reed Harris and Martha Kitchen Harris, the seventh of eight sons. He spent his entire childhood in the Uintah Basin region and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1940. He served in the Navy … Read more

Anderson, Barbara “Carol” – Obituary

Joseph, Oregon Barbara “Carol” Anderson of Joseph and formerly of La Grande died May 4, 2006, at home. She was 73. Mrs. Anderson was born May 31, 1932, to Chester Duane and Blossom Lenore Waterer Hoskin in Agatha, Idaho. She was raised in the Lewiston, Idaho area and moved to La Grande in 1949. She moved to Wallowa County five years ago to be near her daughter and granddaughters. During her life she worked in various restaurants and at Hot Lake Resort for a time. Mrs. Anderson loved the outdoors, gardening, and fishing. She enjoyed picking huckleberries, hunting for mushrooms … Read more

Clegg, William N. “Bill” – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon William N. “Bill” Clegg, 85, a longtime Baker City resident died June 6, 2003, at his home. His graveside services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Mount Hope Cemetery. Pastor Lura Kidner-Miesen of the United Methodist Church will officiate. Visitations will be until 7 o’clock tonight at the Coles Funeral Home. Mr. Clegg was born Aug. 25, 1917, at La Grande. He was a son of Elmo and Aurelia Nibley Clegg. He went through his junior year attending school at La Grande and graduated from Baker High School the next year. In 1937, he married Katherine … Read more

Hecht, Jean – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Jean Hecht, 86, of Wilsonville and formerly of La Grande died April 11. Mrs. Hecht was born April 20, 1920, to Drs. Joseph and Margaret Ingle in La Grande. She graduated from La Grande High School and earned bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Oregon where she was a member of Chi Omega sorority. She earned a pilot’s license and taught high school in Vale and Corvallis. She served in the Navy and was stationed in Lakehurst, N.J., where she married Irwin Hecht. The couple moved to Portland nine years ago to be closer to … Read more

Bowman, Florestine Lavelle Taylor Mrs. – Obituary

Florestine Lavelle Bowman, 79, of La Grande, a former Baker City resident, died Sept. 21, 2006, at her home. There will be a celebration of her life at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Loveland Funeral Chapel in La Grande. Private family interment will be afterward at the Summerville Cemetery. She was born in Baker City on Oct. 24, 1926, to Ray and Ida Rich Taylor. She was raised and educated at Baker City where she lived until her marriage to Arnol “Tuffy” Bowman, on March 20, 1948. The couple moved to Pondosa where Mr. Bowman worked at the mill. They lived … Read more

Kelley, Arthur Thomas – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Arthur Thomas Kelley, 88, of La Grande died Nov. 21 at St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise. A funeral service will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday at Daniels Chapel of the Valley. Committal and burial with military honors will follow at 1 p.m. Monday at Grandview Cemetery. Mr. Kelley was born March 17, 1918, to Thomas and Ida Wright Kelley in Throckmorton, Texas. He was educated in Texas and attended Texas A&M before enlisting in the Air Force. He made the military his career and retired as a lieutenant colonel. In 1945 he married Jacqueline Wiese in California, … Read more

Cathey, Lawrence “Vern” – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Lawrence “Vern” Cathey, 75, of La Grande, died Nov. 27, 2004, at his home. A celebration of life will begin at 11 a.m. Friday at the New Life Center in La Grande (behind Shop ‘n Kart). Burial will be at the Summerville Cemetery. Daniels Chapel of the Valley is in charge of arrangements. Vern was born on Sept. 26, 1929, to Hugh and Laura Ray Cathey at Spearfish, S.D. He moved to Baker City where he joined the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was in the Signal Corps when he was discharged. He joined Labor … Read more

Bell, Erman – Obituary

La Grande, Union County, Oregon Erman Bell 89, of La Grande, died Aug. 25 at his home. At his request, there will be no public service. A private burial will be at the Haines Cemetery. Mr. Bell was born May 30, 1912, to Alfred and Ethel Gray Bell in Rock Creek. He attended school in Haines and married Leona Hearing. He worked as a mechanic for the state of Oregon shops in La Grande. He lived in Union for many years before moving to La Grande two years ago. He enjoyed hunting and fishing. Survivors include a daughter, Dawn Vedder … Read more

Hendrickson, George – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon George Hendrickson, 81, of La Grande died Nov. 27 at his home. A funeral service is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Island City Ward. Burial will be at Grandview Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Loveland Funeral Chapel. Mr. Hendrickson was born Dec. 30, 1924, to Elmo and Jehzell Merrill Hendrickson in Cardston, Alberta, Canada. He served as a corporal in the U.S. Army from July 1943 to January 1946. A 73-year resident of La Grande, Mr. Hendrickson was a retired rangeland fence builder. He enjoyed hunting … Read more

Watson, Rex Jay – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Rex Jay Watson, 55, of La Grande died Dec. 13 at a local care center. Family and friends are invited to a gathering at 3 p.m. Saturday at the American Legion in La Grande. Daniels Chapel of the Valley is in charge of arrangements. Mr. Watson was born Feb. 21, 1951, in Dayton, Ohio, to Finley James and Wilma (Edmiston) Watson. He attended schools in Dayton. Later he enlisted in the U.S. Army where he was proud to serve his country in the 82nd Airborne Special Forces Ranger division during the Vietnam era. After his honorable discharge, … Read more