John Downie, a resident of Sumpter valley, Baker county, died last week after a protracted illness with Brights disease. He was a brother of Richard Downie, of Union and leaves a wife and family to mourn his loss. The funeral took place last Monday in Baker city from the residence of his daughter Mrs. Emil Volgt. Eastern Oregon Republican, Thursday January 2, 1890
Margaret Elayne Defrees, 71, died Dec. 1, 2005, at her home in Sumpter Valley. Her funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2625 Hughes Lane. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Bishop Jeff Daniels of Baker City 1st Ward will conduct. Margaret was born on Feb. 6, 1934, at Yakima, Wash., to Dallas and Kathryn Rice. She lived her first 13 years at the White Swan Christian Indian Mission where her parents were superintendents of the mission school. Her high school and junior college years were spent at Yakima … Read more
James Norris Richmond, 72, of Sumpter, died Jan. 12, 2008, after a long battle with cancer. At his request, his body was cremated and a memorial service will announced later. Mr. Richmond was born on Oct. 27, 1935, at Detroit, Mich., although his roots were in Tennessee. He was a son of Russell S. and Rubby Lee Essary Richmond. After serving in the U.S. Army and being stationed in Germany where he learned the language, he went on to be successful at the endeavors he chose. He had a body shop, built a log home and sailed down the West … Read more
Norman “Norm” Allen, 86, of Baker City died Feb. 19, 2006, at Settler’s Park. At his request, there will be no service. In the spring his family will gather privately to celebrate his life and to scatter his ashes with his beloved wife’s. Norm was born on Jan. 26, 1920, at Smyrna Mills, Maine, to Thomas and Delia Allen. He was the 13th of 13 children. He attended school at Smyrna Mills and after graduating from high school enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He was stationed in Idaho and Washington. While in Idaho he met his life’s partner, Yvonne … Read more
Elgin, Oregon Richard “Dick” La Verne Province, 78, of Elgin, died Sept. 19 at his home. A celebration of life will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Elgin Stampede Hall. Dick was born on Oct. 3, 1928, to Fred and Florence (Haustien) Province in Callaway, Neb. He served as a Seaman Second Class in the U.S. Navy from 1945 to 1947. He was a long-time logger in Pierce, Idaho, La Grande, Elgin and Sumpter. He participated in all phases of the logging process and retired in 2006. He moved to Elgin from La Grande in 2005. Dick was a … Read more
Baker City, Oregon Dorothy Frances Brandt Hallstrom, 80, of Baker City died at her home on May 27, 2004. Her memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the cabin near Sumpter, which Dorothy dearly loved. Dorothy was born on July 9, 1923, at Seattle, Wash., to George and Doris Brandt. She moved with her parents to Portland, where she completed her education. Dorothy always appreciated a good day’s work and never shirked responsibility. She worked as a bookkeeper and owned a successful yarn shop in Baker City. She also helped build a log cabin with her husband, James … Read more
Baker City, Oregon Rosslee Dama “Rosy” Crockett, 82, a longtime Baker City resident, died Dec. 21, 2000, at her home. A celebration of her life will be Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Darlene Friedlander will conduct the service. A reception will follow the service in the Oregon Trail Room at the Quality Inn Motel, 810 Campbell St. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitations will be today until 8 p.m. at Gray’s West & Co. Mrs. Crockett was born Feb. 8, 1918, at Monett, Mo., to Leslie A. Taylor … Read more
F. MaRee Beigh Rowan, 74, died May 14, 2008, at her home in Sumpter. Her funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Gray’s West & Co., 1500 Dewey Ave. There will be a graveside service at 3 p.m. at Evergreen Cemetery in Ontario. Friends are invited to join the family at the Lions Park for a celebration of life party in MaRee’s honor after the service. MaRee was the daughter of Millard and Florence Beigh of Cambridge, Idaho. She was born and raised at Cambridge. She married the love of her life, Durwood “Jim” Rowan of Ontario, on Nov. … Read more
Kay Sharon Menolascina, 68, of Baker City, died July 16, 2009, at an adult foster care home after an extended illness. At her request, her body was cremated. Private inturnment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Mrs. Menolascina was born on Nov. 17, 1940, at Oregon City to Raymond I. and Emma “Jean” Phillips. Kay graduated from Franklin High School where she sang in the choir. She also attended Business College. For more than 10 years she and her husband, Dino, operated D & K Detector Sales, a successful metal detecting and prospecting business they started together in 1968 in … Read more
Marjorie Baird Randall, 90, of Ontario, a former Baker City resident, died March 2, 2002, at the Presbyterian Community Care Center in Ontario where she had been a resident for the past five years. Private cremation was under the direction of the Haren-Wood Funeral Chapel in Ontario. Her memorial service will be at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in the chapel of the Presbyterian Community Care Center in Ontario. Interment for her and her husband, Jim, will be in Mount Hope Cemetery. Marjorie and her twin sister, Margaret, were born to Frank D. Baird and Mary Lee Huyette Baird on Oct. 30, … Read more
Baker City, Oregon Joe E. Harrison, 85, died at his home in Baker City on Jan. 22, 2003. At his request, there will be no funeral. An urn burial will take place later at Lane Memorial Gardens in Eugene. Joe E. Harrison was born on Dec. 24, 1917, at Wallowa to John Baker Harrison and Lula Jane Markham Harrison. He attended school at McEwen in Sumpter Valley until the age of 16 when he moved to New Bridge in Pine Valley to finish his education and to work in the Cornucopia Gold Mine. He later moved to Portland where he … Read more
There are no known original records or maps for the cemetery. It is proper to suppose that any such was lost in the Sumpter fire of 1917. The City of Sumpter now assumes cotrol. It was originally called Blue Mountain Cemetery and was owned by E.A. Case the Sumpter undertaker. There was an earlier cemetery in Sumpter near the NE corner of Auburn and Ibex Streets. Those graves were all moved here in 1900 and likely this cemetery was not started much before then. The earliest dates here, 1895, could have been moved. This outline defines only the old fenced … Read more
Sumpter, Oregon Marcia A. Thornton, 67, of Sumpter, a Baker County native, died March 19, 2001, at her home. Her memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at the McEwen Bible Fellowship. Pastor Bill Cox of the church will officiate. Mrs. Thornton was born on Nov. 14, 1933, at Baker City to Alice and George Carver. She attended schools in Baker, Hermiston and Walla Walla, Wash. She was a 1951 Baker High School graduate. She married Norman Charles Thornton on Dec. 1, 1950, at Pasco, Wash. They lived in Baker City and had homes in Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Nevada, … Read more
Willard Hoffman Smith, 83, a former Sumpter resident, died May 26, 2005, at the Idaho State Veterans Home in Boise. There will be a memorial service for him at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Idaho State Veterans Home. There will be a second memorial service at 2 p.m. Saturday at the McEwen Church near Sumpter. Friends are invited to join the family for a potluck dinner afterward. Willard was born on July 27, 1921, at Leland, Idaho. He moved with his family to Nyssa where his parents farmed. He was a Nyssa High School graduate and married his high school … Read more
North Powder, Oregon Anna Mae Whiting Flower, 86, of La Grande, who taught school for many years in Eastern Oregon, died Jan. 18, 2004, at La Grande. Her funeral will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Island City Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was born on April 11, 1917, at Mount Glenn to Edward Daniel and Mary Emelia “Mille” Olsen Whiting. She married Jake Cecil Flower on Jan. 17, 1944, at Los Angeles. They were later divorced. The couple had three children, Kay, Lee and Keith. Anna attended schools at Mount Glenn and La Grande. She … Read more
Baker City, Baker County, Oregon Alma Theresa Bacon, 92, a longtime Baker City resident, died Sept. 19, 2005, at a foster care home in Baker City. Her funeral will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Pastor Jack Bynum of the United Methodist Church will officiate. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitations will be until 7 o’clock tonight at the funeral home. Alma was born on Oct. 28, 1912, at Folsom, Calif., to Victor Leonard and Mamie Ellen Dickinson Turner. She was raised and educated at Folsom. She married John Bacon on … Read more
Gentria Taliaferro Sipp, 85, of Portland and Sumpter, died Aug. 1, 2007, at her home in Sumpter. Graveside inurnment will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 19, at Mount Hope Cemetery. Gentria was born on Sept. 25, 1921, to Gentry and Pearl Gibson Taliaferro. She spent her early childhood at Sumpter where she attended school for the first several years. She then attended school at Baker and was a 1939 Baker High School graduate. Her summers were special times when she returned to Sumpter and later to the Independence Mine near Granite where her father was the manager. She always … Read more
Ronald Duane Culley, 66, a former Baker City resident, died Sept. 26, 2007, at St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center in Boise. His memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Baker City Church of the Nazarene, 1250 Hughes Lane. Pastor Jonathan Privett of the Nazarene Church will officiate. Ron was born on July 17, 1941, in Baker City to Harold and Catherine Bradley Culley. He lived for a couple of years in Baker City then spent about a year on the Umatilla Army Depot where his father was working. He moved from there to the Bourne area where … Read more
Baker City, Oregon Viola M. Calder, 90, a longtime Baker City resident, died March 17, 2002, at Troutdale from complication of breast cancer. A celebration of Viola’s life will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2625 Hugest Lane. Ernie Collard of the 1st Ward will conduct the services. Interment will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitations will be from today until 7 p.m. at the Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Viola was born April 5, 1911, in Sumpter to Andrew and Libby Lucas. She was the third daughter in a family … Read more
Seth Beal Dennis, 89, a Sumpter Valley resident, died Nov. 9, 2004, at St. Elizabeth Health Care Center. There will be a private graveside service. Mr. Dennis was born on Jan. 31, 1915, at Idaho Falls, Idaho, to Samuel and Sarah Smith Dennis. He was their 12th child. After graduating from high school at Idaho Falls, he became a railway mail clerk. He married Helen Fenn in 1941. He served in World War II in the African and Italian campaigns. When he returned from the service, he and Helen settled at Baker, where he worked as a railway postal clerk. … Read more