Vancouver Washington

Biography of James H. Raley

JAMES H. RALEY. – Prominent among the pioneers of Eastern Oregon may be mentioned this gentleman whose name and portrait appear here with, and who now sits as joint senator in the Oregon legislature from Umatilla and Morrow counties. He was born in Nebraska City in 1855, and as a boy, in 1862, crossed the plains with his parents, arriving at Portland at a time so early in the history of that metropolis as to find an excellent spot for camping near the present site of the St. Charles Hotel. A year later the family found a location at Vancouver, … Read more

Planting, Allen Arnold – Obituary

Memorial service will be 2 p.m. June 17, 1994, in Trinity Lutheran Church in Vancouver, Wash. Disposition will be by cremation. Interment will be in Park Hill Cemetery in Vancouver. Mr. Planting died of a stroke June 13 in Portland hospital. He was 80. He was born Dec. 31, 1913 in Pendleton. Before his retirement he was a shipping clerk for Crane Plumbing Co. in Portland. He had lived in Vancouver since 1929. Survivors include his wife, Leone; daughters, Ann Bates, Ruth Sundheim and Kay Planting, all of Seattle; sister, Goldie Vice of Vancouver; and one granddaughter. Remembrances: Trinity Lutheran … Read more

Wilkinson, Virginia – Obituary

Mary Virginia Wilkinson, age 52 years, wife of Andrew Wilkinson, died at her home in North Union at 11 p.m. Thursday, March 27, after a short illness. Mrs. Wilkinson was the mother of Mrs. Jas. Webb, of Union, Mrs. Clara Lee of Baker, and E. E. Wilkinson of Nicola, B.C., and has been a resident of this section for many years. The funeral will be held Sunday at 1:30 p.m. from the residence. The funeral of Mary Virginia Wilkinson, took place Sunday last at 1:30 p. m., as announced in the Republican, and was largely attended. Mary Virginia Lamere was … Read more

Odell, Gladys Louise Linn – Obituary

Funeral for Gladys Louise Odell, who resided at 6962 NE Morris St., will be Monday at 11 a.m. in the Carroll Funeral Home in Gresham. Private interment will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery. Mrs. Odell died Thursday [December 1] after a long illness. She was 66. Her early school years were spent at Salem School for the Deaf and the Vancouver, Wash., School for the Deaf. She was born Aug. 2, 1911, in Estacada. She married Ralph Odell in 1941 and spent most of her adult life in the Sandy community. She was a member of Lutheran Church for the … Read more

Biography of Hon. Dean Blanchard

HON. DEAN BLANCHARD. – Among those who have manifested great interest in the welfare of the Pacific Northwest as a whole, and Columbia county, Oregon, in particular, the gentleman above named figures conspicuously. He was born in Madison county, Maine, on December 20, 1832, where he resided on his father’s farm until 1853, when he left for California, reaching that state in December of that year. In April 1854, he came to Oregon, and located at St. Helens, having secured a situation as salesman and book-keeper in a store there. In 1855, he went with the command of Major Haller, … Read more

Brown, Sandra Nadine “Sandy” Larson Mrs. – Obituary

Sandra Nadine “Sandy” Brown, 58, a resident of Clark County, Wash., since 1989, and a former Baker City resident, died Oct. 31, 2001, at a Portland hospital. Her memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Monday at the Vancouver Funeral Chapel. Mrs. Brown was born on Sept. 7, 1943, at Baker City. She was a 1961 Baker High School graduate. She moved to Woodland, Wash., in 1968 and to Vancouver, Wash., in 1989. She was employed as a production worker for several companies in the area. She enjoyed her family and friends, flowers and trips to the mountains and the … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Dr. William Proebstel

DR. WILLIAM PROEBSTEL. – Few among our early residents have been more serviceable to society than the gentleman whose name appears above. He was born in Germany in 1829, and is the son of a wine-grower. He received his primary education in the old country, and at the age of thirteen migrated to America, locating in Missouri, remaining there ten years, and receiving from the common schools the rudiments of an English education. He also took a course in dentistry. In 1852 he crossed the plains to Oregon, locating at Portland. The next spring, with two brothers, he purchased the … Read more

Biography of Gay Hayden

MR. AND MRS. GAY HAYDEN. – Prominent among the many pioneers of the Pacific Northwest who deserve an enduring place in its history are Mr. and Mrs. Hayden of Vancouver, Washington, whose heroism under the many difficulties that beset the emigrants who broke the way for advancing civilization on this far frontier will seem to generations yet unborn, who are destined to read these pages, more like the dream of the novelist than a recital of fact. Mrs. Mary J. Hayden, who at this writing is a handsome, well-preserved and charmingly vivacious woman, as ready-witted, graceful and gentle as though … Read more

Biography of Thomas T. Redsull

Great, indeed, have been the changes that time and man have wrought since Thomas T. Redsull landed on the Pacific coast. California yet belonged to Mexico, and much of the land, especially in the southern part of the state, was divided into large estates, owned and occupied by Spanish families. Mr. Redsull was then but eleven years of age, yet had started out to make his own way in the world. He was born in the County of Kent, England, on the 15th of November, 1827, a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Goymer) Redsull, both of whom were natives of … Read more

Graves, Vina Lynn Mrs. – Obituary

Vina Lynn Cronk Graves of Vancouver, Wash., died on July 21, 2001, four days short of her 99th birthday. Interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. There will be a memorial service for her on Sept. 16 at 2 p.m. at the Calvary Baptist Church, 2130 Fourth St. Mrs. Graves was born on July 25, 1902, at Ord, Neb. Her family settled at Emmett, Idaho, in 1906 and she grew up there. She was a school teacher at Lookingglass for two years and homemaker, teacher and school volunteer for 40 years in Idaho. She was married to Kent W. Graves … Read more

Denney, William L. – Obituary

William L. “Bill” Denney, 63, of Champaign, Ill., and formerly of Wallowa County, died Aug. 13 after a long battle with pancreal cancer. Bramley Funeral Home in Champaign is in charge of arrangements. A funeral was held Aug. 18 in Divernon, Ill., with burial in Pawnee, Ill., at Calvary Cemetery. A memorial service will begin at 11 a.m. Sept. 5 at Northside Baptist Church in Vancouver, Wash. A reception and visitation will follow. Bill was born Dec. 14, 1944, to Clifford R. and Mary (Betz) Denney in Spokane. He moved to Oregon in 1948 to the lower Imnaha area. He … Read more

Biography of James Birnie

JAMES BIRNIE. – Mr. Birnie was a Scotchman by birth. He was born at Paisley, county Renfrew, Scotland, in the year 1800. In 1816 the ambitious lad left his native health and emigrated to Montreal, Canada. Here, under the tutelage of a Catholic priest, he studied the French language for about two years, at the end of which time he entered the employ of the Northwest Fur Company as one of its clerks, and was sent across the Rocky Mountains to Fort Spokane, where he arrived towards the close of 1818. The fort at this time was in charge of … Read more

Miller, Odetta F. Jacobs Patterson Mrs. – Obituary

Odetta F. Miller, 78, a lifetime Baker City resident, died May 14, 2005, at her home of natural causes. Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Mr. Larry Albert will conduct the service. Interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitations will be fro 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Odetta was born on June 12, 1926, at Baker City to Howard and Goldie Jacobs. Her best childhood memories included living on the homestead out at Five Mile (Lookout Mountain). She spent most of her time with her … Read more

Stephens, Montia Coval – Obituary

Joseph, Oregon Montia Coval Stephens died May 20, 2007, at the Vancouver Veterans Hospice Center, from cancer surgery complications. He was 64. Mr. Stephens was born Dec. 30, 1942, in Cottage Grove. He graduated from Joseph High School in 1960. Immediately after high school he enlisted in the U.S. Army. His service included Officers’ Candidate School, tours in Korea and the Dominican Republic and in the White House as a communication specialist and on the presidential press team during President John F. Kennedy’s term. He also worked in the Pentagon. He left the army as a Captain. Mr. Stephens remained … Read more

Thorpe, Frank – Obituary

Graveside funeral services were held yesterday afternoon at the Summerville cemetery for Frank Thorpe, 79, who died earlier this week at the Pythian Home at Vancouver, Washington, where he had lived the last several years. The service of the Knights of Pythias was used. Mr. Thorpe was born July 7, 1866 at Seymour, Iowa, and came in this locality when a small boy. He was in business here for many years and later moved to his acreage a mile from Alicel on the old Summerville road where he lived until going to Vancouver. The deceased leaves no known surviving relatives … Read more

Polk, Opal Laverne – Obituary

North Powder, Oregon Opal Laverne Polk, 80, of Vancouver, Wash., and formerly of North Powder died June 8. Evergreen Memorial Gardens Funeral Chapel was in charge of arrangements. Mrs. Polk was born July 15, 1925, to Mary and Jacob Simonis in North Powder. She married Perry Polk who died earlier. Survivors include children and their spouses, Betty and John Sneddon of Vancouver, Linda Sill and her fiance Bob Turkington of Anchorage, Alaska, and David and Margaret Polk of Longview, Wash.; six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. The Observer Online, Obituaries for the week ending June 24, 2006, Published, June 26, 2006

Bowman, Laura Evalena Stickler – Obituary

Mrs. O. P. Bowman, long time resident of Umatilla county, died on Sunday morning [August 31, 1930] at 7:00 at St. Anthony’s hospital after an illness of three weeks. Mrs. Bowman was 62 years of age, being born in Winterset, Madison County, Iowa, on January 20, 1868. She crossed the plains at the age of 15 with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. E. Stickler. The family settled in Vancouver, Washington, later moving to Pendleton. She was married to Mr. Bowman on April 26, 1891 in Vancouver, WA. She is survived by her husband and the following children: Roy, Oscar, Hugh, … Read more

Dulin, Dorothy Irene – Obituary

Lostine, Oregon Dorothy Irene Dulin died Feb. 20, 2008. She was born Jan. 13, 1918 in Spokane, Wash. to Olla Lee Gooch and John Fredrick Bachman. Dorothy grew up in Vancouver, Wash. and was the youngest of five siblings. She graduated high school and worked in a cannery before moving to southern California, where she spent the next 64 years of her life. There, she met John W Dulin, a young man from Springfield Mo. They were married in Las Vegas, Nev. on Nov. 16, 1941, and recently celebrated their 66th anniversary. Dorothy worked in a bag factory and later … Read more

Tumwater, Vancouver, Port Townsend, Washington

Tumwater, the initial point in the ‘history of the settlement of Puget Sound, was incorporated in Nov. 1869. In time it numbered more manufactories than any other town on the Sound. Vancouver and Early Settlers Vancouver was the fourth town in size in western Washington, having in 1880 about 3,000 inhabitants. It was made the county seat of Clarke County by the first legislative assembly of Washington, in March 1854, its pioneers, both English and American, long retaining their residences. Among the early settlers were James Turnbull, born in England, came to Washington in 1852, and with him William Turnbull, … Read more

Dixon, Elwood J. – Obituary

Resident Here Since 1882, Former Mail Carrier Dies Sunday. Death came to another pioneer resident of the Kittitas valley here Sunday when Elwood J. Dixon, 82, died at the Ellensburg General hospital following a major operation [died May 9, 1937]. A resident of this valley since 1882, and one of the earliest rural mail carriers here, Mr. Dixon was widely known throughout this section. He was born in Fulton County, Illinois, on October 3, 1854 and came west to Vancouver, W., with his parents [John Wesley Dixon and Sarah E. Smith] when he was 24 years old. The family came … Read more