La Grande, Oregon
Bette Ladine Spears, 70, died April 19 after a long illness at her residence in La Grande. A celebration of life will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at the First Christian Church, 901 Penn Ave., La Grande, with Pastor Mark Schlessman officiating. A luncheon will follow at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of Loveland Funeral Chapel.
Bette was born Aug. 5, 1936, to Vance and Marie (Reichle) James in Plains, Mont. She graduated from La Grande High School in 1954 and married Claude A. Spears in 1955. They raised four children and later divorced.
She trained to be a certified nurses aide and worked at Grande Ronde Hospital and Mountain Vista Care Center for many years before her retirement. Bette loved being with her family and spent as much time as possible with her grandchildren. She enjoyed her cats, gardening, playing Scrabble and yard sales.
Survivors include her children and their spouses, Jim and Susan Spears of Union, Jerry Spears of Portland, Judy and Joe Lucius of La Grande and Janet and Mark Howard of Bend; siblings and their spouses, Don and Marlene James of La Grande and Carol Smith of Baker City; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to GRH Home Health and Hospice or to the Blue Mountain Humane Association.
The Observer – Obituaries for the week ending April 28, 2007 Published: April 28, 2007