Ivan Richard Bork, 84, a resident of The Dalles, since 1966, died at a local care center on Saturday, July 21, 2001.
He was born May 30, 1917, in Flora, Oregon, the oldest of eight children to Ira H. and Lora (Moys) Bork He was the grandson of early Wallowa County pioneers, Rudolph and Bertha Bork, who came from Germany in 1885 and settled in Wallowa County as United States citizens in 1891.
Ivan was married to Leola Surber on June 23, 1940, in Enterprise, by the same Justice of Peace, A.B. Conway, that had married their parents, Ira and Lora Bork and Richard and Edith Surber in June 1916. He was a logger in Eastern Oregon until moving in April 1949 to Baker City, where he worked as a faller and catskinner. In 1959, the family moved to Portland with Ivan logging in Estacada. In June 1962, he went to work at the Tygh Valley Lumber Company, working as a loader operator until his retirement in 1982.
He was a member of the Solid Rock Community Church of God and being a faithful Christian man, his life’s priority and dedication was to his church work. Ivan’s favorite pastime was his ham radio, chatting with new friends and helping truckers with driving directions and weather reports. He also participated yearly in the Diabetes Bike-A-Thon.
He is survived by his wife, Leola of The Dalles; his children and their spouses, Rosalie and David Harnden, Prineville; Ivan Harry and Saundra Bork, Baker City; Wayne and Sharon Bork, Ft. Wayne, IN and Darlena and Robert Salisbury, Albany; grandchildren, Brian, Lisa, Carl, Crystal, Timothy and Andy, great grandchildren, Kristopher, Alma, Staranna, Nicholas, Tiffany, Steven and Stacey, his brother, Neal Bork, Baker City; his sisters, Alma Gribling, La Grande; Ila Grenier, Scappoose; Erma Sewell, Sweetwater and Rita Bork, Orville, WA. His parents, two brothers, an infant son and infant grandson preceded him in death.
Viewing visitation will be held at Spencer, Libby & Powell Funeral Home from 2 to 7 p.m. on Monday, July 23 and 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesday.
Graveside committal services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 24, at The Dalles IOOF Cemetery. A memorial service with dinner will follow at 2:30 p.m. at the Solid Rock Community Church of God (2308 East 12th St.) with Revs. Ken Post and Ellie Sutter officiating.
Memorials may be made to Solid Rock Community Church of God or Hospice of the Gorge, 751 Myrtle St., The Dalles, OR 97058.
Contributed by: Rosalie Bork Harnden