Halfway, Baker County, Oregon
Courtney DelCurto, 93, a former Halfway resident, died on March 26, 2006 at Eugene.
Her funeral was Saturday at Pine Valley Presbyterian Church in Halfway. Interment was at Pine Haven Cemetery in Halfway.
Courtney Melba Vaughan was born on Dec. 20, 1912, to Jacob Alexander and Gertrude Eva Rob Vaughan at home in Halfway. She grew up at Halfway and on Wild Horse Creek, which is where the Brownlee dam is located now. As a girl she would swim her horse across the Snake River and then ride through the hills to Halfway to visit friends.
She married Reno Nicholas DelCurto on Sept. 14, 1934, at Wallace, Idaho. They lived at Cornucopia until the mines closed. Then in 1980, Courtney moved back to Pine Valley after Reno died.
Courtney never missed a chance to pick huckleberries. She loved to garden, she was diligent about canning and freezing her delicious garden produce so she could offer it to others in the winter.
At the age of 65 she taught herself how to ride a bike. In her 80s she rafted the Snake River and also rode horses in her late 80s. In her 90s, Courtney still enjoyed a good day of fishing.
Courtney was independent and strong-willed. She had a certain way of washing dishes by hand in scalding hot water, and she liked her routines. She insisted on walking even when taking the car, her dark green Torino, would have been far quicker and easier.
“For those she leaves behind, we will miss her,” her family members said. “As for heaven, they have received a spunky angel.”
Survivors include her son and daughter-in-law, Larry and Jeane DelCurto of Eugene; grandchildren, Calvin DelCurto, Danny DelCurto, Sandy Stechelin, Carrie Jackson and Tammy Huske; 11 great- grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Reno, who died in 1980; two sons, Dennis and Neal; an infant daughter, Lavonne; and four sisters and two brothers.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Pine Valley Seniors-Community Connection through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543 Halfway, OR 97834.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, April 7, 2006
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor