Baker City, Oregon
Francis E. DeRoest, 78, of Baker City, died April 7, 2004, at his home about one mile from the old DeRoest farmhouse where he was born.
The rosary will be said at 7 p.m. Tuesday at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, First and Church streets. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the cathedral. The Rev. Robert C. Irwin of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral will officiate. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. There will be a reception afterward at St. Francis de Sales Parish Hall.
Visitations will be until 5 p.m. today and from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday at Gray’s West & Co., 1500 Dewey Ave.
His parents, Bruno and Sibilla, were immigrants from Belgium, having come to the United States during World War I. They had nine children, who all grew up to be successful individuals, having learned firsthand from their parents the work ethic and persistence required to attain success.
Francis attended St. Francis Academy through the sixth grade, but the Depression years brought that education to an end when he and his brothers and sisters had to quit school to work on the family farm.
He later worked at the old Oregon Lumber Co. in south Baker City. There he met his loving wife of 54 years, Leona. They were married on Aug. 12, 1949, at Baker City.
When the Oregon Lumber Co. moved from Baker City to Bates, Francis began a long, successful career as a cabinetmaker and home builder. He was totally self-taught in these trades. He was a life member of the Baker Elks Lodge.
One of the highlights of Francis’ life was hunting each year in the Sumpter area with his son, nephews, great-nephews and friends from California. His cabin at the head of Phillips Lake was filled with love and laughter as they shared each day’s hunt, as well as memories and “tall tales” of past hunting trips.
The hunting partners dubbed him “Kingpin” and went out of their way to take care of “Kingpin” after each evening’s hunt. And “Ol’ Kingpin” just pushed back in his recliner and relished every minute. The success of their hunts was not measured in deer or elk killed, but in the joking, teasing and general camaraderie shared.
As a very young man, Francis and his brothers would ride the old Sumpter Valley Railroad train to their hunting grounds near Sumpter. The boys would camp out in an old railroad car at the end of the line and the train crew would bring groceries to drop off as needed.
Survivors include his wife, Leona, of Baker City; daughters, Kathy Larios of Baker City and Karolyn Monteyne and her partner, John Watts, of Victor, Mont.; son, Francis Jr. and daughter-in-law, Julie, of Powell Butte; 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren; sisters, Mary DeMey of Redmond and May Rouse of Lake Oswego; brothers, Joseph, of Orem, Utah, and Don of Baker City; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was preceded in death by an infant son, Michael A.; his parents, Bruno and Sibilla; brothers, Hector, Leon and Mick; and a sister, Palma Rouse.
Memorial contributions may be made to Pathway Hospice through Gray’s West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, April 16, 2004
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor