La Grande, Oregon
M. LaVelle Givens, 80, of La Grande and formerly of Baker City, died Oct. 25 in La Grande. At her request there will be no public services. Those who wish may sign the on-line guest book at www.danielsknopp.com.
LaVelle was born on May 19, 1927, to Elmer and Ethel (Boyer) Graven in Baker. Her great-grandparents, Thomas and Marietta (Dunn) Boyer, homesteaded in the Grande Ronde Valley in 1864. Her grandfather, Richard Boyer, was born near La Grande in 1873.
LaVelle was raised and educated in Hereford where she graduated from high school. She married Jimmie Warren on Dec. 17, 1945, in San Francisco. He died of injuries on April 11, 1946, at the Treasure Island Naval Hospital in San Francisco.
LaVelle married John Atkinson on Aug. 16, 1946. They had two sons and a daughter. LaVelle and John lived in Hereford, Austin Junction, Fossil, Baker and La Grande during John’s career with the Oregon Department of Transportation.
LaVelle worked at JC Penneys in Baker City, for Dr. Alan Hall and at the Red Barn Market in La Grande. LaVelle and John were divorced in 1972, and LaVelle married Rex Givens on Dec. 15, 1973. LaVelle and Rex lived in Baker City, Payette and Medford where she assisted him with his carpet-cleaning business.
LaVelle was a member of the VFW Auxiliary, the Eagles Auxiliary and the Red Hat Society. She enjoyed the outdoors, picking huckleberries, camping and fishing. She also enjoyed painting, crafts and gardening.
Survivors include her mother, Ethel Graven of Payette, Idaho; children and their spouses, Ted and Patty Atkinson of La Grande, Rhonda and Herb Hickman of Bend and Laine and Jean Atkinson of Ione, Calif.; sister, Evelyn Wells of Payette; seven grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild and other relatives.
LaVelle was preceded in death by her father, Elmer Graven; an infant brother, Elmer Jr.; an infant granddaughter; husbands, Jimmie Warren and Rex Givens; and longtime companion, Glen Burrell.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, The Red Cross or the GRH Hospice.
La Grande Observer – Obituaries for the week ending November 3, 2007 – Published: November 3, 2007