Harrison Earl Lare, 86, of La Grande and a former Union resident, died April 3, 2001, at Twin Firs Retirement Residence at La Grande.
A celebration of life service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Loveland Funeral Chapel. The Rev. Ernest Smith of the Union United Methodist Church will officiate. Visitations will be from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Committal and vault interment will be at the Union Cemetery.
Mr. Lare was born on Jan. 1, 1915, at Kirwin, Kan., to Daniel Abraham and Alpher Etta Vest Lare. He was raised and attended elementary school at Kirwin, Kan., until 1926 when he and his family moved to Wallowa. They lived with his grandmother, Ellen Mollissia Vest, for two years until moving to their own home in Wallowa.
In 1934, he moved to Milton-Freewater with his mother an stepfather. He married Bernice June Roff on Nov. 23, 1935, at Pomeroy, Wash. They had one son, Gayle.
The couple were divorced on Dec. 22, 1937, and Mr. Lare moved to Pineridge for a short time before returning to Milton-Freewater. He married Marie Miller on May 28, 1940, at Walla Walla, Wash., and they had one daughter, Sandra. They had been married for 55 years before Mrs. Lare’s death on Oct. 17, 1995.
Mr. Lare moved to Mowich and worked for a sawmill for a short time before moving to Gilchrist where he worked on the green chain at the mill.
He and his wife and daughter moved back to Walla Walla, where he worked for Maughn Motor Co. as a mechanic for about three months. He then started working for Inland Motor Freight Co. as a mechanic for about six months.
He also worked for the Umatilla Canning Co. for a short time before returning to Gilchrist, working for the Gilchrist Logging Co. He serviced heavy machinery for about four years.
He later drove caterpillar and built roads until his retirement on July 1, 1977. This is when he and his wife moved to Union.
Mr. Lare enjoyed tying flies and spent most of his spare time fishing. He enjoyed gardening and working on televisions and electronics. He also enjoyed traveling to Arizona and California, spending the winter moths where it was warm.
Survivors include a son, Gayle Ramey, and his wife, Marianne, of Temecula, Calif.; his daughter, Sandra Davis of La Grande; grandchildren, Jeffrey and Debra Davis, both of La Grande; great-granddaughter, Breanna Marie Davis of La Grande; nieces, Ida Mac Wheeler of Ocean Springs, Miss., Ethel Leona Gilliam of Davenport, Wash.; nephews, Richard Wheeler of Milton-Freewater, Daniel Wheeler of Coos Bay, Raymond Bovent of Creston, Wash., Roland Bovent of New Jersey and Archie Gilliam of Bellevue, Wash.; a close cousin, Helen Brown of La Grande; his bird, Shorty; and other cousins and relatives.
He was preceded in death by his sisters, Lydia Lola Wheeler in 1987, Eva Ilene Gilliam in 1987, and infant sister, Celia Amelia Lare in 1927; and a niece, Virginia E. Bovent in 1963.
Memorial contributions may be made to Home Health and Hospice or to a charity of one’s choice through the Loveland Funeral Chapel, 1508 Fourth St., La Grande, Ore. 97850.
Used with permission from: The Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, April 9, 2001
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor
