Baker City, Oregon
William “Pete” Peyron, 82, of Baker City, died Oct. 3, 2004, at his home.
There will be a celebration of his life at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Community Connection Senior Center, 2810 Cedar St. There will be a luncheon afterward.
Pete was born Adrian Rene Peyron to Henry Benjamin Peyron and Louise Marenthier Peyron on Aug. 10, 1922, in the original farmhouse on the Peyron Ranch east of Baker. Pete was also known as “Bill,” and was affectionately called “Unky” by his nieces, who adored him.
His parents came to America in 1908 from France and settled in the Baker Valley in 1917. Pete was the youngest. His brothers, Henry, Gaston and Paul, and his sister, Rose, all attended the one-room schoolhouse, Sunnyslope School No. 69.
While growing up, Pete worked on the ranch, milking cows, watering livestock and herding sheep and hogs. He quickly developed a love for ranching.
When Pete was drafted early in World War II, his father told the Draft Board, “You’ve taken three of my sons — you’re not taking the last one!” Pete stayed with his family working the land, and helped other families in the area whose sons were serving in the war to bring their crops in as well.
He remained on the ranch, making it his lifelong career. He took care of his parents in their later years. At the age of 50, he married Elizabeth Huntington Peyron on Jan. 18, 1973.
Those who knew Pete said he had a “passion for water,” which was the lifeblood of the ranch, and Pete took it very seriously. He spent countless hours working on local irrigation projects. Pete was on the Baker Valley Irrigation Board from 1963 to 1990 and was involved with the completion of the Mason Dam irrigation project in 1968 with other directors Alvin Ward and Charles Colton.
He also worked on the maintenance and upkeep of the Smith Ditch, which irrigated the Peyron Ranch property. The Ranch was the last property on the ditch and in the earlier years before Mason Dam was put into operation, it was a daily struggle to get water to it.
The original ranch was a combination of rocks, hillsides, sagebrush and alkali. The family bought their first John Deere tractor in 1941 for $1,000, and Pete got busy turning the ground into pasture and hay land.
Pete’s brother, Paul, said not only was Pete his brother, he was his best friend and they shared many activities together including playing on the Missouri Flat baseball team. The team practiced on Lindley Lane in a cow pasture and Pete played first baseman.
Pete was a contented, peaceful man who accepted life, and whatever circumstances arose, with courage and dignity. He never once looked at a difficult situation and asked, “Why me?” Even when he was diagnosed with adult-onset hydrocephalus in 1987, he accepted his condition and went on with his life as best he could.
Through it all, he never lost his wonderful sense of humor.
“Playing Kid,” was one of his favorite sayings and his good friend, Babe Deardorff, who began working on the Peyron Ranch at the age of 10, said it was something he also liked to do. He recalled the time years ago when he was on the power buck and Pete was driving the farmhand. It was quitting time and the two decided to have a race while driving the machinery back to the house. Pete hit a fence and broke all but one tooth off of the farmhand.
Even though he took time to play, Babe said Pete was an extremely hard worker. “If you ever got into a ditch and had to shovel with Pete, you had better keep up.”
For several summers Pete’s nieces, Sue, Pam, Nancy, Laurie and Donna, worked on the ranch as his all-girl hay crew. Pete said, “Even though they couldn’t fix machinery, they weren’t as hard on the machinery as boys.”
Pete loved raising sheep and cattle, and knew all of his cows by name as well as their lineage. He enjoyed attending the local cattle sales and always looked forward to bumping into neighbors and friends for a cup of coffee and a doughnut.
He also had a fondness for dogs and cats and befriended many over the years. If a stray dog wagged his tail or a lost cat mewed at him, they undoubtedly became permanent residents of the Peyron Ranch. And he never went anywhere without a few of these faithful companions bouncing beside him.
Although Pete was baptized as an infant, he felt that church was best experienced outside in the midst of God and nature. He hunted and fished in his younger years, but later on he couldn’t bring himself to kill a deer, he said they were too beautiful to destroy.
Pete spent his entire life, except two years from 2002-2003 when he was being cared for at St. Elizabeth Care Center, on the Peyron Ranch. Even when his illness prevented him from doing many things, he continued to enjoy nature from his window and remained awed by the beauty of it all.
“Memories of this gentle giant among men will continue to touch the hearts of many for generations to come,” his family said. “As he passes from this world, he leaves behind a legacy of environmental stewardship and kindness to humanity that will continue to benefit those who knew him.”
Memorial contributions may be made to the Senior Center for the Community Connection bus or the charity of one’s choice through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, October 22, 2004
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor