La Grande, Union County, Oregon
Clark B. Ruckman, 81, of La Grande,died this morning, Jan. 30, 1993, at Grande Ronde Hospital.
A funeral service sill be held at 2 p. m. Tuesday at Payne Family Mortuary with the Rev, Gerry Etchison of the Cove United Methodist Church officiating. A private concluding service with vault interment will follow at the Island City Cemetery. Friends may call for viewing until 7 tonight and until 1 p.m. Tuesday.
Mr. Ruckman was born on Oct. 14, 1911 at Alicel to Sam and Lillian [Clark] Ruckman. Both of his natural parents died while he was very young and he was brought up by his aunt, Rose Buesing Clark. On Aug, 22, 1943, he married Mary Ellen Bayne. She died in 1982. He later married Celena S. Gann of La Grande on June 15, 1984.
Following graduation from La Grande High School he attended Eastern Oregon State College where he received his teaching degree. He taught for 20-plus years at La Grande Junior High, teaching music and world geography. he was a bus driver for HELP Inc. for 15 years. He served for three years in the U. S Army during World War II. Mr. Ruckman loved motorcycling, flying, music, model trains, photography and
traveling.
In addition to his wife of La Grande, survivors include son Mike of La Grande; daughters Carol Stephens of Cove and Kay Piper of La Mesa, Calif.; sister Lucretia Brookshire of Elgin,a sister in law who he raised as daughter, Hazel Kondor of San Rafael, Calif.; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A daughter, Rebecca “Becky” Faith Ruckman, died on Dec. 29, 1959.
Source: La Grande Observer 30 Jan 1993
There are two errors I spotted in this obituary. The most glaring one was that his father, Sam, did not die when Clark was young. As the obituary I just sent on him shows. I remember when Sam Ruckman died. I guess who ever submitted the info was not aware that Sam preceded Clark in death by 39 years. And the aunt alluded to as raising him, was true, except that her husband, Thomas Clark, was Clark’s maternal uncle. – Tom
