Baker City, Baker County, Oregon
Earl Nathan Suitter, 78, of Baker City, died May 9, 2006, at the family property in Haines.
His funeral will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Ian Fisher, Earl’s nephew, will officiate.
After the services, friends are invited to join the family for a reception at Geiser Pollman Park.
Earl was born Sept. 1, 1927, in Emmett, Idaho, to Homer Nathan and Daisy Jessie Carroll Suitter.
During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged.
Continuing his civil service, Earl became a member of the Baker County Mounted Sheriff Posse in the early 1950s.
He married Dorothy Clark on Aug. 1, 1947. The couple divorced Oct. 24, 1953. Earl was remarried to Wilma McCullough on June 19, 1954.
Throughout his life, Earl worked in many different fields. In 1978, he bought and ran the family ranch out of Durkee. Earl and Wilma lived on the ranch for 17 years before moving into Baker City in 1995.
Even while running the ranch, he took a position with the Fish and Wildlife Service on the damage task force in 1986. He also worked for Oregon Portland Cement for many years.
In 1992, Earl became a life Member of the Oregon Small Woodland Association, where he served several years as vice president. For the Baker County Small Woodland Association, he served as president.
Earl incorporated his land management services business in 1993. He was active in land management services until his death.
In 1995 Earl was awarded a certificate of appreciation from the Blue Mountain Elk Initiative, an organization to enhance elk habitat.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Wilma Suitter of Baker City; three children: Nathan Suitter and his wife, Frances, of Durkee, Linda Scholes and her husband, Rob, of Eagle, Idaho, and Dean Suitter and his wife, Norine, of Ontario; eight grandchildren; 14 great grandchildren; and two sisters: Lola Suitter of La Grande and Jessie Christie of Baker City.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Homer and Daisy Suitter, and brother, Lyle Suitter.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association in care of Gray’s West & Co., 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, May 12, 2006
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor