Obituary

Elizabeth Ann “Betsy” Boettcher, 67, of Baker City, died Aug. 27, 2008. At her request, there will be a private service. Born at Summit, N.J., Betsy lived at New Providence, N.J., most of her life before moving to Oregon in 1982. She was preceded in death by her parents, William Sr. and Ruth Dunne Snyder of New Providence. Survivors include her brother, William A. Snyder Jr. and his wife, Merryl, of New Providence, N.J.; her sister, Catherine Bradley, and her husband, Lloyd, of Lebanon Township, N.J.; and nephews, Brian, Shawn and Christopher Snyder and Brian Bradley. Gray’s West & Co. … Read more

J. Merle Cummings, 90, of Unity, died Aug. 24, 2008, at Baker City. His funeral will be at 10 a.m. PDT Saturday at the Vale Christian Church. Pastor Roger Scovil of the Baker City Christian Church will officiate. Visitations will precede the service at 9 a.m. PDT. Interment will be at Valley View Cemetery. Friends are invited to join the family for dinner at Vale Christian Church after the service. Merle was born on Jan. 10, 1918, at Burns to Austin and Bessie Cummings. His parents later divorced. He lived at The Dalles during a part of his early elementary … Read more

Linda “Umaw” Pifher, 58, of Baker City, died Aug. 19, 2008 at her home. At the family’s request, there will be no service. Linda was born July 17, 1950, at Prairie City to Opal Dee Davis and Norma Jean Davis. Linda was “Umaw” to her grandkids and friends. She was their No. 1 fan and loved to watch them play sports. She loved to shoot traps with her son, Shea, and her grandson, Derek, and Geoff White. She also loved to fish on the Snake River with granddaughter, Sierra, and her daughter, Nicole. Linda was the life of any family … Read more

Anna Mildred “Millie” Heizer, a longtime Baker City resident, died Aug. 21, 2008, at St. Elizabeth Health Services immediately after kissing her son goodbye. Her funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Mr. Larry Pearson will officiate. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. There will be a reception after the burial at Meadowbrook Place, 4000 Cedar St. Millie was born at Colorado Springs, Colo., to J. F. and Alberta Cox Smith. She was the youngest of four children. When Millie was 2, her family moved to Payette, Idaho. She … Read more

Kathryn Annabelle Morgan, 55, of Baker City, died Aug. 20, 2008, after a courageous battle with cancer. There will be a celebration of Annabelle’s life and memorial service at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Baker City Church of the Nazarene, 1250 Hughes Lane. Pastor Jon Privett will officiate. Friends are invited to join the family for a dinner at the church after the service. There will be a graveside service at 11 a.m. Thursday in Prairie City. Annabelle was born on Nov. 9, 1952, at Prairie City to William Franklin and Mary Alta Till Winegar. She was educated at Prairie … Read more

George O. Hiatt, 77, died Aug. 20, 2008, at St. Elizabeth Health Services, after a short illness. His memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Pastor Gordon Bond will officiate. There will be a reception after the service at the Baker Elks Lodge, 1896 Second St. Private interment will be later at Salubria Cemetery in Cambridge, Idaho. George was born on July 31, 1931, at the family farmhouse in Cambridge, Idaho, to George Wallace and Edith Sutton Hiatt. He was raised in several towns in Oregon and Idaho, graduating … Read more

Richard Alex Schricker, 65, of Baker City died Aug. 11, 2008, at Phoenix, Ariz. Visitations will be from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. His memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Agape Christian Center, 650 Highway 7. There will be a reception afterward at the church. Pastor Garth Johnson will officiate. A graveside service with military honors is scheduled at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Hillcrest East Cemetery in La Grande. Richard was born on March 7, 1943, at South Bend, Ind., to Richard Clifford and Patricia Louise Wynegar … Read more

William H. “Bill” Kirkpatrick, 89, died July 25, 2008, at his home. His memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the First Presbyterian Church, 1995 Fourth St. The Rev. Susan Barnes will officiate. There will reception afterward at the American Legion, Post No. 41, 2129 Second St. Bill was born on June 7, 1919, to Chauncey and Elizabeth Jaehn Kirkpatrick. He was known to all as “Uncle Bill.” He was a 1938 Baker High School graduate. Bill was attending the University of Oregon at Eugene in 1941, his senior year. The events of Dec. 7 caused the fast … Read more

Dorothy Craig-Haley, 95, died April 20, 2009, at the Wildflower Lodge in La Grande. At her request, there will be no service. Disposition was by cremation and her ashes will be spread under the old apple trees in the orchard at the old Savage homestead on Anthony Creek. Dorothy was the youngest of four children born to Jacob and Emma Savage at Wyaconda, Mo. Shortly after her birth, the family moved from Missouri to Beaver Creek in Baker County. Due to poor farming conditions, they moved a second time to a homestead on Anthony Creek in Union County, six miles … Read more

Delbert Glenn Addington, 84, died April 30, 2009, at his home in Baker City. The family will hold a private memorial service at a later date. He was born April 3, 1925, in Riverside, Calif., to Pete and Ethel (Myers) Addington. He was raised in Southern California around Riverside. At 17, Del joined the Navy and served in the Korean War. During his service, Del received training as an air conditioning / refrigeration tech. After his honorary discharge from the military, he went on to trade school to work in the air conditioning / refrigeration industry. Del owned and operated … Read more

Ruby Muriel Dorrah, 86, of Baker City passed away Wednesday, March 25, 2009, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. Ruby was born May 3, 1922 in Eatonville, Wash., to Fred and Ruth (Kreger) Johnson. She graduated high school and went on to attend one year of Business College. On Aug. 25, 1941, Ruby married Eddie Dorrah in Lewiston, Idaho. Ruby was a quilter and received numerous awards for her work. She also received many awards for her cooking. Her other favorite activities were clam digging, fishing, reading, bowling, sewing, embroidery, line dancing and golf. She was an avid card player, notably … Read more

Floyd Willis Dodge, 80, died April 23, 2009, at his home, surrounded by his family. Following his wishes, Floyd’s body was cremated. His remains will be scattered at Rocky Bar, Idaho. Friends are invited to join the family for a reception at 2 p.m. Saturday at the American Legion, 2129 Second St. Floyd was born on Feb. 4, 1929, at Mountain Home, Idaho, to Clifford and Laura Dodge. He was a retired diesel mechanic of 20 years. Everyone depended on his expertise as a mechanic and he was excellent at what he did, family members said. Floyd was known to … Read more

Delma Dorthy Miles, 91, a lifetime Baker County resident, died April 24, 2009, at St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise with family members at her side. A wake is scheduled from noon to 7 p.m. Friday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Her funeral will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church, 1995 Fourth St. Interment will be at the Sumpter Cemetery. There will be a reception and lunch afterward at McEwen Bible Fellowship Church. Delma was born on Feb. 20, 1918, on the family homestead at Pleasant Valley. She was fifth in a … Read more

Matthew Peter “Matt” Higgins, 55, a former Baker City resident, died April 26, 2009, after a courageous four- year battle with cancer. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Albany. A recitation of the rosary will be at 10 a.m. He was born in Baker City on April 9, 1954. He attended St. Francis Academy and Baker High School, Eastern Oregon University at La Grande and then Oregon State University at Corvallis, graduating in 1978 with a degree in forest management. Upon graduation, he worked for the U.S. Forest Service until … Read more

Mary Anna Tipton, 86 of Baker City, died April 23, 2009, at Roseburg. Her memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Pastor Dave Deputy of the Calvary Baptist Church will officiate. Visitations will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. today at the funeral home. Private interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Mary Anna was born on Jan. 24, 1923, at Manteca, Calif. She was the youngest of five children. She attended schools at Manteca and upon graduation from Manteca High School, she attended Stockton Business College. Afterward she was employed … Read more

JC Ward, 79, of Baker City, died April 20, 2009, at St. Elizabeth Health Services in Baker City. A memorial service will be held in his honor on Saturday, May 2, at 1 p.m. at the Local Kingdom Hall Of Jehovah’s Witnesses at 975 S. Bridge St. in Baker City. A reception will be held at the Community Connection Center at 2810 Cedar St. in Baker City immediately following the memorial service. JC was born on June 22, 1929, in Brownsville, Texas, to Charles and Vera Ward. He graduated from Yakima High School in Yakima Wash. JC met Vera Peggy … Read more

George W. Carroll, Sr., 88, of Baker City, died April 23, 2009, at his home. Mr. Carroll’s funeral will be Tuesday, April 28 at 2 p.m. at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Major Shirley Kirk of The Salvation Army in Nampa, Idaho, will officiate. Visitations will be today from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the funeral home. Entombment will be at Chelan Abbey Mausoleum in Newport. George was born May 8, 1920, in Jackson Hole, Wyo., to Hubert (Bert) L. and Lucy J. Carroll. He was the 10th child of a family of 13 children. He attended schools … Read more