Former Milton-Freewater resident, Paul E. Ransom, 83, died Aug. 8, 2008, at Rose Cottage, an adult care facility, in Kennewick, Wash.
The memorial service will be 2 p.m., Friday, Aug.15, 2008, at Mountain View-Colonial DeWitt, 1551 Dalles Military Road, Walla Walla, WA 99362. Pastor Roger Holden will officiate. A reception will follow at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to the New Bridge Church of the Nazarene in New Bridge, Oregon or Tri Cities Hospice through the funeral home.
Mr. Ransom was born Sept. 30, 1924, in Walla Walla, to Ernest and Lou Hahn Ransom. He attended elementary school on Government Mountain then the Forks School on the Walla Walla River. He started high school in Prescott, Wash. His family then moved to Elma, Wash., where he graduated from high school in 1941.
He and Merle Chapman were married in Elma, and they had two children, Jerry and Linda. He was married to Helen Crouse in Ellensburg, Wash., and they had four children: Calvin, Paula, Ernie and Kimberli. He then married Carol Cunningham in Nyssa, Ore.
A farmer and cattle rancher, he raised purebred Charolais in Milton-Freewater and both Charolais and commercial cattle in Richland, Ore. He enjoyed horseback riding, hunting, and pack horse trips into the Eagle Cap Wilderness and Hell’s Canyon. He was privileged to travel with his church on mission trips to Africa, Guatemala, the Samoan Islands, and the Philippines. He was an ardent supporter of the 4-H and Future Farmers of America and was a recipient of the Oregon State Honorary Chapter Farmer and State Farmer degrees.
He was a member of the New Bridge Nazarene Church in Richland, Ore., director of the Western Charolais Association, past president of the Oregon Charolais Association and served on the school board in Pleasant View for 10 years.
Paul is survived by two daughters: Paula Johnson of Pasco, Wash., and Kim Ransom of Portland, Ore.; two step-daughters: Dena Morgan of Bemidji, Minn. and Amber Johnson of Summerville, Ore.; two sons: Calvin Ransom of Richland, Ore., and Ernie Ransom of La Grande, Ore.; three step-sons: Jason Blade of Florida, Michael Cunningham of Germany, and Taul Cumningham also of La Grande, Ore.; 11 grandchildren 13 great-grandchildren, 11 step-grandchildren; two step-great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by a son, Jerry; daughter, Linda; and three brothers: Kenneth, Frank, and Gerald.
Used with permission from: The Record Courier, Baker City, Oregon, August 14, 2008
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor