California

Davis, Chester R. “Chet”

Halfway, Oregon Chester R. “Chet” Davis, 77, of Baker City and a former Halfway resident, died Sept. 6, 2004, at his home. His graveside memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Monday at the Pine Haven Cemetery in Halfway. Military rites will be conducted by the Halfway Veterans of Foreign War Post, No. 7847. Mr. Davis was born on Jan. 22, 1927, at Roy, N.M., to John Bernard and Kathryn Valentine Williams Davis. He received his education in San Diego and was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1945. He spent time in Korea after the war and was discharged … Read more

Bailey, Karlen Leigh Bowers Mrs. – Obituary

Karlen Leigh (Bowers) Bailey, 43, a former Baker City resident, died Sept. 6, 2004, in New Meadows, Idaho. A private memorial is planned for later this month. Karlen was born on Aug. 14, 1961, in Fallon, Nev., to Frank C. and JoAnn E. Bowers. They moved just outside of San Diego to Fallbrook, Calif., when Karlen and her siblings were very young. The family moved to Baker City in 1977 after the death of her father. Karlen had spent the last 12 years in the New Meadows area, where she did the things she loved the most — spending time … Read more

Fry, John E. “Jack” – Obituary

John E. “Jack” Fry, 77, of Boise, whose family has owned a cabin at Trout Meadows for many years, died Sept. 11, 2004, at the Hospice Center of the Boise Veterans Hospital. No memorial service is scheduled at this time. His family and friends will celebrate his life in the summer of 2005 at Trout Meadows in the Granite area. The date will be announced later. Mr. Fry was born on June 1, 1927, at Canyon City to Everett and Ora Fry. He grew up at Mount Vernon. He married Ada Newcome in 1950 at Oakland, Calif. They lived at … Read more

Hochbrueckner, Thomas Peter “Tom” – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Thomas Peter “Tom” Hochbrueckner, 79, of Baker City died Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2004, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. His graveside memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Mount Hope Cemetery. The Rev. James R. Watt of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral will officiate. Tom was born on Jan. 5, 1925, at Estacada. His father died when he was 5 and the family moved to Brooklyn, N.Y. During the Depression years, he gained experience by working jobs out of the city during the summer. He worked in a crab canning factory in Maryland, on a small … Read more

Rogers, Vernon Irving “Vern” – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Vernon Irving “Vern” Rogers, 84, of Baker City, died Sept. 9, 2004, in Boise, Idaho. His funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2625 Hughes Lane. Bishop David Richards will officiate. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Friends are invited to join the family for a reception at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after the services. Vern was born on Aug. 23, 1920, at Maquon, Ill., to Irving Holt and Vivian Lois Burroughs Rogers. He was the eldest of nine children. Vern’s father, … Read more

Parlier, Lola G. Madill Mrs. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Lola G. Madill Parlier, 84, of Baker City, died Sept. 13, 2004, at her home. Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, at Grace Methodist Church in Stockton, Calif. She is interred with her husband at Park View Cemetery in French Camp, Calif. She was born on Dec. 21, 1919, at French Camp and had lived at Stockton, Calif., until January. She was a graduate of Manteca High School and the College of the Pacific at Stockton. She taught kindergarten at Jefferson and Fillmore Schools. She was a lifetime member of Beta Sigma Phi. … Read more

Hunt, Richard Douglas – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Richard Douglas Hunt, 64, a former Baker City resident, died peacefully on Sept. 28, 2004, at home in Boise after a short illness. His funeral will be at 11 a.m. at Relyea Funeral Chapel, Boise. His graveside service will be at 11 a.m. (PDT) Saturday at Mount Hope Cemetery. Richard was born on Jan. 26, 1940, at Baker City to Thomas C. and Marie Aasa Hunt. He attended Baker City schools and was a Baker High School graduate. He attended Brigham Young University at Provo, Utah, and the University of Utah at Salt Lake City. Richard was … Read more

Campbell, Alan C. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Alan C. Campbell, 52, died April 29, 2004, at Sacramento, Calif. There will be a celebration of his life with a graveside service at Mount Hope Cemetery at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Immediately afterward there will be a memorial celebration and luncheon at the Baker City Church of the Nazarene, 1250 Hughes Lane. Pastors Jon Privett, and Lennie Spooner will officiate. Alan was born on Nov. 7, 1951, at Baker City to Roland and Irene Campbell. He attended school in Baker City, and was a 1970 Baker High School graduate. He attended Northwest Christian College for one … Read more

Aman, Lillian “Lil” Clark Mrs. – Obituary

Richland, Oregon Lillian Aman, 63, a longtime Richland resident, died May 9, 2004, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. Her memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Richland Christian Church. Gordon Bond will officiate. After the service, friends are invited to join the family for a potluck at the Richland Christian Church. Lil, as she liked to be called, was born July 14, 1940, in the small farming town of Holloway, Minn., to Melvin F. “Ty” and Alice N. Clark. When she was a young girl, her parents moved to San Diego to find work, but she always … Read more

Grace, Gary Dean – Obituary

Gary Dean Grace, 52, of Halfway died April 26, 2004, at Las Vegas, Nev., from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident outside Kingman, Ariz., on April 22, 2004. There will be a celebration of life memorial service at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Lions Club Park in Halfway. Friends are invited to a potluck at the Lions Club after the service. Gary was born on April 4, 1952, at Biloxi, Miss., to Lowell and Bonnie Lindsay Grace. His father was in the U.S. Air Force, stationed at Keesler Air Force Base at the time. Gary grew up in many different … Read more

Biography of Bradford Morse

Bradford Morse is the well-known City Marshal of Riverside. He is a native of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, dating his birth in Middleboro, May 4, 1848. He was reared and schooled in his native place, closing his studies in the Pratt Free High School. He then located in Brockton, Massachusetts, and was employed in the shoe manufactories for many years, becoming expert in his business, and was employed as a cutter in the manufactory of C. R. Ford. During his life in Brockton, Mr. Morse was prominent in the military circles of the State. He was for eleven years a member … Read more

Biography of William Francis Holcomb

William Francis Holcomb, a member of the Society of California Pioneers of San Bernardino County, and the discoverer of gold in the valley which bears his name, was born in Indiana in 1831, but his parents moved to Will County, Illinois, in his infancy, where they lived till he was eight years old. They then went, in 1839, to Iowa and located in Portland, Van Buren County Iowa. His father having died, his mother moved with her family in 1845 up into Wapello County and took up a piece of Government land. The same year his oldest brother, Stephen Holcomb, … Read more

Biography of George W. Prescott

George W. Prescott, of San Bernardino, Master Mechanic of the Southern California Railroad, and one of the most expert mechanical engineers in this country, was born in New Hampshire fifty-one years ago. At the early age of seven years he was left without father or mother, and at thirteen he left his native State and started out to fight the battle of life alone and unaided. Going west as far as Ohio, he spent the next-five years in the old city of Chillicothe, where, following the natural bent of his mind, he studied the business of machinist, and when just … Read more

Biography of James T. O’pry

James T. O’pry, one of the representative and enterprising merchants of Colton, has a well equipped general merchandise store, centrally located on Front street opposite the Southern Pacific Railroad depot. Captain O’Pry came to Colton in February 1888, after years spent in active business pursuits in New Orleans, and in the next month established himself in mercantile pursuits. He also purchased a five-acre tract of orange land from the Colton Water Company and commenced horticultural industries by planting it with budded orange trees; and he is also interested in real estate in Colton, Glendora and other places. He is a … Read more

Biography of John E. Cutter

John E. Cutter, of the firm of Twogood & Cutter, nurserymen, Riverside, was born in Webster, Androscoggin County, Maine, in 1844. His parents were Dr. Benoni Cutter, born in New Hampshire, and Olive S. (Drinkswater) Cutter, a native of Maine. The death of his mother occurred in 1847, and of his father in 1851; and he was then reared under the care of his grandfather and stepmother. His boyhood and youth were spent upon the farm and in the schools. In 1862 he entered the military service of his country as a private of the Twenty-third Regiment of Maine Volunteers, … Read more

Biography of Joseph Heap

Joseph Heap is one of the representative mechanics of Riverside, and is the proprietor of a blacksmith shop on the south side of Eighth Street, between Main and Market streets. He is a native of England, and dates his birth in Manchester, in 1848. His parents, William and Hannah (Ward) Heap, are both natives of that country. In 1848 or early in 1849 his father immigrated with the family to the United States, and located at Council Bluffs, Missouri. The next year he moved to Salt Lake, where he remained until 1852. In that year he brought his family to … Read more

Biography of John Wasson

John Wasson, of Chino, is most widely known as an editor, but this accomplishment has been rather an incident than a design in his career. He was born in Wayne County, Ohio, August 20, 1833, on a farm. He received such education as the very common country schools afforded. Attendance on school was secondary to farm work in summer, and to some extent in winter. He was dissatisfied with farm life, but was notably a good worker with all farming implements. At the age of nineteen he went to California; spent 1852-’53 in the mines of El Dorado County. Sickness … Read more

Biography of David H. Wixom

David H. Wixom, the tenth of a family of twelve children of Nathan J. and Betsy (Hadlock) Wixom, was born in 1848 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. In 1850 his parents started with their family, consisting then of ten children, to cross the plains to California. They loaded three ox teams and one horse team with their effects, and brought fifty cows, ten head of horses and a small flock of sheep over as far as Salt Lake, where they spent the winter, and there their eleventh child, Charles W. Wixom, was born. In the spring of 1852 they resumed their … Read more

Biography of Benton O. Johnson

Benton O. Johnson, one of Redlands best known and highly respected citizens, is a native of Connecticut, born at Bethlehem, April 20, 1855. His parents were David and Sophia (Stone) Johnson, both of whom came of old Connecticut families, and the father a merchant. B. O. Johnson was but two years of age when his parents removed to the South. They resided at various places throughout the Southern country, among them New Orleans, Matamoras, Brownsville, etc., and the outbreak of the civil war found the elder Johnson carrying on the dry-goods business. In 1863 the family left the South and … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Henry A. Keller

Henry A. Keller is a “native son of the Golden West,” born in Santa Clara, Santa Clara County, in 1859. At fourteen yeas of age he entered a telegraph office as messenger boy, with the purpose of learning telegraphy. At sixteen he was in the Agent’s office as operator, and when eighteen years old was train dispatcher on the Central Pacific Railroad. Later he was in the employ of the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company; and for sixteen months was train-dispatcher for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company at San Bernardino. He has filled that difficult and responsible … Read more