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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 2015)
2 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2015 Local — Community Calendar — FALL COLORS TRAIN Friday, October 16, two round trips at 10:15 a.m. and 1:15 from McEwen to Sumpter and back. One round trip the other direction at noon. Regular fares apply. Enjoy a steam-powered trip through autumn foliage for professional photog- raphers. TALKING ABOUT DYING Saturday, October 17 at the Baker County Public Library. Talking about Dying is a new statewide initiative by Oregon Humanities , cre- ated in partnership with Cambia Health Solutions Foundation. These one-time, ninety-minute con- versations will provide opportunities for partici- pants to reflect on the stories and influences that shape their thinking about death and dying and to hear different perspectives and ideas from fellow community members. By exploring essential questions—What do we think about when we think of dying? When we think about our own dying, what do we want most?—the program aims to help participants consider how to shape a meaningful approach to death and dying. 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. BURNT RIVER PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES Thursday, October 22. School will be dismissed and busses will run at 12:30. — News of Record — JAIL ROSTER CASS, Damien GRIFFIN, Alexander HARGRAVES, Michael KEISER, Kristin GIVENS, Joshua GREGG, John TUGMAN, Michael WALKER, Jacob WILSON, Annette SYPHERD, Crystol SILVA, Kendale WEISS, Jamie NICHOLS, Robert ANDERS, Tyler WHITLOW, Jonathon WONG, David SHELTON, Adam LATTYMER, Melissa BOTHWELL SHAVER, Kyle SICKLER, Bobby MYERS, Andrew SCHLAHT, Nathan RICCI, Devin ELKSHOULDER, Ida BOLANOS, Ann MABE, Kevin MADER, Casey DOWNING, Devin HANSON, Coty GRAMMON, Jacob THACKER, Melissa CARROLL, Richard SPRAGUE, Travis TURNER, Darren GILDA, Jeremy CORNETT, Jeremy KILBORN, Lacey STEELE, Tiffany FRIENDS OF THE SUMPTER VALLEY GOLD DREDGE OPEN HOUSE Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25, Friends of the Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge and OPRD (Oregon Parks and Recreation) invite you to an end of the 2015 season Open House, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Have a cup of coffee and a pastry while enjoying significant discounts on items in our gift shop, learn the history of this 1935 Gold Dredge, learn how to pan for gold and get a guided tour of the Dredge itself. We hope to see you here! EAGLE VALLEY FALL FESTIVAL Sunday, October 25. The last Sunday in October the Annual Eagle Valley Grange Fall Festival will take place. Activities will kick off at 4 p.m. and at 5 p.m. the potluck will start. There will be kids’ games, cake walks, Trunk-or-Treat, costume contest, and all manner of fun, including, a raffle. Costumes are strongly encouraged, and those of you that are attending are asked to remember that this is a family friendly festival. No grue- some or other inappropriate costumes. Prizes will be awarded in numerous categories. For more information contact, Mary Jane Ward, 541-893- 6346, Deanna Pennock 541-893-3377 or Marty Pennock 541-540-1413. AUXILIARY BOOK FAIR Monday, October 26th. Saint Alphonsus Aux- iliary - Baker City will be holding their annual book fair Monday October 26th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The book fair will be located in the hospi- tal breezeway. There will be a wide selection of books as well as other gifts at 40% to 70% off retail pricing. Come and bring a friend. Proceeds will go to benefit Saint Alphonsus Medical Cen- ter – Baker City and our Auxiliary Scholarship Fund for students seeking a career in the medical field. Credit Cards are accepted. MASQUERADE BALL Saturday, October 31, 7:30 - 11:30 p.m. at the Geiser Grand. Costumes and ambiance. Carriage rides, celebrity book signings, photography, mu- sic, and more! Buy tickets at www.thebakercoun- typress.com or at the front desk of the Geiser Grand. Ticket numbers are limited, so don’t wait! CAVYELL, Eric SMITH, Glen ROBINSON, Damon KEYES, Bryan POLICE LOG Benadum, Derek Allen. 10/11. Dis- orderly Conduct and Harassment. Nixon, Angela Dawn . 10/11. Crimi- nal Trespass II and Unlawful Posses- sion of Methamphetamine. Coronado, Trissya. 10/12. Out of County Detainer. Wicklander, Gordon Lee Allan. 10/13. Menacing. FUNERAL NOTICES Claudeen Nantz, 85, of North Powder and La Grande area’s, died at an care home in La Grande on Sunday, October 11, 2015. Arrange- ments are under the direction of Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home & Cremation Services. Online con- dolences may be shared at www. tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com. Marlene Frost, 80, of Baker City, died on Sunday, October 11, 2015 at Ashley Manor Care Center in Baker City. Arrangements are under the di- rection of Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home & Cremation Services. Online condolences may be shared at www. tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com Peggy Perkins, 78, longtime resident of Baker City and Sumpter, died at her home on October 8, 2015. A Celebration of Peggy’s Life will be held on Sunday, October 25, 2015 ~ 2:00 p.m. at the Baker City Veteran’s Memorial Club. Arrangements are un- der the direction of Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home & Cremation Services. Online condolences may be shared at www.tamispinevalleyfuneralhome. com. Sharon Myers, 63, of Baker City, died on Sunday, October 11, 2015 at LaGrande Post Acute Care Center. a Celebration of Sharon’s Life will be held on Sunday, October 18, 2015, 3 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Hall in Baker City. Arrangements are under the direction of Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home & Cremation Services. Online condolences may be shared at www.tamispinevalleyfuneralhome. com Delbert “Del” Stone,82, of Rich- land, Oregon died at Meadowbrook place in Richland on Friday, October 9, 2015. Del’s request was that there not be a service. Arrangements are under the direction of Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home & Cremation Services. Online condolences may be shared at www.tamispinevalleyfu- neralhome.com. Donald R. A. DeRoest, 82, of Baker City died Saturday, October 10th, 2015 at his residence. A memo- rial service is planned for 11:00 AM on Saturday, October 17th, 2015 at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel with Pastor Jesse Whitford of the Baker City Christian Church officiat- ing. — Obituaries — Leroy Merrick Baker City, 1925-2015 Born on March 11, 1925 in Lamar, Colorado to Clarence and Emma Leroy Merrick, Merrick and died on October 11, 2015 at Mead- owbrook Place in Baker City Oregon at age 90. A memorial service is scheduled for Friday, October 16, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. at Coles Tribute Center in Baker City. A reception will follow at the United Methodist Church and inurnment at Mt. Hope Cemetery at 2:00 p.m. Leroy graduated from Nyssa High School and worked for the Forest Ser- vice. Leroy married Jean Harding on November 20, 1948. He joined the Navy on July 27, 1943 serving in World War II and the Ko- rean Conflict. He returned to the Forest Service and was the fire control officer for the Wallowa-Whitman Forest when he retired in 1975. After retirement from the Forest Service he worked for Rambling Rotors helicopter service in La Grande and also served as the Baker County Veterans service officer. Since joining the Baker Elks in 1967, he had been involved in many of the Elk’s programs, includ- ing: Meadowood Springs Speech and Hearing Camp, Casey Eye Institute, most valuable student scholar- ship program, Miner’s Jubilee Bronc and Bull Riding. During his active 45 years as an Elk, he served as Exalted Ruler three times and filled the role of various chairs and positions on the local, dis- trict and State levels. He was a member of the Methodist church and involved in many organiza- tions and activities in the Baker area, including, but not limited to: American Legion, VFW, Baker Little League, Crazy 8’s square dancing, Boy Scouts, Red Cross, 55 Alive, Trail Tenders at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, Com- munity Connections. He enjoyed many years of snowmobiling and shared this passion with his wife, children, grandchil- dren and friends. He is survived by Jean, his wife of 67 years, sons Steve and Craig and daughter Becky, along with seven grandchildren and ten great grandchildren. He is also survived by two sisters and one brother. Donations in memory of Leroy can be made to the Elks Meadowood Speech and Hearing Camp and/or the Elks National Foun- dation. This maybe done through Coles Tribute Cen- ter, 1950 Place St. baker City, OR 97814. Carlyne Gae Gregory Baker City, 1925-2015 Carlyne Gae Greg- ory, age 90, passed away on Tuesday, October Gae 6, 2015 at Gregory Meadow- brook Place in Baker City, Oregon. Gae passed away peacefully while sleep- ing, after suffering from a fractured arm injury that she was unable to recover from. A celebration of Gae’s life potluck dinner will be held at Forest and Ruai Gregory’s residence at 37841 Boulder Flat Lane on Sunday, October 18 at 1 p.m. She was born on June 3, 1925 in Shreveport, Loui- siana to Carl and Bob Bee Jeter. Her brother Dick was born two years later. Her childhood was during the great depres- sion, but she was always well cared for. Her dad worked for the Louisiana Pacific Railroad help- ing maintain the railroad cars. This resulted in Gae having a lifetime love for the sound of railroads and train whistles. Her parents divorced when she was nine and Gae lived with her mother and her brother lived with her dad. She visited her dad often and remained close to him. After the divorce her mother, Bob Bee, worked as a secretary. Her grand- mother and aunt on her mother’s side lived nearby. Her aunt, whom she visited often, owned a country store and had a large garden. During high school she and her mother lived in Houston, Texas and in El Paso, Texas, where her mother was a General’s secretary at Fort Bliss Army Base. It was at Fort Bliss when she was sweet sixteen that she meet her future husband, Loyd Gregory, at a USO dance. He was stationed there as a member of the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division. Shortly thereafter on November 1, 1941 they eloped to Las Cruces, New Mexico. Her mother was not too happy about having her daughter “stolen away”, but let the marriage stand. A month later on December 7, Pearl Harbor was bombed and Loyd was sent to the Philippine Islands shortly thereafter. They were apart for the most part of three years during the war. They had two sons, Terry, born in 1943 during World War II and Forest, after the war in 1947. Loyd stayed in the mili- tary. Gae and her two sons were on the first ship of military dependents to go to Japan after the Korean War in 1952. In Japan, Gae carried Forest around on the back of her bicycle passing rice paddys fertil- ized with “honey buckets” and shopping at the road- side marketplaces. When they returned to the US they lived on Hol- man Air Force base near Alamogordo, NM and the White Sands missile test range. Dust storms were common. Weekly trips to a drive-in theater were a family treat. They spent three years in France from 1956 to 1958. They had just pur- chased a 1956 turquoise and white Fire Chief Pon- tiac which drew a crowd of admiring Frenchmen wherever they traveled. Gae loved to knit and cook and kept a spotless home. She and Loyd loved play- ing canasta with friends. She was a loving wife and caring mother for her sons. After returning from France, the family lived in Biloxi, Mississippi and Lubbock, Texas before moving to Dallas, Texas after Loyd’s retirement from the US Air Force. Gae worked in retail sales at the Neiman Marcus store in downtown Dallas. She was at work waiting at an upstairs window for President John F Kenne- dy’s parade to pass by, but he never appeared as he was assassinated just a few blocks away on November 22, 1963. She worked at a toy store, Toy World, as the manager for several years while living in the Dallas area into the 1970s. Gae and Loyd moved to Oregon in 1980 to be near their son, Forest, who lived in Pine Valley. They were well known as the couple that walked all around town. Gae was a member of the Pine Cone Club and the VFW ladies auxiliary. She loved being out of the big city in the peace, quiet and friendliness of a small town. They also lived in La Grande for several years before moving back to Halfway after purchasing a home on North Pine Street in 2002. Gae continued to be an avid walker. She heard carrying weights in your hands while walking would strengthen your arm muscles, so she carried canned food for weights! Unfairly, a series of falls over several years resulted in her being confined to a wheelchair for the last five years of her life. It was very challenging as she was a very indepen- dent woman, but she had a strong will and tried to make the best of it. She had loving care from local caregivers and family. She loved nature and her favorite past time was watching birds at a feeder outside her dining room window that she always kept full. Hummingbirds were her favorite. She loved dogs and had one most of her adult life. She also loved watching old western movies and TV shows such as Gunsmoke. After Loyd passed away in 2005, her dog, Star, a poohuahua ( poodle and Chihuahua mix) was her loving companion and center of her attention. During the last year of her life she lived at Meadowbrook Place where she was greatly loved and cared for by her caregivers. She loved watching the TV series, “The Waltons.” SEE OBITUARIES PAGE 11