Wednesday, November 2, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
17
Obituaries
Bjarne Holm
Len L. Gratteri
August 2, 1946 — October 9, 2016
September 19, 1942 — October 22, 2016
On October 9, 44 min-
utes into his 34th wedding
anniversary with his wife,
Robin, her best friend and
beloved husband ended his
fight with pancreatic can-
cer. Diagnosed on June 4, he
spent the next four months
fighting the disease but also
enjoying their priceless time
together.
His last five days of life
were spent in the Partners in
Care hospice house where
he received the most amaz-
ing care from the very caring
staff.
Bjarne was born August 2,
1946 in Aabenraa, Denmark,
to Helga and Christen Holm.
After several years in a
Danish boarding school, he
moved to San Francisco with
his mother and completed a
BA degree in geology at San
Francisco State University.
Graduate school drew him
to Fairbanks, Alaska where
he received his MS in geol-
ogy from the University of
Alaska, Fairbanks. Later he
added a secondary teach-
ing certificate from U of A
– Anchorage.
Bjarne’s working career
rotated between educa-
tion and geology. He taught
at Steller High School for
three years and then later at
Service High School for 18
more years where he retired
in 2002. He received sev-
eral teaching awards includ-
ing the British Petroleum
Teacher of Excellence for
1996-1997. After retiring
from education he returned
to geology, working for
R&M Consultants on a pipe-
line project he had started
with in 1977.
Bjarne spent 43 years
in Alaska, where he com-
pleted his working career as
well as marrying his wife,
Robin, on October 9, 1982.
Their years in Alaska were
spent with work, hiking, ski-
ing and his favorite activity
— bicycle riding. For years
he competed in road, moun-
tain and wilderness races.
He summited Denali (Mt.
McKinley), encountered
bears in the woods, and raced
the earliest fat-tire bikes in
the snow. He also loved his
Len L. Gratteri passed
away peacefully at home
on October 22, in Bend,
Oregon at the age of 74,
after an 18-year battle with
Parkinson’s Disease.
Len is survived by his
mother, Jean Gratteri of
Portland, Oregon; his wife,
Anna Gratteri; his children
Rob, Alicia, Becki; and
granddaughter Jasmine;
brothers Ken and John; and
sister Antoinette.
He is preceded in death
by his father, Leonard
Gratteri, Sr.
Len, “Lenny” to his
friends, was born in Seattle
on September 19, 1942, to
Leonard and Jean Gratteri.
In 1957 the family relocated
to Hillsboro, Oregon where
Leonard had recently pur-
chased a tire shop. Later the
Gratteri Tire shop became
one of the first family-owned
Les Schwab tire dealers. Len
began his working life in his
father’s employ and devoted
his career to the shop. Upon
his father’s retirement, Len
bought the tire shop, but
they remained close, and
met daily for coffee and jelly
donuts.
The tire shop was not
the only thing Len had in
common with his father; he
inherited the passion for col-
lecting. Len started his first
collection, a coin collection,
while still in high school. His
curiosity with history and
antiques led to an extensive
collection of high-quality
Old West antiques.
On retirement, Len sold
his tire shop to his brother
Ken and moved to Sisters
to build his dream home. He
spent two years designing
membership in Anchorage
Lion’s Club where he served
as treasurer for two years as
well as Zone 3 Chairperson
for one year.
August of 2013 would
find Bjarne, Robin, their yel-
low Lab Blue, two parakeets
and Robin’s horse Gambler
moving to Sisters, Oregon.
He jumped right into life
in Central Oregon, putting
together a lecture series
for Sisters Trails Alliance,
working on local trails and
their issues as well as riding
many miles with his new and
old biking friends. He and
Robin continued their travels
throughout the world.
Bjarne loved to educate
all ages. If you took a hike
with him you could learn
about the local rocks and
their history. He was gener-
ous with his time, patient
with everyone, and loved
helping people.
He is survived by Robin,
his wife, and several cousins
in Denmark. He will be ter-
ribly missed by all those who
had the good fortune to know
him.
In lieu of flowers sug-
gested donations could
be made to Sisters Trails
Alliance, Sisters Science
club or charity of your
choice.
Information provided
by the family and friends of
Bjarne Holm.
Year-round
FIREWOOD
SALES
— Kindling —
—
—
SISTERS
FOREST PRODUCTS
541-410-4509
SistersForestProducts.com
DON’T MISS OUT ...
... on this week’s insert in The Nugget:
RAY’S FOOD PLACE:
Cold and fl u season has arrived; time to
load up on good sources of vitamin C.
Navel Oranges , now just 99¢ per lb. and
3-lb. bags of Satsuma Mandarins , just $3.99.
Join Ray’s for “Tastes of the Seasons” on
Saturday, November 12 from noon to
5 p.m. to sample holiday goodies, wine,
warm apple cider and coffee!
and perfecting the intricate
details that made his beau-
tiful timber-frame home a
showcase. The home was
built with the knowledge
that it would be the setting
for his collection of Western
memorabilia. Those who vis-
ited his home felt that they’d
stepped into a museum.
When he discovered a niche
market of collectors who
longed for the pieces in his
collection, Lenny decided to
open a store.
Old West Collectables
opened its doors in 2007,
and quickly became Lenny’s
pride and joy.
Len was a proud member
of WOLA, Western Outlaw
and Lawman Association,
and in 2010, he added the
title of “author” to the many
feathers in his cap. In the
mid-1990s, he stumbled
upon a collection of photo-
graphs and documents that
launched him into 18 years
of research about a bank
robbery that took place in
Caldwell, Kansas in 1884.
This research culminated in
the publication of “William
Sherod Robinson Alias Ben
Wheeler,” co-authored with
two other experts in the field.
Len also acquired the gun,
badge, and noose from the
robbery and following trial
and hanging of the outlaw
band.
Len had a passion for
high-performance cars, and
a collection that included
an early Shelby Cobra and a
Roush Mustang. He was also
a Rotarian, supported local
veterans, and was active in
several Parkinson’s support
groups.
Len liked to barter, but
deep down he was a gentle
and very generous man.
He was a sharp salesman
with an even sharper wit; a
prankster with a dry sense of
humor who loved to make
his friends and employees
laugh. Those who called him
friend knew that even in his
battle with Parkinson’s he
was cheerful, fiercely inde-
pendent, and ever optimistic.
Lenny was loved by many
and will be missed by his
family, friends, and employ-
ees past and present.
A memorial service for
Len will be held at a later
date, and a memorial page
has been created on Legacy.
com, where you can share
your memories, photos and
condolences of Lenny.
Len asked that in lieu
of flowers please donate to
the Northwest Parkinson
Foundation at https://nwpf.
org.
Let the experts at the
Fly Fisher’s Place set you up
for safe and fun fall fi shing!
151 W. Main Ave., Sisters
541-549-FISH | Open 7 days a week