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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 14, 2018)
8 Wednesday, February 14, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Ofituaries A tribute to David Roberts James David Billings David Roferts. A friend. January 15, 1921 — February 7, 2018 James David Billings, a Sisters resident and a prior long-time Prineville resident, passed away on February 7. He was 97 years of age. A public viewing will be held Friday, February 16, 2018 at Prineville Funeral Home from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by a graveside service at 2 p.m. at Juniper Haven Cemetery. A memo- rial service will be held Saturday, February 17 at 2 p.m. at the Prineville First Assembly of God. James was born in Kent, Oklahoma on January 15, 1921 to George Melvin Billings and Eula Mae (Miller) Billings. He mar- ried Viola Marie Phillips in Kent, Oklahoma on April 21, 1940. James grew up on a farm in Oklahoma and entered evangelistic ministry at the age of 19. After mar- rying Viola, together they pastored several churches in Oklahoma and Oregon. After pastoring churches in Spray, Stanfield, Baker City, and Myrtle Creek, Oregon, they moved to Prineville in 1973. They pastored the Prineville First Assembly of God for over 15 years until their retirement on Hill St. in Prineville. James was an avid outdoorsman and known to his family and friends as a handyman that could fix “almost anything.” James leaves behind a By Tom Hespe Sisters Kiwanis Member legacy of integrity, wisdom, and godly character. James is survived by two daughters, Ruth Shukle of Kennewick, Washington, Linda Blackwell and her husband Sam of Bend; a daughter-in-law, Thelma Billings of Roseville, California; a son, Dan Billings and his wife Jackie of Antelope, California; numerous grandchil- dren, great-grandchil- dren, and great-great- grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers; four sisters; his wife, Viola, in 2010; a daughter, Naomi; a son, Jim; a grandson, Phillip; a n d a g r a n d d a u g h t e r, Trina. In lieu of flowers memo- rial donations may be made to Assemblies of God Foreign Missions, Account #7089410, 1445 N . B o o n e v i l l e Av e . , Springfield, MO 65802. Most of us will never meet someone as intel- lectually honest as David Roberts. We lost a great man who wholeheartedly supported the Sisters com- munity until his death on January 26, 2018. Born in England June 2, 1935, he came to the United States with that wonderful British accent that we all loved. Fortunately, I have saved a few voicemails that I can replay to hear his voice when I need encouragement. David was married to Karen for 28 years until her death in 2017. Karen was a regular volunteer at the Kiwanis Food Bank and hosted several Kiwanis officer installation events at their home in Sisters. They very much enjoyed traveling and creating many memo- ries together. David had a heart of gold. He quietly contributed to Kiwanis community service projects when funding was uncertain. In many cases, he did so anonymously. He was a willing volunteer for many Kiwanis activities includ- ing See’s Candy Sales, Quilt Raffle Sales, Highway Cleanup, Hoodoo Challenge Race and others. He also developed strong leadership skills during his long career as an engineer. These skills were never more on display than when he took charge of building a new Kiwanis Food Bank. He put a team together to raise grant money, design and build the new facility which proudly stands next to the Kiwanis House at Oak & Main. David was the power behind this project. Without the new Food Bank, we could not supply food and essentials to nearly 140 families in Sisters Country each month. David’s generosity was not limited to Kiwanis proj- ects. Recently, during the devastating fires in northern California, David opened up his Napa home to local people who were displaced from their homes by the fire. As if all the above is not enough, David rewarded us all with a wonderful sense of humor. He would always bring a funny story to the weekly Kiwanis meet- ing. At his last meeting the day before he died, in a discussion about greeting “movers and shakers” at the Chamber event, David said “Well I guess while all you other guys are moving, I’ll be shaking.” He got a really good laugh. An honor bench will be dedicated to David Roberts and placed in front of the Kiwanis House to remind all of us how important he was to this community. Good-bye dear friend. You will be forever cher- ished and remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing you. FAMILY FRIENDLY DINING & TAKE-OUT until midnight every night Obituaries Policy: The Nugget Newspaper does not charge a fee to publish obituaries. Obituaries may be up to 400 words and include one photo. Obituaries outside these guidelines are handled by The Nugget Newspaper advertising department. Obituary submissions must be received by noon on Monday. Obituaries may be submitted to The Nugget by email or hand delivery to our office located at 442 E. Main Ave., Sisters. Check out our menu at SistersSaloon.net 541-549-RIBS 190 E. Cascade Ave. CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT CLASS MULTI-STATE February 17 1 p.m. & 6 p.m. Best Western Ponderosa Lodge, 500 Hwy. 20 W., Sisters Multi-State $80 Oregon Included Oregon Only: $45 Shaun Curtain 360-921-2071 or email FirearmTrainingNW@gmail.com | www.FirearmTrainingNW.com
