LOCAL
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2019
THE OBSERVER — 3A
L OCAL B RIEFING
UNION COUNTY SENIOR CENTER MENU
From staff reports
Comedian/psychologist
presents ‘Brain, Behavior
and the Workplace’
LA GRANDE — Research sug-
gests that fi nding meaning in one’s
work is more important than money
in terms of long-term happiness. Dr.
Matt Bellace, a clinical psychologist
and stand-up comedian, will use
humor to convey a powerful message
in “Brain, Behavior and the Work-
place,” from noon to 1:30 p.m. Sept.
12 at the Presbyterian Friendship
Center, 1204 Spring Ave., La Grande.
The program will focus on supporting
members of the workforce in making
healthy mental and physical choices.
The current research on adult brain
functioning and emotions will be
presented and there will be time for
questions and answers.
Lunch will be provided for those
who register by noon Sept. 10 at
https://brain_behavior_workplace.
eventbrite.com. This free presen-
tation is sponsored by the Union
County Safe Communities Coalition
and the Center for Human Develop-
ment.
New ‘Moms & Pops’ store
opens in Elgin
ELGIN — An eclectic new shop,
Moms & Pops Almost Everything
Store, is opening at 810 Inkwood
in Elgin. The store offers new and
used household items, “farm and
auto stuff,” hardwood, hardware and
more. The community is invited to
stop by Saturday. The store’s regular
hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday.
Trail Blazers’ Rip City Rally
comes to town
LA GRANDE — The annual Rip
City Rally is coming to Northeast
Oregon next week. A team of Trail
Blazers and Moda ambassadors and
staff will be in La Grande Sept. 10.
As part of the Trail Blazers’ and
Moda’s partnership to showcase
healthy and active living, events will
focus on providing activities for kids,
including school assemblies, youth
basketball PE takeovers and on-court
youth basketball.
There will be a free 45-minute
clinic at the La Grande Middle
School for boys and girls age 10-17
that will focus on working to improve
fundamental skills, build teamwork
and engage athletes in long-lasting
healthy, active lifestyles. This clinic
will begin at 7 p.m. Sept. 10 in the
LMS gym.
The visit will conclude with a
ceremonial fl ag raising with city of-
fi cials, followed by a free community
fair from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. featuring
activities for all ages, on Adams
Avenue between Third and Fourth
streets. Go to www.trailblazers.com/
rally for updates and information all
along the rally.
Founded in Portland in 1955, Moda
is a health company committed to
building healthier communities by
helping our members get well sooner
and live well longer.
Beginning ballet class
offered to adults
LA GRANDE — Cook Memo-
rial Library is hosting a free Ballet
Basics class for adults from 12:10
p.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays beginning
Sept. 10. Exploring the fundamentals
of ballet, this drop-in class is perfect
for the beginner. Ballet slippers or
similar dance shoes and dance or
workout apparel are encouraged.
Call 541-962-1339 or go to www.
cityofl agrande.org/library for more
information.
Lessons learned on 35-day
walk through Spain
LA GRANDE — Cook Memorial
Library is hosting “500 Miles through
Spain: Lessons from the Camino de San-
tiago” at 7 p.m. Sept. 10. Presenter Jamie
Jacobson, who spent 35 days walking
alone across Spain on the Camino de
Santiago, will share photos, stories and
lessons learned along the way. Everyone
is welcome to this free event.
Free tai chi class resumes
Tuesday
LA GRANDE — Tai Chi: Moving for
Better Balance will resume Sept. 10
at the Presbyterian Friendship Cen-
ter, 1204 Spring Ave., La Grande. The
free class, which is open to all ages,
skill levels and abilities, will be held
at 9 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.
O BITUARIES
George L. Bryant
1923-2019
Elgin
George Leon Bryant, 96, of
Elgin, died Sept. 3 at his home.
A graveside service will be
held at 10 a.m.
Sept. 7 at the
Elgin Cemetery,
followed by a
reception at the
Bryant Center
at the Elgin
Harvester’s
Church of the
Nazarene.
George was
born May 25, 1923, in Spring-
fi eld, Illinois, one of six sons of
Grover and Gladys (Fry) Bry-
ant. He served as a corporal in
an artillery unit in the Korean
War. In his younger years, he
held various jobs, including
working on a tunnel construc-
tion project in Alaska, driving
truck on the Oregon Coast
and serving as a fi refi ghter in
Las Vegas.
George met Millie Ruth
Bicket at a New Year’s Eve
party in Beavercreek in 1952.
They were married on May 29,
1953, and had four children.
George and Millie made their
home in Beavercreek, where
they owned and operated the
only Grade A goat dairy in
Oregon for 12 years.
In 1975, George and Mil-
lie bought a cattle ranch on
Clark Creek in Elgin and
worked side by side for many
happy years. George was a
very devoted family man and
loved being surrounded by his
children, grandchildren and
great-grandchildren. He also
loved animals and had a very
compassionate and kind heart.
George was chosen Cattle-
man of the Year in 1989. He
was a co-recipient with Millie
of the Outstanding Coopera-
tor of the Year from the Union
Soil and Water Conservation
District in 2001. George and
Millie were very active in their
church.
Surviving relatives include
his children and their spouses,
Michael and Vicki Bryant of
Beavercreek, Joni and Mark
Simmons of Elgin, Melanie
and Todd McClure of Elgin,
and Lori and Brian Herron of
Elgin; 10 grandchildren; and
20 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by
his parents, five brothers, and
his wife, Millie.
Online condolences may be
made to the family at www.
lovelandfuneralchapel.com.
Joe W. Herr
1966-2019
Enterprise
Joe Willis Herr, 53, of Enter-
prise, died Aug. 20 at Wallowa
Memorial Hospital. Friends
are welcome
to share their
memories and
stories of Joe
at an informal
celebration of life
and potluck beginning at
2 p.m. Sept. 7 at the Hurricane
Creek Grange Hall in Joseph.
Those who would like to bring
a dish to share are asked to
call Nancy Parmenter at 480-
323-6002.
Joe was born Jan. 24, 1966,
in Yakima, Washington, to
Joe Willys and Gladys Grace
(Klein) Herr. He attended A.C.
Davis High School in Yakima.
Joe resided in Denver, Colo-
rado; Marysville, Granite Falls
and Arlington, Washington;
and in Enterprise. He studied
at the Denver Automotive and
Diesel College in Colorado and
Edmonds Community College
in Washington.
Joe was married to Lisa
Renee Herr for 31 years and
had one daughter and one son.
Joe worked as a boat builder,
an aviation machinist, a
landscaper and horticulturist,
in property maintenance and
as an architect and contractor.
He collected knives, models,
stones and rocks, and antique
and vintage tools. He loved
woodworking, camping and
fishing and enjoyed baseball,
football and track.
Surviving relatives include
his wife, Lisa Herr of Enter-
prise; daughter and son-in-law,
Amanda and John Grunalt of
Marysville, Washington; son,
Zakary Herr of Enterprise;
sisters, Sheila Eastwood and
husband, John, of Port Angeles,
Washington, Linda Bryant of
Westminster, Colorado, and
Mary Herr of Haleiwa, Hawaii;
and two grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by
his parents.
UPCOMING FUNERALS
AND VISITATIONS
Sponsored by
Emily L. (Lopez) Cheevers
La Grande
1933-2019
Emily Louise Cheevers, 86,
of La Grande, died Aug. 30 at
her home. There are no services
planned at this time. Arrange-
ments are entrusted to Daniels-
Knopp Funeral, Cremation &
Life Celebration Center.
Emily was born June 15,
1933, in Ventura, California,
to Louis and Elvira (Sarabia)
Lopez. On Jan. 21, 1956, she
married John Alan Cheevers.
Emily worked as an
operator and dispatcher for
Bell Telephone in Los Angeles,
California, and later for General
Telephone in Gresham. In 1972,
she and John moved to Sandy.
After John passed away in
1998, Emily moved to Port-
land. In 2013, she moved to La
Grande.
Emily was a member of the
Catholic Church and the Eagles
Auxiliary. She enjoyed dancing,
sewing and crocheting. Her
greatest joy was being sur-
rounded by her grandchildren.
Surviving relatives include
her children and their spouses,
Jeri Ward of Sandy, John Jr. and
Brenda Cheevers of Union, Lou
and Dawn Cheevers of Leander,
Texas, and Lorena and Brad
Emerson of Kansas City, Mis-
souri; 14 grandchildren; and 17
great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by
her husband, John, and siblings,
Louis Lopez and Raymond
Galarza.
Memorial contributions may
be made to the Grande Ronde
Hospital Hospice.
Glenn E. Standley
Formerly of La Grande
Glenn E. Standley, 77, for-
merly of La Grande, died Sept.
3 at his residence in Salem.
A graveside service will be
held at 4 p.m. Sept. 14 at the
Elgin Cemetery. An obituary
is forthcoming. Loveland Fu-
neral Chapel & Crematory is
handling the arrangements.
Sept. 7
George Bryant:
10 a.m., graveside
service, Elgin
Cemetery; followed
by reception at Elgin
Harvester’s Church of
the Nazarene.
Marvin
Cunningham:
2 p.m., graveside
service, Grandview
Cemetery; followed
by 3 p.m. celebration
of life, Cunningham
residence, 2004½ E. N
Ave., La Grande.
Joe Herr:
2 p.m., informal
celebration of life and
potluck, Hurricane
Creek Grange Hall,
Joseph.
Michael Lowery:
2 p.m., celebration of
life, Eastern Oregon
Livestock Show
Clubhouse, Union.
Sept. 13
George Gilchrist:
2 p.m., memorial
service, La Grande
First Christian
Church.
Sept. 14
Donald
Kilpatrick:
11 a.m., memorial
service, Imbler
Christian Church.
John Shenfi eld:
3 p.m., funeral service,
Island City Lighthouse
Pentecostal Church.
Glenn Standley:
4 p.m., graveside
service, Elgin
Cemetery.
1504 ALBANY ST., LA GRANDE
Sept. 9-13; Lunch served 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
age 60+ $3 suggested donation; others $6
Monday: baked potato bar, fresh fruit, salad, dessert.
Tuesday: cabbage rolls, rice, sweet cucumber salad,
baked rolls, fresh fruit, dessert.
Wednesday: fried chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy,
steamed vegetables, rolls, Jell-O, cake.
Thursday: ravioli, salad greens, steamed vegetables,
garlic bread, fruit.
Wildlife officials kill cougar
that had threatened jogger
The Associated Press
SALEM— Four days after
a cougar chased a jogger in
an Oregon forest, state and
federal wildlife officials on
Wednesday tracked down
and killed a mountain lion be-
lieved to be the same animal.
The runner’s frightening
encounter with the cougar oc-
curred Saturday in the Dunn
Forest, a research facility
managed by nearby Oregon
State University’s College of
Forestry that is popular with
runners, hikers and mountain
bikers. Authorities quickly
closed the forest, which is
blanketed with Douglas fir
and other trees, as wildlife
officials hunted for the aggres-
sive animal.
There are 6,500 cougars
in Oregon, the state wildlife
department says, and they
generally avoid humans. But
last year, a cougar killed a
woman hiker near Mount
Hood, the first person known
to have been killed by a
cougar in the wild in Oregon,
and the second in the Pacific
Northwest that year.
Peter Idema, 68, of Corval-
lis, was out for a morning run
when he saw the small cougar
approaching, its ears back,
which is a sign of aggression.
“I’m screaming, and trying
to make myself large — all
the things you’re supposed to
do when you have a moun-
tain lion coming,” Idema told
Oregon Public Radio. “And it
just kept coming. It got right
up to me, ears back.”
Idema says he kicked the
cougar hard in the face, briefly
sending the animal scamper-
ing into the bushes before it
again began to chase him.
“It wasn’t behaving like it
should have behaved. It had
plenty of chance to leave,”
Idema said. “And it just kept
coming and coming.”
The cougar followed
Idema until two hikers with
a dog arrived on the scene,
causing the cougar to leave.
Idema was not injured by
the cougar, but he received
minor scrapes and cuts from
falling while he was running
away, the Oregon Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife
said.
Offi cials have been search-
ing for the cougar since
Saturday, using hounds, call
boxes which emit the sound
of a distressed animal and
can attract a cougar, and
traps and snares.
The hounds picked up the
cougar’s scent on Wednesday
about 400 yards (365 meters)
from where the incident
occurred, and staffers from
the state wildlife department
and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture Wildlife Services
followed it onto adjacent
private property, where the
cougar was treed and shot.
The cougar fi t the descrip-
tion provided by the runner,
who said the cougar was thin
but not emaciated.
“We believe this aggressive
cougar was captured and put
down today,” said Brian Wolfer
of the Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife. “The
agency’s priority is human
safety. We will not relocate a
cougar that has shown ag-
gressive behavior.”
The carcass was taken to
a laboratory within OSU’s
College of Veterinary Medicine
for examination. It weighed
75 pounds (34 kilograms) and
is estimated to be 1 to 2 years
old, the state wildlife depart-
ment said.
P UBLIC S AFETY R EPORT
LA GRANDE POLICE
DEPARTMENT
UNION COUNTY
SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Accident: At least one
person was injured in a traf-
fi c accident at Cove Avenue
and 21st Street Wednesday.
The accident was reported at
6:22 p.m.
Arrested: Rebekah Rose
Esquivel, 21, unknown ad-
dress, was arrested on a pa-
role and probation detainer.
Arrested: Trevor Alan
Nichols, 21, La Grande,
was arrested on charges of
possession of a controlled
substance-meth, third-degree
escape and on a parole and
probation detainer.
Accident: James Joseph
Bellisle, 56, unknown ad-
dress, was arrested on a
Umatilla warrant charging
hit and run.
Arrested: Ben J. Davison, 47,
unknown address, was arrested
on two warrants. The first was a
Umatilla County warrant charging
a probation violation connected
to an original charge of traffic
offense. The second warrant was
a Irrigon North Morrow County
warrant charging failure to appear
in court and was connected to an
original charge of traffic offense.
LA GRANDE FIRE
DEPARTMENT
Firefi ghters responded to
10 calls for medical assis-
tance on Thursday and eight
on Wednesday.
Firefi refi ghters responded
to a trash fi re on Adams
Avenue on Thursday at 2 a.m.
The fi re caused no injuries or
property damage.
REG COALWELL
1939-2017
Happy Birthday, My Love. It’s been
nearly two years since I lost you and
I haven’t yet been able to fi gure out
how to live without you and I don’t
think I ever will. You were my life.
How I wish we could have had a
few more years together.
I miss you terribly.
Till we meet again, My Love.