LOCAL
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2019
THE OBSERVER — 5A
CHURCH
PROGRAM
Continued from Page 1A
Continued from Page 1A
Union, expressed fondness
for the Union Methodist
Church building and said
they wanted it preserved.
“Like many people, I
have such a passion for the
church,” Williams said.
Patsy Lang, in a statement
submitted to The Observer,
also said she has great mem-
ories of attending services at
the church. She noted that
its fellowship hall provides a
gathering place for seniors to
have a weekly lunch, which
is provided by volunteers.
“Services like these are
priceless to those who would
otherwise be left with few
options for socialization. It
would be a shame to see this
beautiful old church sold
into the hands of parties not
interested in maintaining
these valuable commu-
nity services,” wrote Lang, a
Union resident.
Senior meals were pro-
vided by the Union United
Methodist Church in the
church’s fellowship hall for
years. When the church
stopped operating, the Cove-
Union-Powder Health Asso-
ciation took over the weekly
meals. CUP has a verbal
reflect on and honor those
they have lost. There is an
option to purchase a memo-
rial plaque to be placed on
the wooden panels that sur-
round the garden. Torrico
hopes that someday all of
the panels will be covered
with memorials.
Next Step PRC was
established in La Grande in
1992, and has gone through
various name changes since
then, including Birthright
and Next Step Pregnancy
and Information Center.
When it began, the center
was a place for new and
expectant mothers to receive
guidance during their preg-
nancy journey, with informa-
tion on adoption, abortion
and parenting. The center
does not facilitate adop-
tion or abortion, but shares
information about it. While
Next Step PRC still has in-
formation on those services,
they have increased their
topics to include establishing
healthy relationships. All of
the funding for this service
comes from local and private
donations.
Next Step PRC will host
an event Oct. 15 to partici-
pate in the Wave of Light, a
national event honoring the
babies who have died before
and after being born. Torrico
Dick Mason/The Observer
The altar of the Union United Methodist Church. The church was built in 1895.
agreement with the Oregon-
Idaho Conference for renting
the fellowship hall and the
church, an agreement CUP
hopes to soon have finalized
in writing.
CUP Treasurer Marty
McKeon said that CUP is
investigating the possibil-
ity of eventually using the
fellowship hall for volunteer
health clinics, such as those
providing services such as
blood pressure checks and
toenail clipping. CUP is also
interested in leasing the
parsonage. McKeon said the
parsonage could be used as
a place for visiting health
professionals to stay while
putting on clinics.
McKeon also noted that
CUP would like to be able
to rent the church building
to religious organizations in
the community.
Wilson-Fey said the Ore-
gon-Idaho Conference will
give serious consideration
to the wishes of the Union
community members before
making any decisions.
“We want what is in the
best interest of the values of
the community,” Wilson-Fey
said.
GOODERHAM
If you go
What: Wave of Light
When: 6:30 p.m. to
8 p.m., Oct. 15
Where: Next Step
Pregnancy and
Relationship Center,
902 D Ave., La Grande
Of note: Wave of Light
is a national event
honoring the babies
who have died before
and after being born.
Next Step PRC asks
that parents not bring
young children as
it can be disruptive
or painful for newly
bereaved individuals.
said the death of infants
and miscarriages aren’t
often talked about and she
hopes this event will help
those who may feel like they
are alone. During the event,
people will light candles at
7 p.m. in whatever time
zone they are in. This will
create a wave of light across
the nation. The event starts
at 6:30 p.m. and there will
be finger foods served, until
8 p.m. with candle lighting
in the memorial garden at
7 p.m.
“We want to show people
they are not alone,” Torrico
said. “It is a family that no
one wants to be a part of,
but there is so much sup-
port (if) you are there.”
Continued from Page 1A
remarkable life that was celebrated
Saturday during a memorial service at
the Lighthouse Pentecostal Church in
Island City, one attended by 300 people.
Those who spoke at the service
included Dave Campbell of La Grande,
a member of the Anthony Lakes Ski
Patrol. Campbell said Gooderham was
revered at the Anthony Lakes Moun-
tain Resort because of his skills and
dedication.
“It was very comforting when you
saw Mike there. You knew everything
was going to be okay. Mike could do
anything,” Campbell said.
Gooderham worked for Boise Cas-
cade for three decades before retiring
in 1999. He was the supervisor of BC’s
roads crew his last 20 years with the
company. After retiring, he did not step
to the sideline, but instead stepped on
the accelerator. He was at Anthony
Lakes as a patroller almost every day it
was open for skiing. He was always the
first one there each day and the last to
leave.
“The only way you could beat him (in
the morning to the Anthony Lakes ski
area) is if you slept there,” said Camp-
bell, who is the head of the Southern
Idaho Division of the National Ski
Patrol, which includes Anthony Lakes.
He credits Gooderham with doing a
remarkable job of providing instruction
about first aid and more to fellow ski
patrollers.
“Teaching and mentoring were his
passions,” Campbell said.
Gooderham was such a good educa-
tor that it elevated the reputation of
the Anthony Lakes Ski Patrol. He said
that when people in the ski world find
out a patroller is from Anthony Lakes,
they automatically assume the indi-
vidual “knows their stuff” because of
the quality of instruction Gooderham
provided.
In addition to volunteering on the ski
patrol, Gooderham worked for many
years as a volunteer firefighter for the
La Grande Fire Department. Firefight-
ers he worked with included Emmitt
Cornford, now the LGPD’s interim fire
chief. Cornford said Gooderham was a
great person with remarkable energy
and commitment.
“He was 110% all the time. He was
always in fourth gear,” Cornford said.
The fire chief said Gooderham was
often at the scene of calls before engines
from the LGFD arrived. If Gooderham
was not there, Cornford said he some-
times wondered if he was at the right
place. The fire chief said Gooderham’s
impact on the LGFD will be a lasting one.
“Our department is better and all of
Union County is better because Mike
and Patty decided to live here,” he said.
Patty said her husband had a way of
making people comfortable in emergen-
cy situations because of his optimism
and confidence.
“I always felt safe when I was with
Mike,” she said.
VETERANS
Continued from Page 1A
Observer file photo
Mike and Patty Gooderham retired as members of the Anthony Lakes Ski
Patrol in 2014.
Eastern Oregon University President
Tom Insko, who worked with Gooder-
ham at Boise Cascade, agreed. He said
Gooderham had a type of confidence
that gave him an endearing quality, one
that did not overshadow others.
“He was confident but never in a way
that made others feel unimportant,”
Insko said.
Insko said Gooderham had a way of
making people feel good about them-
selves.
“I always felt better after I talked to
Mike,” he said.
Mike and Patty, who celebrated their
59th anniversary in August, first met
as second-grade students at Greenwood
Elementary School. Patty said they did
not begin dating until after high school,
but there a hint of things to come as
early as grade school. Patty said that
at Greenwood boys played a king of the
mountain type game that Mike often
won. It involved a race up small hills
made of cinders from coal. The boy who
won would select a girl to join him on
top as queen.
“Mike always picked me to be his
queen,” Patty said.
The Gooderhams have a son, Eric, of
La Grande, and a daughter, Gretchen, of
New Meadows, Idaho, as well as three
grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
In a letter from Gretchen that was read
at Saturday’s service, she said her father
always strove to be a part of the lives of
his children and grandchildren.
“My father’s will to be part of our
lives was as strong as his will to live,”
she wrote.
This was apparent at La Grande
High School and Eastern Oregon
University soccer games when the
Gooderhams’ granddaughter, Kara,
was playing for the teams the past five
years. Mike and Patty have attended
almost all of her team’s home games
over this span.
“Mom and Dad have always been
part of the team’s cheering section,”
Gretchen said.
Gooderham was saluted at EOU’s
home game on Friday when the porta-
ble chair he always sat in as a spectator
was set up there, holding flowers and a
photo of him with his family.
Gooderham won a number of awards
for his work as a first aid instructor
and emergency medical technician,
including Purple Merit Star award he
received from the National Ski Patrol
about a decade ago for saving a life of
skier at Anthony Lakes. The award
saluted Gooderham for the emergency
medical care he provided for the skier,
who suffered a serious leg fracture.
Patty said Mike was highly respected
by medical professionals.
“A number have told me that if they
got hurt on the hill, they would want
Mike to be the first person to show up,”
she said.
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Hermiston parks and recre-
ation department.
The dinner is on Sunday,
Oct. 20 at 3 p.m. at the
Hermiston Community
Center, 415 S. Highway
395. It is free for all
veterans and their imme-
diate family, and commu-
nity members who wish
to attend and show their
appreciation for veterans
are asked to make a dona-
tion in an amount of their
choosing. Everyone plan-
ning to attend is asked to
RSVP to Hermiston Parks
and Recreation, 541-667-
5018 or gwicks@hermiston.
or.us.
The Conrad Skinner Vet-
erans Memorial Program
is run by a board of 11
people, most of which are
veterans or their spouses.
It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
that accepts tax-deductible
contributions.
Conrad Skinner grew up
in Hermiston and served in
the United States Marine
Corps before taking his
own life in April 2014 at
age 23. ron Hosek said two
of Skinner’s relatives sit
on the nonprofit’s board,
and he and his wife met
with Skinner’s parents and
grandparents to get their
blessing before dedicating
the project to his memory.
“We are losing 20 to 22
veterans a day to PTSD
and suicide,” Hosek said.
He said he and Long-
Hosek and other members
of the board want to reduce
those numbers locally, and
also support family mem-
bers who may be at a loss
to know how to deal with
their love one’s struggles.
Hosek said they already
have books they can loan
out to help children under-
stand that “mom or dad are
not angry at them, it’s an
illness.”
Long-Hosek said she
is open to suggestions for
what needs are not being
met elsewhere, and how
they can best help vet-
erans with their limited
resources.
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