LOCAL
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2019
THE OBSERVER — 3A
O BITUARIES
Vangie S. (Turner) Guze
La Grande
1972-2019
Vangie Star Guze, 47, of
La Grande, died Nov. 29 at
her home. A celebration of
her life will be
held at 10 a.m.
Dec. 7 at Love-
land Funeral
Chapel.
Vangie was
born Aug. 28, 1972, in Salt
Lake City, Utah, to Rex and
Jane (Jensen) Turner. She
graduated from East High
School in Utah and received a
certifi cate in early childhood
education from Salt Lake
Community College.
Vangie was nicknamed
“Angel” at her birth by the
nurses who took care of her.
She was often referred to as
a “miracle child” because she
overcame childhood leukemia
twice as well as two brain
surgeries with numerous
complications. The biggest
miracle was the birth of her
beloved son, Austin, because
she had been told that she
would never be able to have
children due to all the radia-
tion she received as a child.
Vangie worked in retail
in the shoe department at
K-Mart in Roseburg prior to
the birth of her son. She was
married to Jason Guze in
Roseburg and enjoyed a full
life in their home prior to her
last brain surgery in 2007.
For the past 12 years, she
has lived in La Grande with
her son, mother and second
father, Jim Howell.
Vangie loved to spend time
with her family and friends.
She also loved embroidery,
holidays, games, going for
drives, dancing at Mt. Valley,
watching the TV series “Blue
Bloods” and going out to
lunch with her “other mother”
and caregiver, Debera White
Waters. Vangie’s greatest gifts
were her smile and never
giving up or feeling sorry for
herself.
Surviving relatives include
her parents, Jane and Jim
Howell of La Grande and Dr.
Rocket and Julie Turner of
Eugene; son, Austin Guze of
La Grande; siblings Rachel
Turner of Eugene, Cassie
Vandenburgh of Eugene,
Oscar Trujillo of Tuscan,
Arizona, Emily Erb of
Albuquerque, New Mexico,
Wendell Howell of Seattle,
Heather Pridgen of Eugene,
Ian Woodin of Eugene, and
Jesse Dearth of Eugene; and
grandparents, Ray Jensen
of La Grande and Ray and
Kay Turner of Salt Lake City,
Utah.
She was preceded in death
by her grandparents, Sheila
Jensen and Bruce and Lucile
Howell.
In lieu of fl owers, memorial
contributions may be made to
the Make-A-Wish Foundation
of America, Gift Processing,
1702 E. Highland Ave., Suite
400, Phoenix, Arizona 85016,
or at www.wish.org.
Online condolences may be
made to the family at www.
lovelandfuneralchapel.com.
Earl Wells
La Grande
Earl Wells, 89, of La
Grande, died Nov. 29 at St.
Alphonsus Regional Medi-
cal Center in Boise, Idaho.
An obituary is forthcoming.
Loveland Funeral Chapel &
Crematory will be handling
the arrangements.
Laura J. (Tierce) Chapman
Formerly of Elgin
1943-2019
Laura Jean Chapman, 76,
of Baker City and formerly of
Elgin, died Nov. 26 at a care
facility in Baker
City. A graveside
service will be
held at 2 p.m.
Dec. 6 at the
Elgin Cemetery.
Casual dress is preferred by
the family.
Laura was born April 30,
1943, in Salem, to William
Carlos and Ellen (Oakes)
Tierce. She resided in La
Grande and Baker City.
She was married to Eugene
Chapman.
Laura worked in several
canneries throughout the
years and was a homemaker
for most of her life. She
enjoyed birdwatching, going
on scenic drives, spending
time with family, attending
church, and vacationing with
her sister, Lois. She would
say her greatest achievement
was becoming a mother,
grandmother and great-
grandmother.
Surviving relatives include
her daughters and sons-in-
law, Tina and Terry Allen
of Oxbow and Sandra and
Junior Martinez of Bend;
sister and brother-in-law Lois
and Mark Royce of Creswell;
and three grandchildren and
three great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death
by her husband, Eugene
Chapman; parents, Carlos
and Ellen Tierce; and broth-
ers, Marvin Tierce, Jim Tierce
and Jerry Tierce.
Online condolences may be
made to the family at www.
lovelandfuneralchapel.com.
Gene A. Noland
La Grande
1939-2019
Gene Anthony Noland,
80, died Nov. 9 unexpectedly.
As he requested, there will
not be a public
funeral. A cel-
ebration of his
life will be held
at a later date.
Gene’s ashes
will be spread over his fam-
ily property in the Grande
Ronde Valley, as he desired.
Gene was born April 1,
1939, in La Grande. Born with
cerebral palsy, he faced several
challenges, but he did not
allow his disability to defi ne
his life. After graduating from
what is now Eastern Oregon
University in 1962, Gene went
on to attend law school at Wil-
lamette University in Salem,
where he received a juris
doctor degree in 1964 and was
admitted to practice in Oregon
and California.
Gene then went to work
for Bancroft-Whitney Legal
Publishers in San Francisco,
California, where he worked
until his retirement in 1992.
An extraordinary legal writer
and editor, Gene, for his last
20 years at Bancroft-Whitney,
was the managing editor of a
staff that published state and
national law encyclopedias.
One of Gene’s loves was local
theater and the arts, and he
participated in the production
of many plays in Berkeley
and San Francisco.
Gene returned to his home-
town of La Grande in 2003.
In 2013, he built his dream
home, where he lived with his
two dearly loved cats, Julie
and Shadow. He enjoyed
hosting gatherings at his
home and having friends visit
him for lunch dates. Gene
had a kind heart and gener-
ous spirit. He was the kind
of person who turned friends
into family and enjoyed
celebrating the successes of
others. He was incredibly
grateful to those who helped
care for him during the last
few years of his life.
Surviving relatives include
his wife, Carol Ormond of
California, and cousins, Bob
Kuchler and Marian Stuck-
man, both of La Grande.
He was preceded in death
by his father, Lawrence
Noland, and mother, Eileen
(Bull) Johnson.
Memorial contributions
may be made to the Blue
Mountain Humane Associa-
tion, 3212 Highway 30, La
Grande 97850.
Rosabell was born
March 6, 1920, in Merid-
ian, Idaho, to Carson and
Gladys (Heater) Emery.
When she was a child, the
family moved to Summer-
ville. Rosabell graduated
from Imbler High School.
She married Jesse Ver-
million Aug, 21, 1937, in
La Grande. They moved
to Spokane, Washington,
in 1949 and back to La
Grande in 1954.
Rosabell worked as a
seamstress for various dry
cleaners in both Spokane and
La Grande. She also made
quilts and was a dressmaker. A
60-year faithful member of the
LDS Church, Rosabell was a
former Relief Society president
and Sunday school teacher.
Surviving relatives include
her son and daughter-in-law,
Larry “Butch” and Sharon
Vermillion of La Grande; two
grandchildren; fi ve great-
grandchildren; and fi ve great-
great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in
death by her husband and a
brother, Phillip Anderson.
In lieu of fl owers, memo-
rial contributions may be
made to the LDS Humanitar-
ian Fund in care of Daniels-
Knopp Funeral, Cremation &
Life Celebration Center, 1502
Seventh St., La Grande.
Rosabell Laurel Vermillion
La Grande
Daniel R. Jorgensen
1920-2019
La Grande
Rosabell Laneal Vermillion,
99, of La Grande, died Dec. 2
at Wildflower Lodge. A funeral
service will be held at 11 a.m.
Dec. 6 at the Summerville
Cemetery Chapel.
Daniel R. Jorgensen, 55, of
La Grande, died Dec. 2 at his
residence. An obituary is forth-
coming. Loveland Funeral
Chapel & Crematory will be
handling the arrangements.
Celebrating the champions
L OCAL B RIEFING
From staff reports
Women’s Connection cuisine from Local Harvest
lunch includes
and Raul’s and cold beer
ornament exchange from Side A. All proceeds
LA GRANDE — The La
Grande Women’s Connec-
tion reunion Christmas
luncheon will be held
Friday at The Urban Vine,
corner of Island Avenue
and First Street in Island
City. A program begins
at noon, followed by the
program. Those who at-
tend are asked to bring a
wrapped ornament for an
ornament exchange. RSVP
at 541-786-0305.
‘Boondockers’
movie premieres
at fundraiser for
Avalanche Center
LA GRANDE — A
fundraiser for the Wal-
lowa Avalanche Center
begins at 6 p.m. Saturday
at hq, 112 Depot St., La
Grande. The event will
feature the premiere of
the fi lm “Boondockers 16”
plus auctions and raffl es
with prizes from sponsors
including Outlaw Motors-
ports, Oregon Trail Sports,
Cliffs, Extreme Heights
and more. There also will
be pizza and Mexican
go to WAC to keep people
safe this winter. Admission
is $10 at the door, free for
kids younger than 12.
LG Landmarks
Commission meets
tomorrow
LA GRANDE — The city
of La Grande Landmarks
Commission will meet in
regular session beginning
at 6 p.m. Thursday in the
Council Chambers of La
Grande City Hall, 1000 Ad-
ams Ave. Pending business
includes consideration of
the historical appropriate-
ness of the Lottes Building,
1413 Adams Ave. A work
session immediately will
follow.
Santa Paws raises
funds for La Grande
animal shelter
LA GRANDE — A Santa
Paws photo op event aims
to raise funds and aware-
ness for the local animal
shelter, open from 11 a.m.
to 1 p.m. Saturday. Santa
Claus will be available for
“Take your Own Photos”
P UBLIC S AFETY R EPORT
SUNDAY
La Grande police at 10:06 a.m.
received a report of possible ani-
mal neglect on the 2400 block of
Riddle Road. The code enforce-
ment offi cer made contact.
Oregon State Police at
about 1:45 p.m. responded to
a single vehicle rollover near
milepost 269 on Interstate 84.
The trooper arrived to fi de the
Toyota Tacoma on its top and
in the median, but the fi ve oc-
cupants were unharmed.
The group — two adults and
fi ve children, all males from
West Jordan, Utah — were
heading east when the 31-year-
old driver lost control of the
Toyota and it rolled at least
once. The trooper determined
the scene fi t the story and gave
the group a ride to the Flying J,
La Grande.
MONDAY
A caller at 12:10 a.m. on the
1500 block of 21st Street, La
Grande, complained about
noise from a neighbor. An
offi cer responded, and the
neighbor agreed to turn down
the music.
La Grand police at about
10:15 a.m. responded the 100
block of Aries Lane for a cat
that was struck by a car. The en-
forcement offi cer transported
the cat to the Animal Health
Center, 10302 Wallowa Lake
Highway, La Grande.
TUESDAY
La Grande police at about
6:30 p.m. took a report of a
dog bite victim who was at
the emergency department at
Grand Ronde Hospital.
La Grande police throughout
the day made the following
arrests:
Timothy Lamar Ferguson, 57,
of La Grande, for third-degree
assault.
Robert David Rose, 37, of
Cove, for third-degree assault.
Sam D. Witty, 49, of La
Grande, for driving under the
infl uence of intoxicants, felony
driving while suspended, third-
degree theft and on a warrant.
Caleb Andrew Woodworth,
24, of La Grande, for DUII, reck-
less driving and second-degree
criminal mischief.
And fi refi ghters responded
to eight calls for medical as-
sistance on Tuesday and four
on Monday.
with your fur babies or
children, for a $10 mini-
mum donation, at Le Bebe
Cakes Bakery Coffee
House, 1101 Washington
Ave., La Grande.
Transportation
commission meeting
held in La Grande
LA GRANDE — The
Northeast Area Commis-
sion on Transportation will
meet from 9 a.m. to noon
Thursday at the Oregon
Department of Transporta-
tion Region 5 Headquar-
ters, 3012 Island Ave.,
La Grande. The public is
invited to attend.
Staff photo by Ronald Bond
La Grande High School held a pep rally Monday afternoon to celebrate the Tigers’ state
championship victory over Banks. The Tigers’ win in Saturday’s state championship
game earned the school’s fi rst football title in 45 years.
Happy
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Eldon
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Chandler