FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2019
THE OBSERVER — 3A
LOCAL
L OCAL B RIEFING
From staff reports
Meet Ms. Claus at ornament workshop and open and Jan. 5. The international event is conducted by the National
house today
Audubon Society, which has a record of every Christmas Bird
LA GRANDE — Ms. Claus’ Clay Ornament Workshop and
Open House is 5-8 p.m. today at the Clay Underground Studio,
1101 Washington Ave. in La Grande. Get your Christmas shop-
ping done while supporting fi ve local artists. Enjoy free sweet
treats and warm drinks, take a photo with Ms. Claus and make
a one-of-a-kind Christmas ornament ($10 for one, $17 for two
and $25 for four, with additional ornaments $5 each).
Walk through Bethlehem at Living Nativity
LA GRANDE — The annual Living Nativity at the La
Grande Seventh-day Adventist Church, 2702 Adams Ave., will
offer visitors a walk through Bethlehem, where Jesus was born.
The interactive experience will be open from 5-8 p.m. today and
Saturday and will include baby Jesus in the manager, Roman
soldiers, Bethlehem shops, live animals, music and refresh-
ments. The event is free and open to all.
This year also will offer a photo op with Izzy the camel today
from 1-3 p.m. Photos will be taken by Arla Marie Photography,
$10 per for one person and $5 for each additional person (cash or
check only). All proceeds go to the local school Little Friends and
the Adventist school. Appointments are not necessary.
Have your photo taken with Santa before the
Elgin Light Parade tomorrow
ELGIN — The Elgin Light Parade is set for Saturday at
6 p.m. Before the parade, from 2-4 p.m., the Elgin High School
FBLA chapter is offering pictures with Santa as a fundraiser
at All For You Salon. All For You will also be providing free hot
chocolate, coffee and cookies for the community along with ar-
ranging fi re pits outside for people to warm up while watching
the parade.
Wreaths Across America placed in La Grande
LA GRANDE — American Legion Post 43 of La Grande is
again sponsoring Wreaths Across America. On Saturday morn-
ing, the group will place wreaths on the headstones in the Veter-
ans Circle in Grandview Cemetery on Foothill Road. The public
is welcome to observe or help place the wreaths. There will be
a brief public ceremony at 10 a.m. with Pastor Roger Cochran
offi ciating. The wreaths will remain up until Dec. 28.
Count since the fi rst one in 1900.
police department, 541-963-1017. She also will be available
Tuesday to take donations during the 11 a.m. event in the
greenhouse area of Wal-Mart.
Historical Society program is a tribute to Dottie
Brown
Weekly senior lunch in Union now served at
VFW
LA GRANDE — The Union County Historical Society will
hold a meeting and potluck beginning at noon Sunday in the log
cabin at the Union County Fairgrounds. The BlueMountaineers
will play music and give their annual tribute to Dottie Brown.
UNION — The Union senior lunch served on Tuesdays is
now being held at the VFW High Valley Post 4060, 518 N. Main
St. The coffee is available before the meal as usual, followed by
lunch at noon. The meal is available for a $3 donation.
PetSense hosts holiday events Saturday
Imbler School Board meeting will include
executive session
LA GRANDE — PetSense at the Grande Ronde Plaza in La
Grande is having an adoption event from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday.
There will be shelter animals available for adoption and Santa
Paws offering pictures with Santa. The holiday festivities also will
include an Ugly Sweater Contest for pets and their people.
Annual turkey shoot open to all
COVE — The Cove Sportsman Club will hold its annual
Turkey Shoot Sunday at the club on the south side of Cove. The
shooting begins at 9 a.m., and there will be non-shooting games
inside for all attending. Hamburgers, chili and pie will be avail-
able for lunch.
UNION COUNTY SENIOR CENTER MENU
1504 ALBANY ST., LA GRANDE
Dec. 16-20
lunch served 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
age 60+ $3 suggested donation; others $6
Monday: traditional mac & cheese (with or without ham),
spinach salad, steamed vegetables, wheat rolls, fruit.
Tuesday: BBQ beef sandwiches, fries, broccoli-raisin
salad, fresh fruit slices, cookies.
Wednesday: honey-glazed ham, scalloped potatoes,
steamed vegetables, rolls, dessert.
Thursday: chicken tenders, steak fries, three-bean salad,
coleslaw, fresh fruit.
Friday: taquitos, Mexi-rice, steamed vegetables, salad
greens, chips, fl an.
GRH Auxiliary meets for Christmas Luncheon
ISLAND CITY — The Grande Ronde Hospital Auxiliary’s
annual Christmas Luncheon will be Monday at the Island City
City Hall beginning at noon. Members are asked to bring a
main dish, salad or dessert to share. The meat will be provided
by the Auxiliary.
Handbell concert presents traditional Christmas
music
LA GRANDE — The bells will be ringing at the Alleluia Bells
concert beginning at 7 p.m. Monday at the La Grande First
Presbyterian Church, corner of Washington Avenue and Spring
Street. According to organizers, English handbells are “the
epitome of the sound of Christmas.” While there is no charge for
the concert, free will donations will be gratefully accepted.
Alleluia Bells is a small ecumenical ensemble currently under
the direction of Danny Bailey.
P UBLIC S AFETY R EPORT
TUESDAY
The Union County Sher-
iff’s Offi ce arrested Ian Riley
Anderson, 19, of Island City,
for possession and delivery of
methamphetamine and heroine,
all felonies.
Union County bird count set for Sunday
Donations welcome for annual Shop with a Cop
UNION, COVE — The 44th annual Union County Christmas program
Bird Count will begin right after midnight Sunday and continue
until 11:59 p.m. The count is conducted each year in an area cen-
tered about one mile northwest of Union. The area has a 15-mile
diameter and a radius of 177 square miles. Union and Cove are
the only towns in the count circle. People living within the count
area are encouraged to fi ll their bird feeders to attract birds for
counters. Anyone interested in participating in the count should
call Trent Bray at 541-980-4443 or visit The Bobolink at 1707
Fifth St. to sign up.
The Union County Christmas Bird Count is one of more than
2,000 being conducted throughout the world between Dec. 14
IMBLER — The Imbler School District Board of Direc-
tors will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Room 1 of the high school.
The meeting will include an executive session, pursuant to
ORS192.660(2)(d), to conduct staff negotiations.
LA GRANDE — The La Grande Police Department’s Shop
with a Cop day is Tuesday. Over the last 10 years, the Union
County event has served more than 150 children. This year
there are 15 children participating in fi rst-sixth grades, selected
by school counselors from local schools. More than 30 volunteers
from the La Grande Police Department, Oregon State Police
and the Union County Sheriff’s Offi ce will help with this year’s
event.
To make the event possible, LGPD partners with local
schools, Wal-Mart and Loveland Funeral Chapel. Anyone who
wishes to make a donation can call Carla Greenough at the
WEDNESDAY
The Union County Sheriff’s
Offi ce arrested Michael Allan
Leon. 57, of Milton-Freewater,
for giving false information to
an offi cer and felony metham-
phetamine possession.
THURSDAY
La Grande police at 3:36 p.m.
received a report of a possible
sex crime.
The Union County Sheriff’s
Offi ce few minutes before
midnight served a stalking order
on the 1100 block of K Avenue,
La Grande.
FRIDAY
La Grande police just after
1 a.m. responded to a report
of trespassing on the 1100
block of Jefferson Avenue. An
offi cer arrested Jennifer Dawn
O’Daniels, 36, of La Grande,
for misdemeanor meth-
amphetamine and heroine
possession and on fi ve war-
rants for failure to appear in
misdemeanor trespassing and
theft cases.
And fi refi ghters responded
to seven calls for medical as-
sistance on Thursday and fi ve
on Wednesday.
O BITUARIES
Marcia (Miller) Smith
Formerly of La Grande
1923-2019
Marcia Smith, 96, formerly
of La Grande, died Nov. 9
in Seattle, Washington. A
private burial
took place in
La Grande, her
favorite place
in the world,
where she
was laid to rest beside her
parents.
Marcia was born June 26,
1923, in Decatur, Georgia,
the only child of Leo and
Florence (Lynch) Miller.
Marcia was raised in La
Grande and had a life-long
passion for the arts, particu-
larly music and ballet. After
graduating from the Univer-
sity of Washington in 1946,
her love of ballet took her to
New York City and then to a
summer dance retreat at
Jacob’s Pillow, Massachu-
setts. It was there she met
Eugene Smith.
Marcia returned to La
Grande and opened a ballet
studio on Depot Street. Eu-
gene eventually followed her
to La Grande, where they
married in 1951. The early
years of their married life
were spent in Milton-Free-
water, where they shared
their mutual love of the
arts playing together in an
orchestra (cello and clarinet),
performing in theater pro-
ductions and making their
own marionette show.
Eugene’s graduate educa-
tion and subsequent teach-
ing career at the University
of Washington took them
to Seattle, where they lived
for more than 30 years and
raised fi ve children. Eventu-
ally, they were drawn back
to the La Grande house in
which Marcia grew up and
they spent most of their later
years there.
Surviving relatives include
her husband of 68 years,
Eugene Smith; children and
their spouses, Sheila Smith
and Don Ferguson, Kenna
Smith Shangrow and Robert
Shangrow, Maynard Smith,
Bradley Smith, and Naomi
and Jon Halfaker; and six
grandchildren.
In lieu of fl owers, memo-
rial donations may be made
to support Orchestra Seattle/
Seattle Chamber Singers,
1916 Pike Place, Suite 112,
Seattle, Washington 98101,
or at www.OSSCS.org.
Clarence Lee Blaylock
Formerly of Cove
1938-2019
Clarence Lee Blaylock, 81,
formerly of Cove, died Oct.
21 at his home in Salome,
Arizona.
Clarence was
born May 3,
1938, in Cross-
ville, Tennessee,
to Clarence and
Vera Blaylock. In 1964, he
married Betty Ann Barnett,
and they had three sons:
Timothy, Brian and Delbert.
Clarence and Betty lived in
Cove from the late 1960s to
the late 1990s.
Clarence and Betty
shared 42 years of mar-
riage and a love for the
outdoors, hunting, fi shing
and gold prospecting. They
were members of numer-
ous gold mining clubs and
spent many summers as
camp host in Auburn for the
Eastern Oregon Mining and
Prospecting Club.
Surviving relatives include
his sons and daughters-in-
law, Timothy and Tammy
Blaylock, Brian and Fran
Blaylock and Delbert
Blaylock; brothers, Edward
Blaylock, Douglas Blaylock
and Ronald Blaylock; sisters,
Alice Burdette, Donna
Misra, Edna Burgess and
Annette Sapp; and numer-
ous grandchildren and great-
grandchildren.
He was preceded in death
by his wife, Mary, in 2006;
parents, Clarence and Vera;
sister, Rita Burdette; and
brothers, Bill Blaylock and
Kenneth Blaylock.
Shirley A. (Oveson)
Blanton
La Grande
1932-2019
Shirley Ann Blanton, 87,
of La Grande, died Dec. 9 at
Grande Ronde Retirement
Center. A cel-
ebration of her
life will be held
in the spring.
Shirley was
born March 29,
1932, in Green River, Utah,
to Conway and Dolores
(Winbourn) Oveson. Her
early school years were spent
in Cleveland and Hunting-
ton, Utah. When her family
moved to East Carbon City,
Utah, she attended Carbon
High School and Carbon
College and was a proud
alumna of both, enthusias-
tically participating in all
the class reunions through
the years. Shirley earned a
bachelor’s degree at Utah
State University and became
a schoolteacher.
Shirley loved to dance and
was an expert at the jitterbug.
She played piano and enjoyed
singing around the piano with
family and friends and in
church choirs. She learned to
watercolor, and her friends’ and
family’s homes are decorated
with her lovely paintings. Most
of her working life was spent
in Salt Lake City, Utah, where
she had many close, lifelong
friends. In later years she
moved to Canby, where she
was active in her church and
the senior center. Her last year
was spent in La Grande with
family and new friends.
Shirley loved people, and
people loved her. She took
great joy in her family and
was a special friend to all
whose lives she touched.
Shirley was always there
with an easy laugh, warm
heart and listening ear. She
had a true zest for life, loved
sunsets and took time to en-
joy the wonders of the world.
Surviving relatives
include her daughter and
son-in-law, Sanny (Oveson)
and Tony Wartko of Hilton
Head Island, South Carolina;
son and daughter-in-law,
Chris and Vel Donna (Sweet)
Blanton of La Grande; and
four grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions
may be made to the Ameri-
can Heart Association, 4380
SW Macadam Ave. #480,
Portland 97239.
Online condolences may
be made to the family at
www.lovelandfuneralchapel.
com.
Dolores Hewitt
La Grande
Dolores Hewitt, 82, of
La Grande and formerly of
Baker City, died Dec. 12 at
Wildfl ower Lodge. An obitu-
ary is forthcoming. Loveland
Funeral Chapel & Crema-
tory will be handling the
arrangements.
Delpha Hamann
La Grande
Delpha Hamann, 89, of
La Grande, died Dec. 10 at
a care facility in Pendleton.
An Independent
Insurance Agency
Reed & Associates for
excellent service LOCALLY!
Nicole Cathey
10106 N. ‘C’ • Island City
541-975-1364
An obituary is forthcoming.
Arrangements are entrusted
to Daniels-Knopp Funeral,
Cremation & Life Celebra-
tion Center.
Daniel R. Jorgensen
La Grande
1963-2019
Daniel Robert Jorgensen,
55, of La Grande, died Dec. 2
at his home. A private burial
will be held at the Star Cem-
etery in Idaho. A celebration
of his life will take place at
a later date. Arrangements
are under the direction of
Loveland Funeral Chapel &
Crematory.
Known as Dan, he was
born Dec. 3, 1963, in Citrus
Heights, California, to Rob-
ert and Susan Jorgensen,
the fi rst of six children. The
family moved to Arizona and
then to Boise, Idaho, before
settling in Eagle, Idaho, in
1972.
Dan graduated from Me-
ridian High School in 1982.
A man of great reasoning
power with a gift for the
logic of math, Dan pursued a
B.S. in mechanical engi-
neering, taking classes at
Boise State University and
then graduating from the
University of Idaho in 1987.
He put his skills to work at
Micron Technology in Boise
for about a decade.
A member of the United
Church of God, Dan en-
joyed traveling abroad to
visit church brethren in
Zimbabwe, New Zealand,
Tasmania, the Bahamas
and the Philippines. He took
repeated trips to the Philip-
pines after meeting Nancy
Binos in 1996. They married
Oct. 3, 2004. He helped her
run a store in the Philip-
pines for a while before they
moved to Oregon and made
their home in Haines and
later La Grande.
Dan loved trains, back-
packing, fi shing, and
whipped cream. He was also
a notorious teaser.
Surviving relatives include
his wife, Nancy; children,
Samuel, Matthew and Erika;
mother, Susan of Eagle,
Idaho; siblings, Sarah of
Middleton, Idaho, Timothy
of Eagle, Idaho, Jennifer of
Salt Lake City, Utah, Laurie
of Star, Idaho, and Ben of
Kamiah, Idaho; and numer-
ous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death
by his father, Robert.
UPCOMING FUNERALS
AND VISITATIONS
Sponsored by
Dec. 13
Mary Armon:
2 p.m. graveside
service, Elgin Cemetery.
Maxine Parks
Thiessen:
2 p.m. funeral, Bollman
Funeral Home,
Enterprise; casual dress
preferred.
Dec. 14
Rodney Feik:
9-9:45 a.m. viewing
and 10 a.m. funeral,
La Grande Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints; followed
by graveside service
with military honors at
Grandview Cemetery.
Roberta Sinor:
2 p.m. graveside service,
Elgin Cemetery.
Medicare, Auto, Home
insurance and Annuities
Toll Free 1-866-282-1925
www.reed-insurance.net
Kevin Reed