The Observer., April 25, 2020, Page 3, Image 3

LOCAL
SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020
OBITUARIES
COMMUNITY
Briefs
Elgin alumni banquet
canceled
ELGIN — The Elgin Alumni
Association’s alumni ban-
quet, planned for June 20,
has been canceled due to the
coronavirus pandemic. Dues
and donations to the schol-
arship fund can be mailed to
the Elgin Alumni Association,
P.O. Box 551, Elgin 97827.
Hospital requests cloth
masks
LA GRANDE — Grande
Ronde Hospital is asking for
donations of cloth masks.
In continuing the effort
to prevent the spread of
COVID-19, the hospital uses
commercially produced
medical masks and addition-
al personal protective equip-
ment as necessary when
caring for ill patients, but in
order to keep patients safe,
hospital staff use donated
cloth masks when treating
healthy patients. To learn
more about how to make/
donate cloth masks, you can
fi nd the guidelines at grh.
org/covid19.
Union County
Senior Center
takeout lunch
menu
Pickup from 11:30 a.m.-
12:30 p.m. at 1504 N.
Albany St., La Grande
For delivery, call 541-963-
7532 before 10 a.m.
Age 60+, $3 suggested
donation; all others, $5
April 27-May 1
Monday: chicken cordon
bleu, rice, steamed vegeta-
bles, apple Waldorf salad.
Tuesday: fi sh & chips,
baked beans, coleslaw,
dessert.
Wednesday: pulled-pork
sliders, sweet potato fries,
cabbage slaw, pie.
Thursday: taco salad,
chips and salsa, fl an.
Friday: turkey, bacon
and avocado wraps, potato
salad, fresh fruit, chips, pie.
Enterprise
mayor to
step down
May 11
By Bill Bradshaw
EO Media Group
ENTERPRISE —
Enterprise Mayor Stacey
Karvoski will step down
from her post, and the
city council will appoint
one of its members to be
mayor pro-tem at its May
11 meeting, effective
June 1.
The
announce-
ment was
made at
the April
13 council
Karvoski
meeting.
Karvoski said she will
step down because she is
moving outside the city
limits and thus would no
longer meet the residency
requirement to serve as
an elected offi cial.
Karvoski joined the
city council in January
2009. She was elected
mayor in 2016 and took
offi ce in January 2017.
Also at the April 13
meeting, the Motel Tax
Committee approved all
grant requests presented
at the March meeting
with the exception of the
proposal for the Moun-
tain High Broncs and
Bulls because that event
has been canceled this
year.
Other grants, $2,000
each, were approved for
the Courthouse Con-
cert Series, Juniper Jam
Music Festival, Wallowa
Resources Woodlands &
Watershed Festival, Main
Street Show and Shine,
Hells Canyon Mule Days
and Alpenfest.
The most valuable and
respected source of
local news, advertising
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our communities.
eomediagroup.com
THE OBSERVER — 3A
Virginia L. Widman
Formerly of La Grande • 1929-2020
Virginia Lee Widman,
90, of Salem and formerly
of La Grande, died March
12.
When travel
and meeting
restrictions
are lifted, the
family plans to
have a memo-
rial service at
the First Baptist Church in
Salem. Call 541-504-2841
if you wish to be notifi ed
when a date is set. Arrange-
ments are entrusted to
Virgil T. Golden Funeral
Service of Salem.
Virginia was born July
18, 1929, in West Linn, to
James and Lola Howard.
The family lived in West
Linn until 1942. They
moved to Prineville, and
in 1947 Virginia graduated
from Crook County High
School. She graduated from
Linfi eld College in McMin-
nville in 1951. Virginia also
received a master’s degree
from the University of
Oregon in 1966.
After graduating from
Linfi eld College, Virginia
started a career in teaching.
She was a physical educa-
tion teacher in Baker and La
Grande high schools from
1952 until 1976. During
her public-school teaching
career, she was very
involved with the sports
teams and rally squads for
the young women of these
two high schools.
In 1976, Virginia
decided to leave the pub-
lic-school system and
taught in a private Christian
Academy in Carmichael,
California. She lived in the
Sacramento area until 2003,
when she moved to Salem.
During the years prior to
her moving to Salem, Vir-
ginia took several mission
trips to Brazil, Argentina
and Albania to teach mis-
sionary children residing in
those countries. She loved
to travel and spent time
in more than 10 countries
during her mission-focused
years.
While living in Car-
michael, Virginia was
an active member of the
Arcade Baptist Church,
serving on several com-
mittees and in the church’s
mission program. Upon
moving to Salem, she
joined the First Baptist
Church and continued her
service in missions and
community outreach.
Virginia served the
Lord faithfully in all her
endeavors. She was a
caring, loving servant of the
Lord and touched countless
lives with her kindness.
Surviving relatives
include her brother, Mart
Howard of Prineville, and
seven nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in
death by her brother, James
Howard of Terrebonne,
and sister, Fran Howard of
Salem.
William Hiebert
La Grande • 1942-2020
William Hiebert, 78, of
La Grande, died April 10
at a local care facility. At
his request there will not
be a public service at this
time. Arrangements are
under the direction of Dan-
iels-Knopp Funeral, Cre-
mation & Life Celebration
Center.
William was born Feb.
9, 1942, in White Salmon,
Washington, to David Roy
and Audrey Irene (Swaim)
Hiebert.
He attended the Sev-
enth-day Adventist Church
School. He was a member
of the Seventh-day Adven-
tist Church and a past
president of the Young
Republicans.
On July 3, 1979, William
married Sandra J. Chan-
dler. They lived in Hawaii,
Florida and Costa Rica
before moving back to La
Grande. William enjoyed
traveling and fi shing. He
Upcoming
local
services are
pending due
to efforts to
curb the
spread of the
coronavirus.
worked in a variety of
sales positions before his
retirement.
Surviving relatives
include his wife, Sandra J.
Hiebert of La Grande; chil-
dren, Brenda and Bill Jr.;
stepson, Doyle of Hillsboro;
sister, Linda of Salem; and
six grandchildren.
He was preceded in
death by his sister, Gail,
and one grandchild.
Ghost signs and walldogs: History at home
Over the past year or so
the historic district, there
my visits with you ceased
are hidden scattered gems
because I had not been
of yesterday looking down
traveling much and felt
on the unaware passersby
there was little of note that
ready to share some of the
needed to be shared.
rich history of La Grande’s
Now
early occu-
that we are
pants.
GINNY
all staying
These
MAMMEN
at home
painted
there is
advertise-
a greater
ments, also
need than
known as
before to stay connected and “ghost signs,” are for prod-
keep our minds busy and
ucts and services important
our spirits up.
to the local citizenry during
As many of you are
a specifi c era. Like the his-
aware, Dale and I are
toric old buildings on which
extremely passionate about
they are found they give us
the preservation of our his-
a small glimpse of what life
toric downtown. As part
was like in the early part of
of that passion I began
the 20th century.
research a number of years
Around the end of the
ago on some of the build-
19th century a new type of
ings and their original
advertising swept across the
owners.
country — including large
It was amazing how
cities as well as the smaller
many of the names that
rural towns. It was the thing
emerged were those of
to do and La Grande was
either people we have
not to be left out. There
known during our 50-plus
were no rules or regulations
years here in La Grande
at that time regarding sig-
or some of their relatives.
nage. For those who owned
Those people I learned
their own building it was
were tough and strong and
certainly something to
worked together to build
consider.
community and to keep it
La Grande has two types
going.
of ghost signs — those for
Recently I put together a
nationally known products
collection of stories about a
and those for local busi-
special part of that commu-
nesses. So who paid for
nity and a need for preser-
these signs? For the locally
vation that I want to share
owned businesses, the
with you over the coming
advertisement was generally
months.
paid for by the owner of the
Scattered throughout
business. For larger compa-
La Grande, primarily in
nies that were reaching out
“Scattered throughout La Grande, primarily in the historic
district, there are hidden scattered gems of yesterday
looking down on the unaware passersby ready to share
some of the rich history of La Grande’s early occupants.”
to all areas to make their
products known, there was
what were called “privilege
signs.”
Sometimes money
changed hands for these,
though very rarely and
not very much. Mostly the
building owner was offered
something such as having
the business name some-
where included in the sign
or a service of having the
building roof inspected
(handy for the taller build-
ings), or some object or
product.
The men who painted
these signs were not con-
sidered artists or even the
best sign-painters but they
were extremely talented and
daring as they engaged in
a very dangerous trade. In
the larger cities there were
local painters while in the
rural areas there were trav-
eling sign painters who went
from small town to small
town working farms (barns
and silos) along the way.
Wherever they were, they
were referred to as “wall-
dogs.” This was for two rea-
sons. They worked like dogs
while working up and down
on tall buildings and they
were tethered/leashed to the
wall.
Although many were
PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT
WEDNESDAY
9:19 a.m. — A caller asked
to speak to a La Grande police
offi cer about vandalism on the
900 block of O Avenue.
10:56 a.m. — La Grande
police received a report of
vandalism on the 300 block of
Fourth Street.
11:35 a.m. — La Grande po-
lice cited a 48-year-old woman
for second-degree custodial
interference, a misdemeanor.
11:41 a.m. — La Grande
police took a report of vandal-
ism on the 1600 block of First
Street.
4:01 p.m. — The Union
County Sheriff’s Offi ce
responded to the 1000 block
of Main Street, Union, on a
report of a disturbance. Depu-
ties separated the parties and
explained options.
10:46 p.m. — An Elgin caller
reported an assault on the
900 block of Alder Street. A
Union County sheriff’s deputy
responded and took a report.
11:19 p.m. — The Union
County Sheriff’s Offi ce re-
sponded to the 60100 block of
Morgan Lake Road on a report
of a burglary. Deputies arrest-
ed Julien Daniel Lopez, 21,
of La Grande, for fi rst-degree
burglary and fi rst-degree theft
and on a warrant.
skilled both in their artistic
work and climbing abilities,
they were often poorly paid.
If that was not bad
enough, their exposure to
the toxic combinations of
ingredients, including lead,
creating the paints they
used made their job even
more dangerous health wise.
However, it was because of
the adhesive durability of
these paints that we are still
able to see and appreciate
the efforts of their work
today.
I previously closed my
articles with “Enjoy!” I still
feel that it is important to
try to fi nd something each
day to bring joy into our
own life as well as those
around us. So until next
time keep tough, strong and
healthy — and Enjoy!
About the Author
Ginny Mammen has
lived in La Grande for
more than 50 years and
enjoys sharing her interest
in the history of people,
places and buildings.
H. Evelyn (Witham) Ryan
August 27, 1945 - April 15, 2020
Evelyn was born in Baker to Harvey and Her-
tha Witham and was a fifth generation Bakerite.
She graduated from Baker High School in 1963
and attended Eastern Oregon College. In 1964
she married Robert Ryan and they had three
children.
For many years they lived in Great Falls, Mon-
tana and in 2000 moved to Scranton to be near
their children. She was a devoted wife, mother
and grandmother and nothing made her happier
than to have her family around her dining room
table. She was also a devoted church member
and help to build many churches in communi-
ties.
She is survived by her husband Bob of Allen-
town PA and three children Mike Ryan, Mollie
Peiren both of Wallkill, NY and Mitch Ryan of
Factoryville, NJ and two grandchildren Brady
and Jake. Three sisters Jeanne Schumacher of
Baker City, Reba Sharp of Beaverton OR and
Anna Baum of LaGrande OR.
She was preceded in death by her parents Har-
vey and Hertha and a much loved grandmother,
Maudie who always referred to her as “sissy”.
Greta Jane Guilinger
December 20, 1943 - April 18, 2020
Greta Jane Guilinger, 76, of Island City,
passed away on Saturday, April 18, 2020 at
her residence for 7 years, La Grande Post
Acute Rehabilitation.
Greta was born on December 20, 1943
in San Francisco, California to Waldo and
Jane (Smith) Hamann. She graduated from
Orland High School. She was married to
Dewayne Peterson for 20 years and had two
daughters. They later divorced. She then
married Glen Guilinger.
Greta was a loving mother and wife. She enjoyed riding horses,
dogs, crafting and bargain hunting. She was a member of the Rain-
bows for Girls.
Greta is survived by her daughters, Lisa Lenker (Dan) of Island
City, OR and Tammy Peterson of Corning, CA; 5 grandchildren,
Melissa Costello, Brandi Hewitt, Monica White, Sara Hill and Clayton
Lenker and 8 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her
husband, Glen; parents, Waldo and Jane; brother, Jon Hamann and
grandson, Randy Dewayne Duby.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Blue
Mountain Humane Association, 3212 Hwy 30, La Grande, OR 97850.
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.loveland-
funeralchapel.com.
We are in this together, and no matter the situation
we will be here for you.
We have received a dramatic increase in calls from families wanting
to pre-arrange their funeral or final wishes, but who are uncertain how to
proceed with the social distancing restrictions.
At Loveland Funeral Chapel we have designed and implemented a new pro-
gram so we can help everyone during these uncertain times. Your safety and
privacy are important to us. If you are uncomfortable meeting with us in per-
son at this time, we understand. You can prearrange all of your wishes and
plans in the secruity of your own home, using the mail, phone, as well as
electronic media. If you would like more information please call us and we
will help you.
1508 4th St., La Grande
541.963.5022
www.lovelandfuneralchapel.com