COMMUNITY
THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2020
THE OBSERVER — 3A
OBITUARIES
David E. Graham
Union • 1964-2020
David Earl Graham, 55,
of Union, died May 16 at
his residence. A service will
be held May 23 at 11 a.m.
at the La Grande Church of
Christ.
David was
born Dec. 11,
1964, in La
Grande, to
Eldredge Earl
and Cheryl
Anne Graham.
He attended school in Union
and graduated from Union
High School in 1984. David
played football and was a
member of the wrestling
team. He also attended
GTA feed school and sheep
shearing school.
A member of 4H and
FFA, David showed sheep,
beef, dairy and hogs and
earned numerous awards
and recognition. He enjoyed
hunting, fi shing and riding
his ATV and snowmobile.
He also loved to BBQ, cook
outdoors and to go camping.
David was a member
of Eastern Oregon Miners
Association, for which he
was a board member and
an offi cer. He was also a
member of Eastern Oregon
Miners and Prospectors and
the Church of Christ in La
Grande.
Surviving relatives
include his father, Eldredge
Earl Graham of Union;
sister, Lory Anne Graham
of Union; and nephews and
spouses, Joshua and Trisha
Stout of Union, Calvin and
Brooke Stout of Union, and
Jordan and Shelby Stout of
Salem.
He was preceded in death
by his mother, Cheryl Anne
Graham.
Donations may be made
toward funeral expenses in
care of Loveland Funeral
Chapel & Crematory, 1508
Fourth Street, La Grande
97850 (541-963-5022, lfc@
lovelandfuneralchapel.com).
Online condolences
may be made to the family
at www.lovelandfuneral-
chapel.com.
Janice ‘Jan’ I. (Hibbeln)
Erwin
Formerly of Union and La Grande
• 1942-2020
Janice “Jan” Irene Erwin,
78, formerly of Union and
La Grande, died May 15
at her home in Baker City
after a nearly 10-year battle
with Alzheimer’s. A pri-
vate family graveside ser-
vice will be held May 22 in
Union.
Known as
Jan, she was
born Feb. 5,
1942, in La
Grande, to
Lawrence and
Ella (Erickson)
Hibbeln of Union. She
began grade school in
Union, then in the second
grade moved with her
family to Pilot Rock. She
returned to Union, where
she attended high school and
was active in basketball, vol-
leyball, pep club, thespians,
National Honor Society and
FHA. She also was class
secretary, Sweetheart Queen
and Homecoming Princess.
At Union High School,
Jan met her future husband,
Richard Erwin. After grad-
uation she attended business
school in Boise until she
and Richard were married,
on Nov. 18, 1960. Jan and
Richard then moved to La
Grande while Richard fi n-
ished college at what is now
Eastern Oregon University.
After his graduation in 1963,
they moved to Baker City,
where he became manager
at California Pacifi c Utilities
(now Oregon Trail Electric).
Jan and Richard had
three sons. Jan was very
active in their activities and
ball games. She was also
active in the community, a
member or leader in many
clubs including the Jay-
ceettes and TOPS. When her
boys grew older she worked
many years as a bookkeeper
at Albertsons until her
retirement.
Jan enjoyed spending
time with her family, espe-
cially camping, at their
home on Catherine Creek
and at the cabin her family
built on Mt. Harris. She also
enjoyed outdoor activities
like fi shing, hunting mush-
rooms and picking huckle-
berries as well as reading,
her fl owers, big card games,
and an occasional trip to the
casino.
Jan’s biggest joy, though,
came from having her
family around her at big
family gatherings. Her
Thanksgiving meals were
legendary, and the bigger the
crowd the more she loved it.
Jan’s sons say she was
the heart and soul of their
family and all of the kind-
ness, caring and generosity
they have came from her
(except in Ping-Pong, where
she showed no mercy).
Surviving relatives
include her husband of
nearly 60 years, Richard;
sons and daughters-in-law,
Jeffrey and Donna of Clack-
amas, Douglas of Phoenix,
Arizona, and Brian and
Rhonda of Baker City; and
fi ve grandchildren and six
great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in
death by her parents, Law-
rence and Ella Hibbeln;
brothers, Larry and Gene
Hibbeln; and sister, Mary
Bell Clyde.
Memorial donations may
be made to Heart n’ Home
Hospice in care of Tami’s
Pine Valley Funeral Home,
P.O. Box 543, Halfway
97834.
Online condolences can
be made at www.tamispine-
valleyfuneralhome.com.
Paula or to offer condo-
lences to her family, visit
www.driskillmemorial-
chapel.com.
Robert D. Way, 86,
of Elgin, died May 19 at
his residence. Loveland
Funeral Chapel & Crema-
tory will be handling the
arrangements.
men’s Bible study groups
and taught Sunday school
at La Grande Church of the
Nazarene. Wherever life
took him, William always
felt God had him on assign-
ment. He spent his life
serving God, teaching the
Bible and loving others.
Online condolences
may be made to the family
at www.lovelandfuneral-
chapel.com.
Kum Boyle
Donald Swart
Robert D. Way
Elgin
La Grande
Kum Boyle, 74, of La
Grande, died May 19 at
her residence. Loveland
Funeral Chapel & Crema-
tory will be handling the
arrangements.
William H. Duane Jr.
La Grande • 1934-2020
William H. Duane Jr.,
85, of La Grande, died May
19 at his residence after a
long battle with congestive
heart failure. A memorial
service will be held later.
A private graveside ser-
vice will be held May 22 at
Grandview Cemetery.
William
was born July
4, 1934, in
Newark, New
Jersey, to Wil-
liam and Lil-
lian Duane. He
had one sister
and grew up in
Hillside, New
Jersey, where
he learned to
play the piano
and later became an accom-
plished jazz pianist.
In 1954, William joined
the USMC and served his
country for three years.
After his military service,
he attended Bob Jones Uni-
versity in Greenville, South
Carolina, where he met his
future wife, Elizabeth. They
were married in 1961 and
had three children together:
Kathy, Susie and Carole.
William went on to
attend Dallas Theolog-
ical Seminary and in 1966
received a master of the-
ology. He pastored his
fi rst church in Denville,
New Jersey, and later was
led to move his family
to Southern California
to pastor another church.
Along with being a pastor,
William also spent many
years working as an elec-
trical mechanical design
engineer for Hughes
Research Laboratories,
Teledyne Technologies and
Delco Defense Systems.
William retired from
New Life Community
Church, where he was a
care ministry pastor for 10
years. He and Elizabeth
then moved to La Grande,
where his passion was men-
toring men for the last nine
years. He started many
Paula D. (Barquin)
Martin
Formerly of La Grande • 1961-2020
Paula Dianne Martin, 58,
of Long Creek and formerly
of La Grande, died May 18
at Blue Mountain Hospital
in John Day. At her request,
a small family memorial
service is planned later.
Paula was
born June
23, 1961, in
Downey, Cal-
ifornia, to
John and
Carol (Reed)
Barquin. She married Ray
Martin in 1986, and they
had three sons: Dr. Levi
Martin, Dr. Mathew Martin
and Michael Martin. They
were the loves of her life.
The family moved from
La Grande to Long Creek in
1994. Paula had a rural mail
route between Long Creek
and Kimberly and also
drove the route between
Fox and Ritter. These were
some of her happiest years.
She also loved to watch the
kids play ball.
Paula was a good friend
to everyone who knew her.
Memorial contribu-
tions may be made to
Blue Mountain Hospice
in care of Driskill Memo-
rial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon
Blvd., John Day 97845.
To light a candle for
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Joseph • 1934-2020
Donald Swart, 86, of
Joseph, died May 12 after
a long battle with cancer.
There will not be a funeral
ceremony at this time.
Known as Don, he was
born Jan. 20, 1934, at Hot
Lake to Roy Elmer and
Ruth (Shintaffer) Swart of
Lostine. One
of nine chil-
dren to be
born to the
couple, he had
three older
sisters and
was the fi rst
of six sons.
Don began his
education at
the school in
Evans, a set-
tlement near Lostine, then
attended third grade at
the Lostine Grade School.
He completed elemen-
tary and secondary school
and graduated from col-
lege in La Grande, then
taught music in Union for
two years. He married Gail
Coffi n of Enterprise in
1956.
Don served in the U.S.
Army, where he quali-
fi ed to be in the 8th Army
Band in Korea and was
trained to pilot the U-2 air-
plane and fl y reconnais-
sance missions. Following
his military commitment,
he returned home to Wal-
lowa County to work with
his father-in-law, Gwen
Coffi n, the publisher of the
Wallowa County Chief-
tain. Don served as pub-
lisher and editor and
eventually purchased the
newspaper, selling it to his
son Rick in 2000.
A longtime member of
the Rotary Club of
Wallowa County, Don con-
centrated time and energy
on the Rotary Interna-
tional Youth Exchange
program. He directed
the Rotary District 5100
youth exchange program
for seven years. His com-
mittee enabled nearly 500
American high school stu-
dents to experience a year
in a foreign country and
also brought nearly 500
students from other coun-
tries to live with American
families and attend school
in the Pacifi c Northwest.
In 2008, Don received the
prestigious Service Above
Self award from Rotary
International.
Surviving relatives
include his wife, Evelyn,
whom he married in July
2001; sons and daugh-
ters-in-law, Rick and Liysa
of Eagle Creek, Donald
Jr. and Sherroll of Enter-
prise, and David and Stacy
of Shelton, Washington;
daughters and sons-in-law,
Jennifer and John Kirk-
iede of Missoula, Mon-
tana, and Lisa and Keith
Phillips of Fox Island, Gig
Harbor, Washington; step-
sons, David Cairns of La
Grande and Jim Cairns
of Nakhon Ratchasima,
Thailand; stepdaughter,
Mary Leigh Rohrman of
Hermiston; 16 grandchil-
dren and step-grandchil-
dren; sister, Carol Collie of
California; and brothers,
Kenneth Swart of Penn-
sylvania, Harry Swart of
Chicago and John Swart of
Kennewick, Washington.
He was preceded in
death by two brothers and
two sisters.
Don’s family is plan-
ning a Book of Memo-
ries with contributions by
family, friends and neigh-
bors. Copies of a collection
of memories and thoughts
of Don as well as a few
pictures will be published
in the book and given to
those who contribute items
to it.
Memorial donations
may be made to the Wal-
lowa County Health Care
Foundation or the Rotary
Club of Wallowa County
scholarship program.
PUBLIC SAFETY
REPORT
MONDAY
12:24 a.m. — Oregon
State Police arrested Charles
Joshua Power, 29, on accu-
sations of driving under the
infl uence of intoxicants.
5:35 a.m. — La Grande
police received a report
of vandalism to a vehicle
on the 3100 block of Alder
Street.
10:26 a.m. — The Union
County Sheriff’s Offi ce
received a complaint from
the 100 block of Birch Street,
Elgin, about juveniles riding
all-terrain vehicles. A deputy
talked to the youths.
1:30 p.m. — La Grande
police arrested Gregory Carl
Rogers, 46, no fi xed address,
on a Morrow County war-
rant for unauthorized use of
a vehicle, criminal mischief,
burglary and trespass.
4:59 p.m. — Oregon
State Police responded to
a single-vehicle crash and
arrested a man on multiple
counts. A trooper found
a blue Subaru Forester
crashed on the eastbound
side of Interstate 84 near
milepost 252 and saw a
man walking along the
shoulder. The trooper
caught up to the man as he
was entering a white SUV,
according to the report
from state police, but man
denied he was involved in
the crash, and when asked
for his name and date of
birth he gave false informa-
tion.The trooper cited Ryan
Christopher Elswood, 35,
on accusations of unau-
thorized use of a vehicle,
unauthorized entry into a
vehicle, possession of a
stolen vehicle, hit-and-run
involving property, giving
false information to police
and driving without a
license.
TUESDAY
7:30 a.m. — La Grande
police arrested Steven Lane
Anglen, 40, on a warrant
out of Montgomery County,
Texas, for indecency with a
child.
12:17 p.m. — The Union
County Sheriff’s Offi ce
received a complaint about
juveniles smoking marijua-
na at Birch Street and 11th
Avenue, Elgin. A deputy
responded but did not fi nd
the youths.
1:37 p.m. — A caller re-
ported fl ooding on the 1000
block of Church Street, Cove.
4:02 p.m. — La Grande
police responded to the
100 block of First Street on
a report of an assault. An
offi cer talked to the people
involved.
Douglas Leon Trice
April 19, 1952 - May 6, 2020
Douglas Leon Trice passed away
at his home in La Grande, Oregon, on
Wednesday, May 6, 2020, at the age of
68. He was born to Lafayette (Lucky)
Trice, Sr., and Dorothy Trice at the St
Joseph Hospital, in La Grande, Ore-
gon, on Saturday, April 19, 1952.
Doug attended Greenwood
Elementary School and Junior High
School. He graduated La Grande
High School in June 1970, where
he starred as a football player and
received honorable mention as an all-
state running back in 1969.
Doug continued his career in foot-
ball at Oregon College of Education
(now Western Oregon University)
in Monmouth, Oregon. While on
the gridiron, he set a school record
for all-purpose yardage gained at
Western Oregon University, a record
that still stands today. In 1974, Doug
completed a four-year education
degree. Upon graduation, he returned to La
Grande and found an opportunity to work
as a brakeman for the Union Pacific Railroad
until his retirement. In August 1977, Doug
married Lynn Dorn, Salem, Oregon, and
they had two children, Kiley and Braden.
In September 2006, he was inducted into
the Western Oregon University Athletic Hall
of Fame.
Doug was very active in the community
and was a source of encouragement and
support for youth sports for many years,
including little league baseball and softball.
He also worked with his grandchildren, Jor-
dan and Hayden, in softball and introduced
them to skiing and snowboarding.
He continued to make a difference in
the lives of others as an active volunteer for
over 18 years with the Special Olympics, and
he co-directed the Union County’s Special
Olympics program. In 2007, Doug was
selected as one of 20 assistant coaches for
Team USA at the Special Olympics World
Summer Games in Shanghai, China. That
same year he received a Governor’s Gold
Award from Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski
for his work in Special Olympics. In 2011,
Doug was again selected as a Special Olym-
pics coach for Team USA in Athens, Greece.
The La Grande Tiger Booster High
School Hall of Fame recognized him in
their 2019 selection as an Outstanding Male
Athlete for his Special Olympics work and
his athletic accomplishments.
Doug had a passion for helping others,
especially his grandchildren, and was a “rock
of support” to us all. We love him and will
dearly miss him.
Doug is survived by his daughter, Kiley
Trice, son, Braden Trice, mother, Dorothy
Trice, brothers, Lafayette (Bunny) Trice,
Jr, Arthur Trice, David Trice, Danny Trice,
and sisters Jack Hurd and Gwendolen Trice.
Doug leaves behind three grandchildren:
Jordan, Hayden, and Maddox, as well as
several cousins, nephews, nieces, and many
friends.
Deceased family members include his
dad, Lafayette (Lucky) Trice, Sr. and grand-
mothers Ella Trice and Grotis Smith.
Arrangements will be handled by
Loveland Funeral Chapel & Crematory. A
memorial service celebration of life for Doug
will be held in the upcoming months.
In place of flowers, we would appreciate
donations to a sports scholarship in Doug’s
name, details provided at a later date.