COMMUNITY
Saturday, June 20, 2020
Community
Meetings
• BAKER CITY — The Oregon
Trail Electric Cooperative
Board of Directors will meet
Tuesday, June 23.
Among other agenda items,
the board is scheduled to dis-
cuss COVID-19 updates and
the 2021 annual meeting.
OTEC is headquartered at
4005 23rd St., Baker City.
For more information, contact
Michele Grove, OTEC admin-
istrative assistant, at 541-524-
2853 or mgrove@otecc.com.
Briefs
Virtual meeting discusses
efforts to expand passenger
rail service
LA GRANDE — The public
is invited to attend a virtual
meeting of the Association
of Oregon Transit Advo-
cates on Monday, June
22, at 10:30 a.m. to discuss
restoring rail passenger
service to Eastern Oregon
and beyond. An in-person
meeting was held in La
Grande last fall.
Next week’s one-hour
AORTA meeting will cover
local, state and regional
efforts to expand passenger
rail, including creation of a
multi-state transportation
authority.
This was outlined in a
Transportation For America
Zoom meeting last month;
this has already been
used to move forward on
expanding rail in the Gulf
Coast and Upper Midwest-
ern states.
There are also renewed
efforts in Montana and Wash-
ington state to add service.
To join the Zoom meeting
onlilne, use meeting ID 895
5080 8988 and password
0XTuy1.
The direct link is https://
us02web.zoom.us/
j/89550808988?pwd=T2J6Yl-
J5T3ZhMWt4SUxVMFQ2dH-
lYdz09. To call in, dial +1 669
900 9128 and use Meeting ID
895 5080 8988 and password
352752.
For more information,
email Jon Nuxoll, past AOR-
TA president, at jonnuxoll@
usa.net.
Elgin Museum postpones
opening
ELGIN — Due to the recent
outbreak of COVID-19 in
Union County, the opening
of the Elgin Museum has
been postponed until further
notice.
The museum and its new
Elgin jail exhibit had planned
to reopen this week.
tHe OBSerVer — 3A
Public Safety Report
WEDNESDAY
10:47 a.m. — A resident on
the 600 block of Y Avenue, La
Grande, asked to speak to an
officer about the numerous
cats in the neighborhood.
12:49 p.m. — La Grande
police received a report from
a resident about a fraudulent
online account.
1:34 p.m. — The Union
County Sheriff’s Office re-
ceived a report of a possible
sex crime in Elgin.
2:16 p.m. — A La Grande
resident reported receiving
harassing phone calls.
3:25 p.m. — A La Grande
resident complained to police
about receiving scam calls.
4:25 p.m. — Another La
Grande resident reported re-
ceiving harassing phone calls.
4:43 p.m. — La Grande
police responded to the 200
block of Elm Street on a call
about vandalism.
THURSDAY
8:51 a.m. — Oregon State
Police cited Shawn Lyle
Haynes, 45, no fixed address,
in La Grande, on a Union
County warrant for three
counts of telephonic harass-
ment.
10:01 a.m. — A La Grande
resident asked to speak to
an officer about a scam. An
officer explained options.
1:15 p.m. — La Grande
police received a complaint
about possible animal neglect
at Walnut Street and O Ave-
nue.
1:20 p.m. — An Elgin res-
ident at South 15th Avenue
and Birch Street reported the
theft of a package. A Union
County sheriff’s deputy re-
sponded and took a report.
7:55 p.m. — La Grande
police responded to a report
of theft on the 1500 block of
Adams Avenue. Officers sub-
sequently arrested Benjamin
Eduard Helmenstein, 23, of
Beaverton, on accusations
Obituaries
Cynthia Williams-Spier
Cynthia Williams-Spier,
63, of North Powder, died
June 12 at her residence.
Arrangements are by Love-
land Funeral Chapel &
Crematory.
The Observer
Eunice E. Skillings
Wallowa
June 20 — EVA BENNETT:
2 p.m. private interment; view-
able online at https://anything-
2digital.com/loveland-funerals.
June 20 — VICTORIA COX:
6 p.m. private celebration of life;
viewable online at https://any-
thing2digital.com/loveland-fu-
nerals.
June 22 — JOANNE CRO-
TEAU: 10 a.m. service; Island
City Cemetery.
June 27 — EUNICE SKILL-
INGS: 11 a.m. funeral, Bramlett
Cemetery, Wallowa; 1 p.m.
potluck, Wallowa Lions Park.
Eunice Elma Skillings,
71, of Wallowa, died Jan.
7 at Wallowa Memorial
Hospital in Enterprise. A
funeral service will be held
June 27 at 11 a.m. at Bram-
lett Cemetery, near Wal-
lowa. A potluck will begin
at 1 p.m. at the Wallowa
Lions Park.
Charles ‘Leroy’ Poe
Island City
The June 25 celebration
of life for Charles “Leroy”
Poe has been postponed.
Leroy, 73, of Island City,
died May 28 at his resi-
dence. Arrangements are by
Loveland Funeral Chapel.
— Calendar
courtesy of Loveland Funeral
Chapel, La Grande
UNION COUNTY SENIOR CENTER
TAKEOUT LUNCH MENU
Pickup is 11:30 a.m. to
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.
JUNE 22-26
Monday: meatloaf, mashed
potatoes and gravy, vegetable
casserole, rolls, fresh fruit.
Tuesday: Reuben sandwich-
es, potato salad, fruit garnish,
light dessert.
Wednesday: almond
chicken, rice pilaf, broiled
tomatoes, baked bread, sweet
onion and cucumber salad,
fresh fruit.
Thursday: croissant sand-
wiches, Greek salad, chips,
fresh fruit garnish, zucchi-
ni-chocolate chip bar.
Friday: chicken strips, steak
fries, baked beans, coleslaw,
fresh fruit, cookies.
The most valuable and
respected source of
local news, advertising
and information for
our communities.
eomediagroup.com
Ralphie
Messersmith
Trice scholarship golf
match rescheduled
Upcoming
local services
North Powder
of first-degree trespass,
third-degree theft, resisting
arrest, disorderly conduct and
three counts of assaulting an
officer.
9:32 p.m. — La Grande
police responded to the 1700
block of V Avenue for a distur-
bance. The parties involved
were in a verbal dispute and
resolved the situation.
9:51 p.m. — La Grande
police in the span of about
an hour received several
complaints about fireworks,
including at Greenwood
Street and U Avenue and
on the 2900 block of Depot
Street. Police did not find who
set off the fireworks.
UNION — The first
Battle at the Peak fund-
raising golf match to
support the Doug Leon
Trice Memorial Scholar-
ship has been postponed
to July 11 due to the
recent COVID-19 out-
break in Union County,
according to posts on
both the Buffalo Peak
Golf Course and Johnny
Ballgame Show Face-
book pages.
The tentatively
rescheduled event still
will take place at 10 a.m.
Wallowa cancels July 4 parade
EO Media Group
WALLOWA —
There will be no Inde-
pendence Day parade
in Wallowa this year,
after the Wallowa City
Council met Tuesday
and voted to deny any
permits for the event.
“Let’s just cancel it
this year and then have
an extra big parade
next year,” Mayor Gary
Hulse said.
The move came on
the heels of a major out-
break of COVID-19 in
nearby Union County
where many parade-
goers could come from.
La Grande is 46 miles
— less than an hour’s
drive — from Wallowa.
“The final nail was
what’s happened in
Union County,” Coun-
cilman Scott McCrae
said.
UNION COUNTY KIDS SUMMER
FOOD PROGRAM GRAB & GO LUNCH MENU
Pickup is 11:30 a.m. to
12:30 p.m. at Riveria Activity
Center, 2609 Second St., La
Grande.
Free for age 1-18; all others,
$4.
JUNE 22-26
Monday: meatballs, rice,
steamed veggies, fruit, cookies.
Tuesday: ham, cheesy scal-
loped potatoes, corn on the cob,
rolls, fresh fruit.
Wednesday: BBQ chicken,
steak fries, cucumber slices,
rolls, fresh fruit, dessert.
Thursday: turkey sandwiches,
macaroni salad, chips, fruit.
Friday: chicken strips, steak
fries, baked beans, coleslaw,
fresh fruit, cookies.
An uncommon
House Sparrow
Ralphie was born on July 4th,
2010 in Island City, OR in a
home that was destroyed and
all of her siblings lost. She was
rescued and raised by Jan and
Stephanie Messersmith of Cove.
In her younger days, Ralphie
enjoyed traveling by motorcycle
with her Mom and Dad all over
the western U.S. She was highly
intelligent and had an amazing
effect on all who knew her. She
was playful and was always up
for a game of cribbage with Dad
and loved to steal the pegs and
fly off with them.
She loved to bird-watch from
several of the windows in our
home, but had no desire to go
outside. She was affectionate
and spent many hours cuddling
with Mom and Dad. As her
God-Mother, Sandra Coulson,
often remarked, “it is an honor
and privilege to know Ralphie.”
We would like to thank every-
one who was part of “team Ral-
phie” and helped us in so many
ways. Ralphie passed on June 2,
2020 almost 10 years old!
We will always
love you Ralphie!
Sidney Warren Ratzlaff
June 5, 1922 - June 16, 2020
Sidney Warren Ratzlaff was born in
Highmore, South Dakota, June 5, 1922, to
Isaac and Eva (Boese) Ratzlaff at their home
10 miles south of Highmore.  He grew up
on a farm, attended the South Eagle Town-
ship Elementary School near his home, and
graduated from Highmore High School in
1940. He was the third from youngest of
eighteen children.
Sidney served his country during WWII
from November 1942 to Jan 1946 as a med-
ical technician in the 80 th Armored Medical
Battalion, of the 10 th Armored Division
of Patton’s 3 rd Army. His unit served in
France and Germany in WWII; notably he
was a medic during the Battle of the Bulge
and was awarded a Bronze Star during that
time, for “exceptional performance of duty
as a Dental Technician during the period 1
November 1944 to 7 May 1945 in connec-
tion with military operations against an
enemy of the United States in the Euro-
pean Theater of Operations.” Throughout
his time overseas he wrote to and fell in
love with a wartime pen-pal named Billee
Townsend of Ocean City, New Jersey, and
after being honorably discharged, they got
married on June 12, 1946. To this union
six children were born during the family’s
residing in New Jersey, South Dakota, and
Oregon. Sid spent almost 67 years with
Billee as his wife and best friend until her
death in 2013.
While on the east coast, Sidney and
Billee had children Stephen and Daniel.
He worked odd jobs while attending the
University of Delaware and the Kings Col-
lege in Delaware and earned his Bachelor
of Arts in Teaching from Kings College in
1951. He earned a Master of Arts in Edu-
cation from the University of South Dakota
in 1955.
The family moved to South Dakota in
1951 where Sidney got his first teaching job
in a one room school house in Hyde Coun-
ty and then spent two years teaching at Ree
Heights. The family then moved to Klam-
ath Falls, Oregon in 1954, where Sidney
first started teaching in Fairhaven before
becoming a history and science teacher at
Altamont Jr. High School. He liked to tell
the story of a girl at Fairhaven with a glass
eye who’d take it out and roll it down the
aisle to create a disturbance. David, Mark,
Dona, and Carol were all born in the ten
years spent in Klamath Falls.
Sidney then got a superintendent
position in the Crane School District in
Oregon, and was also principal and history
teacher at Crane High School. He wit-
nessed the burning
down of the Crane
High School in
1967 and the sub-
sequent rebuild.
Sidney took
another adminis-
trative position in
the Elgin, Oregon
school district in
1969, and they
built their own
home there outside
of town in 1970. In 1974 Sidney took
another administrative position at Umapine
School District, retiring in 1980 back to the
Elgin home.
Sid and Billee maintained their beautiful
home and 30 acres of property, where his
kids and grandkids loved to visit. He made
his famous apple cider and apple sauce an-
nually, ran daily for exercise up the hill, and
tinkered around the property, maintaining
fences, the well, cutting firewood, etc. In
October 2010 he moved to youngest daugh-
ter Carol’s home in Boise, Idaho to be with
Billee who was already convalescing there.
The most important thing in Sidney’s life
was his relationship with Jesus Christ as his
Savior. He was saved on January 4, 1939
through a visiting evangelist and brought
that faith with him throughout the war and
his life. His faith was one of the aspects that
particularly appealed to Billee when they
were just pen-pals, and together he and
Billee brought their children up in Christ.
He loved God, his wife and his kids and was
involved in any church he was a member of,
at times a Sunday School teacher or church
deacon, and always a dedicated follower of
Jesus Christ.
Sidney passed on June 16, 2020 in Boise,
Idaho at the age of 98. Sidney was preceded
in death by his wife, Billee, and is survived
by four sons, Stephen of Tucson, Arizo-
na, Daniel (Jeanette) of Tucson, Arizona,
David of Elgin, Oregon, Mark (Margie)
of Eugene, Oregon, and two daughters,
Dona (Gregor) of Elgin, Oregon, and Carol
(Robert) of Boise, Idaho. He also has seven
grandchildren--Laura, Emily, Ben (Erica),
Aimee (Tommy), Kristina (Joseph), Rachel
(Steven), and Mark, and five great-grand-
children--Isaac, Ava, Eliana, Kaison, and
Maggie.
He was also preceded in death by his
parents, his brothers Leroy, Gilbert, Alvin,
Leslie, Arnold, Orville, and Willis; and
sisters Clara, Esther, Rosa, Ida, Virginia,
Florence, Mary and Ruby.
Eastern Oregon University
Small Business Development
Center is Here to Help!
No doubt the landscape has
changed as we enter this “new
normal” and we stand ready
to assist you with every aspect
of your business including:
Answering Questions about
the EIDL loan and PPP
Forgiveness Process
Business Concept & Launch
Marketing (including social
media and website
development)
Business Planning
Cash Flow
Understanding the
“5 C’s of Credit”
Financing
Human Resources
Market Research
Expansion
Liquidation
And everything else in
between!
Greg Smith,
Director
All of our services are free and completely confi dential!
Contact us today!
541-962-1532 or email eousbdc@gmail.com
Here’s what Rob and Heidi Denton,
owners of Western Steel, LLC in La Grande
have to say about EOU SBDC:
“I have been telling everyone I know about what a
valuable resource EOU SBDC is. There are not enough
positive words to express our gratitude for all of the
insight provided to us. Every member of the staff has
gone over and beyond to assist us in fi nding resources.
We are so thankful to have them in our community.”
Oregon Small Business Development Centers are funded in part through
a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration
and by the Oregon Business Development Department.