COMMUNITY
TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020
OBITUARIES
COMMUNITY
Briefs
Wyden announces virtual
town hall Thursday
PORTLAND — U.S. Sen.
Ron Wyden will have a live
online town hall on June 25
hosted by Town Hall Project
for residents of Umatilla,
Union, Wallowa and Morrow
counties.
To watch the virtual
regional town hall beginning
at 2 p.m. Thursday, go to the
Town Hall Project’s Facebook
page. A link there to the
video is available to people
who don’t have a Facebook
account. Residents of Uma-
tilla, Union, Wallowa and
Morrow counties who would
like to participate by asking
Wyden a question can email
info@townhallproject.com
for instructions.
Wyden has postponed
in-person town halls until
there are clear-cut public
health guidelines that a large
open-to-all public meeting
poses no unusual health risk
for Oregonians. The virtual
June 25 town hall hosted by
Town Hall Project is the fi fth
in a series of six regional
town halls Wyden is planning
for Oregonians throughout
the state until in-person town
halls can safely resume.
UC Democrats plan virtual
membership meeting
LA GRANDE — The Union
County Democratic Party will
have a membership meeting
July 1. The virtual meeting
will be held via Zoom begin-
ning at 6 p.m. To register for
the meeting, call Randy Knop
at 541-562-6289 or send your
email contact information,
address and phone number
to rknop@eoni.com. Details
are available at www.union.
oregondemocrats.org.
Learn about Girls Scouts
at online meeting
THE OBSERVER — 3A
Deborah D. (Dinesen)
Brock
1960-2020 • La Grande
Deborah Dawn Brock,
59, of La Grande, died June
18 at her residence after
fi ghting a valiant battle with
cancer. A viewing will be
held 9-11 a.m. June 24 at
Loveland Funeral Chapel,
La Grande. Masks are
requested, and
no more than
fi ve people at
a time will be
permitted in
the chapel. A
graveside ser-
vice will begin at 2 p.m. the
same day at the Enterprise
Cemetery. A memorial ser-
vice is planned for July 6 in
La Grande.
Deborah was born July
10, 1960, at Fort Hood,
Texas, to Leslie Eugene
and Barbara Ann (Morris)
Dinesen. She resided in
Yuma, Arizona, during her
youth; in Gillette, Wyo-
ming, as a young adult; and
in La Grande for the last 18
years. She married Elbert
Brock on Oct. 13, 1999, in
Buffalo, Wyoming.
Although Deborah’s
life was fraught with med-
ical illnesses, which caused
much suffering throughout
her life, she was a loving
daughter, sister, aunt and
wife. She cherished her
nieces and nephews.
Surviving relatives
include her mother and
stepfather, Barbara and
Errol Roberts of La Grande;
sisters, Cynthia Lynn Vliem
and husband, Dave, of
Rapid City, South Dakota,
Melodie Anne Dinesen of
La Grande, and Stephanie
Hope Shaul of La Grande;
brother, Steven Lee Dinesen
of Boise, Idaho; and fi ve
nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in
death by her grandparents,
Merl and Anne Morris;
father, Leslie Eugene
“Denny” Dinesen; and hus-
band, Elbert Brock.
Online condolences
may be made to the family
at www.lovelandfuneral-
chapel.com.
John L. Driessen
1943-2020 • Elgin
John Leo Driessen, 76,
of Elgin, died June 13 at
his home. At his request
there will not be a service.
A family gathering will be
held later in the summer.
John was
born July 17,
1943, in Great
Falls, Mon-
tana, to Leo
Donahue
and Eleanor
Gunvar (Hemstad)
Driessen. John was an
only child and grew up on
the family farm outside
of Conrad, Montana, in a
one-bedroom house. From
the time he was three years
old John slept in the bunk-
house, and in the summer
he and his grandpa Hem-
stad enjoyed many laughs
while his grandpa stayed
with the family.
John worked in mining,
farmed most of his life
and was a great mechanic.
He loved music, camping,
fi shing and gold mining. In
his 76 years, he never met a
person who was a stranger.
John played the guitar and
accordion and loved to
dance, and no one could jit-
terbug like he could.
In 1965 John married
Sharon Mitchell. The couple
enjoyed a shared love of
music and were in a band in
their early marriage. They
had two children, Shawna
and Lee, and raised them
on the family farms in
Plummer and Weiser, Idaho.
Their children have many
memories growing up of
snowmobiling, fi shing, road
trips and musical gatherings
at the family home.
John worked and man-
aged the experimental
farm from 1987-2000
for the USDA, Agricul-
ture Research Service in
Pullman, Washington.
While there he assisted in
the design and performed
nearly all the construction
of three experimental cross-
slot no-till drills, which
have become an important
part of soil conservation in
the agricultural industry.
John was excited and proud
of his involvement in this
project.
In 2012 John married
Jan Bauer in Jackson Hole,
Wyoming. They enjoyed
dancing, camping and
fi shing trips with family
and belonged to a gold
mining club. They also
LA GRANDE — Due to the
sudden Union County out-
break of confi rmed COVID-19
cases, the La Grande’s Parks
and Recreation Department
closed all park restrooms,
Veterans’ Memorial Pool
and Summer Day Camp
programs. Morgan Lake
remains open.
Updates will be posted
on the pool’s Facebook page
and at www.lagrandeparks.
org.
Union County Farm Crawl
on hold
LA GRANDE — The Union
County Farm Crawl originally
scheduled for June 28 has
been postponed due to the
pandemic. Organizers hope
to reschedule for late August,
but the event may not take
place again until 2021.
La Grande
Elna J. Hendricks,
90, of La Grande, died
June 22 at her residence.
Arrangements are by Love-
land Funeral Chapel &
Crematory.
Gail P. Brandt
La Grande
Gail Patricia Brandt,
62, of La Grande, died
June 20 at her residence.
Arrangements are by Love-
land Funeral Chapel &
Crematory.
Marilyn R. Rice
La Grande
Marilyn R. Rice, 81, of
La Grande, died June 19
at Grande Ronde Hospital.
Arrangements are by Love-
June 24 — DEBORAH
BROCK: 9-11 a.m. viewing
(masks requested), Love-
land Funeral Chapel, La
Grande; 2 p.m. grave-
side service, Enterprise
Cemetery.
June 26 — ELAINE
BAUM: 2 p.m. graveside
service, Hillcrest Ceme-
tery, La Grande.
June 27 — EUNICE
SKILLINGS: 11 a.m. fu-
neral, Bramlett Cemetery,
Wallowa; 1 p.m. potluck,
Wallowa Lions Park.
— Calendar
courtesy of Loveland
Funeral Chapel, La
Grande
land Funeral Chapel &
Crematory.
Elaine Baum
Formerly of La Grande
Elaine Baum, 90, for-
merly of La Grande, died
June 19 at her home in
Saratoga Springs, Utah.
A graveside service will
be held at 2 p.m. June 26
at Hillcrest Cemetery.
Arrangements are by Love-
land Funeral Chapel &
Crematory.
SATURDAY
Translator district sends out
annual notices
Pool closed, summer camps
stalled
Elna J. Hendricks
Upcoming
local
services
PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT
PORTLAND — The
regional Girl Scouts council,
Girl Scouts of Oregon and
Southwest Washington, has
planned an online meeting
June 25 at 6 p.m. for inter-
ested girls and their parents.
The organization continues
to offer virtual activities and
adventures during the pan-
demic. For more information
on the meeting and opportu-
nities available, go to www.
girlscoutsosw.org or email
answer@girlscoutsosw.org.
LA GRANDE — The Blue
Mountain Translator District
has mailed out annual
12-month signal liability no-
tices. If you received a notice
from BMTD, your property
is considered liable because
it is located within district
boundaries, or outside of
district boundaries and the
presence of an antenna has
been verifi ed. Payment or ex-
emptions must be submitted
to BMTD by May 31, 2021,
to avoid the enrollment of
BMTD’s $100 service charge
on property tax statements
in fall 2021. For more infor-
mation, visit www.bmtd.org
or contact the BMTD offi ce at
541-963-0196 or bmtd.org@
gmail.com.
loved karaoke and laughing
together. Jan took great care
of John while he was sick.
Surviving relatives
include his wife, Jan of
Elgin; daughter and son-
in-law, Shawna and Randy
McKinnis of Imbler; son
and daughter-in-law, Lee
and Sandy Driessen of Mid-
land, Texas; stepson and
spouse, Brian and Shelly
Graham of Midvale, Idaho;
12 grandchildren; and 18
great-grandchildren plus
one on the way.
He was preceded in
death by his parents and
grandparents.
In lieu of fl owers, dona-
tions may be made to your
local dementia or Alzhei-
mer’s organizations.
EO Media Group fi le photo
Nearly 1,800 acres of the East Moraine on the left side of Wallowa Lake now is under
public ownership, and the Wallowa Lake Moraines Partnership is seeking public input on
managing the forest.
Wallowa Lake moraine
group seeks public input
The Observer
ENTERPRISE — Wal-
lowa County is asking
people who use the East
Moraine Community
Forest on Wallowa Lake to
help shape its stewardship.
The Wallowa Lake
Moraines Partnership,
composed of the county,
Wallowa Land Trust,
Wallowa Resources and
Oregon Parks and Rec-
reation Department, pur-
chased the nearly-1,800
acre forest in January to
protect it from develop-
ment. Now with the land
in public ownership, the
partnership is developing
management plans for for-
estry, grazing, cultural
resources, habitat and rec-
reation, and according to
the press release from the
Summer solstice sky
partnership, it is time for
members of the public to
weigh in on that manage-
ment as well.
Since its inception
in 2011, the partner-
ship has been dedicated
to maintaining sustain-
able working landscapes
of forests and rangeland
to contribute to the local
economy and rural ways
of life; providing public
access respectful of the
landscape and its scenic
beauty; and protecting
open space for wildlife,
recreation and natural
resources.
“The county has a
unique opportunity and
responsibility to balance
multiple landscape uses
and potentially model
these uses for future
county projects and for
other communities in the
rural West,” stated the
press release.
“The information pro-
vided through this survey
will inform the plan and
paint a more comprehen-
sive picture of how the
property has been used,
where management oppor-
tunities and challenges
may occur and how we
may address challenges
with creative solutions.”
To facilitate public
comments, an online
survey is available at
https://oregon.qualtrics.
com/jfe/form/SV_0IM-
JPceytL5gYIt until July
17. For a paper copy, con-
tact the WalloWa County
Board of Commissioners
offi ce at 541-426-4543.
FAMILY
OWNED
10:44 a.m. — La Grande police responded to the 1900 block of
H Avenue on a report of a domestic disturbance. Police arrested
Tyler John Sheridan, 29, on accusations of domestic violence,
including fourth-degree assault and interfering with making a
report.
12:20 p.m. — A La Grande resident told police about a tran-
sient camp at Island and Adams avenues.
2:27 p.m. — La Grande police responded to the 2200 block of
Island Avenue for a person causing a disturbance. Police did not
fi nd a suspect.
5:06 p.m. — Law enforcement responded to the 11000 block
of Mulholland Drive, Island City, for a domestic violence call. La
Grande police and Union County sheriff’s deputies separated
the parties and found the situation did not rise to the level of a
crime.
7:10 p.m. — La Grande police received a report of vandalism
to a vehicle on the 2300 block of Adams Avenue.
9:19 p.m. — A caller reported loud bangs at South Fourth and
West Grande streets, Union. Another caller complained about a
loud bang at Union Street and Harrison Avenue, La Grande. And
at 10:18 p.m. a third caller reported a loud bang in the area of the
700 block of L Avenue.
SUNDAY
9:45 a.m. — A caller reported a person in a mental crisis on
the 100 block of Adams Avenue, La Grande. Police responded
and found the person was fi ne.
2:11 p.m. — La Grande police received a report of vandalism
on the 1900 block of Third Street. An offi cer responded and
determined there was no crime.
5:37 p.m. — A caller reported a suspicious odor in the area of
the 2600 block of May Lane, La Grande. An offi cer determined
the scent came from welding.
5:48 p.m. — A caller on the 2900 block of Misty Avenue, La
Grande, reported fi nding a tortoise.
9:36 p.m. — La Grande police responded to the area of Union
Street and Polk Avenue on a complaint about loud fi reworks.
11:07 p.m. — A Union County sheriff’s deputy responded to
the 300 block of East Bryan Street, Union, on a report about a
domestic disturbance. The deputy took down information.
11:13 p.m. — La Grande police responded to the 300 block of
20th Street for vandalism and counseled two people.
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