COMMUNITY
TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2020
COMMUNITY
OBITUARIES
Gloria C. (Cirilo) Haasl
1940-2020 • Enterprise
Briefs
Community briefi ng on
COVID-19 livestreamed
Tuesday
LA GRANDE — The Union
County Incident Manage-
ment Team is hosting a
community briefi ng on Tues-
day at 6 p.m. The purpose
of the meeting is to give
the public an opportunity to
ask key questions regard-
ing COVID-19, the recent
outbreak, and the current
situation.
Due to physical distancing
requirements, the briefi ng
will be provided virtually
and livestreamed on the NE
Oregon Joint Information
Center Facebook page. The
briefi ng also will be available
for later viewing at www.
neojic.union-county.org.
Meals on Wheels drivers
needed
LA GRANDE — Commu-
nity Connection is in urgent
need of volunteers to be
Meals on Wheels drivers. For
more information, call Syd-
ney Gleeson at 541-963-7532,
ext. 1104, or stop by 1504 N.
Albany St., La Grande.
Wraparound services avail-
able for isolated residents
LA GRANDE — Multiple
resources are available
through wraparound
services for individuals who
have been instructed to
isolate or quarantine due to
COVID-19.
Resources include fi nan-
cial assistance, food bank
information, grocery pickup/
delivery, health insurance,
veterans services and more.
Information is available
from the Northeast Oregon
Joint Information Center at
http://neojic.union-county.
org/2020/06/23/wrap-resourc-
es/.
Gloria C. Haasl, 80, of
Enterprise, died June 22.
Visitation will be held June
30 from 9 a.m. to noon at
Bollman Funeral Home,
limited to fi ve people at a
time. A Mass
of Christian
Burial will
be held July 1
at 10:30 a.m.
at St. Kath-
erine of Siena
Catholic Church with vault
interment at the Enterprise
Cemetery. Arrangements
are by Bollman Funeral
Home.
Gloria was born March
31, 1940, at Tanjay on the
Island of Negros in the Phil-
ippines, to Ana and David
Cirilo. The family moved to
Sibulan in her early years,
where she attended a public
grade school and a Cath-
olic high school. Later she
received training in dress-
making and did work as
a seamstress. She studied
at St. Paul University in
nearby Dumaguete and
earned a bachelor’s degree
in education with a major in
home economics in 1968.
In 1971 in Sibulan,
Gloria married Vincent
“Doc” Nitzke, a chiro-
practor of Enterprise, and
came to the United States.
She became a naturalized
U.S. citizen three years
later. Dr. Nitzke died in
1990, and in 1992 Gloria
married Gerald Haasl in
Enterprise.
Gloria was employed as
a nurse’s aide at the Wal-
Local artist releases
his third album
By Sabrina Thompson
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The
community of La Grande
continues to inspire the
music of Tyler Brooks.
The singer-songwriter
released his third album
of Americana-style music
in May, titled “The New
American Dream,” and he
is working on a fourth.
“My surroundings, what
is going on in the world
and what is going on in my
world and what I am lis-
tening to at the time have
a big part in the music,”
Brooks said. “I try to keep
my songwriting realistic
and topics that people deal
with each day — not cheesy
(or) writing a song just to
write a song.”
Brooks said his infl u-
ences in music vary,
ranging from punk rock to
pop and even some hip-hop.
He said he draws inspi-
ration from personal
experiences, his observa-
tions and social issues he
believes to be important.
The title song of his most
recent album is some-
what of a protest song,
Brooks said, addressing
social issues including
greed and misinformation
campaigns.
“It’s not about what
you believe/ It’s about
what they see/ It’s not
about who you are/ It’s all
about the New American
Dream” are some of the
lyrics for the titular song.
He explained he writes
songs about a wide range
of subjects and focuses on
writing about “real issues”
and experiences, even
when they are sad or diffi -
cult to talk about.
“I try and align my
music with real life, rather
than a dream,” Brooks
said. “I feel like maybe
our whole society is get-
ting detached from the
real world sometimes. We
gloss over the bad stuff
that is happening and act
like it doesn’t happen.
Whether it is in a small
town like
La Grande, Oregon, or
in a metropolitan area, or
even globally.”
Photo contributed by Tyler Brooks
Musician Tyler Brooks of
La Grande has released his
third album.
Though he wouldn’t
consider himself an
activist, he said growing
up listening to punk rock
has played a role in his
life.
“It was about not just
keeping your head down
and actually doing some-
thing,” Brooks said.
Growing up in
La Grande also had an
infl uence on Brooks. He
said having a close com-
munity and the support
around him gives him
inspiration to create and
develop music. He has
lived in other parts of
Oregon but returned to his
hometown recently and
still feels that support.
Brooks writes, per-
forms and produces his
music independently,
though he often brings in
friends to help on instru-
ments or backup vocals.
“I am a big believer in
collaboration,” Brooks
said. “Best outcomes have
been with multiple people
involved in the writing
process.”
While Brooks said he
would like to perform live
soon, he is holding off due
to the pandemic. Until he
can get back on stage, he
said, he is creating another
album he hopes to release
next summer.
lowa County Nursing Home
and Wallowa Memorial
Hospital for more than a
decade, then later in the
Health Department.
Gloria was active in
St. Katherine’s Catholic
Church and very much
enjoyed children. She
had an extended family,
the Mathews of Joseph,
who called her “Lola”
(“grandma” in Filipino).
She loved those kids.
Gloria was blessed with
a beautiful voice and sang
at many weddings and
funerals. She enjoyed gar-
dening, and in the summer-
time her yard was a show-
case of beautiful fl owers.
She loved RV traveling to
Arizona and Alaska, fi shing
and camping.
Surviving relatives
include her husband, Gerald
of Enterprise, and one niece
and one nephew in the
Philippines.
She was preceded in
death by her parents; sister,
Estrella Bautista; and
brothers, Exupero, Antonio
and David Jr.
Charles F. White
Elgin
Charles F. White, 52,
of Elgin, died June 27.
Arrangements are by Love-
land Funeral Chapel &
Crematory.
Sheila Olney
La Grande
Sheila Olney, 62, of La
Grande, died June 26 at her
residence. Arrangements
are by Loveland Funeral
Chapel & Crematory.
Kenneth A. Skillings
1938-2020 • Wallowa
Kenneth Allen Skillings,
82, died Feb. 12 in Wallowa.
He was interred at Wallowa
Bramlett Cemetery. No
formal services are planned.
Kenneth
was born Jan.
18, 1938, at
home in Wal-
lowa, to Amos
Benjamin
and Cora
Ellen (Boyd) Skillings. He
attended Wallowa Elemen-
tary and La Grande High
School.
Kenneth served in the
U.S. Army from 1961-
1963 and was deployed in
Germany. He thoroughly
enjoyed his time in Ger-
many and always wished
to return to see more of the
country.
Kenneth worked for
Boise Cascade at the saw-
mill in La Grande for 30
years. He retired in Wal-
lowa, purchasing an acre in
Lower Wallowa Valley that
was once the property of his
great-grandfather William
H. Boyd. He lived there
until his death.
Kenneth enjoyed
hunting, fi shing, reading
Westerns, and spending
time with family.
Kenneth was preceded in
death by his parents and sib-
lings, Mina Shuman, Ray-
mond, Winifred English,
Vern, Neal, Darrell, and
Myrna Sabey.
Surviving relatives
include his brother, Johnny,
and sister, Carolyn Pfeaster.
Memorial donations may
PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT
FRIDAY
8:50 a.m. — La Grande
police responded to the 2300
block of Q Avenue on a report
of harassment. Offi cers talked
to the people involved and
provided options on returning
property.
3:53 p.m. — A La Grande
caller reported the theft of a
vehicle. Offi cers contacted the
person who reported the theft,
who subsequently called back
and said there was no theft, it
was all a misunderstanding.
5:21 p.m. — La Grande
police received a report of a
sexual crime.
6:15 p.m. — La Grande
police received a report of a
vehicle theft. Offi cers respond-
ed and determined there was
no theft and this was a civil
matter.
11:34 p.m. — The Union
County Sheriff’s Offi ce
received a report of underage
drinking at a residence in Cove
at Caddie and Bryan streets. A
deputy responded and coun-
seled the homeowner.
SATURDAY
8:35 a.m. — La Grande
police responded to the 1600
block of Second Street on a
complaint about vandalism.
8:44 a.m. — La Grande
police and fi re responded to
1205 25th St. on a report of
a fi re.
5:11 p.m. — La Grande po-
lice responded to a hit-and-run
on the 2000 block of Jupiter
Way and arrested Gerard Alan
Duberow, 71, on accusations
of driving under the infl uence
of intoxicants.
5:54 p.m. — La Grade police
responded to the 500 block of
Adams Avenue on a report of
a fi ght.
SUNDAY
10:41 a.m. — A Union Coun-
ty sheriff’s deputy responded
to the 200 block of Union on a
report of a careless all-terrain
vehicle driver. The deputy
counseled the driver.
3:52 p.m. — Yet again, La
Grande police responded to a
report of a vehicle theft, and
again this was a civil matter.
7:09 p.m. — La Grande
police responded to the 1300
block of Z Avenue on a report
of a domestic disturbance.
Upcoming
local
services
be made to the Wallowa
Senior Center Advisory
Group, P.O. Box 6, Wal-
lowa, or the Wallowa His-
tory Center, P.O. Box 481,
Wallowa.
Amanda N. Smith
1983-2020 • La Grande
Amanda Nicole Smith,
36, of La Grande, died June
23 at her residence. No ser-
vice is planned at this time.
Amanda was born Nov.
17, 1983, in Sherman, Texas,
to David R. and Peggy
L. (Brewer) Smith. She
attended Crook County Ele-
mentary School and Crook
County High School and
graduated from Union
County High School.
Amanda worked in the
offi ce at the Union County
High School as a volunteer.
She enjoyed books, coloring
and playing games. She was
a member of the Special
Olympics and won a silver
medal, in the fast walk, and
a gold medal.
Surviving relatives
include her mother, Peggy
Smith of La Grande, and
sister, Kimberly Witten-
burg, of Juliaetta, Idaho.
She was preceded in
death by her father, David
R. Smith. Online condo-
lences may be made to the
family at www.lovelandfu-
neralchapel.com.
Norma S. Mullins
La Grande
Norma S. Mullins,
100, of La Grande, died
June 28 at her residence.
Arrangements are by Love-
land Funeral Chapel &
June 30 & July
1 — GLORIA HAASL:
9 a.m.-noon visitation,
June 30, Bollman Funeral
Home; 10:30 a.m. Mass
of Christian Burial, July
1, St. Katherine Cath-
olic Church, with vault
interment at Enterprise
Cemetery.
July 2 & 3 — ELNA
HENDRICKS: 6-7:30 p.m.
viewing, July 2, Love-
land Funeral Chapel,
La Grande; 10 a.m.
graveside service, July 3,
Summerville Cemetery.
— Calendar
courtesy of Loveland
Funeral Chapel, La
Grande
Crematory.
Anban Libokmeto
La Grande
Anban Libokmeto, 90,
of La Grande, died June
25 at Grande Ronde Hos-
pital. Arrangements are by
Loveland Funeral Chapel &
Crematory.
Michael D. Copeland
Union
Michael D. Copeland,
75, of Union, died June
28 at a local care facility.
Arrangements are by Love-
land Funeral Chapel &
Crematory.
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We are very grateful for the love, compassion and condolences
extended to us by so many caring individuals during our time of loss.
We appreciate all the staff at GRH, especially Dr. Baynes in the ER. We
were treated with great respect and gentleness by Lowell Knopp. All of the
cards, gifts and delicious food have lifted our spirits and blessed us
tremendously during this time of sorrow.
With love & appreciation, The Family of
Betty Morse
The Observer apologizes for misspelling Dr. Baynes name.
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Reed & Associates for
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Nicole Cathey
THE OBSERVER — 3A
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Kevin Reed