RECORDS AND MORE
Tuesday, augusT 18, 2020
Community
Meetings
• LA GRANDE — A public
meeting of the Union County
Fair Board will be Thursday,
Aug. 20, at 6 p.m. in the Court-
right Building at the Union
County Fairgrounds. For more
information, email Heather
Rajkovich at rhrajkovich6212@
outook.com.
Briefs
Saturday rummage sale
supports local causes
LA GRANDE — The La
Grande First Christian
Church, 901 Penn Ave., will
hold a rummage sale at the
church on Saturday, Aug. 22,
from 8 a.m. to noon. The sale
will include household items,
books and clothing. Masks
and social distancing are
required. Proceeds go to help
missions such as Shop with
a Cop, Cove Christian Camp,
Shelter From the Storm, Koi-
nonia House, J-House and
the Friday Backpack program.
City expands pool hours
LA GRANDE — The city
of La Grande Parks and
Recreation Department will
expand pool hours begin-
ning Sept. 1. On Tuesdays
and Thursdays, Veterans’
Memorial Pool will be
open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
According to a press release,
Parks and Rec plans to serve
physical therapy clients and
other adults who exercise at
the pool during these times.
These hours are in ad-
dition to the existing open
hours of 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on
Monday, Wednesday and Fri-
day. The pool will be closed
for maintenance Sept. 19-27.
More expanded hours
for October, including some
swim lessons and recre-
ation swim times, will be
announced at a later date.
Stay informed by visiting the
pool’s Facebook page and
www.lagrandeparks.org.
Face coverings:
conversation windows
and heat warnings
SALEM — Face coverings
are required statewide, but
these can make conversation
harder for people who rely
on reading a person’s lips or
facial expressions. The state
has released instructions
on how to make your own
conversation face covering:
www.oregon.gov/dhs/EM-
PLOYMENT/VR/Documents/
Conversation-face-cover-
ing-instructions.pdf.
As temperatures climb
this summer, it might feel
out of place to wear a mask.
But it’s still true that wearing
a face covering will help slow
the spread of COVID-19. Tips
on wearing a mask during
warm weather — given at
healthoregon.org/corona-
virus — include wearing a
face covering that is light in
color and breathing through
your nose, which will result
in less heat and humidity
within the mask. If you feel
overheated while outside,
move away from others so
you can remove your mask
and rest in a well-ventilated
shaded area.
Art Center East offers
private music lessons
LA GRANDE — Art Center
East, 1006 Penn Ave., La
Grande, is offering private
lessons — piano, voice and
musical instruments — in
person (with proper social
distancing) and online. Stu-
dents can receive in-depth,
one-on-one instruction with
a qualified music educator
who will focus on challeng-
ing the students’ existing
skills while introducing them
to new techniques, materials
and styles.
Private lessons can be
tailored to students who are
just starting and those who
would like to hone their skill
and take it to the next level.
No experience is necessary
and lessons are open to chil-
dren and adults. Times are
arranged between student
and instructor. For current
instructors and rates, go
to https://artcentereast.org/
music/private-lessons.
Boost your employability
with free GED prep
LA GRANDE — Free GED
tutoring and assistance
is available in La Grande.
Training & Employment
Consortium is offering free
assistance in the subjects
that are covered in the GED
exams: math, language arts
and writing, social studies
and sciences.
The program is designed
to meet individual needs.
Due to the pandemic, classes
are taught via Zoom and
with paper packets. Funding
is available to pay for
pre-testing and official GED
testing.
To register and for more
details, call 541-963-7942,
ext. 5, as soon as possible.
Training & Employment
Consortium is part of Work-
Source La Grande. The GED
test is a series of four subject
tests a person can take to
demonstrate their high
school academic knowledge.
THe OBseRVeR — 3A
Public Safety Report
FRIDAY, AUG. 14
10:51 a.m. — An Elgin resi-
dent reported a case of identity
theft, and a Union County sher-
iff’s deputy took a report.
1:28 p.m. — The Union Coun-
ty Sheriff’s Office responded to
East Birch and North Benson
streets, Union, on a report of a
domestic disturbance, but no
one was there when a deputy
arrived.
5:29 p.m. — Dispatch
received multiple non-com-
municative 911 calls from a La
Grande residence on the 1000
block of X Avenue. Officers
responded but were not able to
make contact with anyone.
6:17 p.m. — A caller in the
area of U.S. Forest Service
Road 31 near La Grande
reported a possible kidnapping
due to custodial interference.
Law enforcement arrived,
and no one wanted to pursue
charges.
10:25 p.m. — A caller asked
law enforcement to check on
the welfare of a person who
may have been suffering
mental illness on Fox Hill Road,
La Grande. A Union County
sheriff’s deputy responded and
found the person was fine.
person screaming at Seventh
Street and O Avenue. Officers
arrived and found instead that a
car had hit a dog.
SATURDAY, AUG. 15
9:35 a.m. — La Grande police
responded to the 1800 block of
26th Street on a report of ha-
rassment. Officers determined
this was a scam and talked to
people involved about options.
2:26 p.m. — Dispatch re-
ceived a non-communicative
911 call from a La Grande resi-
dence on the 400 block of Lane
Avenue. An officer responded
and counseled children about
using 911.
5:22 p.m. — The Union
County Sheriff’s Office received
a report that a train struck a cow
on the 56700 block of Lowell
Road, Union. The cow’s owner
handled the situation.
6:38 p.m. — La Grande police
responded to Max Square at
Adams Avenue and Fourth
Street for a male causing a
disturbance. Police warned the
person for disorderly conduct.
11:20 p.m. — La Grande
police received a report of a
Stanly “Stan” Wren Case
SUNDAY, AUG. 16
9:29 a.m. — La Grande police
received a complaint about
telephonic harassment. Police
talked to the parties, and they
both agreed not to contact the
other.
12:16 p.m. — A caller report-
ed someone dumped a lot of
garbage at McAlister Road and
Highway 203, La Grande.
1:22 p.m. — Police and
emergency services responded
to the intersection of Island and
Adams avenues on a report of
a vehicle hitting a bicyclist, but
the cyclist was not there. Police,
though, took a report for the
bicycle that was.
7 p.m. — The Union County
Sheriff’s Office responded to the
1000 block of Newport Avenue,
Imbler, on a report of gunshots.
A deputy determined the
people involved dispatched a
deer. The sheriff’s office notified
Oregon State Police.
‘We Came by Boxcar’ features history of Maxville
JOSEPH — The Max-
ville Heritage Interpre-
tive Center in Joseph
announced a virtual gala
and live performance, “We
Came by Boxcar,” will take
place in September. The
event will take the audi-
ence on “a journey through
timber culture and heri-
tage,” according to the press
release, “that explores “the
untold stories of one of Ore-
gon’s Black and multicul-
tural logging communities.”
Between 1924 and 1933,
Maxville, about 13 miles
north of Wallowa, was the
Upcoming
local
services
Aug. 22 — STAN CASE:
10 a.m. celebration of
life, Case arena at 64066
Booth Lane, La Grande;
face coverings and social
largest town in Wallowa
County. Unlike most timber
towns in the Pacific North-
west, it was home to Black
loggers and white loggers
who worked side by side
felling timber.
In the early 1920s, the
loggers and their families
came to Maxville from the
South and the Midwest in
search of work. The Bow-
man-Hicks Lumber Com-
pany, which owned the
town at that time, brought
the workers and their fam-
ilies to Maxville even
though Oregon’s laws pro-
distancing required; watch
the livestream at www.
lovelandfuneralchapel.com
(click on “Funeral Videos”
near bottom of page).
Aug. 29 — MIKE MAY:
4 p.m. memorial service,
Riverside Park Pavilion,
La Grande; face coverings
and social distancing
required.
— Calendar
courtesy of Loveland
Funeral Chapel,
La Grande
Find more news online at
lagrandeobserver.com
hibited “free Negroes” from
moving to the state to live
and work. Economic con-
ditions led to Maxville’s
decline. In 1933 the lumber
company closed, and Max-
ville became a ghost town.
Some 60 years later, the
children and grandchil-
dren of the original logging
families began researching
the history of the town and
uncovering the stories of
their ancestors.
To find out more about
the center and the Sep-
tember event, go to www.
maxvilleheritage.org.
Obituary
Dorothy J. Streeter
La Grande
Dorothy J. Streeter, 77,
of La Grande, died Aug.
15 at Grande Ronde Hos-
pital. Arrangements are by
Loveland Funeral Chapel &
Crematory.
June 7, 1953 - August 2, 2020
The man, the myth, the legend,
Stanly “Stan” Wren Case, 67, of Cove,
passed away on Sunday, August 2,
2020 at his farm, where he lived his 67
years of his life. A Celebration of Life
will be held at the Case arena at 64066
Booth Lane, La Grande on Saturday,
August 22, 2020, at 10:00am. Attend-
ees must wear a mask and practice
social distancing to meet COVID-19
guidance. The service will be live streamed for those who
cannot attend. Go to lovelandfuneralchapel.com and click on
the “Funeral Video” button near the bottom of the home page
just before 10:00am.
Stan was born on June 7, 1953 in La Grande, Oregon to
Wren and Lovene (Morris) Case. He attended schools in Alicel
and La Grande Jr. High and graduated from La Grande High
School. He later attended college in Pendleton.
The farm was Stan’s life and home. He loved farming and
was very good at it. Stan could fix or drive anything. He was
a welder, carpenter, car painter, race car driver, he could do it
all. He also loved fishing, hunting, golfing, swimming, traveling
and being with his family and friends. Stan opened a driveline
shop and it was a very successful business. Stan married the
love of his life, Peggy in 2007. They were inseparable. They
remodeled his parent’s home and continued working around
the place. They bought a home in Florida and spent several
winters all along knowing the farm was their true home. Stan
loved westerns, reeces and a glass of wine with Peggy on their
patio. Not necessarily in that order. He loved his toys, especial-
ly his pickup he got for his 60th birthday from Peggy and the
surprise delivery from Goss Motors. He recently designed his
new Polaris RZR Turbo and loved it. He enjoyed going to the
mountains and spending time with his wife and friends. Mt.
Harris was his favorite place to go, great memories with his par-
ents and whiskey camp with great friends. His fun car was his
corvette. Stan cherished those close to him and always spoke
kindly of others, even if they had done him wrong. Everyone
that met Stan, liked him. He told great jokes and stories. Stan,
you will be greatly missed and loved by many.
Stan is survived by his wife, Peggy; sons, Justin Case and
Chevy Case; sister, Ladella Wood (Dennis) of Cove, OR;
brother, Jerry Case of Portland, OR; several grandchildren and
nieces and nephews; Allen (Elaine) Case, Jimmy (Nancy) Case,
Dale (Wanda) Case, Rodney (Wendy) Case, Mary Ellen Taal,
Judy and Glen Fuller. He was preceded in death by his parents,
Wren and Lovene Case; aunts and uncles, Homer and Lola
Case, John and Arlene Case, Elmer and Lucille Case and Vera
and George Plank and nephew, Micha Wood.
Memorial contributions can be made to the 4-H Club,
10507 N McAlister Road #9, La Grande, OR 97850 or the La
Grande High School FFA, 708 K Avenue, La Grande, OR 97850.
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.
lovelandfuneralchapel.com.
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Elizabeth L. (Beth) Heriza
June 10, 1950 - July 23, 2020
Beth Heriza was born in Baker, Oregon, to Mary
and Louis Heriza, the eighth of their nine children. She
attended St. Francis Academy, where she developed an
abiding interest in music and math. An accomplished
pianist, she continued playing and learning throughout
her life. She also played the viola, most recently in a
viola-cello-piano trio with her sisters Clare and Celeste.
In retirement, she studied calculus. For fun!
She earned an MD from Oregon Health Sciences
University and completed her residency in pediatrics
at UC Irvine. As a physician, she worked in chronically
underserved communities—in migrant clinics in Fresno,
CA, and Walla Walla, WA, and on the Navajo and Cher-
okee reservations.
From her father she inherited a love of small-scale
farming and a longing for self-sufficiency. She left medi-
cine to study horticulture at Clackamas Community Col-
lege and the Arnold Arboretum in Boston. She oversaw
production in commercial greenhouses in Santa Fe, NM,
and, later, was the market manager of the Hollywood
Farmers’ Market in Portland. She and her partner Sarah
created Hozhoni Herbs—growing and selling plants at
farmers’ markets in the Portland metropolitan area.
Beth studied Spanish in the US and in Zacatecas,
Mexico, and Antigua, Guatemala, developing enduring
friendships with her instructors, Arturo Dorado, Jr. and
Aura Rufina Espana Sinay.
She loved biking, walking, and college basketball. In
2016, Beth and her sister Mary K. walked the 500-mile
Camino de Santiago and, in 2019, she watched every
March Madness game with her brother John, fulfilling
two longtime dreams.
Beth was independent, endlessly curious, very funny,
so smart, without vanity, disciplined, deeply reserved
and immensely kind.
She died at home two months after being diagnosed
with an untreatable cancer, cared for by Sarah Laughlin,
her partner of over thirty years. Sarah and three of Beth’s
sisters were with her when she died.
She leaves behind Sarah and seven siblings: John
Heriza and wife Elizabeth, Celeste O’Dell, Alice Ierulli,
Robert Heriza and wife Judy Brookhart, Mary K. Eilers,
Clare Heriza, Tony Heriza and wife Jane Golden. She is
also survived by her uncle, Richard Sheehy, many cous-
ins, nieces and nephews, grand-nieces and grand-neph-
ews, and innumerable friends and colleagues. Preceding
her in death were her parents and an infant brother,
Edward.
A memorial for Beth will be held when large gather-
ings are again possible, and her ashes will be scattered in
the Elkhorn Mountains near Baker City. In lieu of flow-
ers, the family suggests donations to Ethos, a Portland
non-profit that provides children with music instruction
and access to instruments.
Gordon “Butch” Gayle Gribling, Jr.
February 3, 1954 - July 28, 2020
Gordon Gayle Gribling, 66, known affec-
tionately as Butch, passes away unexpectedly
in the early morning of July 28, 2020 at the St.
Charles Hospital surrounded by his family.
He was born February 3, 1954, in La Grande
Oregon, to parents Gordon Gayle Gribling
and Dixie Lee Thompson.
Butch grew up in North-Eastern and
Southern parts of Oregon. He enlisted into the
Army services in 1971 just after turning 17
and spent nearly three years in the service. He
served our country as a Recovery Specialist
and Helicopter Maintenance Apprentice,
ranking top of his class as an expert in the
M16 sniper rifle. While serving his first son
Donald “Sonny” was born. While Butch
did not share much of his experience in the
service upon discharge and the coming years,
he was awarded the National Defense Services
Medal, Aircraft Crewman Badge, Army
Commendation Medal of Meritorious Service,
Vietnam Service Medal, and the Republic of
Vietnam Campaign Medal.
Butch then moved to Klamath Falls, Ore-
gon where he was introduced to the Bowden
family. He fell in love with the middle daugh-
ter and “won” the heart of Roberta “Berta”
Bowden. After a very short courtship, the two
were married in Reno, Nevada on December
20th, 1975. After a thrilling honeymoon coy-
ote hunting, they moved up to Elgin, Oregon
where their oldest daughter Mandalynn Day
and son Gordon Gayle III “Jake” were born.
During this time, Butch worked as a logging
truck driver and enjoyed trapping and hunt-
ing in the wilderness for several years. Butch
and his family decided to move to Bend,
Oregon shortly thereafter to live closer to his
mother and youngest brother.
From there, Butch worked at Pozzi Win-
dows as the plant manager for many years. He
was able to purchase his first family home in
Redmond, Oregon.
Butch took his expert people skills and
creativity and was able to create his first
official business Jack E Glyde. This took him
many places for hunting conventions while
having the ability to share all his knowledge in
game processing and meat cutting. While at
home, Butch ran a butcher shop with his fam-
ily and raised a small farm on the homestead.
His focus then shifted with the creation of his
“Beer Stain” through GG Innovations where
he made a name for himself with is decorative
concrete contraction business.
As the years went on, Butch’s family grew,
with the addition of his daughters Courtney
Rae, Sarah Elizabeth, Hanna Marie and his
first granddaughter Leah. His home was
always full of love and excitement, and as
his children
grew so did
his family.
Butch had a
total of eight
grandchildren
whom he
loved dearly
and took on
the role of
grandfather
with as much
compassion as
he had father.
His
artistic talents
never ceased
to amaze
everyone around him. Between his passion for
music and avid guitar playing, to his talents as
a published article writer in Field and Stream
magazine, instructional book on game pro-
cessing and the creation of magnificent works
of concrete art.
He spent his free time with family, be it
playing music, barbecuing large meals on his
grill to gardening. He could often be found
watching YouTube videos on guns, guitars,
coin collecting, and whatever else he was pas-
sionate about at the time. He loved to talk, but
more than that he loved to teach, and he was
always learning, waiting for his opportunity to
pass on his knowledge.
Trying to put down in words his life
and the impact he had on everyone in it is
impossible. Above all else, he was a good man,
who was loved by all who knew him, and this
world will not be the same without all the
beautiful ways he impacted those around him.
Butch is survived by his wife Roberta
Gribling. His father Gordon “Gayle” Grib-
ling and stepmother Barbara Gribling. His
children, Donald “Sonny” & Margo Mon-
tagner and their two children Jedediah “Jed”
and Lydia, Mandalynn & David Marcus and
their two children Leah and Lara, Gordon
“Jake” & Tamera Gribling and their daughter
Megan, Courtney & Jordan Batalden and their
two children Vincent and Vivian, Sarah & JR
Mitchell and their son Walter “Teddy”, and his
youngest daughter Hanna Gribling. And his
uncle Larry Thompson of Elgin, OR.
He is preceded in death by his mother
Dixie Lee Thompson, brothers Gregory and
Richard Gribling and grandparents Gordon
and Maxine Gribling.
Celebration for Butch will be held for fam-
ily and friends at the VFW hall in Redmond
where he will be presented with full honors
for his services to his country.