RECORDS AND MORE
THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2021
OBITUARIES
COMMUNITY
Meetings
• ISLAND CITY — The regional Lone
Pine Tree Chapter of Daughters of
the American Revolution will meet
Friday, April 9, at noon at Island City
City Hall. Due to COVID-19, there will
be no lunch service. Face masks and
adherence to health requirements
are required. The meeting agenda
includes a visit and presentation by
DAR State Regent Donna Dial and
State History Essay Coordinator Mary
Parrott to Sawyer Shoemaker, a La
Grande sixth grader who won the
Chapter and State History Essay con-
tests. Her essay will be forwarded to
the National DAR for the fi nal judging
at the National level.
• LA GRANDE — A regular meeting
and executive session of the La
Grande School District will begin at
7 p.m. Wednesday, April 14, in the
Central Elementary School library.
Due to physical distancing require-
ments, the meeting will be avail-
able to the public online, by phone
or through Blue Mountain Translator
District (www.bmtd.org). For meeting
access information, see the agenda
at www.lagrandesd.org or call 541-
663-3200. To sign up to speak during
the public forum portion of the
meeting, contact Gaye Young at the
above number or email gaye.young@
lagrandesd.org prior to the meeting.
• ISLAND CITY — The Island City
City Council meets Monday, April
12, at 7 p.m. at Island City City Hall.
The agenda includes discussion and
action on fi nancial topics, including
appointing a budget offi cer. Public
comments may be submitted in
writing to city hall or via email to
karen@islandcityhall.com prior to the
meeting.
• LA GRANDE — The La Grande Rural
Fire District holds it monthly board
meeting Tuesday, April 13, at 6 p.m. at
the fi re hall in Island City. Call 541-910-
3114 for more information.
Lottery
Megabucks: $1 million
2-11-12-13-15-34
Powerball: $32 million
1-12-17-39-53 — PB 5 x2
Mega Millions: $184 million
1-19-20-32-42-17 — MB 17 x3
Win for Life: April 5
3-49-58-62
Pick 4: April 6
• 1 p.m.: 3-0-5-4; • 4 p.m.: 2-9-4-3
• 7 p.m.: 0-8-1-1; • 10 p.m.: 0-8-3-2
Pick 4: April 5
• 1 p.m.: 0-6-2-6
• 4 p.m.: 7-0-4-1
• 7 p.m.: 2-8-6-7
• 10 p.m.: 5-1-9-3
DELIVERY ISSUES?
If you have any problems
receiving your Observer, call 541-
963-3161.
Carol L. (McDermitt )
Buckley
1972-2021 • Elgin
Carol Louise Buckley,
49, of Elgin, died March
30. A graveside service was
held April 6 at the Summer-
ville Cemetery.
Carol was
born March 29,
1972, in Roa-
noke, Virginia,
to Ronald and
Jane (Shupe)
McDer-
mitt. She attended Mount
Pleasant Elementary School
and William Byrd Junior
High and High schools.
She was married to Russell
Buckley for 16 years.
Carol was a day care
provider for many children.
Her devotion to her family
and fi rm belief in God sup-
ported her throughout her
life. Carol was a member
of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.
She loved being with her
family and all her day care
children.
Devoted friends Nancy
and Harry Karnes and Bev
and Gary Limbaugh were
like family to her.
Carol was awarded
Young Woman of the Year
for Elgin and was involved
with the Community Net-
work Budget Committee
for the City of Elgin. She
enjoyed being a ticket agent
at the Elgin Opera House.
Surviving relatives
include her husband, Rus-
sell; children, Aaron Bur-
nell, Cameron Buckley,
Brandon Buckley, Andrew
Buckley and Anna Buckley;
mother, Sandra Ousley;
brother, Doug; sister and
brother-in-law, Mechelle
and Travis Trainer; aunt,
Alva Reed; uncle, William
“Bill” Hoover; and nephew,
Justin Ousley.
She was preceded in
death by her father, Barry
Ousley Sr.; son, Jack Bur-
nell; and sister, Melissa
McDermitt.
Online condolences
may be made to the family
PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT
MONDAY, APRIL 5
10:05 a.m. — A caller
reported animal cruelty on
the 70700 block of Middle
Road, Elgin. An animal
enforcement offi cer will
follow up.
10:22 a.m. — La Grande
police received a report of
stalking on the 2300 block
of Q Avenue.
1:37 p.m. — A La
Grande resident reported a
burglary on the 700 block
of 12th Street. An offi cer
took a report.
3:01 p.m. — La Grande
police received a report
of a sex crime. The police
department received
another sex crime report
from a separate location at
5:08 p.m.
8:34 p.m. — A caller
reported a person was
causing a disturbance on
the 900 block of Sunset
Drive, La Grande. An
offi cer responded, and
Oregon State Police gave
a female a ride from the
scene.
TUESDAY, APRIL 6
12:37 a.m. — The La
Grande Inn, 2612 Island
Ave., La Grande, reported
a burglary to a storage unit.
An offi cer took a report.
10:19 a.m. — La Grande
police received a request for
a welfare check on the 200
block of Cove Avenue. An
offi cer responded and found
the person was OK.
2:25 p.m. — A caller
reported a domestic distur-
bance on the 600 block of
18th Street, La Grande. An
offi cer responded but did
not fi nd any disturbance.
3:50 p.m. — The
Union County Sheriff ’s
Offi ce received a report
of someone in the area
of 54100 Jimmy Creek
Road, North Powder, fur-
nishing alcohol to a minor.
A deputy made contact and
explained options.
6:56 p.m. — La Grande
police responded to Pioneer
Park on a report of a juve-
nile disturbance. An offi cer
gave a verbal warning.
9:56 p.m.— A caller
reported a possible power
line down at N Avenue and
Fourth Street. An offi cer
responded and determined
it was a low hanging cable.
Recent Oregon State
Police activity
March 30, 12:53 p.m.
— A trooper stopped a
Kia Sorento heading east
on Highway 82 near mile-
post 12 and arrested Laurel
Susan Combes, 68, for
driving under the infl uence
of intoxicants (alcohol).
April 4, 2:35 p.m. — A
trooper stopped a Nissan
Versa for speeding on the
westbound side of Interstate
84 near milepost 263, La
Grande. During the stop,
the trooper found the driver,
Uriah G. Fellman, 35, of
Lakewood, Washington,
was “impaired to a percep-
tible degree” and arrested
him for DUII (alcohol).
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Verla R. (Hawley) Henry
1922-2021 • La Grande
Verla Rachel Henry, 98,
of La Grande, died April
1 at a local assisted living
facility. A
graveside ser-
vice will be
held April 10
at 11 a.m. at
the Island City
Cemetery. A
memorial service will be
announced at a later date.
Verla was born on April
13, 1922, to Albert Ford
and Martha Nellie (Ben-
nett) Hawley. Her grand-
parents — Benjamin and
Abigail (Miller) Hawley
and Thomas and Rachel
(Carper) Bennett — were
all early settlers in Eastern
Oregon. Verla grew up in
Wallowa with her four sib-
lings: Verdo, Virginia,
Velma and Vern.
Verla married Glen
Henry in June 1940, after
which they became parents
to fi ve children. Last year
they celebrated their 80th
wedding anniversary.
Surviving relatives
include her husband, Glen;
children, Glenda Saltzman,
Peggy Parsons, Richard
Henry, Donald Henry
and Alan Henry; and 13
grandchildren and 12
great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in
death by her parents and her
two brothers and two sisters.
Memorial contributions
may be made to Meals on
Wheels, 1504 N. Albany
Street, La Grande 97850.
Richard L. Bidwell
1938-2021 • La Grande
Richard Lee Bidwell,
82, of La Grande, died
March 25 at a local care
facility. A graveside ser-
vice will be held April 24
at 2 p.m. at the Elgin Cem-
etery. Attendees must
wear a mask and practice
social distancing to meet
COVID-19 guidelines.
Upcoming local services
Richard was born June
21, 1938, in El Monte, Cal-
ifornia, to Lawrence and
Josephine (Zimmer) Bid-
well. He attended grade
school and high school in El
Monte, California. He mar-
ried Evelyn Faye Batleaan.
Richard opened his
home to 47 foster children.
He was a loving husband,
father and friend and helped
everyone he knew.
Richard was employed
with LP Lumber Mill
located in Willits, Cali-
fornia. He enjoyed building
cars, riding motorcycles,
fi shing and hunting. He was
a member of the Willits
First Baptist Church.
Surviving relatives
include his daughter,
Rebecca Bidwell of
Elgin; one grandchild;
and numerous nieces and
nephews.
He was preceded in death
by his wife, Evelyn, and sis-
ters, Roberta Sinor, Ruth
Bidwell and Ruby Guenette.
Online condolences
may be made to the family
at www.lovelandfuneral-
chapel.com.
David W. Council
LA GRANDE —
The La Grande Farmers
Market is encouraging
people who grow or make
local products to attend
a meeting for current
and prospective vendors
for the 2021 season. The
Zoom meeting will be 5
p.m. Friday, April 9.
The meeting provides
information to new ven-
dors and allows veteran
vendors to fi rm up their
commitments. Vendors
do not have to commit to
the whole season. This
is a time to learn more
about the market and its
staff and board members.
Discussion will cover
topics such as COVID-19
updates, pricing, guide-
lines and stall reserva-
tions and address ques-
tions about being a
Please follow guide-
lines regarding face cov-
erings and social dis-
tancing at all services.
April 9-10 —
DOUGLAS CARPER:
5-7 p.m. April 9 viewing,
Loveland Funeral Chapel;
2 p.m. April 10 graveside
service, Cove Cemetery
(view livestream at www.
lovelandfuneralchapel.
com).
April 10 — BRUCE
ARBOGAST: 11 a.m.
graveside service, Cove
Cemetery; reception fol-
lows at Cove Sportsman
Club.
April 10 — VERLA
HENRY: 11 a.m. grave-
side service, Island City
Cemetery.
April 10 — ELIZA-
BETH McCALLISTER:
1 p.m. celebration of life,
Grande Ronde Academy,
507 Palmer, La Grande.
April 13 — DICK
WHEELER: 11:30 a.m.
memorial service, Enter-
prise Seventh-day Adven-
tist Church; private
inurnment at Enterprise
Cemetery.
April 18 — LARRY
ROBBINS: virtual cel-
ebration of life; details
TBA.
April 24 —
RICHARD BIDWELL:
2 p.m. graveside service,
Elgin Cemetery.
April 24 — BECKY
ROBERSON: 2 p.m.
celebration of life, Elgin
Community Center.
May 1 —
MICHELLE SAN-
DOVAL: 10 a.m. cele-
bration of life, Riverside
Park Pavilion.
May 17 — JERRY
BROOKSHIRE: 2 p.m.
graveside service, Union
Historic Cemetery; recep-
tion follows at Cath-
erine Creek Community
Center, Union.
June 26 — DAVID
COUNCIL: 1 p.m. cel-
ebration of life, North
Powder City Park.
— calendar cour-
tesy of Loveland Funeral
Chapel, La Grande
1968-2021 • North Powder
David Wayne Council,
52, of North Powder,
died March 21 at Grande
Ronde Hospital. A cele-
bration of his life will be
held June 26 at 1 p.m. at
the North Powder City
Park. Attendees must
wear a mask and practice
social distancing to meet
COVID-19 guidelines.
David was born Dec.
13, 1968, in The Dalles,
to Murray and Cecilia
(Lovely) Council. He
resided in The Dalles, La
Grande and North Powder.
He attended Greenwood
Elementary School and
La Grande Middle School
and graduated from La
Grande High School. He
later attended what is now
Eastern Oregon University.
David was employed at
the Wildhorse Casino as a
LG Farmers Market
invites growers and
makers to vendor meeting
The Observer
THE OBSERVER — 3A
vendor at the market
The La Grande
Farmers Market takes
place at Max Square,
corner of Adams Avenue
and Fourth Street, on
Saturdays from 9 a.m.
to noon and Tuesdays
3-6 p.m. The 2021 season
kicks off May 15 and con-
cludes mid-October.
“We are so excited to
partner with our vendors
in bringing fresh local
food, produce, and unique
craft items to our commu-
nity,” the farmers market
board stated on the mar-
ket’s website. “We would
love to help new vendors
turn their passion into a
small business.”
To register for the
meeting, and for more
information on the
market, visit www.lagran-
defarmersmarket.org.
Terry Michelle Sandoval
April 3, 1977 - March 29, 2021
Terry Michelle Sandoval, 43, of La
Grande, passed away on Monday, March 29,
2021, at her residence. A Celebration of Life
will be held at the Riverside Park Pavilion on
Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 10:00 am.
Terry, affectionately known as Michelle,
was born on April 3, 1977 in Portland, Ore-
gon to Terry and Kristine (Jones) Pedersen.
She graduated from Arlington High School
in 1995 where she was on the volleyball team and was a cheer-
leader. She then attended Oregon Health & Science University
earning her registered nurse degree in 2004. She married
Robert Sandoval on October 16, 1999.
Michelle worked at Grande Ronde Hospital as a registered
nurse from 2004-2020. She enjoyed traveling, painting and
reading. She was an overachiever.
Michelle is survived by her husband, Robert; children,
Baylie Sandoval of Arlington, OR, Camryne Sandoval, Logan
Sandoval and Olivia Sandoval all of La Grande, OR; mother,
Kristine Pedersen of La Grande, OR; brother, Andrew Bufton
of Montana; sisters Lyndsey Laitinen (Scott) of Arizona and
Niki Martin (Matt) of Oregon; 1 grandchild, Bryler Sandoval;
10 nephews, 3 nieces; grandmother, Alice Jones and numerous
aunts and uncles. She was preceded in death by her father, Ter-
ry; brother, Ryan Bufton; uncle, Craig Jones; grandfather Lau-
rence Jones and grandparents, Marvin and Evelyn Pedersen.
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.
lovelandfuneralchapel.com.
“Keno Runner” until he had
to leave the position due
to an illness. He enjoyed
fi shing, camping, bingo,
playing cards and video
games. He was a member
of the Wolf Creek Grange,
where he was very active
in all activities and was the
AARP president for two
years.
Surviving relatives
include his mother, Cecilia
of North Powder; brother,
Coy T. Council of North
Powder; and many nieces
and nephews.
He was preceded in
death by his father, Murray,
and grandparents, Thomas
and Elva Lovely and Claud
and Rosa Council.
Online condolences
may be made to the
family at www.loveland-
funeralchapel.com.
Joett Williams
La Grande
Joett Williams, 87, of
La Grande, died April 5 at
Grande Ronde Hospital.
Arrangements are by Love-
land Funeral Chapel & Cre-
matory, La Grande.
Elizabeth ‘Liz’
McCallister
Formerly of La Grande
Elizabeth “Liz” McCal-
lister, 41, formerly of La
Grande, died March 11 in
Page, Arizona. A celebra-
tion of her life will be held
April 10 at 1 p.m. at Grande
Ronde Academy, 507
Palmer, La Grande. In lieu
of fl owers, donations will
be accepted to help with
expenses.
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Larry Wayne Robbins
December 12, 1940 - March 29, 2021
Larry Wayne Robbins passed
away on March 29, 2021 at the
age of 80 years.
Larry was born in Longview,
Washington, on December 12,
1940, to Alyce and Fred Rob-
bins. Shortly thereafter, Larry’s
family moved to Portland,
Oregon. While in grade school,
Larry met Billie Jo Stewart,
and the two remained friends
until they started dating in
high school. After high school,
Larry and Billie Jo married on April 23, 1960 and they
remained married for over 58 years up until Billie Jo
passed away in March 2019.
After high school, Larry enlisted in the United States
Air Force and was stationed at Morón Air Base in
Seville, Spain. In August 1961, Larry and Billie Jo gave
birth to their daughter Jeannie. After enjoying Spain
for two more years, Larry honorably completed his
service commitment to the Air Force and he, Billie Jo,
and Jeannie moved back to Portland, Oregon. While
back in Portland, Larry and Billie Jo were enjoying life
in the fast lane—literally, they both raced cars and won
several trophies. However, after giving birth to their
son Coley in 1965, Larry and Billie Jo decided to trade
in the race cars for camping trailers for more family
fun.
Around that time, while attending a Billy Graham
event, young Jeannie ran down the bleachers to the
field where Billy Graham invited members to accept
Jesus into their lives. Larry followed her down there at
Billie Jo’s request to avoid letting their young daughter
get lost in the crowd. At that time, Larry invited Jesus
into his heart—a moment that drastically changed the
rest of his life.
From there on out, Larry was actively involved as a
Christian with New Song Church in Portland, Ore-
gon. Larry volunteered as a lay pastor, volunteered
to conduct pre-marital counseling and orchestrated
countless events for the church’s youth group. Whether
it was basketball games or camping trips, he even drove
the youth group bus for the church. Larry and Billie
Jo opened their home and heart to anyone in need,
fostering several children and providing a warm home
and meal to many more.
Larry was a grandfather of three—Derek, Erica, and
Beija. He and Billie Jo raised Beija as their daughter
and felt blessed with the opportunity to be parents
again. After Larry retired, they moved to Elgin, Oregon.
Like in Portland, Larry became actively involved in the
Elgin community and their church, where he continued
his passionate commitment to serving others. He will
be missed!
A virtual Celebration of Life service will be held on
Sunday, April 18, 2021, via Zoom. Details will be post-
ed on Facebook and at New Song Community Church
in La Grande, Oregon.
Online condolences may be made to the family at
www.lovelandfuneralchapel.com.