RECORDS AND MORE
THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021
COMMUNITY
Meetings
IMBLER — The Imbler School District
Board of Directors will meet for a reg-
ular session Tuesday, May 18, in Room
1 of the high school. This meeting will
be held immediately following the
Budget Committee Meeting, which
begins at 7 p.m. The regular meeting
will include an executive session for
the purpose of staff negotiations. The
public is welcome to attend all open
sessions of the Imbler School Dis-
trict Board
Briefs
La Grande Farmers Market
launches season Saturday
LA GRANDE — The La Grande
Farmers Market’s opening day
is Saturday, May 15. The market
takes place in Max Square, at the
corner of Fourth Street and Adams
Avenue, on Saturdays from 9 a.m.
to noon and on Tuesdays from
3-6 p.m.
For opening day, Nella Mae’s
Farm will be donating all its market
sales to Doctors Without Boarders’
COVID-19 relief eff orts in India
and Brazil. According to the farm’s
announcement, these countries
are facing staggering losses and
overwhelmed health systems.
Meals on Wheels drivers
needed
LA GRANDE — Community
Connection is seeking volunteers
to be Meals on Wheels drivers.
For more information, call Sydney
Gleeson at 541-963-7532, ext.
1104.
La Grande dispatcher
graduates May 14
LA GRANDE — A La Grande
Police Department 911 dispatcher
is receiving her state stamp of
approval.
The department hired Katelyn
Melville on Feb. 15. She is grad-
uating Friday, May 14, from the
Oregon Public Safety Academy,
Salem, as a member of the 123rd
Basic Telecommunications Class,
according to a press release from
the Oregon Department of Public
Safety Standards and Training. She
joins 23 other classmates who also
are graduating.
Dispatchers in Union County in
April handled 2,186 calls for ser-
vice, according to La Grande police,
as well as calls on the business line.
— The Observer
Lottery
Megabucks: $2.5 million
23-35-40-44-46-47
Powerball: $157 million
12-17-20-21-26 — PB 8 x3
Mega Millions: $402 million
7-8-20-36-39 — MB 22 x3
Win for Life: May 11
18-24-53-54
Pick 4: May 11
• 1 p.m.: 3-1-7-1; • 4 p.m.: 2-7-0-3
• 7 p.m.: 6-7-3-3; • 10 p.m.: 6-8-8-4
Pick 4: May 10
• 1 p.m.: 1-6-7-4; • 4 p.m.: 4-9-2-7
• 7 p.m.: 9-9-9-0; • 10 p.m.: 2-9-2-2
Pick 4: May 9
• 1 p.m.: 0-6-0-2; • 4 p.m.: 5-4-3-4
• 7 p.m.: 6-5-9-9; • 10 p.m.: 9-3-9-0
DELIVERY ISSUES?
If you have any problems
receiving your Observer, call 541-
963-3161.
Kendall W. Baxter
1932-2021 • Union
Kendall Wight Baxter,
89, of Union, died May 8,
2021, of natural causes at
St. Luke’s Boise Medical
Center. A graveside ser-
vice will be held May 14
at 11:30 a.m.
at the Union
Cemetery.
Attendees must
wear masks
and practice
social dis-
tancing to meet COVID-19
guidelines. Arrangements
are by Loveland Funeral
Chapel & Crematory, La
Grande.
Kendall was born April
28, 1932, at the Hot Lake
Hospital near Union, to
Bill and Edith (Wight)
Baxter. Raised in Union,
he excelled academically
and played sports at Union
High School. His teams won
Oregon state champion-
ships in both basketball and
football. He served a mis-
sion for the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints
in Illinois.
Kendall earned a bach-
elor’s degree from what is
now Eastern Oregon Uni-
versity, a master’s degree
from Oregon State Univer-
sity, and a PhD from the
University of Northern Col-
orado. He was a professor
of astronomy, geology, and
physics at Eastern Oregon
University until he retired
in 2012 at the age of 80. He
enjoyed classroom and com-
munity teaching and led
many geology fi eld trips
around the state of Oregon.
During summer breaks
from teaching, Kendall
built and remodeled many
homes and helped his
family. He served in his
church as Stake High Coun-
cilor, taught Gospel Doc-
trine classes, and sang in the
Ward Choir for decades. He
loved his Union community
and served by working on
the Union Cemetery Board
and acting as general con-
tractor for the construction
of the Union Medical Clinic.
Some of Kendall’s
fondest memories were
watching his grandchil-
dren display their talents in
sports and the arts. While
visiting Linda’s family in
Germany he toured Bavaria
and saw a live play of his
favorite musical, “The Stu-
dent Prince.” The play was
performed at the musical’s
actual setting: the ruins of
Heidelberg Castle.
Kendall also enjoyed
reading, gardening, feeding
THE OBSERVER — 3A
OBITUARY
birds, listening to classical
tenor vocalists, trout fi shing
with Harold Bailey, his
friend and colleague from
Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity, and playing Scrabble
with his dear friend Betty
Bronson.
Kendall will be remem-
bered as being a kind and
generous man with a keen
sense of humor. It brought
him much joy to look out for
the needs of others.
Surviving relatives
include his sisters, Diane
Bowen and Chrisanne
Hindman; brothers, Jerry
and Don; son, Greg; daugh-
ters and sons-in-law, Linda
and Jeff Nusser and Angela
and Doug Schow; eight
grandchildren and eight
great-grandchildren; and a
trove of cousins, nieces and
nephews.
He was preceded in
death by his father, Wil-
liam; mother, Edith; brother,
Bryce; and son, Jeff .
Online condolences
may be made to the family
at www.lovelandfuneral-
chapel.com.
Reta M. (Keefer)
Hallgarth
1926-2021 • Elgin
Reta May Hallgarth, 94,
of Elgin, died May 1, 2021,
at St. Luke’s Boise Med-
ical Center. A graveside
service will be held May
14 at 2 p.m. at the Elgin
Cemetery.
Casual dress
is preferred
by the family.
Attendees must
wear masks
and practice
social distancing to meet
COVID-19 guidelines.
Reta was born Aug. 11,
1926, in Imbler, to Rufus
and Hazel Keefer. Her
mother died when she was
three weeks old. Her grand-
mother, Alice Reed, took
Rita and her siblings, Clark
and Arlis, to live with her.
Sisters Irene and Hazel
Jean went to live with other
family members. They
lived in La Grande for a
short time but Reta grew
up and attended school in
Elgin.
In 1944 Reta married
Paul Hallgarth. They had
three children: Sandra,
Johnny and Larry. Reta
was a stay-at-home mom,
taking very good care of
her family. When her chil-
dren were in their teens,
she went to work at Thorns
Box Factory in Elgin.
From there, Reta went on
to become a nurse’s aide at
A scene Alfred Hitchcock would love
Upcoming local services
Valley View Nursing Home
in La Grande where she
worked until retirement.
She was an energetic, hard-
working person and was
always very appreciative of
everything after growing
up in her grandmother’s
home with only the bare
necessities.
Reta loved her home and
family. She was very par-
ticular about her house and
protective of family. She
loved working in her yard,
planting and tending to her
fl owers. She painted the
trim on her house when she
was 92, insisting that she do
it. When she was idle, she
made beautiful crocheted
pieces for her friends and
family.
Reta was a very straight-
forward person and spoke
her mind. She was loved
and will be missed by her
family and friends.
Surviving relatives
include her daughter,
Sandra Clark; sons, John
Hallgarth and Larry Hall-
garth and his wife, Jan;
and many grandchildren,
great-grandchildren and
great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in
death by her husband, Paul;
parents, Rufus and Hazel
Keefer; brother, Clark
Keefer; sisters, Irene Wines,
Hazel Byrd, Arlis Bain
and Lorraine Sorrenson;
grandson, Bobby Sanders;
and daughter-in-law, Jody
Hallgarth.
In lieu of fl owers, memo-
rial contributions may be
made to the Elgin Museum
and Historical Society,
180 N. Eighth Ave., Elgin
97827.
Online condolences
may be made to the family
at www.lovelandfuneral-
chapel.com.
Dennis F. Jones
La Grande
Dennis Fred Jones, 75,
of La Grande, died May 12,
2021 at Grande Ronde Hos-
pital. Arrangements are by
Loveland Funeral Chapel &
Crematory, La Grande.
Alvin D. Montgomery
La Grande
Alvin D. Montgomery,
66, of La Grande, died May
11, 2021, at Grande Ronde
Hospital. Arrangements
are by Loveland Funeral
Chapel & Crematory, La
Grande.
Karen F. Catlin
Union
Karen F. Catlin, 79, of
Union, died May 11, 2021,
Please follow guide-
lines regarding face cov-
erings and social dis-
tancing at all services.
May 13 — CRES-
CENCE BAKKER:
3 p.m. memorial ser-
vice, Grace Community
Lutheran Church (at “The
Place” in Island City).
May 14 — CATH-
ERINE LINDSEY:
10 a.m. funeral ser-
vice, La Grande Calvary
Chapel.
May 14 — KEN-
DALL BAXTER:
11:30 a.m. graveside ser-
vice, Union Cemetery.
May 14 — RETA
HALLGARTH: 2 p.m.
graveside service, Elgin
Cemetery.
May 15 — CECIL
SMITH: 10 a.m. grave-
side service, Union
Cemetery (casual dress
preferred).
May 15 — KAREN
BROOKS: 11 a.m.
memorial service, Riv-
erside Park Pavilion, La
Grande.
May 15 — BILL
PAXTON: 2 p.m. memo-
rial service, Eastern
Oregon Livestock Show
Hall, Union.
May 17 — JERRY
BROOKSHIRE: 2 p.m.
at her residence. Arrange-
ments are by Loveland
Funeral Chapel & Crema-
tory, La Grande.
Keith W. Arnold
La Grande
Keith W. Arnold, 72, of
La Grande, died May 10,
2021. Arrangements are by
Loveland Funeral Chapel &
Crematory, La Grande.
Karen R. Phifer
Formerly of La Grande
Karen R. Phifer, for-
merly of La Grande, died
Dec. 16, 2020, in Spring-
fi eld after a short illness.
Burial will be held May 22
at 2 p.m. at Hillcrest Cem-
etery, followed by a gath-
ering at 3 p.m. at the River-
side Park Pavilion.
graveside service, Union
Cemetery; reception fol-
lows at Catherine Creek
Community Center,
Union.
May 22 — BRUCE
HILDE: noon memorial
service, Skyview Ceme-
tery, between Pendleton
and Pilot Rock; celebra-
tion of life lunch follows.
May 22 — KAREN
PHIFER: 2 p.m. burial,
Hillcrest Cemetery, La
Grande; gathering follows
at 3 p.m. at Riverside
Park Pavilion.
May 23 — CECLE
DeFRIES: 2 p.m. cel-
ebration of life, Union
High School football fi eld
(casual dress preferred).
June 14 — GERALD
RIMBEY: 10 a.m. grave-
side service, Island City
Cemetery; reception fol-
lows at 11 a.m. at La
Grande Christian Church.
June 26 — DAVID
COUNCIL: 1 p.m. cel-
ebration of life, North
Powder City Park.
June 26 — SALLY
TOUCHE-MOSER:
1-3 p.m. celebration of
life open house, 404
Depot St., Enterprise.
June 27 — MERI
OLMSTEAD: 1 p.m.
memorial service, Riv-
erside Park Pavilion, La
Grande.
— calendar cour-
tesy of Loveland Funeral
Chapel, La Grande
Lutheran Church located at
“The Place” in Island City.
Attendees must wear masks
and practice social dis-
tancing to meet COVID-19
guidelines. Arrangements
are by Loveland Funeral
Chapel & Crematory,
La Grande.
Gerald F. Rimbey
Formerly of La Grande
Gerald Francis Rimbey,
90, formerly of La Grande,
died Dec. 3, 2020, at his
home in Reedsport after an
extended illness. A grave-
side service will be held
June 14 at 10 a.m. at the
Island City Cemetery. A
reception follows at 11 a.m.
at the La Grande First
Christian Church.
Crescence L. Bakker
Christopher B.
Longfellow
Island City
La Grande
Crescence L. Bakker,
84, of Island City, died
May 10, 2021, at her res-
idence. A memorial ser-
vice will be held May 13 at
3 p.m. at Grace Community
Christopher B. Long-
fellow, 35, of La Grande,
died May 9, 2021. Arrange-
ments are by Loveland
Funeral Chapel & Crema-
tory, La Grande.
PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT
MONDAY, MAY 12
9:22 a.m. — A caller
reported the possible
abuse of a horse in the
area of 61800 Blackhawk
Trail Lane, La Grande.
1:12 p.m. — Local law
enforcement responded to
the area of Cove Avenue
and Intestate 84 for a
male causing a traffi c
hazard and warned the
person for disorderly
conduct.
4:13 p.m. — Local law
enforcement responded
to the 2100 block of Fir
Street, La Grande, on a
report of a disturbance.
La Grande police arrested
a 59-year-old woman for
menacing.
5:41 p.m. — A caller
reported a dog bite
victim on the 700 block
of Jackson Avenue,
La Grande. An offi cer
responded and took a
report.
8:45 p.m. — An
Elgin resident reported
someone was using
another’s name to send
inappropriate messages
via a messaging app.
9:35 p.m. — La
Grande police responded
to the fi rst block of
Depot Street for a dis-
turbance and arrested
Michelle Rene Daniels,
56, of La Grande, on six
Union County warrants
for failure to appear on
several cases including
for charges of resisting
arrest, driving under the
infl uence of intoxicants
and trespass.
TUESDAY, MAY 13
9:25 a.m. — A Union
County sheriff ’s deputy
responded to the Chevron
station at 785 Albany St.,
Elgin, on a report of a
domestic disturbance. The
deputy found people had
been arguing, the situation
was under control and the
parties had calmed down.
9:57 a.m. — The Union
County Sheriff ’s Offi ce
received a report of an
assault on the 1100 block
of Division Street, Elgin.
1:46 p.m. — La Grande
police received a report
of a transient camp at
Gekeler Lane and Adams
Avenue.
2:14 p.m. — The
Union County Sheriff ’s
Offi ce arrested Christo-
pher Michael Taylor, 35,
of Cove, on a warrant out
of Ada County, Idaho,
charging two counts of
felony injury to children,
two counts of sexual bat-
tery of a minor 16 or 17
years old and two misde-
meanor counts of injury to
children.
6:09 p.m. — A caller
reported a burglary on the
600 block of East Bryan
Street, Union. A Union
County sheriff ’s deputy
made contact and took
information.
11:42 p.m. — La
Grande police responded
to the 2100 block of
Maple Street for a pos-
sible disturbance. Offi -
cers found people were
arguing and counseled
the subjects, who sepa-
rated for the night.
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Pigeons fl y around this old home that stands outside Imbler on Saturday,
May 1, 2021.
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