RECORDS AND MORE
Thursday, May 20, 2021
Community
Briefs
June 1 Cove senior meal
will be served in person
COVE — The final lunch of the
Cove senior meal program this sea-
son will be served Tuesday, June 1, as
a sit-down dinner inside Founder’s
hall at the ascension school Camp
and Conference Center, 1104 Church
st., Cove. up until now, COVId-19
safety guidelines prevented
in-person gatherings. The meal was
previously announced as takeout.
On June 1, the in-person meal
will be hamburgers, hot dogs, baked
beans, potato salad and green salad,
with strawberry shortcake for des-
sert. Coffee and tea will be available
at noon, and the meal is served at
12:15 p.m. There is a $5 charge per
person. If you haven’t been contact-
ed, call Imie Bristow at 541-568-4545
by Wednesday, May 26, to rsVP.
LG School District offers
summer programs, discounted
child care
La GraNdE — The La Grande
school district this summer is offer-
ing students numerous programs,
including more than 50 camps,
literacy picnics, high school credit
options and driver education. For
more information and to register, go
to www.lagrandesd.org/summer.
also, the district has partnered
with La Grande Parks and recreation
to offer summer child care at a
discounted rate for La Grande
students and families. Through a
state of Oregon grant, the district is
able to pay 75% of the $100 weekly
fee associated with this program.
For more information, go to www.
lagrandeparks.org (coupon code:
LGsd21).
Help children cope with divorce,
separation
La GraNdE — The next session
of “helping Children Cope with
divorce and separation,” the court’s
mandatory parent education course,
will be via Zoom Wednesday, June 9,
from 6-9 p.m. Mary Lu Pierce leads
the class, which the union County
Family Law advisory Committee
sponsors. The class is free but
requires preregistration; send an
email to teala.sunderman@ojd.state.
or.us including the registrant’s name,
mailing and email addresses, phone
number and the date of the class.
Call Teala at 541-962-9500, ext. 42,
for more information.
Lottery
Megabucks: $2.8 million
22-28-30-34-40-42
Powerball: $183 million
4-10-37-39-69 — PB 24 x3
Mega Millions: $475 million
3-5-56-61-66 — MB 4 x2
Win for Life: May 17
5-20-43-58
Pick 4: May 18
• 1 p.m.: 3-7-8-3; • 4 p.m.: 6-0-5-7
• 7 p.m.: 8-4-1-3; • 10 p.m.: 2-2-6-0
Pick 4: May 17
• 1 p.m.: 9-8-2-2; • 4 p.m.: 3-2-2-4
• 7 p.m.: 4-8-8-5; • 10 p.m.: 8-8-0-0
Pick 4: May 16
• 1 p.m.: 6-3-9-8; • 4 p.m.: 1-8-5-3
• 7 p.m.: 5-7-7-3; • 10 p.m.: 7-4-0-9
DELIVERY ISSUES?
If you have any problems
receiving your Observer, call 541-
963-3161.
Public Safety
MONDAY, MAY 17
6:37 a.m. — La
Grande police received a
complaint about parking
at the Garden Club Park.
3:45 p.m. — A caller
reported a possible bur-
glary at a residence on
the 1500 block of 21st
Street, La Grande.
6:43 p.m. — Local law
enforcement responded
to a report of a possible
vehicle crash at Island
Avenue and Interstate
84, La Grande. Officers
determined someone was
changing a vehicle’s tire.
7:02 p.m. — A caller
reported a disturbance at
a residence on the 62700
block of Bird Lane, La
Grande.
TUESDAY, MAY 18
4:12 a.m. — A caller
reported a burglary at
a residence on the 1500
block of Division Street,
Elgin.
9:25 a.m. — La
Grande police received
a complaint of pos-
sible stalking. An officer
called the person who
made the complaint. That
person said she was OK
and hung up.
3:51 p.m. — A Union
County sheriff’s deputy
responded to the 10800
area of South Walton
Road, Island City, on
a report of a juvenile
smoking. The deputy
resolved the situation and
counseled the juvenile.
4:58 p.m. — Local law
enforcement responded to
the 100 block of Harrison
Avenue, La Grande, on
a report of a person who
fired a gun into the air
outside a residence. Offi-
cers found no evidence of
anyone firing a gun.
Kathleen M. Arrand
1969-2021 • Formerly of Elgin
Kathleen Marie Arrand,
51, formerly of Elgin, died
May 13, 2021, at a care
facility in Milwaukie. A
funeral service will be held
May 22 at
2 p.m. at the
Elgin Naza-
rene Church.
Attendees must
wear masks
and practice
social distancing to meet
COVID-19 guidelines. The
service will be streamed
live for those who cannot
attend; go to www.love-
landfuneralchapel.com
and click on the “Funeral
Videos” button near the
bottom of the home page
just before 2 p.m.
Known as Kathy, she
was born July 16, 1969,
in Covina, California, to
Estill and Edna (Cmeyla)
Arrand. She resided in La
Verne, California; Elgin;
Sanntee, California; and
Oregon City. She graduated
from Elgin High School as
valedictorian and was on
the basketball, volleyball
and track teams and was a
member of the FBLA.
Kathy was employed
with the Fish Hatchery and
Diamond Cabinets. She
enjoyed being outdoors,
snowmobiling, fishing and
being with friends and
family, going on trips with
her dad and hiking.
Surviving relatives
include her father, Estill
Arrand; brothers and sis-
ters-in-law, Gary and Gwen
Arrand of Elk, Washington,
Johnny and Kathy Arrand
of Idaho, and Tom and Mer-
cedes Arrand of Elgin; and
sister and brother-in-law,
Carolyn and Gale Culver of
Elgin.
She was preceded in
death by her mother, Edna
Arrand, and grandparents,
Viola and Orville Arrand.
Online condolences
may be made to the family
at www.lovelandfuneral-
chapel.com.
George D. Carratello
1947-2021 • union
George Dominick Car-
ratello, 74, of Union, died
April 16, 2021, at Grande
Ronde Hospital, La Grande.
At his request there will not
be a service.
George was
born Jan. 18,
1947, in Suf-
fern, New
York, to Dom-
inick and Lucy
(Mendchinsky)
Carratello.
He graduated
from Santiago
High School
in 1965 and then enlisted
in the U.S. Air Force. He
served while in active
duty from 1966-1970 and
was in the Reserves from
1970-1972. His first mar-
riage was to Deborah Rose.
He later married Debra
Johnson-Strohmer.
George worked for
many years as an air-
craft inspector. He enjoyed
bowling, photography and
watching baseball. His
favorite teams were the
Dodgers and USC.
Surviving relatives
include his wife of 34
years, Debra Carratello
of Union; children and
spouses, Brandon and Jenae
Carratello of California,
Christopher and Jennifer
Carratello of Summer-
ville, Amy Swalberg of La
Grande, Dustin Carratello
of California, and Lenore
and Frank Strohmer-Vu of
Arizona; siblings, Mick
Carratello and Rita Car-
ThE OBsErVEr — 3A
Obituaries
ratello; 10 grandchil-
dren; and two nieces and
nephews.
He was preceded in
death by his parents, Domi-
nick and Lucy Carratello.
Online condolences
may be made to the family
at www.lovelandfuneral-
chapel.com.
Patricia A.
(Thorkildson)
Gemaehlich
1938-2021 • La Grande
Patricia Ann Gemaeh-
lich, 82, of La Grande, died
May 15, 2021, at her resi-
dence. At her request, there
will not be a service.
Patricia, also known as
Pat, was born July 28, 1938,
in Silverton,
to Conrad and
Marie (Larsen)
Thorkildson.
She resided in
Mollala, Mar-
quam, Portland
and La Grande. Pat grad-
uated from Mollala High
School and then attended
the Pacific Lutheran Uni-
versity School of Nursing.
She married Duane Gemae-
hlich on Nov. 9, 1959.
Pat worked as a regis-
tered nurse for 15 years.
She then was the book-
keeper for the home busi-
ness, La Grande Drywall,
for 25 years, and retired
from La Grande High
School as the school sec-
retary. She enjoyed snow-
mobiling, trips to the fam-
ily’s cabin at Wolf Creek,
four-wheeling, trips to
the Oregon Coast and
reading.
Surviving relatives
include her husband,
Duane; children, Lori
Grimes of Missoula, Mon-
tana, Lisa Johnson of Van-
couver, Washington, and
Deb “Scottie” Butcher
of La Grande; sisters,
Norma Halseth of Brush
Prairie, Washington, Ann
Anderson of Henderson,
Nevada, and Barbara Mar-
quam of Portland; and nine
grandchildren and five
great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in
death by her parents,
Conrad and Marie; step-
father, Ross Marquam;
daughter, Karla Holdun;
and grandson, Nick
Butcher.
In lieu of flowers,
memorial contributions
may be made to Heart ‘n
Home Hospice, 2104 Cove
Avenue, Suite A, La Grande
97850. Online condolences
may be made to the family
at www.lovelandfuneral-
chapel.com.
Ermal M. (Maynard)
Goucher
1929-2021 • union
Ermal M. Goucher, 91, of
Union, died May 15, 2021,
in La Grande. A memorial
service will be held June
6 at 11 a.m. at Loveland
Funeral Chapel, La Grande,
immediately followed by a
celebration of
life gathering
at Island City
City Hall. A
graveside ser-
vice begins at
noon June 8 at the Clark-
ston Cemetery in Clarkston,
Washington.
Ermal was born Dec. 5,
1929, in Lapwai, Idaho, to
Mead and Nellie Maynard.
She married James “Jim” R.
Goucher on Sept. 25, 1946,
in Clarkston, Washington.
Ermal worked as a
cake decorator in Walla
Walla, Washington. She
enjoyed taking care of her
husband and family and
going hunting and fishing.
She loved flowers and
Upcoming local services
watching the hummingbirds
and enjoyed crocheting
and making homemade
Christmas decorations.
Ermal loved cooking
for her family and always
made sure food was ready
whether you were hungry
or not. Her grandchildren
absolutely loved her extra
gooey popcorn balls. Her
family is grateful to Mike
Colkitt and the Union
Market who in turn made
sure she had everything she
needed.
Surviving relatives
include her daughter,
Deanna; son and daugh-
ter-in-law, Doug and
Pam; five grandchildren;
and numerous grea-t and
great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in
death by her parents, Mead
and Nellie; husband of
66 years; son, James Jr.
“Jimmy” in 1965; brother
John; and sister, Mary Lou.
In lieu of flowers, memo-
rial donations may be made
to the American Heart
Association.
Robert ’Bob’ Harrod
1934-2021 • Formerly of La Grande
Robert “Bob” Harrod,
86, formerly of La Grande,
died May 6, 2021, in Vale.
A viewing will be held May
22 from 9:30-
10:15 a.m. fol-
lowed by a
funeral service
at 10:30 a.m. at
the Vale Chris-
tian Church. After that will
be a full military service at
the Valley View Cemetery
in Vale.
Known as Bob, he
was born Oct. 3, 1934.
Bob attended what is now
Eastern Oregon University
from 1953-1957 and earned
a bachelor’s degree in edu-
cation. He married Shirley
Romine of La Grande on
Sept. 12, 1954.
Bob joined the Oregon
National Guard in La
Grande in February 1957
and retired with more than
30 years of service at La
Grande and Ontario.
Surviving relatives
include his son, Robert Jr.;
daughter, Lynn Harrod
(McLay) McKinney; and
three brothers-in-law who
grew up in La Grande,
David Romine of Richland,
Jerry Romine of Clarkston,
Washington, and Larry
Romine of La Grande.
Karen R. (Gray) Phifer
1943-2020 • Formerly of La Grande
Karen Rae Phifer, 77,
formerly of La Grande, died
Dec. 16, 2020, in Spring-
field, after a
short illness.
A quiet burial
will be held at
Hillcrest Cem-
etery in La
Grande May
22 at 2 p.m., followed by
a gathering at the River-
side Park Pavilion at 3 p.m.
Masks are requested.
Karen was born March
21, 1943, to Raymond and
Frieda (Kennedy) Gray, in
their family home on Cedar
Street in La Grande. Karen
was active in many clubs
and activities. She gradu-
ated from La Grande High
School in 1961. She con-
tinued her education at
the University of Oregon,
where she explored her love
of art and dance and grad-
uated with a bachelor’s
degree in education.
After college, Karen ful-
filled her dream of trav-
eling the world. While vis-
iting Australia, she met
and married Robert Phifer,
also formerly of La Grande.
Together they had two sons,
Virtual EOU event offers access to student works
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The
aanual Eastern Oregon
University Spring Sym-
posium is an opportunity
for undergraduate students
to showcase and present
their creative activities and
accomplished studies to
fellow students, faculty and
the community.
This year the symposium
will be held virtually.
The event is Thursday
and Friday, May 20-21.
To watch presentations,
go to the eou.edu/sympo-
sium website and join the
Zoom link that corresponds
with the presentation you
are interested in seeing.
“Real Food for
the People”
Open
Fri-Sun Take-out
Menu
5pm-8pm Updated
Weekly
www.tendepotstreet.com
541-963-8766
tendepotstreet@gmail.com
Dates and times for pre-
sentations also are posted
there.
La GRANDE
AUTO REPAIR
975-2000
www.lagrandeautorepair.com
MOST
ADVANCED
TECHNOLOGY
AVAILABLE
Joe Horst
ACDelcoTSS
Please follow guide-
lines regarding face cov-
erings and social dis-
tancing at all services.
May 22 — BOB
HARROD: 9:30-
10:15 a.m. viewing and
10:30 a.m. funeral ser-
vice, Vale Christian
Church; full military ser-
vice follows at Valley
View Cemetery, Vale.
May 22 — RICKY
SMITH: 10 a.m. grave-
side service (casual
dress preferred), Elgin
Cemetery.
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 22 — KATHY
ARRAND: 2 p.m.
funeral, Elgin Nazarene
Church; view the lives-
tream at www.loveland-
funeralchapel.com (click
on the “Funeral Videos”
button near bottom of the
Jeremy and Kennedy, and
continued to have adven-
tures around the globe.
Karen returned to La
Grande in 1981. She found
her next great passion when
she became a teacher of
the visually impaired. She
excelled at creating com-
munication systems for
deaf and blind students. She
thoroughly enjoyed the stu-
dents, families and other
educators whom she worked
with throughout North-
eastern Oregon.
After retiring Karen
moved to Eugene to be
close to her sons and grand-
children. She continued to
paint, travel and spend time
with her lifelong friends.
Surviving relatives
include her sons, Jeremy
Phifer of Eugene and Ken-
nedy Phifer of Eagle Point,
home page).
May 23 — CECLE
DeFRIES: 2 p.m. cel-
ebration of life, Union
High School football field
(casual dress preferred).
May 29 — BEV-
ERLY LEDRIDGE:
1 p.m. memorial grave-
side service, Summerville
Cemetery.
June 6 — ERMAL
GOUCHER: 11 a.m. cel-
ebration of life, Love-
land Funeral Chapel, La
Grande; reception imme-
diately follows at Island
City City Hall.
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
Idaho; two grandchildren;
brother, Denis Gray of
Corona del Mar, California;
and numerous other family
members.
In lieu of flowers, memo-
rial donations may be made
to the National Federation
of the Blind of Oregon.
Ricky D. Smith
Elgin
Ricky D. Smith, 64, of
Elgin, died May 12, 202,
at Vibra Hospital of Boise,
Idaho. A graveside ser-
vice will be held May 22,
2021, at 10 a.m. at the Elgin
Cemetery. The family pre-
fers casual dress. Attendees
must wear masks and prac-
tice social distancing to
meet COVID-19 guidelines.
Arrangements are by Love-
land Funeral Chapel &
Crematory, La Grande.
Reta Mae (Witherrite) Snyder
September 27, 1929 - May 14, 2021
Reta Mae (Witherrite) Snyder, age 91, died on
May 14, 2021 at the Wildflower Lodge in La Grande,
OR.
Reta was born Sept. 27, 1929, to Lyal & Sylvia
(Whitman) Witherrite. She was born at home in
Enterprise, Oregon, moving to the Imnaha River
homestead when Reta was in 2nd grade. In the fall
of 1947, she was introduced to Tom Snyder and
they married May 27, 1948. She worked for her board and graduated
high school from Walla Walla High School. 2 hours after they were wed.
They lived in Wallowa County on the Snyder Ranch on Rye Ridge near
Paradise, OR. There they had their four children; Jack, Jean, Terry, and
Nancy.
In 1963 they moved to Kettle Falls, WA, where they were involved
in a family business: Singers Junction Café, service station, and motel.
Reta always had big gardens and worked hard at keeping the family fed.
We always had plenty of home canned vegetables and fruit. Reta made
western shirts for Tom and the boys and many clothes for the girls, also.
In 1964 Tom went to work for ASARCO Mining Co. Then 1971 Tom was
transferred to the Black Cloud mine in Leadville, CO, still with ASAR-
CO. They resided in Buena Vista, CO, out in the country were Reta
could have a garden and Tom could have horses. Tom was transferred
back into the beautiful northwest with the mining company and they
moved to Troy, MT, in 1981, where Reta had a huge garden, fruit trees,
large yard and lots of flower beds. They both worked hard to make this a
beautiful place. Tom retired, and they moved to Wallowa, OR, in 1997.
She was a member of the Methodist Church in Troy, MT, and in Wal-
lowa, OR, then the Christian Life Center in Elgin and then Enterprise
Christian Church in Enterprise when she moved to the Alpine House in
Joseph, OR. Church was a big part of her life.
Reta bought property and built a home in Elgin, OR, after Tom’s death
in 2002. She lived in Elgin until 2013 when she moved to Alpine House
assisted living, in Joseph, OR. Then she moved to the Wildflower Lodge
in La Grande, OR, in February of 2021 to the memory care unit.
Reta is survived by her sons; Jack Snyder of Joseph, OR, Ter-
ry Snyder of Paradise, OR; daughters; Jean (Gary) Sublie of Deer
Park, WA, Nancy (John) Rolfsrud of Keene, ND; eight grandchil-
dren, twelve great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild;
brothers, Weldon (Barbara) Witherrite of Enterprise, OR, Jerald
(Lou) Witherrite of Imnaha, OR and Orson (Pam) Witherrite of
Kennewick, WA; brother-in-law William “Bill” or “Bud” (Rita)
Snyder of Corvallis, OR, and numerous nieces and nephews.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Tom Snyder; parents Lyal &
Sylvia Witherrite; sisters, Dorene (Earl) Wattenburger, JoAnn (Fred)
Haslam/Banks; brothers, Lyal Jr. (Clare), Norman and (Fern), Terrel
(Alice) Witherrite; mother and father-in-law, Jeff and Ruby (Graham)
Snyder; brother-in-law, Frank (Marge) Snyder; sister-in-laws, Myrna
Witherrite, Lillian (Joe) Beach; daughter-in-law, Jody (Foster) Snyder;
great-granddaughter, Auburn Schaefer.
Funeral services will be held at Merchant Funeral Home in Clarkston
on May 22, 2021 at 2pm, with burial services at the Vineland Cemetery,
Clarkston, WA, following the funeral service. At Reta’s request there
will be a private viewing for family before her service. Please mask up to
attend the service.
In lieu of flowers, if desired you may send donations to the Vineland
Cemetery, Clarkston, WA or to the Enterprise Cemetery, Enterprise, OR,
for maintenance. Please designate your preference.
Appreciation and thank you goes out to our family and friends, as well
as all the staff at Alpine House assisted living, Joseph, OR and the same
to Wildflower Lodge, La Grande, OR for all the care Reta got in her last
leg of life, as well as Heart ‘n Home Hospice, La Grande, OR, for all their
tender and loving care in her last days.