RECORDS
THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2021
OBITUARIES
COMMUNITY
Briefs
Union VFW Memorial Day
ceremony open to
the community
UNION — The Veterans of
Foreign Wars High Valley Post 4060
will hold a Memorial Day ceremony
beginning at 9 a.m. Monday, May
31, in the Union City Park. The
community is invited to join the
event, which will feature a short
speech followed by the raising of
each service branch’s fl ag and the
branch’s service hymn; raising of the
POW/MIA fl ag; and a rifl e salute and
the playing of Taps. The ceremony
concludes with a reading of the
names of veterans who are in the
Union Cemetery.
Virtual statewide Memorial
Day event planned
SALEM — The Oregon Depart-
ment of Veterans’ Aff airs will honor
the nation’s fallen service members
this Memorial Day during a virtual
statewide Memorial Day ceremony.
According to a press release,
the event is in line with continuing
gathering limits in place in many
areas due to the COVID-19 pandem-
ic and is made possible through
partnerships with the Oregon
Military Department, Oregon Na-
tional Guard, city of Wilsonville and
Korean War Veterans Association.
ODVA Director Kelly Fitzpatrick
will serve one of the event’s keynote
speakers. The event will also
feature remarks by other honored
veterans and distinguished guests
as well as prerecorded ceremonial
elements fi lmed on location (with
no audience) at the Oregon Korean
War Memorial in Wilsonville. These
elements include a color guard
ceremony, the national anthem, a
wreath-laying ceremony and Taps.
The ceremony will premiere
virtually at 10 a.m. Monday, May
31, on ODVA’s Facebook page
(www.facebook.com/odvavet) and
YouTube channel (www.youtube.
com/channel/UCAQVavs9KmvDe-
J42ySFtY8A).
— The Observer
Mindy R. Musgrove
1980-2021 • La Grande
Mindy Renae Musgrove,
41, of La Grande, died May
10, 2021, at her home. A
private family service will
be held at a later date.
Mindy was born Feb.
21, 1980, in
La Grande, to
Kim Musgrove
and Carla
Niswender. She
graduated from
La Grande
High School in 1998.
Mindy was employed at
Bi-Mart for more than 12
years and was a volunteer
with the Salvation Army.
She enjoyed the outdoors,
camping, horses, working
in her fl ower beds, arts and
crafts, working outside and
physical labor.
Surviving relatives
include her daughter, Parker
Cattlin Burns of La Grande;
parents, Kim Musgrove
and Carla Niswender of
La Grande; brother, Tyler
Musgrove of Union; grand-
mother, Gayle Musgrove
of La Grande; and grand-
father, Robert Lewis Nisw-
ender of La Grande.
She was preceded in
death by her grandfather,
Kenneth Musgrove, and
grandmother, Anna June
(Robertson) Niswender.
Online condolences
may be made to the family
at www.lovelandfuneral-
chapel.com.
Marlon Bryant
Elgin
Marlon Bryant, 81, of
PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT
MONDAY, MAY 24
8:11 a.m. — La Grande
police arrested a 42-year-old
La Grande woman for
driving while revoked.
12:29 p.m. — A caller
reported a disturbance on
the 10200 block of West
Railroad Avenue. Union
County sheriff ’s deputies
responded and counseled
the parties.
2:54 p.m. — A caller in
the area of 63400 Gekeler
Lane, La Grande, reported
stalking. A Union County
sheriff ’s deputy made
contact and talked about
options.
3:02 p.m. — LA Grande
police received a report of
vandalism to a vehicle on
the 2800 block of Third
Street.
5:29 p.m. — A caller
reported possible animal
abuse on the 700 block of
North Ninth Avenue, Elgin.
An animal enforcement
offi cer made contact.
6:55 p.m. — Local law
enforcement and emer-
gency services responded
to vehicle crash on Morgan
Lake Road, La Grande,
and arrested Shad Daniel
Groven, 28, for driving
under the infl uence of
intoxicants.
7:59 p.m. — La Grande
police responded to the area
of N Avenue and Eighth
Street for a male “tearing
around the neighborhood
on a dirt bike.” Police found
and counseled the rider.
TUESDAY, MAY 25
10:36 a.m. — La Grande
police responded to the
1100 block of D Avenue for
a disturbance. Offi cers sep-
arated the parties.
1:54 p.m. — Local law
enforcement and emer-
gency services responded to
a vehicle crash with reports
of injuries at May Lane and
Spruce Street, La Grande.
Police took a report.
3:13 p.m. — La Grande
police left 48-hour tow
notices on three vehicles
at 18th Street and Adams
Avenue.
7:12 p.m. — A caller on
the 1300 block of Z Avenue,
La Grande, asked to speak
to an offi cer regarding crim-
inal mischief. An offi cer
took a report.
Elgin, died Dec. 3, 2020,
at his home. A celebra-
tion of life Irish-style wake
and dinner will begin at
noon May 30 at his ranch in
Elgin. Arrangements are by
Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral
Home and Cremation Ser-
vices, Halfway.
Alvin D. Montgomery
1954-2021 • La Grande
Alvin Dean Mont-
gomery, 66, of La Grande,
died May
11, 2021, at
Grande Ronde
Hospital. A
celebration of
his life will be
announced at a
later time.
Alvin was born Aug.
24, 1954, in Denver, Col-
orado, to William Alvin
and A. Nadine (Tinkel)
Montgomery. He resided
in Clackamas County and
Union County. He attended
schools in the Clackamas
County School District. He
married Arlene Zemke in
1997.
Alvin was an accom-
plished heavy equipment
operator and a member
of the IUOE #701/Oper-
ating Engineers. He was
employed at the family
gravel pit in Carver, Port-
land Road and Drive, Mont-
gomery Brothers Trucking
and Lincoln Memorial
Cemetery. In Union County,
he was also employed
at Rainbow Cab and the
Longbranch.
Alvin enjoyed music. He
played guitar, bass guitar
Recent Oregon State
Police activity
May 23, 5:17 p.m. — A
trooper spotted a vehicle in
the Ladd Marsh Wildlife
Area near La Grande and
found the occupants showed
signs of recent drug use.
The 37-year-old man and
24-year-old woman each
showed the trooper vials
of methamphetamine. The
trooper gave a citation to
each for possession of meth.
May 21, 6:53 a.m. —
A GMC pickup crashed
on Oregon Department
of Transportation prop-
erty in Union County and
fl ed. Troopers in Pend-
leton found the vehicle
and arrested the driver, a
31-year-old man from Bat-
tleground, Washington, for
hit-and-run involving prop-
erty and failure to carry and
present a driver’s license.
May 18, 5:19 p.m. — A
35-year-old Los Angeles
man told Oregon State
Police someone stole his
identifi cation and presented
it in 2019 during a traffi c
stop in Union County. A
trooper took information
from the victim and sent a
report to the district attor-
ney’s offi ce.
LA GRANDE — The
city of La Grande Parks
and Recreation is off ering
full-day child care from
June 7 to Aug. 13 for chil-
dren who have completed
kindergarten through fi fth
grade. The program will
let children participate in
a variety of activities, such
as STEM projects, fi eld
games, crafts, water activ-
ities and fi eld trips.
The program runs
from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
(early drop off starting at
7:45 am, and late pickup
until 5:15 p.m.) at the Pio-
neer Park Pavilion. The
cost is $100 per week and
includes lunch. The par-
ents of students in the La
Grande School District
are reminded to use the
coupon code.
La GRANDE
AUTO REPAIR
975-2000
www.lagrandeautorepair.com
MOST
ADVANCED
TECHNOLOGY
AVAILABLE
Joe Horst
ACDelcoTSS
Creating Memories
YOU ARE INVITED TO OUR
FOUNDER’S DAY ––BBQ––
Sat. May 29, 2021 • 10am - 4pm
Creating Memories Camp @ Wallowa Lake
Tour our camp property, hike the
waterfall and enjoy a FREE lunch
(11am-1pm). PELASE park at the
Marina parking lot. We will provide
shuttle service to the camp property!
Due to COVID-19 guidelines physical distancing
will be maintained.
Door Prizes, Games, Face Painting, Live Music and Karaoke!
Eagle Cap Excursion Train
We’re back on track!
And excited about the 2021 season!
Beginnng Saturday, July 3
“Real Food for
the People”
Open
Fri-Sun Take-out
Menu
5pm-8pm Updated
Weekly
www.tendepotstreet.com
541-963-8766
tendepotstreet@gmail.com
Upcoming local services
and drums on occasion. He
was a singer and a song-
writer who wrote and com-
posed more than 100 orig-
inal songs. His greatest
enjoyment was performing
for an audience. Alvin was
founder and member of sev-
eral bands, including Swee-
talker, which performed on
the Portland music circuit,
and the Huckleberries in
Union County.
Surviving relatives
include his wife, Arlene;
children and spouses, Jason
and Caitlin Montgomery of
Union, Melissa and Nick
Maszy of Gladstone, Jon
and Christa Montgomery of
Canby, and Alycia and Josh
Reinertsen of Milwaukie;
sister, Wilma Montgomery
of Gladstone; brother, Bill
Montgomery of St. Louis,
Missouri; brother and sis-
ter-in-law, Roy and Glenda
Montgomery of Carver;
eight grandchildren; and
numerous nieces and
nephews.
He was preceded in
death by his parents, Wil-
liam “Bill” and Nadine
Montgomery.
Online condolences
may be made to the family
at www.lovelandfuneral-
chapel.com.
Courtney M.
Hendrickson
La Grande
Courtney M. Hen-
drickson, 22, of La Grande,
died May 22, 2021. Arrange-
ments are by Loveland
Funeral Chapel & Crema-
tory, La Grande.
LG Parks and Rec off ers
summer child care
The Observer
Two Rivers Train Ride
See the full schedule
and book online
or call 541.437.3652
www.eaglecaptrainrides.com
THE OBSERVER — 3A
Registration is on a
week by week fi rst come
fi rst served basis. To learn
more and to register, go
to www.lagrandeparks.
org (choose “Current Pro-
grams” under the “Rec-
reation” tab”); contact
McKayla Rollins, recre-
ation supervisor, at mrol-
lins@cityofl agrande.org or
541-962-1352; or stop by
the Parks and Rec offi ce,
2402 Cedar St., La Grande
(inside Pioneer Park).
Please follow guide-
lines regarding face
coverings and social
distancing at all
services.
May 29 — BEV-
ERLY LEDRIDGE:
1 p.m. memorial grave-
side service, Summer-
ville Cemetery.
May 30 —
MARLON BRYANT:
noon celebration of life
Irish-style wake and
dinner, Bryant ranch,
Elgin.
May 30 — CANDY
WILLIAMS: noon to
2 p.m. celebration of
life, Elgin Community
Center.
June 5 — BETTY
ALAM: 11 a.m. memo-
rial graveside service,
Grandview Cemetery,
La Grande.
June 5 — BAR-
BARA “BOBBY”
BUCE: 11 a.m. memo-
rial service, Damascus
Road Community
Church, La Grande.
June 6 — ERMAL
GOUCHER: 11 a.m.
celebration of life, Love-
land Funeral Chapel,
La Grande; reception
immediately follows at
Island City City Hall.
June 14 —
GERALD RIMBEY:
10 a.m. graveside ser-
vice, Island City Ceme-
tery; reception follows
at 11 a.m. at La Grande
Christian Church.
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
Audrey Sue Simer
April 20, 1940 - May 23, 2021
Audrey Sue Simer “Sue”, 81, of La
Grande, passed peacefully in her sleep
on Sunday, May 23, 2021. At her
request there will be no service.
Sue was born in Helena, Montana,
on April 20, 1940 to Loami and Win-
ifred Goss.
Sue enjoyed baking, crocheting,
counted cross stitch, puzzle books, col-
oring and traveling. Her greatest joy was her family and
spending time with them. She will be deeply missed by
them.
The family would like to extend a sincere thank you
to Heart ‘n Home Hospice and Grande Ronde Retire-
ment Residence for the care you gave to our loved one.
Sue is survived by her only child; Nancy A. Warren
of Union, Oregon; grandchildren; Brandie (Mike) of
Union, Oregon, Remington of La Grande, Oregon,
Ritter (Amanda) of Dallas, Oregon and Chandra of
Kennewick, Washington; great-grandchildren; SadieR-
ae, JC, Draven, Leicee, Tobi, Greyson and Brogan,
Sue was preceded in death by her son-in-law, Art P.
Warren and her parents.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be
made in Sue’s name to the American Diabetes Associ-
ation, 4380 SW Macadam Avenue #210, Portland, OR,
97239 or charity of one’s choice.
Online condolences may be made to the family at
www.lovelandfuneralchapel.com.
Teresa Lin DiFalco
June 6, 1968 - April 21, 2021
It was a Thursday afternoon on June 6, 1968,
when John and Janis Bozarth lovingly welcomed
their daughter into this world. “Teresa Lin is
here,” her ecstatic dad exclaimed, loud enough
for everyone in the waiting room to hear. And
so, she began her young life. At the age of eight,
her family moved to La Grande, Oregon, where
she flourished, attending Central Grade School,
taking CCD classes at Our Lady of the Valley
Catholic Church, and in 1986 graduating with
honors from La Grande High School. While in
high school, Teresa achieved academic acco-
lades from the National Honor Society. She
also played JV basketball and competed on the
Varsity tennis team. She was chosen Queen for
the jazz ensemble in the May Music Festival and
received State recognition at the Jr. Bach Festi-
val. Teresa’s love of piano and jazz followed her
throughout her life. She often frequented jazz
clubs in New York City and Portland, and jazz
hummed in the background in all her homes.
Teresa then spent two years at Gonzaga Uni-
versity in Spokane, Washington. She transferred
to Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon,
where she graduated in 1991 with a degree in
English.
After college, Teresa worked as a software
program trainer for a tech company based in
Pennsylvania. It was here she met her future
husband, Anthony DiFalco. They married in
the summer of 1998 and moved to Weehawken,
New Jersey, where Teresa took a job at Field-
stone, a large tech company based in New
York City. They were thrilled to welcome two
children, Anthony and Gianna. They moved
back to Oregon in 2000 and eventually settled in
McMinnville where Teresa focused on her fami-
ly, and began her career as a freelance writer and
editor. (Although they would divorce in 2010,
they remained close.)
Teresa’s work appeared in numerous pub-
lications including the New York Times, The
Oregonian, the McMinnville News-Register, and
Vancouver Family Magazine. She was a long-
time contributing editor for Parents’ Choice,
the nation’s oldest nonprofit guide to quality
children’s media and toys. She also sat on the
Parents’ Choice Award committee.
Teresa published two essays in “Modern
Love,” the popular and critically acclaimed New
York Times column. Her first story entitled, “It
Took a Villain To Save Our Marriage,” examined
the difficult, often unspoken, side of marriage.
“Teresa DiFalco’s essay gets at an uncomfort-
able truth... the story spirals into unexpected
places and becomes an odd, intimate dance with
danger,” New York Times editor Daniel Jones
said. ‘’I’m drawn to strange stories that explore
the dark side of marriages with brutal honesty.”
The story was later turned into a podcast, read
by film actress, Melanie Lynskey. In 2018, it was
named one of the Top
Nine Modern Love
Podcasts. In addition
to her own writing,
Teresa was hired as
the ghostwriter on the
novel, “A Dangerous
Age,” published by
Gallery Books in 2016.
She also worked
with her sister-in-law,
Carole Radziwill, first
as an editor on her 2006 memoir, “What Re-
mains,” and then a novel, “A Widow’s Guide to
Sex and Dating,” published by Holt in 2014. “Te-
resa taught me nearly everything I know about
writing, and story-telling,” recalls Radziwill. “No
one wrote a better sentence or turned a phrase
with as much ease or dexterity. Her take on even
the most mundane details of life, her illogical
fear of Odorous house ants, and her razor sharp
wit would keep me laughing for days on end.
She was the most original thinker - and most
unique person. I’ve ever known. She was my
favorite everything.”
They formed a partnership and collaborated
on numerous other writing projects including;
“Office Politics: Blue and Red America Collide,”
a non-fiction political discourse which Teresa
edited and wrote the forward, a novel titled,
“Who Killed Jetta James,” about reality TV and
murder, and an untitled TV comedy series
revolving around the lives of residents living
in a quirky New York City apartment building.
They were also working on a TV adaptation of
Widow’s Guide.
Teresa often drew on her life experience for
her own writing. She examined the monotonous
side of life with acute clarity, insight and hon-
esty. At the time of her death, she was working
on a novel, “Crane Flies and Other Domestic
Terrors,” a love story about the disintegration
of a marriage. She was represented by Inkwell
Management. But despite her many achieve-
ments, no award came close to the pride she had
in her two children, Anthony, 22 and Gianna,
19, both active in the social justice movement in
Portland. She will be remembered through her
writing and the family she cherished.
Teresa passed away on April 21, 2021 in
Portland, Oregon. She was 52. She is survived by
her children; Anthony O. DiFalco and Gianna
L. DiFalco, Portland, Oregon; her parents; John
and Janis Bozarth, La Grande, Oregon; her
in-laws; Helen and Tony DiFalco, Suffern, New
York; and her sister-in-law and friend Carole
Radziwill, New York, New York.
A graveside service was held May 8 at
Grandview Cemetery, La Grande, Oregon.
Online condolences may be made to the
family at www.lovelandfuneralchapel.com.