RECORDS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2021
PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT
MONDAY, DEC. 13
2:17 a.m. — The Union County Sheriff ’s Offi ce
received a complaint from the The Lodge at
Hot Lake Springs, 66172 Highway 203, Union,
of a guest who was out of control. A deputy
responded and took the person to another hotel.
3:33 a.m. — A caller reported someone
screaming in the area of the 1800 block of Sec-
ond Street, La Grande. Offi cers checked the area
but found no screaming.
7:14 a.m. — A caller reported an unauthorized
vehicle was in a handicapped parking spot at
Green Tree Apartments, 2310 Q Ave., La Grande.
A parking enforcement offi cer responded.
7:44 a.m. — A caller reported two horses on
the loose on the 700 block of East Delta Street,
Union. An animal enforcement offi cer responded
and secured the horses.
8:27 a.m. — La Grande police received a
report of a sex crime.
11:13 a.m. — La Grande police received a
request for a welfare check at a residence on the
100 block of Willow Street. Offi cers responded
and found an occupant had died. Police con-
tacted Loveland Funeral Chapel, La Grande.
1:17 p.m. — A caller reported fi nding a puppy
on the 1000 block of Jackson Avenue, La Grande.
An animal enforcement offi cer responded and
took the dog to the animal shelter at the Blue
Mountain Humane Association, La Grande.
3:54 p.m. — La Grande police on foot patrol
cited a 36-year-old woman at Max Square on a
Union County warrant for two counts of sec-
ond-degree trespassing. Police also cited her
on a new count of trespassing. About 30 min-
utes later, police returned to Max Square and
arrested the woman for trespassing and disor-
derly conduct.
10:23 p.m. — A caller on the 300 block of
Fourth Street, La Grande, reported a runaway.
An offi cer made contact, and the runaway was
found.
TUESDAY, DEC. 14
3:20 a.m. — A caller reported bicycles that
may be stolen were behind the Grande Ronde
Fitness Club, 2214 Adams Ave., La Grande. An
offi cer checked it out and found the bikes were
of no value and had been there a long time.
7:07 a.m. — La Grande police received
another complaint of an unauthorized vehicle in
a handicapped parking spot at Green Tree Apart-
ments, 2310 Q Ave. A parking enforcement offi -
cer responded and left a citation on the vehicle.
9:53 a.m. — The Union County Sheriff ’s Offi ce
arrested Sean Michael Stanford, 24, of North
Powder, for second-degree burglary and mail
theft that occurred on Nov. 29.
10:11 a.m. — La Grande police received a
complaint about a burglary on the 1300 block of
Madison Avenue. An offi cer made contact and
took a report.
2:52 p.m. — The Union County Sheriff ’s Offi ce
received a request for a welfare check at a resi-
dence in North Powder. A deputy responded and
found everything was fi ne.
4:06 p.m. — A caller reported gunshots on
Otten Drive, La Grande. An offi cer responded and
took information.
5:41 p.m. — A caller reported a train blocked
Hilgard Lane, La Grande. Police notifi ed Union
Pacifi c Railroad.
9:59 p.m. — A caller reported suspicious cir-
cumstances at the Orchard Motel, 2206 Adams
Ave., La Grande. Dispatch advised police of the
call.
RECENT OREGON STATE POLICE
ACTIVITY
Dec. 8, 5:17 p.m. — A trooper and emer-
gency services responded to the eastbound side
of Interstate 84 near milepost 244 for a crashed
Chevrolet Express. State police reported the vehi-
cle lost traction on black ice, moved across the
right lane, hit the right shoulder of the road and
rolled.
The driver was a 49-year old man and the pas-
senger was a 37-year-old woman, both from Van-
couver, Washington. The wreck ejected the pas-
senger, and an ambulance took her to Grande
Ronde Hospital, La Grande.
Neither were wearing seat belts, according
to OSP. The driver reported replacing both front
seats and the vehicle’s seat belt system was not
compatible with the new seats.
UPCOMING LOCAL SERVICES
Please follow guidelines
regarding face coverings
and social distancing at all
gatherings.
Dec. 17 — LEROY
BUSHMAN: 2 p.m.
graveside service, Hill-
crest Cemetery, La
Grande.
Dec. 18 — JUNE
MILLER: 10 a.m. memo-
rial service, Damascus
Road Church, La Grande.
Dec. 19 — MARY
REEDER: 1 p.m. cele-
bration of life, La Grande
Nazarene Church.
Jan. 15, 2022 — JIM
LUNDY: 2 p.m. memorial
service, Gilbert Center,
Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity, La Grande.
— calendar courtesy of
Loveland Funeral Chapel
OBITUARY
DEATH
NOTICES
Terry R. Guisto
Wanda L. Case
1947-2021
Formerly of La Grande
Cove
Wanda L. Case, 79, of
Cove, died Dec. 14, 2021,
at her residence. Arrange-
ments are by Loveland
Funeral Chapel & Crema-
tory, La Grande.
Clinton Millman
La Grande
Clinton Millman, 31,
of La Grande, died Dec.
13, 2021, at his residence.
Arrangements are by Love-
land Funeral Chapel & Cre-
matory, La Grande.
Jan Randolph
La Grande
Jan Randolph, 72, of La
Grande, died Dec. 14, 2021,
at her residence. Arrange-
ments are by Loveland
Funeral Chapel & Crema-
tory, La Grande.
Phyllis I. Taylor
La Grande
Phyllis I. Taylor, 80, of
La Grande, died Dec. 14,
2021, at Wildfl ower Lodge.
Arrangements are by Love-
land Funeral Chapel & Cre-
matory, La Grande.
Darryl R. Wray
La Grande
Darryl R. Wray, 83, of
La Grande, died Dec. 12,
2021, at Grande Ronde Hos-
pital. Arrangements are by
Loveland Funeral Chapel &
Crematory, La Grande.
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Terry Francis Guisto,
and Wildlife, after a full
73, died suddenly Sept.
career in Hood River.
17, 2021, while working
Terry served two tours
outdoors at
of duty as a dec-
his high-alti-
orated medical
tude home in
corpsman in the
Northern New
173rd Sky Sol-
Mexico. A pri-
diers, during the
vate family cel-
Vietnam War.
ebration of his
Those who
life was held
knew Terry
at his home in
respected his
October.
integrity and
Terry was
honesty. He
Guisto
born Oct. 6,
was also known
1947, in Reno,
for his smile
Nevada. He
and ability to
spent several
tell stories and
years working
laugh.
in La Grande at
Survivors
the old Eastside
include his wife,
Tavern, which
Pat Guisto of
was owned
Tierra Amarilla,
by his parents
New Mexico,
during the 1960s and
and brother, Jamie Guisto
1970s. He also worked
of Seattle.
for Union Pacifi c Rail-
He was preceded in
road during that time.
death by his parents,
Terry retired from the Fish Emmitt and Thelma
Division of Oregon Fish
Guisto.
PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPER
Christopher Lavern Schwebke
September 16, 1980 - December 5, 2021
Christopher Lavern Schwebke, 41, of La Grande, passed
away on Sunday, December 5, 2021 at St. Luke’s Medical
Center, Boise, ID, from a rare blood disease called hemo-
chronatosis. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.
Christopher was born on September 16, 1980 in La
Grande, Oregon, to Marc and Anna (McClure) Schwebke.
He resided in La Grande, OR, Hood River, OR and Yakima,
WA. He attended grade school in La Grande and attended
Hood River Middle and High Schools. He married his one true love, Crystal
Dufour.
Christopher was a chef and father of 3 sons. He enjoyed woodworking, building
things, helping neighbors, huckleberry picking, cooking, canning, gardening,
target shooting and was an avid Blazers and Oregon Ducks fan.
Christopher is survived by his wife, Crystal; children, Trenton Schwebke, Skyler
Schwebke of La Grande and Brendan Schwebke of North Carolina; parents,
Marc and Anna Schwebke of La Grande; brothers, Kruz Schwebke of Klamath
Falls, OR, and Tracy Schwebke (Valerie) of Pasco, WA; sister, Maryann Younger
(Jeremy) of Springfield, OR; maternal grandmother, Cornelia McClure-German;
2 nieces and 4 nephews; great-aunts and uncles, Jan and Larry Bayliss and family,
Duane and Gay Zander and family; aunts and uncles, Cinda McClure of Kent,
WA, Jimmie and Lynn McClure of La Grande, OR, and Karen and Greg Balmer
of Portland, OR; and many cousins. He was preceded in death by his grandfather,
Jimmie O. McClure; aunt, Ruthie McClure; step-grandfather, Loydd German;
grandmother, LaWanna Schwebke; and grandfather, Harold Schwebke.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the family to help
with expenses through Anna Schwebke at PO Box 1334, La Grande, OR, 97850 or
the Salvation Army Angel Tree Program, https://salvationarmynca.org/angeltree.
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.lovelandfuneralchapel.
com.
THE OBSERVER — A3
Duke the dog rescued from burning vehicle
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
La Grande Fire Department responded to a Ford F-250 on fi re Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021, around
9:25 a.m. on the corner of Jeff erson Avenue and Fourth Street, after employees at the nearby
La Grande Medical Center called 911. An employee at the building noticed a black Labrador was
inside the vehicle, which was being enveloped with smoke, and broke out the passenger window
and Steve West, a local resident, removed Duke the dog from the vehicle’s cabin. Owner Rudolph
Candler said it was his only form of transportation and due to his status as a retiree, he won’t be
able to aff ord another vehicle. It was unclear what caused the fi re.
COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD
Free fi rewood available
Dec. 18 in La Grande
LA GRANDE — The Neighbors
Together emergency woodlot will be
giving wood-burning households in fi nan-
cial need up to a cord of fi rewood on
Saturday, Dec. 18, from 9 a.m. to noon.
Donations will be accepted but are not
required. The woodlot is at 3309 N. Uma-
tilla St. in La Grande. For more informa-
tion visit www.neighborstogetherofunion-
county.org or call 541-963-9126.
Live Nativity performances planned
ENTERPRISE — Four half-hour per-
formances of a live reenactment of the
Nativity begin at 5 p.m. on Saturday and
Sunday, Dec. 18-19, next to the Wallowa
Valley Eye Clinic in Enterprise, 515 W.
North St. There will also be free cookies
and hot chocolate. Donations are welcome.
— The Observer
Melvin Lee Buffington
May 15, 1937 - November 8, 2021
Melvin Lee “Mel” Buffington, quietly
embarked on his next great journey from
his La Grande home on November 8, 2021,
after a life well-lived. He was 84. Born May
15th, 1937, in Baker, OR, Mel was the son
of Cecil and Frances (Jory) Buffington.
His father was an itinerant jockey, so,
rather than live a vagabond childhood, Mel
spent most of his early years in the compa-
ny of his maternal grandmother, Mildred
Jory. She was a cook in logging camps and
sawmill town hotels, so Mel lived in such
places as Balm Creek, Whitney, Mission,
Meacham, and for most of his youth,
Pondosa.
Among his earliest memories of life in
Pondosa was being small enough to crawl
beneath the boardwalks between the hotel
where he lived, the store, and the commu-
nity center. He particularly looked forward
to those explorations on Saturday and
Sunday mornings after many of the week-
end partiers had dropped a fair amount
of change through the gaps between the
boards the previous night. He also remem-
bered being older and having to endure the
prolonged bus ride in the dark from Pon-
dosa to parochial school in Baker, and the
return ride, again in the dark. He finished
high school while living in Mission, and
formed several lasting friendships among
his First Peoples classmates.
Mel enlisted in the US Air Force in
1956, and served four years until his
honorable discharge in 1960. He served as
a Morse code translator at the Stuttgart,
Germany Air Force Intelligence/Commu-
nications station. Upon his return to the
United States, he went to work in the tim-
ber industry as a logging scaler, working in
eastern Washington and in northeast Ore-
gon. Besides logging, he worked at a travel
trailer factory in the Grande Ronde Valley.
He also worked as a passport photogra-
pher and a freelance press photographer.
He retired after twenty-five years as the
photography instructor at EOU.
In 1964, he met Beverly June Russell of
La Grande. They were married in June of
1965, in La Grande. They moved to Albu-
querque, NM, in 1966, where their son, Ty-
rone, was born in 1968. They divorced in
1970, but remained friends. Mel attended
both EOSC (now EOU) in La Grande, and
UNM in Albuquerque, where he earned a
BS in English.
Along with photography, Mel enjoyed
a wide diversity of interests and pastimes.
Most mornings were spent at a local book-
store, drinking coffee, reading the news,
and seeing people. Conversely, he loved
being deep in a quiet forest. He traveled
widely across the West, stopping frequently
to capture another image with his cam-
era. Anywhere he found a quiet pool on
a stream, he’d search for flat rocks to skip.
After photography, he devoted much of his
spare time to writing poetry. He also cre-
ated a series of drawings featuring fanciful
creatures called “Upflings”. Several books
of his poetry were published, as were many
of his photographs. There were a number
of gallery showings of his photographs and
Upflings. His other love was music and
dancing. A friend remarked that the most
enduring image she has of him is of his
unrestrained, exuberant dancing, indiffer-
ent to possible criticism from onlookers.
He was comfortable and confident enough
in himself that, while he did nothing to
provoke comment, he did nothing to pre-
vent it either.
Mel lived his life with little regard to
conventional lifestyles. He spent some
time sojourning with the Rainbow People.
While he did live in a “normal” house, he
didn’t mow the lawn until the fire depart-
ment forced him to do so, because he en-
joyed the natural look of the plant growth.
He also spent several seasons living out
of a Pinto station wagon and a cave near
Albuquerque. For several years after his
retirement, he alternated his residence be-
tween Portland and La Grande, living for
three months at a time in one or the other,
always stopping for meditation at Celilo
Park. As with the rest of his life, Mel’s
spirituality, while deep, was definitely non-
traditional. Like many of the First Peoples
he knew, he was deeply in tune with the
earth and its inhabitants, and was particu-
larly connected to coyotes and eagles. His
son, Tyrone, noted that the following lines
are one of his poems which appears at the
beginning of most of his books.
‘Thank you coyote spirit for your guid-
ance.’
‘May my heart be always open to yr
wizzzdom.’
Mel had two trademark greetings. For
many years, his response to a phone call
was always “Good Morning!”, regardless
of the time of day or night. Later, people
came to expect his characteristic “Quack
Quack” as his greeting.
Mel was not an initiator. He never tried
to influence or direct anyone’s actions. He
would give his opinion or suggestion if
requested, but would never offer comment
unless he was invited to do so. He felt
that he shouldn’t cause things to happen,
but should merely allow them. He even
refused to vote in elections because he felt
that it would be trying to impose his will
on society. Mel was a keen observer, and
his insights were equally keen. He had no
aspirations to be a mover and shaker. He
lived sharply aware of everything around
him, as though he were an ideal camera,
unobtrusive, disturbing nothing, capturing
everything in his imagination. Watching,
always watching.
Samuel Clemens wrote. “The fear
of death follows from the fear of life. A
man who lives fully is prepared to die at
any time.” Mel Buffington, the ‘Traveling
Enigma’, lived his own extraordinary life to
the fullest!
Mel is survived by his son, Tyrone
Buffington; and partner, Brooke Shevlin,
of Union, OR; cousins Janice “Donnie”
Baxter, of Medical Springs, OR, Monte cre
Bennett, and Carrie Lynn, both of Port-
land, OR; and Doug Jory, of Hines, OR. He
was preceded in death by his grandmother,
Mildred Jory; his parents, Cecil and
Frances Buffington; and his brother Cecil
Thomas “Tommy” Buffington. A celebra-
tion of life gallery showing of many of his
works will be announced at a future date.
Online condolences may be made to
the family at www.lovelandfuneralchapel.
com.